Marsh, defense lift HHS over Athens
Gavin Marsh drills a 39-yard field goal in the first quarter against Athens Friday night. | Brent Maze
ATHENS – Gavin Marsh was distraught over his performance in Hartselle’s jamboree game last week.
The senior kicker had an opportunity to score points for Hartselle, but he missed two chip shot field goals.
That was then, this is now.
Marsh hit field goals of 28, 39 and 42 to help Hartselle’s struggling offense defeat Athens 23-0.
Coach Bob Godsey said he had to pull Marsh off the field on Monday, afraid he would wear himself out before Friday.
“He was still out there kicking at six o’clock,” Godsey said. “I told him if he kept kicking like that, he wouldn’t even be able to walk on Friday. But Gavin just wanted to get it right, and it paid off.
“He was money tonight.”
While Marsh was helping Hartselle build its lead, the Tiger defense stifled the Golden Eagles’ attack. The Tigers only allowed nine first downs and 111 yards.
Godsey gave the credit to defensive coordinator Larry Peck and the players.
“That’s just what the players and coach Peck expect to do,” Godsey said.
The Tigers took advantage of a short punt and a pair of offsides penalties to get on the scoreboard. They got inside the 30-yard line and turned it over to Marsh for his 39-yarder.
Hartselle led 3-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Tigers had a good drive end when Athens recovered a fumble midway through the second quarter. However, Hartselle had one last shot.
Deacon Aldridge and Jeston Thompson connected on a few short passes to set the Tigers up at the 37-yard line of Athens.
The drive looked like it would end as Hartselle faced a fourth-and-10 play. Aldridge couldn’t find an open receiver, so he decided to scramble.
He found a crease and picked up several good blocks downfield to score a touchdown with 38 seconds left in the first half, giving Hartselle a 10-0 heading to halftime.
In the second half, Hartselle had a couple of promising drives end on a failed third down attempt, but Marsh was there to add field goals of 42 and 28, give Hartselle a 16-0 lead midway through the final quarter.
Athens picked up a couple of quick first downs, but Hartselle’s defense promptly responded with batting down a couple of passes to force a punt.
From its own 20, Hartselle drove the ball quickly down the field thanks to a long runs by Aldridge (34 yards) and Blake Slayton (31 yards). Masio Stover capped off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown.
Godsey said the offense made numerous mistakes in the first half, but they kept getting better through the game.
“We made enough mistakes for four quarters in the first half,” Godsey said. “But we got better through the game and we kind of wore them down. That was part of our game plan.
“Our execution got better through the game. We had so many dropped balls early on, and we had a fumble after a good run. But I thought our execution got better through the game.”
Aldridge led all rushers with 126 yards rushing on 21 carries and a touchdown. He was also 11-for-22 passing for 27 yards. Slayton had 93 yards on nine carries while Stover added 26 yards on five carries with a touchdown.
Thompson was the leading receiver with five catches for 33 yards. Thomas Fleishman also recovered the fumble on Athens’ last drive, allowing Hartselle the chance to run out the clock.
The Tigers will have its home opener next Friday night at J.P. Cain Stadium when they will play Brewer.
