Sports
Bulldogs Chew up Warriors with Rushing Attack
By: Jacob Murray
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Athens came into this ballgame beating the Warren Warriors the past seven games they have played. A confident and locked in Bulldogs squad came in and continued the win streak, as they beat Warren 51-26.
The Athens Bulldogs came into the season with their senior quarterback Clay Davis, leading many to believe that this offense could lean on the passing game throughout the season. However, if tonight was any view into the future of this team, the running game might be their key to winning ball games. The Bulldogs combined for 300 total rushing yards on the ground tonight, lead by their starting running back Evan Adams, who rushed for over 92 yards and scored 3 touchdowns tonight.
The aerial attack was also used tonight as Davis might have found his next top target. Logan Maxfield had himself a solid night form the Bulldogs with 79 yards on 3 catches, including a 56 yard touchdown strike late in the first quarter. Maxfield also had a nice defensive interception where he made a one handed grab to halt a Warren drive in the middle of the second quarter. The offense was strong all night long as Athens racked up 510 total yards of offense. This might become a constant theme if they can run the ball as well as they did tonight.
The Bulldog defense was all over the Warriors offense line, as they pressured Warrens quarterback Brandon Simoniette all night long. Guys like Isaiah Butcher, Caleb Rogers and Justin Hynes were making big stops and disrupting plays all night long, leading to a big struggle from this Warriors offense. This defense held the Warrior offense to only 190 total yards, where most of those yards came when the game was mostly in Athens grasp.
The Warren Warriors struggled offensively all night long, as they had a total of 44 yards in the first half. The running game was shut down all night long and the offensive line could not contain the Bulldogs pass rush. Their special teams missed a field goal and missed an extra point in the first half, giving away points that could have helped stop the momentum of the Bulldogs.
One bright spot for the Warriors was on the defensive side of the ball, where they picked off Clay Davis twice, and one of those picks by Brandon Simoniette went back for 100 yards, ending in a pick six and the Warriors first score of the half.
Next week, the Athens Bulldogs will travel to Fairland High School to take on the Fairland Dragons, where they will look to continue this early season momentum. On the other side, the Warren Warriors will look to bounce back when they take on the Marietta Tigers at home.