Athens goes toe-to-toe with No. 1 Carthage in thriller
Video: David Richardson finds Eli Carnes for a touchdown Friday night in Carthage.
(Post sponsored by Tinsley Title, Holt Wrecker, R&R lawn specialists, Gibson Pharmacy.)
By Michael V. Hannigan
CARTHAGE -- The Hornets traded punches with the No. 1 team in Texas Friday night, and when they were done they might not have had a win, but they definitely had the state’s attention.
Playing on the road in Carthage, No. 8 Athens stood toe-to-toe with the defending champions before falling 61-56 in a wild shootout that featured 117 total points and nearly 1,000 yards of offense.
“I thought coming in we had a chance to win, and our guys proved that,” Athens Head Coach Zac Harrell said. “It would have been easy to come here, see the state champs, and fold. But our kids believed. We came to win and gave ourselves a chance. We’re close. We just have to fix the mistakes and keep building.”
Athens had chances to take control of the game. Ja’Coby Wilson picked off Carthage quarterback Jett Surratt in the end zone for the game’s only turnover, and Athens narrowly missed recovering a pair of fumbles on special teams. They did recover an onside kick early in the fourth quarter that would have given them a chance to take the lead, but it was called back for offsides.
The Hornets were led by quarterback David Richardson, who delivered a performance for the record books. The senior completed 20-of-30 passing for 354 yards and seven touchdowns to five different receivers while also leading the team in rushing with 59 yards on 13 carries.
“Against elite teams, David Richardson is the best player on the field,” Coach Harrell said. “They’ve got a lot of great players, but I wouldn’t trade one for David. The way he fights and leads our team gave us a chance to win. We scored 56 points on one of the best defenses in Texas, and that says a lot about what this offense can do.”
Julious Brewer was Richardson’s top target, catching nine passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns. E’Manuel Moore, Eli Carnes, Cody Carter, and Jayvian Taylor also caught touchdown passes.
“I told our receivers going into the game that there’s plays to be made against these guys and we’ve got to make some difficult plays,” Coach Harrell said, “and I thought our receivers made a lot of big-time plays.”
Carthage senior K.J. Edwards, a Texas A&M commit, led the Bulldogs with 161 rushing yards, 66 receiving yards, and three touchdowns.
The loss dropped Athens to 5-2 overall and 1-1 in District 8-4A. The Hornets return home next week to face Rusk on Oct. 24 at Bruce Field.
SCORING SUMMARY
CAR - 1Q, 7:19 - Jett Surratt 4-yard pass to Carson Crawford. Benny Smith kick good. --7-0
ATH - 1Q, 3:38 - David Richardson 60-yard pass to Julious Brewer. Juan Robles kick good. -- 7-7
CAR - 1Q, 2:39 - Jett Surratt 6-yard pass to Keymian Henderson. Benny Smith kick good. -- 14-7
CAR - 2Q, 11:38 - Jett Surratt 48-yard pass to KJ Edwards. Benny Smith kick good. -- 21-7
ATH - 2Q, 5:39 - Ja’Bory Taylor 2-yard run. Juan Robles kick good. -- 21-14
ATH - 2Q, 3:00 - David Richardson 35-yard pass to Julious Brewer. Juan Robles kick good. -- 21-21
CAR - 2Q, 1:19 - KJ Edwards 6-yard run. Kick no good. -- 27-21
ATH - 3Q, 6:29 - David Richardson 6-yard pass to Eli Carnes. Juan Robles kick good. -- 28-27
CAR - 3Q, 4:30 - Benny Smith 3-yard run. 2-point attempt incomplete. -- 33-28
CAR - 3Q, 0:15 - Benny Smith 2-yard run. Benny Smith kick good. 40-28
ATH - 4Q, 10:30 - David Richardson 24-yard pass to E’manuel Moore. Juan Robles kick good. -- 40-35
CAR - 4Q, 10:08 - KJ Edwards 59-yard run. Benny Smith kick good. -- 47-35
ATH - 4Q, 8:16 - David Richardson 47-yard pass to Julious Brewer. Juan Robles kick good. -- 47-42
CAR - 4Q, 6:05 - Carson Crawford 21-yard pass to Jett Surratt. Benny Smith kick good. -- 54-42
ATH - 4Q, 4:22 - David Richardson 14-yard pass to Cody Carter. Juan Robles kick good. -- 54-49
CAR - 4Q, 0:57 - Benny Smith 1-yard run. Benny Smith kick good. 61-49
ATH - 4Q, 0:10 - David Richardson 7-yard pass to Jayvian Taylor. Juan Robles kick good. -- 61-56