Decatur —
Athens recovered six fumbles against rival Decatur, but could not find enough offense to overcome its own fumble problems in a 21-13 loss Thursday.
“They gave us too many opportunities, and we gave them too many opportunities,” said Athens head coach Allen Creasy said. “We didn’t take advantage of those opportunities but they did.”
Athens was able to take advantage of two early Red Raider fumbles when Adam Harvey connected on a pair of field goals to give the Golden Eagles a 6-0 first quarter lead. Early in the second quarter, Athens extended its lead when linebacker Andrea Holt picked up another Decatur fumble and carried it 47-yards for a score.
Decatur regained momentum before halftime with an interception from cornerback Tae Hayes. Hayes returned the interception 51-yards and inside the Athens red zone. Decatur quarterback Jackson Fite found wide receiver Jordan Tibbs for an 8-yard touchdown pass, making the score 13-7 at the half.
Defenses dominated the third quarter for both squads. Holt recorded his second fumble recovery of the night, giving his team excellent field position. Athens could do nothing with the opportunity and Decatur took advantage this time. The Red Raiders capped a long drive with 26-yard touchdown pass from Fite to Tibbs.
On a crucial third and long late in the fourth quarter, Athens quarterback William Matthews connected with wide receiver Harper Ward down the Decatur sideline with a 29-yard pitch and catch. But another fumble ended a promising Athens drive on the following play and Decatur answered yet again with another Fite touchdown pass to seal the win.
Fite finished the night completing 8-13 passes for 96 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Rex Jarmin rushed for 73 yards on fourteen carries. Senior wide-out Jordan Tibbs caught three passes for 67 yards and two scores.
Athens quarterback Adam Harvey completed 4-of-11 passes for 13 yards while quarterback William Mathews completed 4of-8 pass attempts for 21 yards. Derek Teague was the team’s workhorse, carrying the ball 22 times for 33 yards.
The Golden Eagles finished with 123 yards of offense. Athens (0-1) travels to West Point for a Class 5A Region 8 game next week.
It was the 85th meeting between the two schools, a rivalry dating back to 1924.
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