Whether it was due to losses, or a game canceled at the last minute, September had been a winless month for the Bulldogs. They came close in their losses to Vinton County and Marietta, but it was never enough to pull through.
That changed Friday, when Athens defeated Meigs 32-14 in Pomeroy. For the first time in four weeks, Athens went home with a win.
“We're just a better football team than we were a month ago and I really believe that,” head coach Nathan White said. “I thought we played incredibly hard and I’m very proud of those kids.”
Athens’ 18-point lead over Meigs is the widest margin they’ve won by this season. To contrast, the Bulldogs defeated Alexander, a team many considered far weaker than Meigs, by only a touchdown in week one.
Coach White was anxious until the Bulldogs’ final drive. Meigs had scored 22 points in the fourth quarter against Vinton County to clinch a comeback victory in week one.
White had a strategy to keep his players focused — increase the pace of play so they can’t overthink.
“My answer has always been that when we're struggling. Let's push the tempo and get back to the basics of what we do,” White said. “I think, when you crank the tempo, your kids stop thinking about everything and just go play. I think that kind of snapped us out of it.”
Cranking the tempo was easy for Athens. When they ran the ball, they couldn’t slow down enough to think. The Bulldogs rushed for 223 yards Friday — more than three times the total rushing yards from their first three games combined. Peyton Gail and Joey Moore lead the team with a combined 184 rushing yards.
Of course, a sputtering Meigs did their part to help the Bulldogs pad the lead. The Marauders fumbled three times in the third quarter alone. Athens only scored after one of those recoveries, but it bought them time to run the clock and keep Meigs on the backfoot.
Despite strong performances from the likes of Gail and Moore, Athens still had to deal with its perpetual issue of a slow-to-start offense.
The Bulldogs hadn’t played a game in two weeks before traveling to Pomeroy, and White thinks it showed during the first quarter.
“It took us a little bit of time tonight to knock some rust off,” White said. “You could tell we hadn't played in two weeks and we couldn't get out of our own way there in the first quarter.”
While Moore’s rushing game was excellent, his passing left plenty to be desired. The senior went 16-for-35 and threw for 163 yards Friday, making it his least productive outing of the season so far.
Athens has shown remarkable growth in the past few weeks. They have finally gotten back to an even record and beaten a team in the top half of the TVC-Ohio. What remains to be seen is if the Bulldogs can retain their success when it matters.
