The Athens Bulldogs beat the Meigs Marauders at home in dominating fashion 56-9 on Friday night, improving to 6-0 on the season.
Athens tailback DeVon Sharp had another huge performance, breaking the 200 yard mark for the game and the 1,000 yard mark for the season on a third quarter run. Sharp had 3 scores on the ground in addition to a 62 yard punt return that went for a touchdown.
Much like his runs, Sharp’s scoring came in explosive bursts. His four touchdowns came in pairs, with just over a minute separating each touchdown in the first and second quarters. Sharp scored the Bulldogs first two and last two touchdowns of the half.
Athens went into halftime with a 34-7 lead.
The Bulldogs dominated every facet of the game and won the turnover battle 4-0. Nick Stanley had two interceptions and Meigs fumbled two kickoff returns.
Stanley returned one of the interceptions 69 yards for a touchdown after jumping a short route perfectly. But his efforts were for naught, as an Athens player took a cheap shot at a Meigs player and was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.
On the subsequent drive, quarterback Josh Skinner was stopped at the goal line on fourth down. The 47-point margin could have been even bigger.
Skinner and the offense were in rhythm all night. He had 69 yards passing, 76 more rushing, and a touchdown in each category. The running game was especially strong, as the Bulldogs offensive line opened up holes for whoever ran behind them.
Four different players had rushing touchdowns for the Bulldogs: Sharp, Skinner, backup running back Freddy Stalder, and backup quarterback Michael Germano.
Germano’s touchdown scamper in the second half went for 58 yards.
The second-team got plenty of reps for Athens and Meigs, as both turned to their back-ups midway through the third quarter when the game was out of reach.
Athens took a knee with four minutes left in the game, signaling the contest was all but officially over.
