Athens Battles, But Falls to Kilgore, 27-7
The message was clear on the Athens sideline as an undermanned Hornet squad took on the powerful and undefeated-in-district Kilgore Bulldogs Friday night.
Keep battling.
And the Hornets did.
In the end Athens lost, 27-7, but that doesn't matter as much as how the Hornets played. They were tenacious and gritty. They didn't back down and they didn't give up.
Which is impressive late in a season that hasn't gone how they had hoped.
The Hornets held the Bulldogs to just 6 first half points, but Kilgore took the opening possession of the second half for a touchdown, recovered an onside kick, and took that drive in to the end zone to build a 20-0 lead.
Athens answered back by putting together a 75-yard drive that was mostly on the ground, and finished it off with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Ty Arroyo to Jorien Ray.
The Hornets were led by Jorien Ray with 112 yards from scrimmage (58 rushing, 54 receiving). Zay Hull added 70 yards rushing and Ty Arroyo 67 yards rushing.
The Hornets had two other scoring opportunities but couldn't put the ball in the end zone. The nearest they came in the first half was when a close call went against the Hornets when Ty Arroyo hit Jorien Ray on the right side of the end zone. Ray came down with the ball, but he was called out.
The game was marred at the end when the two teams brawled for a moment after the final play, but it was quickly broken up by the coaches. Athens Coach Zac Harrell argued with the referees all night to flag late hits and extracurricular activity after the whistle, but his arguments fell on deaf ears for the most part.
The Hornets will return to action next Friday when they travel to Chapel Hill to face the Bulldogs. Chapel Hill beat Henderson Friday night, 41-10.
SCORING SUMMARY
KILGORE -- 2Q, 8:56 - Isaiah Ross 3-yard run. Kick no good. - 6-0
KILGORE -- 3Q, 8:02 - Isaiah Ross 51-yard run. Leo Yzaguirre kick good. - 13-0
KILGORE -- 3Q, 3:39 - Da'Marion Van Zandt 2-yard run. Leo Yzaguirre kick good. - 20-0
ATHENS -- 4Q, 10:50 - Ty Arroyo 7-yard pass to Jorien Ray. Nico Castendada kick good. - 20-7
KILGORE -- 4Q, 7:11 - Roosevelt Rollins 9-yard run. Leo Yzaguirre kick good. 27-7
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