Athens will play host to the game of the season tonight when the Bulldogs go head-to-head with Nelsonville-York. With both teams sitting at 9-0, the Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division title, playoff homefield advantage, a perfect season and the Doc Kroner trophy are at stake.
But that's not the only showdown with major implications tonight.
Trimble High School will be making the trip to Stewart to play Federal Hocking with its playoff hopes on the line.
The Tomcats are 6-3 and are ranked 10th in Region 23. They need the win to continue on to the postseason.
In preparation for the Federal Hocking game, Trimble coach Phil Faires said that he will continue to work the pass into the Tomcats' gameplan. Senior quarterback Justin Jewell has been very successful of late; he is closing in on the 900-yard mark for the season.
Defensively, the Tomcats will look to limit the big play threat that plagued them last week against Southern.
"(Federal Hocking) threw the ball quite a bit the week before, so we're just trying to (improve) our pass defense, which is something we have been wanting to do anyhow," Faires said. "Offensively, we are just going to run the same stuff — you are not going to see anything new out of our offense."
If senior back Austin Keith rushes for over 100 yards, he will eclipse the 1,000 yard mark as well.
With a win, Faires is confident that his Tomcats will get a postseason shot.
"There's like 15 different things that have to happen for us not to make the playoffs if we win," he said. "We were in the same spot last year and our chances were a lot less last year and we pulled through and got that eighth spot. I'd say there's even a chance we get the seventh spot."
Trimble fell to Shadyside in the first round of the 2010 playoffs.
