Athens has been on the road for two straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will take on The Nelsonville-York Buckeyes at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Athens has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 150 points over their last three contests.
Last Friday, everything came up roses for Athens on the road against River Valley as the team secured a 54-8 win. The result was nothing new for Athens, who have now won four games by 21 points or more so far this season.
Athens can attribute much of their success to Braeden Young, who rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries, and Alex Pero, who rushed for 137 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.6 yards per carry. Pero is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last four games he's played. Luke Kaiser got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, after a string of seven wins, Nelsonville-York's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They took a 13-7 hit to the loss column at the hands of Vinton County. The low total for Nelsonville-York limited their streak of high-flying scores to three in a row.
Athens' win bumped their season record to 5-4 while Nelsonville-York's loss dropped theirs to 7-2.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's match: Athens has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 164.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Nelsonville-York struggles in that department as they've been even better at 199.9 per game. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Athens was dealt a bruising 46-7 defeat at the hands of Nelsonville-York when the teams last played back in October of 2022. Will Athens have more luck at home instead of on the road?
