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On Friday, September 26, the Wellsboro Hornets and Athens Wildcats clashed in what proved to be one of the most intense games of the season. In the end, Athens pulled away late to secure a 35-22 road victory.

The Wildcats struck first late in the opening quarter when quarterback Connor Davidson found the end zone on a keeper, giving Athens a 7-0 lead.

Wellsboro answered in the second quarter. From their own 47-yard line, Griffin Morral fired a screen pass to Marek Mascho, who weaved through traffic for the touchdown. The extra point was blocked, leaving the Hornets trailing 7-6.

Defense dominated the rest of the half until Wellsboro broke through in the third. Morral connected with Ethan Keane on a cut-back route for a score, then faked a keeper on the two-point conversion before tossing to Dylan Copp for the 14-7 lead.

Athens responded quickly. With under two minutes left in the third, Karson Sipley powered into the end zone from the 15-yard line. Zachary Fisher’s extra point tied the game at 14. Moments later, Wildcat defender Connor Garrison intercepted a deep ball from Morral, setting up Sipley for another rushing touchdown that pushed Athens ahead 21-14 entering the fourth.

Sipley added his third score of the night with just under six minutes left in regulation, bursting through Wellsboro’s secondary to extend the lead to 28-14.

The Hornets weren’t finished. On a trick play, Morral pitched to Mascho, who launched a downfield pass to Copp for a touchdown. The two-point conversion was good, cutting the deficit to 28-22.

But Athens sealed the win in the final minutes with one more touchdown, closing out a hard-fought 35-22 victory.

Wellsboro will look to rebound this Friday when they travel to face the defending AA state champion Troy Trojans, while Athens rides momentum into their matchup with the Towanda Black Knights.