When Athens coach Ryan Adams left Jim Mayo Memorial Stadium after Week five of 2013, he hoped that he would never return. His undefeated Bulldogs had beaten Fairland 55-46 in an exciting game that was overshadowed by a hostile environment.
Complaints about the language exchanged between fans and players flooded each schools’ athletic department the days following, and both schools mutually decided to never share the same field again.
But five years later, the Bulldogs (1-0, 0-0 Tri-Valley Conference) will return to Fairland (1-0, 0-0 Ohio Valley Conference) on Friday.
Neither school is thrilled about the match-up, but after Canal Winchester dropped Athens from its schedule, the only choice was to call an old rival and work out a one-year deal.
“Sometimes you’re left with what’s available,” said Adams.
Adams is confident that Friday’s environment will be under control, and he is solely focused on beating a team that could be the Bulldogs toughest opponent this year.
Last week, while Athens easily handled Warren 56-21, Fairland traveled to West Virginia and dominated Tolsia 42-0 behind a six-touchdown performance from senior quarterback Joel Lambiotte.
The Dragons' explosive offense operates out of the run and shoot. Which means Athens front seven may struggle to put pressure on Lambiotte, who has multiple weapons he can get the ball to. Five different players caught TDs from Lambiotte last week.
“They have four receivers that pretty much are carbon copies of each other,” Adams said. “There all just good solid football players.”
Tackling—which was a problem in 2013’s game— will be a point of emphasis this week for Athens. Fairland running back Michael Stitt loves to get outside and put himself in one-on-one positions to make guys miss tackles.
The Bulldogs however, are up for the challenge. The Bulldogs front seven held Warren to -34 rushing yards and defensive backs Logan Maxfield (who had two interceptions last week), Joey Moore and Nate Trainer look to be the most dominant secondary in the TVC.
Lambiotte will look to test Maxfield and the Bulldogs secondary as early as possible. Last Friday he connected with Reilly Sowards on a 62-yard TD on the first play of the game, and Lambiotte ended up throwing two more TDs over 40 yards.
But while the Dragons attack through the air, the Bulldogs prefer to run the ball.
Quarterback Clay Davis and running back Evan Adams spearheaded a rushing attack that produced six TDs and 313 yards. If the Bulldogs want to be the first team to score on the Dragons, running the ball seems to be their best option.
Davis will also look to show off his arm. The 6’2 senior went 10-16 for 180 yards and a TD, but also threw two interceptions. The Bulldogs must protect the ball from Fairland, who forced and recovered six fumbles last week that set up four of its TDs.
This game will be competitive on both sides of the ball and the intense environment will create a playoff-like atmosphere. A win over a talented team like Fairland could set Athens up with the resume it’ll need to make the playoffs for the first time in four years, while a loss could produce doubts of the Bulldogs being unable to win a big game.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
