Athens looks to build upon success of last season
By: Shane Scalfaro
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — After a 1-4 start last season, the Athens Bulldogs found momentum to close out the season on a high note.
Athens ended last regular season with a massive win over rival Nelsonville-York. That win secured their first winning season since 2018 and second place in the TVC-Ohio.
Coming off a five-game winning streak has kicked started the Bulldogs’ offseason with Coach Nathan White saying the team is still riding that high.
“We had as good an offseason as we’ve ever had and you know, I can’t help but think that having some success late last year was a reason for that,” said White.
The team only lost three seniors to graduation, putting the team ahead of schedule.
“The biggest thing as a coach is scheme has been easier this year because we have so many kids back that already know what we’re doing,” said White.
Braeden Young is back at quarterback for his senior season. He’s surrounded by other seniors at every skill position, which Young says helps his play on the field.
“The chemistry is there. When I’m running around, I know where they’re going to be, so that helps a lot,” said Young.
The team is built with next man up mentality, with senior receiver Kaiden Bycofski saying it’s something that sets them apart from other teams.
“We have a lot of depth in our DB and receiver room,” said Bycofski. “If we get big guys injured, we can have someone step up and still do damage.”
Although there is a lot of hype surrounding the Bulldogs, Coach White is keeping the noise out of the locker room.
“It would be easy for them to think ‘oh, everybody’s back, we’re going to be really good.’ That hasn’t been the case at all,” said White. “We’re coaching them up like we were 0-10 the last three years and we’re battling to get to earn everything.”
Athens kicks off their season on the road against the Philo Electrics on August 23rd.