Sports
Thurgood Marshall Overwhelms Athens
By: Kelsi Steele
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The Athens Bulldogs traveled to Reynoldsburg, OH Saturday night to take on the Thurgood Marshall Cougars for the OHSAA Division III, Region 12 championship. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs season came to an abrupt halt as the Cougars, in a dominant 60-21 outcome, shut them down.
The Bulldogs were in the game through the first quarter, only trailing 13-7 as the second quarter approached. Despite the rowdy crowd from Athens, the Cougars took off in the second quarter compiling a total of four touchdowns thanks to heavy rushing, Bulldogs turnovers, and a 75-yard run from junior Deangelo Worthy.
Thurgood Marshall amassed a total of 387 rushing yards in the first half. That being said, the Bulldogs put up a fight as running back Trae Williams ran for almost 70 yards for a Bulldog touchdown in the second quarter. Athens left for halftime down 41-14 with optimism in their eyes, hoping for a turn of events.
The heavy rushing by the Cougars continued to pay off in the second half, as running back Denzel Norvell contributed to a touchdown after a Bulldog fumble on the 35-yard line, with a little under 10:00 to go in the third quarter.
Cougar rushing stood out easily as the game-changing factor to bring home the win, collecting another three touchdowns in the second half.
As the Athens Bulldogs season comes to a close, their heads should be held high. After reaching the regional championship, the Bulldogs have made the biggest playoff run in school history. As for redemption, there is always next year, as key players such as quarterback Joe Burrow will return for more action.