Athens To Face Top-Seeded Bishop Hartley In Regional Quarterfinals
By: Bryan Kurp
Posted on:
TVC-Ohio champion Athens (9-1) travels north to Columbus on Friday to face Bishop Hartley (8-2) – the top seed in Division III, Region 11.
The Bulldogs are making their sixth appearance in the state tournament and their first appearance since they were state runners-up in 2014. The 2014 Athens team finished 14-1 and was led by senior Joe Burrow – the current starting quarterback at LSU.
This season, Athens is averaging 41.4 points per game. Senior quarterback Clay Davis has thrown for 1,709 yards and 14 touchdowns. Davis’ favorite receivers are Nate Trainer and Logan Maxfield, as Trainer has 522 receiving yards and Maxfield has 461 receiving yards.
Davis has also rushed for 870 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. Running back Evan Adams has rushed for 870 yards and scored 20 touchdowns.
Defensively, Athens has 19 total takeaways – eight interceptions and 11 fumbles.
The Bishop Hartley Hawks are in the playoffs for the ninth straight year. In the past decade, Bishop Hartley has won three state championships – 2010, 2015, and 2016 – and was the state runner-up in 2013.
The Hawks are 5-0 at home this season and average about 36 points per game.
Bishop Hartley currently has the 10th-ranked offense. The Hawks operate with a run-heavy offense, as junior Jalan January leads the team in rushing 1,421 yards on 186 carries with 19 touchdowns. Quarterback Miles Fleming has 664 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Fleming has 909 passing yards on only 39 pass completions and has eight passing touchdowns.
Bishop Hartley has forced six interceptions and recovered two fumbles this season.
The winner of this game faces the winner of the game between Hillsboro and Eastmoor Academy.