The Athens Golden Eagles will face off against the Russellville Golden Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Athens is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 36.4 points per game this season.
Last Friday, Athens took their matchup with ease, bagging a 49-20 win over Decatur. The result was nothing new for the Golden Eagles, who have now won five contests by 29 points or more so far this season.
Athens can attribute much of their success to Xavier Edwards, who gained 92 total yards and two touchdowns, and Brogan Gross, who threw for 134 yards and two touchdowns on perfect 8-for-8 passing. Athens also got a significant boost from Kaydon Bledsoe, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 83 yards.
Athens was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 243 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Decatur only rushed for 112.
Athens' defense made their presence known, laying out the QB five times. Austin Campbell was especially locked on to Decatur's QB and sacked him twice.
Meanwhile, Russellville had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 39.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They strolled past the Bulldogs with points to spare, taking the game 28-12. Given the Golden Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Alabama football rankings (they are ranked 101st, while the Bulldogs are ranked 280th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Russellville to victory, but perhaps none more so than Whit Goodwin, who rushed for 46 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 126 yards while completing 76.9% of his passes. Tarus Davis was another key player, rushing for 92 yards on only eight carries.
Athens' victory was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-2. As for Russellville, their win bumped their record up to an identical 7-2.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Athens has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 205.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Russellville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 300.7. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Athens against Russellville when the teams last played back in November of 2023, as the team secured a 41-14 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Athens since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
