The Athens Bulldogs (6-0) will return to Joe Burrow Stadium Friday after a 44-7 victory against Warren to take on the visiting Meigs Marauders (2-4) with kickoff at 7:00 p.m. The Bulldogs remained undefeated, but in the case of Meigs, they recently lost to the Nelsonville-York Buckeyes 25-8.
The Bulldogs lead the series 27-16 all-time, and last season they defeated the Marauders 35-0 away from home. Both teams played each other for some time when Meigs was still a part of the Southeastern Ohio Athletic League before the Marauders left in 1990 to be a member of the Tri-Valley Conference.
Meigs has made some major upgrades to some of their facilities, including their stadium, locker rooms and coaches' box in 2023. These renovations have helped them significantly. Meigs has had a history of being competitive within the TVC by consistently taking the third or fourth spot, while holding their own against top schools like Athens and Nelsonville-York.
The Marauders have seen more success from their basketball and baseball programs in the history of their athletics, but their football program is known to produce some star-studded players, such as former NFL tight end Mike Bartrum, who played for the Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles throughout his 13-year career.
Bartrum retired in June 2007 after suffering a career-ending neck injury late in the 2006 regular season. He then came back to Pomeroy to be the head coach of the Marauders from 2012 to 2018 before heading back to Philadelphia in 2019 to serve as an assistant tight ends coach for the Eagles. Now, he is the director of player development for Marshall University.
Athens rivals this talent with the namesake of its field, boasting a generational player in the form of current Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on their roster from 2012-2015.
The Bulldogs are the class of the TVC for how well they’ve performed on offense and defense. Key contributors like sophomore wide receiver Tyriq Cunningham, junior wide receiver Weston Wheatley and senior running back Anthony Sutton are what have made Athens as effective as they have been.
Meigs may look underwhelming based on their record alone, but they do have players who fill up the state sheet.
Junior starting quarterback Gunner Cleland has 1251 total yards and 18 touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Griffin Hudson leads in receiving yards per game at 86.0, and junior wide receiver Beckham Blackston leads in rushing yards per game at 51.0.
Defensively, sophomore middle linebacker Brayden Goble is at 9.6 per contest, and senior cornerback Cooper Jude has recorded two sacks.
The Marauders’ issue isn’t a lack of talent but rather having a difficult schedule. There are seasons of football where a team isn’t particularly bad, but they are simply unlucky given the circumstances.
All of this to say, these are two football teams that were graced to have some of their alumni get to the next level. However, this Friday should be another good TVC battle in Southeast Ohio.
