Despite a phenomenal run in the regular season, Athens couldn't carry that success into this playoff game. They took a 31-24 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Homewood Patriots on Friday. The Golden Eagles have struggled against the Patriots recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.
When it comes to explaining why Athens lost, don't look at Brogan Gross. Despite the final result, he rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown on only five carries, and also threw for 195 yards and a touchdown. Another player making a difference was Xavier Edwards, who gained 135 total yards and a touchdown.
Kaleb Carson was nothing short of spectacular for Homewood: he rushed for 102 yards and three touchdowns, and also threw for 174 yards and a touchdown. Those 102 rushing yards gave Carson a new career-high. 93 of Carson's passing yards were hauled in by Kylen Newell, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
With the loss, Athens broke their three-game winning streak and moved their record to 8-3. As for Homewood, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 9-2.
Athens does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Homewood, they will face off against Fort Payne at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Fort Payne will roll in looking for their tenth straight win, something Homewood surely won't give up without a fight.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
