It took just one throw, on the second offensive play of the game for the Bulldogs.
Clay Davis lofted a pass over two defenders and into the hands of Treyce Albin, who ran to the end zone for an 81-yard touchdown.
Athens had a quick-strike offense all night Friday on its way to a 47-7 win over Warren. After the Bulldogs recovered a fumble, Davis threw another touchdown on the next play. He finished with four touchdowns on the night.
The ability to score quickly and in bunches is a good sign for Athens, who came up short in multiple games last season, ultimately causing the Bulldogs to fall short of the postseason.
If the Bulldogs can continue the trend they started Friday of scoring early and often, they will likely win more games than not.
The defense will be reliable — it returns seven starters from last year — so the offense will have plenty of chances.
And those chances will be spread around throughout the offense. Davis’ two main weapons on the outside are Albin and the 6-foot-4-inch tall Robert Dickelman. Those two aren’t his only weapons, however — four different receivers caught Davis’ four touchdown passes.
With multiple targets for Davis and two strong running backs in Tyler Roback and Mikel Casteel, the Bulldogs' offense seems like it will be able to continue its fast start.
There will be some tough competition in the coming weeks, and the Bulldogs will need to prove themselves. They host Canal Winchester this Friday in a rematch of a 21-14 loss last season, then travel to Watkins Memorial, a game they won at home, 31-28, a season ago.
“The outcome of that (Canal Winchester) game gives you a lot of confidence or not so much confidence and puts a lot more pressure on your back if you’re not successful in that game,” coach Ryan Adams said.
If the defense plays as well as it did in the first game, the Bulldogs should move through the non-conference portion of their schedule with a lot of confidence going into the Tri-Valley Conference season.
