Athens rolls to 62-21 homecoming win over Wills Point
By Michael V. Hannigan
No football game is over after the opening kickoff -- but this one was close.
Athens forced a fumble and Drew Horn returned it 11 yards for a touchdown on the opening kickoff to begin homecoming with a bang for the Hornets on their way to a 62-21 win over Wills Point.
Athens led 27-7 by the end of the first quarter.
The Hornets improved their record to 4-0 with the win and will begin district play next week by hosting Chapel Hill.
Friday night saw the Hornets pull off big plays in all phases of the game. In addition to Horn’s scoop-and-score, Zay Hull returned a kickoff for a touchdown, Reed Allen recovered an onside kick, and the defense stopped a fake punt. Offensively, Athens scored on long runs and long passes, and defensively the Hornets stopped Wills Point on two fourth downs.
It wasn’t a perfect night for the Hornets, however, who gave up two long touchdown passes to the Tigers and came out on the wrong side of the turnover battle for the first time this year.
Nathan Sims was the engine driving the Hornets offense, with 10 carries for 122 yards and four touchdowns. Sims scored on runs of 2, 42, 1, and 9 yards.
Quarterback Ty Arroyo also ran for a TD (13 yards) and threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns. He also had one interception on a ball that appeared to slip out of his hand.
Dre Thompson caught a 50-yard touchdown pass and Jarred Duff scored on a 66-yard wide receiver screen.
Athens can celebrate finishing the non-district portion of its schedule with a perfect record. Monday, everything gets a little tougher as district begins.
Happy homecoming, Hornets.
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