Bulldogs take down Buckeyes in epic rivalry dogfight
By: Meg Kuczinski
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – On Friday night, the Athens Bulldogs sunk their claws into the Nelsonville-York Buckeyes in a nail-biting match-up in Joe Burrow Stadium.
After coming off a loss to Vinton County, Nelsonville-York walked into this week (7-2) and was hoping to collect a win against the Bulldogs. Athens was coming off a win against River Valley and was sitting at 5-4 so far this season.
After losing to the Buckeyes for the past four years, the Bulldogs attacked this game with a vengeance like none other.
The first quarter began and ended in a stalemate. Nelsonville-York opened the quarter with the ball, but fumbled it early on. Even though the game was in the Bulldog’s paws, it was not long before the Buckeyes were able to force a turnover on downs. The rest of the first quarter continued in a similar fashion, each team proving to be a defensive powerhouse against the other.
It was not long into the second quarter when one team was finally able to pull ahead. Quarterback Braeden Young burst through Nelsonville-York’s defensive line, setting the Bulldogs in prime scoring position. Soon after, running back Alex Pero took it to the house for Athens. After a successful extra point, Athens took a 7-0 lead over Nelsonville-York. However, the Buckeyes would not stand for this.
A little over a minute later, running back Gavin Richards answered the Bulldog’s advances. Richards slid into the end zone for a 62-yard touchdown for Nelsonville-York, setting the score at 7-7. Each team traded turnovers for a while, until two minutes left in the second quarter.
After recovering a Buckeye fumble, Athens decided to turn up the heat. Running back Alex Pero valiantly fought his way down the field for his team, running circles around Nelsonville-York’s defense. With only three seconds left in the second quarter, wide receiver Leo Martin found the end zone for the Bulldogs, setting the score at 13-7 after a blocked extra point.
Both teams back out of the locker room, each looking to pull ahead of the other. However, only one team would be able to come out victorious.
During the third quarter, both the Bulldogs and the Buckeyes were each able to put up a touchdown, with Athens taking a lead of 19-13. Neither team was able to score more points for their team throughout the fourth quarter, and the Bulldogs continued to hold their ground against the Buckeyes.
And to make this win even sweeter, Athens was able to take home the Doc Kroner Trophy against Nelsonville-York.