Eagles grounded
By Staff
Hartselle defense makes big plays as Tigers defeat Athens 35-31
Justin Schuver, Hartselle Enquirer
ATHENS — When the final horn sounded and after a post-game handshake, the Hartselle Tigers went over to the visitors’ side to celebrate a hard-fought win with the fans who had made the trek up Interstate 65. They had plenty to cheer.
No. 8 Hartselle (6-1, 4-1 in Region 8) pulled off its third win over a ranked team as the Tigers defeated No. 5 Athens (5-2, 4-2) Friday night by the score of 35-31. Earlier this season, Hartselle defeated then-No. 2 Decatur and then-No. 7 Cullman.
The outcome of the game was still in doubt when Athens quarterback Rob Ezell hooked up with Jacquez Pride for a 44-yard touchdown with 40 seconds remaining to make the score 35-31. But Matt Jackson’s attempted onside kick went out of bounds, giving the ball back to Hartselle and ensuring the Tigers’ fourth region victory of the season. The win also guaranteed the Tigers a spot in the playoffs as Hartselle can finish no less than fourth in the region standings.
A big factor in the win was a swarming Hartselle defense, which sacked Ezell three times and had nine tackles for a loss.
Hartselle senior quarterback Wes Chenault had a solid performance, finishing 16-of-27 passing for 237 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Senior wide receiver Quinn Dunlap caught two of those touchdowns while junior wide receiver Tony Weaver scored the other.
The Tigers took an initial 7-0 lead when Chenault hooked up with Tony Weaver for a 44-yard touchdown with just one second left in the first quarter. Athens responded on its next drive when Pride scored on a 14-yard touchdown run with 9:30 left in the second.
The Golden Eagles took their first lead of the game on a 39-yard field goal from Matt Jackson. The kick was set up by an Athens recovery of a Hartselle fumble at the Hartselle 44-yard line.
The Tigers responded with a flourish, scoring on a six-play, 65-yard drive that culminated with Dunlap catching a 14-yard touchdown pass from Chenault. Hartselle took a 14-10 lead into halftime.
Halftime seemed to rejuvenate the Golden Eagles, who scored on their first two possessions of the second half. Pride had a 33-yard touchdown pass and Karlos Jones scored on a 2-yard run as Athens led 24-14 with 4:46 remaining in the third quarter.
Hartselle wasted no time in responding, scoring on a nifty passing play with 2:23 remaining in the third. Facing a third-and-goal from the Hartselle 1, Chenault handed off to Marquez Jones who handed off to Weaver on a wide receiver reverse. Weaver, who was the backup quarterback in 2005, found Josh Harris open in the end zone to give the senior his first touchdown catch of the season.
The Tigers held Athens to a three-and-out and scored on their next possession to take a 28-24 lead. Dunlap caught a 4-yard pass with 7:35 left in the game as the Tigers moved back into the lead.
Hartselle added a key insurance touchdown with 1:33 left when Jones plowed in from 5 yards out to make the score 35-24 in favor of the Tigers.
Hartselle faces another ranked team Friday night at J.P. Cain Stadium as the Tigers meet J.O. Johnson for a game that could determine home field in the first round of the playoffs. It is also the Tigers’ homecoming game and kick-off is 7 p.m.
