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Athens football team knew it would face some tough teams in their region this season. After preparing all summer for the tough region slate, the Golden Eagles will entertain the No.1 5A team in the state when Hartselle travels to Athens Friday night.
“It’s a big game for us,” said Athens head coach Allen Creasy. “One thing about this rivalry that adds a little more excitement is they are competing against one another since they are 7 years old. It’s not only a rivalry for our community, it’s a rivalry for our players.”
Should Athens knock the defending state champions from their perch, the road gets no easier for the Golden Eagles with a game against No. 2 Muscle Shoals on the horizon next week.
“When you play in this region, you’re going to play some number one teams,” Creasy said. “If you get too caught up in thinking about one team, then another one is going to get you. (Hartselle) is the number one team right now and they’ve done everything to deserve that ranking.”
While Athens has played No. 1 teams in the past under Creasy, the AHS coach can’t remember playing two teams this tough this early in the season. Through the first two weeks of the season, the Golden Eagles have showed an ability to play tough defense holding their opening two opponents to 15 points per game.
They’ve also showed an ability to score.
The Athens defense is responsible for three touchdowns; both on long fumble returns for scores.
“That’s something that we work on,” Creasy said. “It’s a situation that we practice. Sometimes you want to scoop it, sometimes fall on it. We work on the fundamentals of that and it’s paid off for us so far this season.”
Athens will need its defense to continue to score and play a near-perfect game if they are to beat a Hartselle team that comes to Athens with a 17-game winning streak.
“They bring a lot of pressure from a lot of different places. They are extremely fast, especially defensively,” Creasy said. “Offensively, they take advantage of your lack of discipline. That’s where they get you. When you overplay one area, they’re hurting you in another. They are very disciplined in what they do and they take advantage of your mistakes.”
Sophomore Harper Ward will play quarterback for the Golden Eagles once again Friday as senior Adam Harvey is still out with an injury suffered during the team’s opening game against Decatur.
Ward threw a touchdown pass to Derek Teague and was 6-for-7 on extra points in last week’s 41-9 win at West Point.
“We were able to do some things offensively that we needed to do,” Creasy said. “We got some experience for a young quarterback, some young running backs. We didn’t give our offense enough plays to develop a rhythm, so we did pretty good for what we had.”
Athens and Hartselle kick off at 7 p.m. Friday.
Local News 2
Athens prepping for No. 1 Hartselle
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ACE IN THE HOLE
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Hodges, Williams finish in the top 5 at state golf tourney
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COLUMN: Athens girls soccer caps remarkable run
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Ardmore’s Hodges in top 5 at state golf tourney
Ardmore junior Lee Hodges finished in the top five after the first day of the AHSAA state golf championships in Muscle Shoals.
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