Sports
Athens Wants to Turn Rivalry Tide Against Logan
By: Taylor Jedrzejek
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In recent years, Athens High School football has become one of the strongest in the region. The Bulldogs (4-1, 2-0 TVC- Ohio) have lost just 13 of their last 76 games in the past six and a half seasons. The Logan Chieftains, however, haven’t cared.
Athens and Logan (1-4) have met on the gridiron twice during that span and the Chieftains have won both matchups. In 2015, Logan traveled to Rutter Field and beat Athens on opening night in a 61-49 shootout and last season, a then 1-4 Logan team upset the then 4-1 Bulldogs, 31-30.
Logan will have to again channel some of that underdog magic if the Chieftains want to keep their streak alive against Athens on Friday night in Rutter Stadium.
The Bulldogs are coming off their third consecutive win last week, a 28-14 victory over Vinton County. They have outscored their opponents 103-14 in that stretch, only giving up those 14 points to the Vikings after building a 20-0 lead midway through the third. A long touchdown pass stopped a scoreless streak for the Bulldogs’ opponents that lasted nearly 11 quarters.
On the other side, Logan is coming off its second straight loss by more than three touchdowns. Last week’s matchup in Chillicothe saw the Chieftains lose 43-21 to the Cavaliers. In Logan’s four losses this season, they have been outscored 163-42 while being out gained by nearly 400 yards in their first five games.
Chieftain running back Preston Yates will have to have a big game to give his team a chance, but the defense will have to step up and hold the Bulldogs in check if they want to have a chance at the upset.
The Chieftain defense will have their hands full with Athens quarterback Clay Davis and his plethora of options on the outside, including Treyce Albin and Robert Dickelman.