NTL FOOTBLL: DAVIDSON POWERS ATHENS IN 47-27 THRASHING OF SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT IN SEASON OPENER (24 PHOTOS) (2025-08-22)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportATHENS — Junior Connor Davidson threw for four TDs, and ran for another to lead Athens to a 47-27 season-opening win over South Williamsport here Friday night in non-league football action at Alumni Stadium.
Coach Shawn Bradley was pleased with his team's performance, which avenged a 26-13 loss at South Williamsport last year.
"We played very well today. All credit to the kids, they put the work in.
"Last year, I felt bad because I think I gave the game away," said Bradley. "This year, the kids didn't let me.
"They kept playing hard," he added. "We made a couple mistakes early, but we fought back."
After leading 28-7 at the half, the Wildcats scored TDs on their first two possessions of the third quarter to take a 41-14 advantage, which allowed Bradley to substitute freely the remainder of the game.
"We talked about goals for this game, and my biggest goal was to see the JV kids play in the third quarter, and they did.
"Our older kids executed, and we got the younger kids in," said Bradley. "We acted as a team on the sidelines. It was perfect."
The Wildcats had seven plays of 19 yards or more, and also had a 70-yard TD pass nullified by a penalty in the win. They also piled up 434 yards in total offense, including 233 rushing yards on 28 carries.
"We could be very, very good," said Bradley. "We threw the ball well, and Connor (Davidson) ran the ball well, but we need to run the ball a little better with the other guys."
"We always talk about one-on-one battles, and the linemen did fantastic," noted Bradley.
"I'm proud of them," he added. "We played really well."
Davidson completed 11 of 14 passes for 199 yards and four TDs, while being picked off once. He also ran for 153 yards and one TD on 12 carries.
Senior James Friend led Athens with three receptions for 94 yards and one TD, while senior Sean Peters, who ran the ball twice for 43 yards, had three grabs for 21 yards and one TD, senior Ryan Cook had two catches for 25 yards and one TD, and junior Gage Marmor had a 43-yard TD reception.
Just four plays into the game, the Mounties gambled on fourth-and-1 at their own 38, but it backfired when Athens senior Brendan Comstock dumped Cade Lusk for a 2-yard loss to give the Wildcats the ball at the 36.
Davidson quickly moved the Wildcats into the red zone with a 20-yard run to the Mounties 16.
After an incompletion, and an illegal procedure penalty against Athens moved the ball back to the 21, Davidson broke loose on a 21-yard TD run. Junior Brendan Cooke's run for conversion made it 8-0 with 9:05 remaining in the first quarter.
After a three-and-out, South Williamsport punted, but Athens fumbled the ball away at their 39. However, a big defensive play by Peters resulted in a 5-yard loss, and a holding call put the Mounties in a 4th-and-25 hole.
Athens took over at its 30 following South's punt, and following a 5-yard penalty for an illegal procedure penalty, Davidson broke loose on a 63-yard run to the South 13.
Davidson then found Peters open in the back of the end zone for a 13-yard TD to make it 14-0 with 4:10 remaining in the first quarter.
Following another three-and-out by South Williamsport, Peters' 37-yard run highlighted a quick three-play, 45-yard scoring drive that culminated with Davidson connecting with Cook on a 6-yard TD pass. Junior Zach Fisher's PAT kick made it 21-0 with 48 seconds left in the opening stanza.
South Williamsport picked up its initial first down of the game on a pass interference call against the Wildcats on their next possession, but ended up punting the ball away on the final play of the first quarter.
Moments later, a 70-yard TD pass from Davidson to Friend was nullified by a holding call. On the next play, Amir Kemrer picked off a Davidson pass and returned it to the Wildcat 13.
Two plays later, thanks in part to an unsportsmanlike conduct call against the Wildcats, South's Landon Larson scored on a 6-yard TD run to close the gap to 21-7 with 10:58 left in the first half.
Bradley noted the 14-point turnaround didn't derail his team's momentum.
"The kids kept their composure and kept playing," he said.
After an exchange of punts, Davidson completed three consecutive passes, the third a 31-yarder to Friend, but he fumbled at the South 21.
On the next play, however, the Mounties returned the favor, and five plays later Cooke bulled in from 1 yard out to give the Wildcats a 28-7 lead with 1:50 remaining that it carried into the halftime locker room.
South's first possession of the second half was a three-and-out, and Athens took over at its own 27.
After a 13-yard run by Davidson on second down moved the ball to the Athens 41, he found Friend in the seam with a perfectly-throw pass for a 59-yard catch-and-run TD to up the advantage to 34-7 with 9:28 remaining in the third quarter.
South put together its best drive of the night on its next possession, marching 67 yards on seven plays, capped by a 1-yard TD run by Lusk with 5:32 left in the third quarter to close the gap to 34-14.
Athens answered with a seven-play, 66-yard scoring drive.
Davidson was 5-for-5 in the possession, capping the drive with a 43-yard bomb to junior Gage Marmor with 1:46 remaining in the third quarter. Fisher's PAT made it 41-14.
Chapman's 36-yard punt return early in the fourth quarter set up the Wildcats final score of the night, a 5-yard TD run by freshman Devin Maxfield to cap a three-play, 14-yard drive with 9:10 remaining in the contest.
South Williamsport scored on its final two possessions of the game to provide the final margin.
Athens returns to action Friday at Northwest Area.
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IN PHOTO 1: Athens junior Connor Davidson. IN TOP PHOTO: Athens senior Eli Chapman. ... PHOTOS BY MATT PATTON.
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