Sports
Extra Points: Athens’s Comeback and Alexander, Zane Trace’s Routs
By: Nick Mullens
Posted on:
Athens needed to win in order to have a shot at a share of the TVC-Ohio crown.
Wellston pushed the Bulldogs to the limit, but it came up one drive short against a prolific Athens offense.
Athens (5-3, 3-1) tacked on a touchdown in overtime to come out on top in the shootout, beating Wellston (4-4, 2-2) 50-42.
The teams exchanged blows during the first half, with Wellston carrying a 20-18 lead into the half, but the hectic play accelerated in the second half.
Forrest Hale’s 55-yard opening kickoff put Wellston in favorable field position and the Rockets took advantage. A handful of plays later, Brayden Wolmeldorf sprinted in from 25 yards out to put Wellston up 28-19. Nick Cox’s 89-yard touchdown run later in the quarter extended Wellston’s lead to 36-19, but the Bulldogs stormed back in the final stanza to bring the game to level terms.
Athens’s Zacciah Saltzman contributed massively to the comeback attempt, accumulating an eye-popping 368 yards and four touchdowns on the night.
The Alexander Spartans (7-1) kept there now seven game win streak alive and clinched a share of the TVC-Ohio Friday night at home against the Nelsonville-York Buckeyes (1-7) 36-0.
The Buckeyes came into the game with a five-game winning streak against Alexander and the all time series 41-1-1 only losing one game ever to the Spartans. This wasn’t the case on Friday night. Alexander struck first with a five-yard run from Mason Chapman and then added on the two-point run. This gave the Spartans an early lead and they never looked back, racking up 197 yards in the first half alone.
Alexander just had too many offensive weapons and a suffocating defense that prevented Nelsonville from getting any production going. The Buckeyes struggled early on, only compiling only 45 yards over the first two quarters.
Leading the way for the Spartans was Chapman who ended the the night with three scores.
Nelsonville-York will look to break its seven-game losing streak next week when they host Vinton County. Alexander hopes to continue its winning ways against Trimble next week.
The Zane Trace pioneers (8-0) stayed undefeated Friday night against the Piketon Redstreaks (4-4) with a 42-8 victory.
Zane Traces’ Truman Love started the game with a 22-yard run up the gut, barreling through the Piketon tacklers on the opening drive. Love continued to do what he has done all season, using his powerful run game to shake up opponent’s defense.
Love’s impact on the game was even more crucial for the Pioneers Friday as starting quarterback Joel Dunkel was out due to an ankle injury. Without their leading signal caller, the Pioneers turned to Austin Harris to pick up quarterback duties. Alex Wolff capped of the 65-yard drive with a 14-yard run to the end zone. This gave Zane Trace a 7-0 lead with 7:09 left in the first quarter.
The Piketon Redstreaks started their first possession at their own 20. They would try to establish a passing game early, but were continually unsuccessful. After failing to convert on fourth down on their first offensive drive, the Redstreaks would never be able to gain momentum on the offensive end throughout the game.
In the end, Zane Trace’s powerful run game and stout defense allowed them to maintain their undefeated record. The Pioneers will look to remain undefeated next week against Huntington.
Piketon fall to 4-4 and hopes to stay in the playoff race next week against Unioto.