THE PLAINS — Athens needed just 21 offensive plays in the first half to score five touchdowns Friday night, Oct. 16, rolling to a 35-0 running-clock win over River Valley at Joe Burrow Stadium on senior night. The Bulldogs improved to 8-1 overall and 5-0 in the Tri-Valley Conference-Ohio, while the visiting Raiders fell to 2-7 and 1-5 in league play.
Athens honored just five seniors before the game — Brycen Lutu-Thompson, Enzo Servedio, Blake Taylor, Briar Thomas and Cohen Stalder — and two of them starred in the win. “We’ve had big senior classes the last few years, but when there are only a few of them, it feels like they’re your kids around here,” head coach Nathan White said. “I’m incredibly proud of those guys for stepping up.”
Stalder stepped into the starting running back spot in Luke Pero’s absence and dominated, rushing 12 times for 129 yards and two touchdowns on the cold, rainy night. “Cohen did a great job tonight. He’s one of the hardest-working, toughest kids we’ve ever had,” White said. “It’s been fun to see him have such a great senior year.” Thomas, the senior quarterback, finished 9-of-15 passing for 122 yards and three touchdowns, each to a different receiver.
The rout started almost immediately. Tyriq Cunningham intercepted River Valley’s opening drive, and Athens needed just two plays to cash in — a 15-yard catch by Taylor set up Stalder’s 18-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead. After a quick three-and-out, Cunningham took a pop pass 22 yards on the first play of the next series and hauled in a 13-yard scoring pass soon after to make it 14-0.
Stalder scored from 16 yards out early in the second quarter to push the lead to 21-0, then Zion Mujibi’s interception and sizable return set up Collin Chapman’s six-yard touchdown. Athens got the ball back with less than 90 seconds left in the half and needed only two plays to score a fifth time, on Jaxon Warner’s 18-yard touchdown catch, for a 35-0 halftime lead. Cunningham finished with three catches for 37 yards, Warner three for 36 and Taylor two for 33.
Athens’ defense limited River Valley to less than 100 yards of offense. The Raiders’ run-heavy attack still drained the clock, and the running clock limited the teams to a combined 29 plays in a scoreless second half. “That’s a tough offense to defend. They’re happy with three or four yards every crack,” White said. “You’ve got to be mentally tough, or sometimes they’re going to pop one. Our kids did a nice job battling every single play.”
The win was Athens’ sixth straight, and it sets up a Week 10 trip to Nelsonville-York next week with the TVC-Ohio championship on the line. The Buckeyes have won the rivalry meeting in each of the last two seasons. “It’s going to be fun. It’s a huge game, a rivalry game,” White said. “No matter what everybody’s record is, when you’re both undefeated and playing for the title, it’s even bigger.”