The Athens Bulldogs (2-0) will travel and play against the Marietta Tigers (0-2) Friday night in a highly anticipated rivalry matchup. The game will be played at Don Drumm Stadium in Marietta, Ohio.
The Bulldogs are on a hot streak early this season with two dominant victories over the Logan Chieftains in week one and the Paint Valley Bearcats in week two. Athens managed to score over 40 points in each contest, and they did not allow their opponents to score even once.
On the other hand, the Tigers are in an early season slump. Week one saw Marietta lose to the Morgan Raiders 31-16, and in week two the Tigers came close to beating the John Marshall Monarchs but fell just short 23-21.
Despite being in the loss column for two straight weeks, the Tigers do have home-field advantage over the Bulldogs. Marietta’s players and coaching staff will have the support from fans and will use that as one of their greatest weapons.
The Bulldogs are projected to be one of the elite teams in their conference. Last season, the Bulldogs finished 10-2 overall and finished second in the Tri-Valley Conference (Ohio Division) with a 5-1 record. Although certain key players for Athens’ success last year have now graduated, there are still plenty of returning Bulldogs to keep their team relevant.
Senior Daniel Heightland returns as starting quarterback for the Bulldogs. So far, Heightland has thrown three passing touchdowns and has thrown for 165 yards total in the two games. Joining him in the senior company of excellence are running back Anthony Sutton and defensive lineman Jay Irwin.
Sutton has an average of 222.0 rushing yards per game and has recorded six touchdowns for his team. On the defensive end, Irwin is averaging 3.5 sacks per game—making him a lethal tool against every opposing quarterback the Bulldogs will face.
Accompanying Irwin are his trusty teammates in the form of Weston Wheatley, a junior who has tallied up four interceptions, and sophomore Tremayne Scott, a running back who leads the team in tackles per game with an average of 9.5 per contest.
Sophomore wide receiver Tyriq Cunningham has proven to be one of Athens’ best offensive threats, as he leads the team in receiving yards per game at 55.0.
Head Coach Nathan White also returns for his seventh season coaching the Bulldogs after having taken over the mantle from Ryan Adams in 2019. Also on staff supporting White are Assistant Coach Jon Brewster and Statistician Brennan Smith.
With the Bulldogs looking to have an undefeated record, and the Tigers hungry for their first win of the season, the game is likely to result in a competitive, neck-and-neck American high school football game under shining Friday night lights.
