Athens Beats Kaufman in Comeback Fashion, 35-28
By Michael V. Hannigan | Photos by Travis Tapley
Hobbling on one good leg, Athens quarterback David Richardson dropped a 26-yard pass in a bucket on the goal line and E'manuel Moore went up and snatched it away from the defense with just :04 seconds left in regulation to give the Hornets a 35-28 win over Kaufman Friday night at Bruce Field.
The play completed a Hornet comeback that started with 9:10 left and Kaufman holding a 28-21 lead.
"In the fourth quarter, we made big play after big play," said Athens Coach Harrell. "We responded (to being behind) and it was like a light switch came on."
First, the Athens offense drove 77 yards on eight plays to tie the game on a 15-yard Richardson touchdown run with 5:07 left in regulation. The big play in that drive was a 31-yard run by Richardson to take the ball into Kaufman territory.
Then it was time for the defense, and the Hornets forced Kaufman into a three-and-out near midfield. Crucially, only :59 seconds ticked off the clock before Athens got the ball back.
The Hornets started on their own 20 yard line for the final drive. The key play was Athens converting a fourth-and-1 with under :30 seconds left to set up the game winner.
It wasn't a perfect night for the Hornets, who committed a pair of turnovers and missed some big scoring opportunities, but the grit they showed down the stretch is something to build on.
"That's two weeks in a row that we haven't played our best and still had a chance to win against good teams," said Coach Harrell. "This is a good win for the Hornets."
Offensively, Athens piled up 417 total yards including 243 on the ground. Richardson powered the Hornets, rushing for 126 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, and throwing for 174 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Jase Warren added 60 yards on the ground on eight carries for Athens, and sophomore newcomer Josh Johnson had 53 yards on seven carries.
Kaufman had 319 yards of offense and were led by Elijah Rose with 89 yards. The Hornet secondary locked up Kaufman's receivers for most of the game and held the Lions to just 148 yards through the air.
Next up for the Hornets is a home game against Palestine (0-2), which lost to Jasper this week, 34-14.
SCORING SUMMARY
KAU - 1Q, 9:18 - Johnathan Wrenn 5-yard run. Matthew Renteria kick good. -- 7-0
ATH - 1Q, 3:09 - David Richardson 20-yard pass to Cody Carter. Agustin Rodriguez kick good. -- 8-7
ATH - 2Q, 6:13 - David Richardson 5-yard run. Agustin Rodriguez kick good. -- 15-7
KAU - 2Q, 2:18 - Ty Burleson 40-yard pass to Aljour Miles II. Matthew Renteria kick good. -- 15-14
ATH - 3Q, 10:06 - David Richardson 44-yard pass to Dray'von Russell. Kick no good. -- 21-14
KAU - 3Q, 5:49 - Jeremiah Brown 4-yard pass. Matthew Renteria kick good. -- 21-21
KAU - 4Q, 9:16 - Elijah Rose 1-yard run. Matthew Renteria kick good. -- 28-21
ATH - 4Q, 5:07 - David Richardson 15-yard run. Agustin Rodriguez kick good. -- 28-28
ATH - 4Q, 0:04 - David Richardson 26-yard pass to E'manuel Moore. Agustin Rodriguez kick good. -- 35-28