Week 4: Athens (2-1) @ Jackson (2-1)

[ironman02]

Jackson lost its first regular season game since 2010 tonight against a very good Granville team, while Athens put on an offensive show against Warren in a blowout win on Friday. Both teams come in at 2-1, but that's basically where the similarities end. Jackson is a run-oriented team that relies heavily on its defense, while Athens possesses one of the most explosive offenses I have seen in quite a while. The Ironmen defeated the Bulldogs 27-7 in last year's first round playoff game, but both teams are extremely different this time around and are relying on a lot of young but talented guys at key positions. Should be a great game at Alumni Stadium next Friday night.

What does everyone think?

[ironman02]

Athens (2-1)

Week 1 - Gallia Academy - Loss, 34-52
Week 2 - AT Watkins Memorial - Win, 62-54
Week 3 - Warren - Win, 66-14

Jackson (2-1)

Week 1 - AT Wellston - Win, 34-13
Week 2 - AT Waverly - Win, 28-7
Week 3 - Granville - Loss, 14-28

[bluedevil]

should be a great game i expect a shootout ill say athens 50 jackson 48

[Power 105]

The game will be on 970 WATH and 97.1 FM as well as online at 970wath.com. Pregame starts at 7:15 and kickoff is at 7:30.

Make sure to follow us on twitter for all scores on Friday nights, @WATHSportsFan

[A-Town Big Dog]

I honestly don't have any idea what will happen Friday, Athens is coming off of a near perfect (for high school kids anyway) performance last night and will have an extra day of rest going into Friday night but Jackson won't be happy about a tough loss at home tonight and will likely be very motivated to prove something against the Bulldogs. Athens hasn't played a team with the size that Jackson will bring to the table either, could be a big factor in the game as the defense for the Bulldogs has been rather shaky especially against the run. On the other hand I'm not sure the Jackson defense has had to contend with an offense like Athens is capable producing, if they are firing on all cylinders the dogs can be pretty hard to stop. I really can't make a prediction that I would feel good about either way. Good luck to both and lets all stay healthy!

[NICKNEVADA]

JX 29-21

[smack]

athens 34/14

[noreply66]

Putting the teams that Athens played against the teams Jackson played I can see the one Athens played going 6 and 3 going down to only Granville. And that doesn't tell you one thing.

[LHS 72]

With the Ironmen all the way defense will stop the bullpuppies

Ironmen 38
Bullpuppies 28

[93Bulldog]

This is basically a playoff game now with both teams suffering one loss already ... our region is way to tough for a 2-loss team to get in, IMO ... the loss last night dropped jackson to 13th ... Athens moved up to #6.

Nothing like a playoff atmosphere in week 4 ...

IRONMAN02 ... what do we have on this game buddy - dinner at Ponderosa in Jackson? dinner at BW3's in Athens? you name it - and your on ...

[Ironman92]

Is eating at Ponderosa considered the winning or losing part of the bet?

I think if Jackson doesn't allow more than one completed long pass and doesn't have any turnover/special teams plays go for TD.....we'll win.

Should be another excellent game.....oodles of playoff points to the winner.

[indianabuck]

Jackson's size may be the difference. Yes Athens has athletes all over the field, but has not played anyone with some size and speed. If it was at Athens, the Bulldogs would win, but with it at Jackson, the Ironmen will come out on top in a close close game.

[firecracker]

Just don't see it with Jackson. Running the ball up the middle over and over again? The QB passing the ball within 2 seconds, the defense secondary getting burnt with poor coverage. I beleive Athens has a QB that puts up more yards than Granville's, I see another close one and Jackson will probably lose. This is my opinion, offense needs to speed up the tempo of the game. 3 plays and they burn 3 minutes off the clock, and their down 14-0.

[93Bulldog]

This is my opinion, offense needs to speed up the tempo of the game. 3 plays and they burn 3 minutes off the clock, and their down 14-0.

Best way to slow down an unstoppable passing offense like Athens and Granville ... slow down the tempo of your own offense, run 3 plays and burn 3 minutes off the clock ...

[seoal83]

I see this as a most win for athens but not jackson. I said before season started 2 of the areas 3 teams in region 12 would make playoffs i still consider it true. i don't think they can go 0-2. against gallia and jackson and still earn enough points to get in. winning against jackson and slipping up someone where else down the road may not kill them will have to see. Region 12 will not have as many undefeated teams this year. one or more teams with 2 loses or more will make it this year. I am not sure if region is down but is more balanced.

I have not scene jackson play this year but i think athens is a pretty tough match up for any team. I don;t think you can shut them down. you may slow them down but not shut them down. Big question will be is how much has athens defense improved since week 1.

[Ironman88]

Jackson will need to tackle better in secondary and stop blowing assignments. Offense line will need to establish its self earlier than they did last night,also needs to pass better to lossen up defense and stop putting ball on ground. Athens looks explosive on offense but shakey on defense.This is must win for Ironmen for playoff hopes.

[swamprat]

This is a game that is hard to judge, however I think jacksin ...lol will beat the poodles .
GO Jackson County ,,,,except jacksin

[Ironman92]

U sew phunny boilermaker

[ironman02]

IRONMAN02 ... what do we have on this game buddy - dinner at Ponderosa in Jackson? dinner at BW3's in Athens? you name it - and your on ...

Let me think about where I want to eat and I'll get back to you later this week. I can tell you that Ponderosa will not be on the menu.

[ironman02]

A lot of this has already been mentioned, but this game is definitely huge with regard to the playoffs. Coming into the season, I felt like Jackson had four games that could potentially give them a lot of computer points. One of those has already passed, and it ended up being a loss, which means that the importance of the Athens game has increased exponentially. I don't think Region 12 is going to be quite as difficult as last season, but it's still pretty tough. Three losses probably leaves Jackson or Athens on the outside looking in, 2 losses could be a close call, but 9-1 should definitely do the trick. Anyway, this is probably a must-win situation for both teams, but they would treat it in that manner anyway.

I've seen Athens twice. They looked great offensively against GAHS for a half, but struggled in the second half. The Blue Devils blitzed A LOT, and tried to make Burrow as uncomfortable as possible. Warren just didn't stop them at all. I think getting pressure on the QB, while also minimizing big plays, and tackling well in space are certainly the keys for Jackson this week. I think it's a given that Athens is gonna score some points, but Jackson needs to make them earn it...no quick drives or big chunks of yardage. I honestly felt like holding Granville to 21 points defensively was pretty impressive, especially considering that their last score came on a short field at the very end of the game. The Athens offense may be even better than Granville's, so Jackson will have to be as good or better on the defensive side of the ball this week.

Offensively, Jackson will most likely go with a similar gameplan as last week, which will be to play a ball control style of offense. They'll use their size up front and utilize the running game to try to wear Athens down, while also keeping that explosive Bulldog offense off the field. Jackson's offensive line played pretty well against Granville, especially in the second half. It's tough to run the ball with basically the entire defense in the box, but the Ironmen were able to do that...just gotta be a little more consistent. That said, Jackson will need to throw the ball effectively at the right times. There were several times where Jackson had chances to make big plays in the passing game last night, but just couldn't quite connect. That's partly due to youth, and it was also partly due to the pressure that Granville brought constantly. If the Ironmen can run the ball well and keep the Athens defense honest with the passing game, I think they'll be successful offensively.

Looking forward to a great game.