NTL FOOTBALL: ATHENS PULLS AWAY FOR 56-28 HOMECOMING WIN OVER WYALUSING (24 PHOTOS) (2025-10-11)

Valley Sports Report
ATHENS — Athens pulled away in the second half, but it was a series of plays right before the end of the first half that seemed to turn the momentum totally in Athens' favor in its 56-28 Homecoming win over Wyalusing in NTL Large School football action here Saturday afternoon.

"Overall, it was a good overall team effort," said Athens coach Shawn Bradley.

"It was a good day for the seniors, it was their last Homecoming, so I hope they had fun," he added.

With the win, the Wildcats improve to 7-1, but Bradley believes they have much more in the tank.

"We have to practice better, I keep telling these guys that," he said. "They're gamers, they show up ready to play football, they hit, and play hard.

"For the most part, we know our jobs and we execute, but we have to practice better. 

"There's little stuff we have to clean up, or eventually it's going to bite us in the rear end," added Bradley.

Leading 21-13, Wyalusing had the ball at the Athens 33 in the second quarter, but the Wildcats stopped them on downs.

Junior QB Connor Davidson then unleashed a deep ball intended for senior James Friend, who got a hand on the pass. Junior Gage Marmor made a diving catch off the deflection for a 63-yard gain to the Wyalusing 9.

Moments later, Davidson connected with Friend on a fade for a 9-yard TD pass with 6 seconds remaining in the half to give the Wildcats a 28-13 lead at the intermission.

Wyalusing tried to snatch the momentum back with a successful onside kick to start the second half, but Athens forced a turnover on downs.

Athens quickly drove the field, thanks to runs of 8 yards by Connor Davidson, runs of 11 and 16 yards by senior Karson Sipley, as well as a 21-yard catch by Friend. Sipley capped the drive with a 3-yard TD run with 8:02 left in the third quarter. Junior Zach Fisher's PAT kick made it 35-13.

The Wildcats added a TD five minutes later on a 23-yard TD pass from Davidson to Friend, then scored 80 seconds later on a 47-yard interception return for a score by senior Connor Davidson to make it 49-13.

Athens got the ball back early in the fourth quarter, and Davidson capped the Wildcat scoring with a 5-yard TD run with 5:25 left in the contest. The drive featured a 35-yard run by Cooke.

Wyalusing scored with 2:53 remaining on a 26-yard TD run by Ethan Vanderpool. Jonathan Earle added the conversion run.

The scoring started midway through the first quarter when standout two-way lineman senior Brendan Comstock scored on a 1-yard TD run to make it 6-0.

Comstock not only anchored the offensive line and scored a TD, but had 15 tackles, including three solo stops and four tackles-for-loss and a forced fumble on defense.

"Brendan (Comstock) is a stud," said Bradley. "You ask around about who our best player is, and it might not be who you think it is, and that's a testament to him because we know how good some other kids are.

"He's our heart-and-soul on the line," added Bradley. "Hopefully, we have a lot more football to play, and we're going to need him to play like we know he can."

Wyalusing took a 7-6 lead early in the second quarter on a 1-yard TD run by Earle, but Davidson scored on a 16-yard run just 79 seconds later to give the Wildcats a 13-7 lead.

After a quick defensive stop, Athens drove 55 yards for a TD, with Cooke scoring on a 12-yard run with 5:52 remaining in the half. He also added the conversion that extended the lead to 21-7.

Earle closed the gap to 21-13 on a 26-yard TD run with 1:16 remaining in the half.

Connor Davidson completed 9 of 16 passes for 203 yards and two TDs, and freshman Shea Davidson was 3-for-4 for 44 yards.

Connor Davidson also led the Athens ground game with 70 yards and two TDs on nine carries, while Sipley had 54 yards and one TD on eight carries, and Cooke added 51 yards and one TD on four grabs.

Friend led Athens with four receptions for 57 yards and two TDs, while Marmor had two catches for 66 yards, and Kade Rowe added two catches for 47 yards.

Defensively, senior Chase Wren had 10 tackles, Sipley registered nine tackles, sophomore Brady Flynn had nine tackles, including two tackles-for-losses, and Connor Davidson had eight stacks.

Garrison had seven tackles to go along with his pick-6, and sophomore Nolan Raupers had six tackles and an interception.

Athens returns to action Friday when it hosts Muncy.

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IN PHOTO 1: Athens junior Connor Davidson. IN TOP PHOTO: Athens senior James Friend. ... PHOTOS BY MATT PATTON.



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