Carson Francis, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
THE PLAINS — Death, taxes, and Leo Martin finding the end zone.
Those three things are certain in life, or at least that was the case for the Athens Bulldogs on Friday night.
In search of its first playoff win in a decade, Athens (10-1) met with Linden McKinley at Joe Burrow Stadium, looking to put its postseason drought to rest.
The connection between quarterback Daniel Heightland and receiver Leo Martin proved enough to do just that as the two paired up for three touchdowns to lift the Bulldogs into Week 12 with a 21-8 victory.
CREDIT: Carissa Nickel/SOSA
“These kids deserve this. They’ve worked so incredibly hard. We went from 2-8, to 6-4, to now 10-1, and we get to go play in Week 12,” Athens head coach Nathan White said. “The best thing about it is that this team gets to stay together for another week, and I can’t wait to get to work.”
After the game’s opening snap, however, things looked bleak for the Bulldogs.
On the first play from scrimmage, Daniel Heightland’s pass was picked by Linden McKinley’s Briyon Jamison, setting the Panthers up at the Athens 33-yard line, just 16 seconds into the game.
Heightland didn’t have to wait very long to redeem himself, though.
Athens’ defense was able to stop Linden McKinley in its tracks and force a turnover on downs. From there, the Bulldogs’ offense needed only three plays to get on the scoreboard.
A pass from Heightland to Anthony Sutton and a carry from Alex Pero set the Bulldogs up at the Panthers’ 29-yard line, where Heightland found Leo Martin for a score with 8:30 left, putting the Bulldogs up 7-0.
Martin’s night had only just begun.
Back on defense, the senior came up with an interception of his own on the following drive, giving his team possession with 5:57 left in the first.
However, Athens stalled after the drive reached the red zone, and a turnover on downs kept the 7-0 score intact heading into the second quarter.
Both teams would exchange possessions, with penalties all the more present on each side. But Athens would get the ball back at its own 18-yard line with 2:35 left, and with no timeouts, embarked on a productive drive that saw Heightland complete his last four passes in a row.
His last of the drive came with 31 seconds left — a 10-yard connection with Martin for another score, giving the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead going into the break.
Athens’ defense came out and did its job to start the third quarter, forcing a three-and-out on Linden McKinley’s opening drive. The Bulldogs then took over in enemy territory at the 46-yard line with 10:23 left in the frame and went straight to work.
Using nearly seven minutes of game time, the Bulldogs marched down the field and found the end zone once more with 3:37 left. Heightland connected with Martin again for a 10-yard score to put the Bulldogs ahead 21-0, a lead that would stand going into the final 12 minutes.
With that score, Martin set Athens’ school record for single-game receiving touchdowns in a playoff game.
“Leo has been a player for us since he’s been here. It was great to see him have such a big night,” White said. “Overshadowed by Leo scoring three touchdowns was that our offensive line was outstanding tonight. We pounded the ball, and that helped open up our play action. Leo is as good of a player as I’ve been around in a long time.”
Still, Linden McKinley (7-4) wasn’t finished.
On the following drive, the Panthers quickly moved down the field, moving the chains multiple times. Finally, Linden McKinley found the end zone on a one-yard carry up the middle from Came’ron Gunnell with 10:38 remaining. Ryan Woosley crossed the goal line on the two-point try, cutting the Bulldogs’ lead to 21-8.
The Panthers still hung around after, forcing an Athens punt on the ensuing possession. Having the ball with 6:52 left, and just a little bit of momentum, Linden McKinley had a shot to get right back into the game late.
The Bulldogs defense didn’t let that happen, however.
Though Linden McKinley continued to march down the field, Athens’ defense bent, but did not break.
The Panthers used up too much clock for their own cause, and with 16 seconds remaining, the Bulldogs forced an incompletion on fourth down, finishing off a 21-8 playoff win to advance in the postseason for the first time since 2014 — when Joe Burrow led the program to a Division III state championship appearance.
“That’s the thing I’ve been most proud about with this group. We’ve had several games where we didn’t start the way we wanted, but these kids are battle-tested,” White said. “These seniors have been through some tough times, but they haven’t batted an eye when they’ve seen those tough times this year. I’m so proud of the way they handled the way we started tonight. Nobody even said a word, we just went out and played and recovered well. I can’t say enough how proud I am of these kids.”
Statistically, Heightland completed 11-of-17 passes for 115 yards and three scores — all of which were to Martin, who hauled in three grabs for 49 yards. On the ground, Alex Pero carried the ball 20 times for 150 yards.
After winning its first playoff game in school history without Burrow on the team, Athens will travel to Steubenville in Week 12, a 47-7 winner over Buckeye Valley.
“We haven’t watched any tape, but I am quite certain that Steubenville is really good. It’s going to be a challenge,” White said. “It’s one of the most storied programs in the state. Great history, great teams every year, and it’s an awesome place to go play. It’s an intimidating place to go play, but what an experience our kids are going to get next Friday night.”
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