There's no place like home for The Athens Golden Eagles, who bounced back after a tough loss on the road last Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Columbia 49-14 at home. The result was nothing new for Athens, who have now won four matchups by 20 points or more so far this season.
Athens' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but JayShon Ridgle led the charge by picking up 120 receiving yards and a touchdown, while also punching in a touchdown on the ground. The team also got some help courtesy of Brogan Gross, who threw for 154 yards and two touchdowns while completing 100% of his passes.
Athens' win was their fifth straight at home (dating back to last season), bumping their overall record up to 6-2. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 0-9 Columbia and 3-6 Mae Jemison (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 38.7% over those games). As for Columbia, they still haven't won a game yet this season and fell to 0-9.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Athens will square off against Fort Payne at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. That game will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Dax Varnadore and Gross. As for Columbia, they will head out on the road to face off against Lee at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
