NTL FOOTALL: REJUVENATED TOWANDA READY FOR ATHENS (2022-09-30)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
Towanda (2-3) has new life after their rousing rally to beat Wellsboro last week. This week they’ll look to get back to .500 as they travel to Athens (3-2).

“I’m just real happy for the kids, and happy for the coaches,” Towanda coach Craig Dawsey said about last week’s victory. “They’ve just worked really hard, since all through the summer, and up to this point, and it’s just nice to see them be successful.”

Towanda was able to unlock Riley Vanderpool last week as he showed what type of athlete he is by running back a kick-off, rushing for 165-yards, and even throwing for a touchdown.

However, Dawsey knows Athens has athletes like Vanderpool, too.

“I think you have to be ready for anything,” he remarked. “Athens always has really good athletes, the Valley seems to always manufacture really good athletes. So, yeah, I think we have to be ready for both phases, as best we can. We have to take care of our special teams - our special teams last Friday weren’t sparkling - we have to take care of that in any big game situation, so we’re going to work hard on our special teams this week. But I think all three phases, we have to continue to work on it a little bit better.”

Athens has Mason Lister at quarterback, with a strong receiving core, led by Luke Horton, and a veteran back in Caleb Nichols. And they’ll be looking to prove their better than that 32-7 loss to Troy last week.

This also marks the beginning of the second half of the season for these teams, and Dawsey hopes to see his young team continue to grow.

“I don’t think people realize what a young team we have,” he said. “There’s times where there’s six sophomores on both sides of the ball. And they’re doing a great job, and they’re learning a lot in a very quick period of time. So, from the first game to the last game, we played in those five weeks I think our sophomores have really stepped up, and just gotten a lot more comfortable, a lot more confident.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Justin Schoonover, Towanda, TE, CB - Schoonover has been a solid contributor on both sides of the ball for the Knights. He has six catches for 98-yards and a touchdown, while also having 16 tackles and one interception on the defensive side of the ball. He’s type of player that can have a big impact on a game like this on just a couple plays.

Caleb Nichols, Athens, RB - Nichols ran effectively last week in a limited number of carries against Troy - including scoring their only touchdown. With the air growing colder the Wildcats may opt to run a little more.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Towanda - Bend but don’t break on defense. Don’t let Athens take the top off the defense with their passing game, make them drive the ball, and force them to play mistake free. 

Athens - Take advantage of opportunities. Three times in the first half against Troy last week they got inside the Trojan 30-yard line, and didn’t come away with points. Towanda showed last week that they can score quickly, so Athens needs to capitalize on good field position.