ROME, Pa. — The Athens boys won two of three decisions, but Cowanesque Valley’s win over the Wildcats secured the NTL Large School cross country title here Tuesday.

BOYS
Cowanesque Valley 24, Athens 31
Athens 22, NEB 35
Athens 16, Canton 42
CV swept the top three spots, and handed Athens its first loss of the season, but the Wildcats topped NEB and Canton to finish 9-1 on the season. CV finished the season at 10-0.

Senior Matt Gorsline finished fifth in a time of 17:53 to lead Athens, while junior Ethan Denlinger (18:18), senior Kyle Anthony (18:54), and freshman Carter Lewis (18:59( finished sixth through eighth, respectively.

Senior Sander Bertsch finished 13th for the Wildcats in 20:03, while sophomore Nate Prickitt was 16th in 20:21, and senior Izaak Hobday was 17th in 20:43

GIRLS
Cowanesque Valley 26, Athens 29
Athens 26, Canton 29
NEB 22, Athens 33
Freshman Sarah Bronson won the race, but only one other Lady Wildcat runner finished in the top 14 as they went 1-2 in the four-team meet.

Bronson clocked in at 21:28, while sophomore Thea Bentley was seventh in 25:45.

Sophomore Cailyn Conklin finished 15th in 27:21, while sophomore Emily Henderson was 16th in 27:38, and senior Ruby Kinsman was 19th in 32:08.

JUNIOR HIGH
Boys
Athens 15, Canton 50
Athens 23, NEB 36
Athens 16, CV 41
Athens’ top five runners finished in the top eight as the junior Wildcats earned wins over Canton, NEB, and Cowanesque Valley in NTL junior high cross country action.

Graham Wanck finished second in 10:44, and Eli Hicks was third in 10:54 to lead Athens, while Ty Lezak (12:42), Zach Fisher (12:49), and Charan Venkataswamy (12:58) finished sixth through eighth, respectively.

Girls
Athens 20, CV 35
Athens 15, Canton 50
NEB 18, Athens 43
Addison Bruns finished third, and Olivia Cheresnowsky was seventh, but they were the top two finishers aside from NEB’s top five runners, leading Athens to wins over Canton and Cowanesque Valley.

WELLSBORO — Senior Mason Hughey drove a shot from the left hash into the net inside the far post with 60 seconds remaining in the game to lift Athens to a 2-1 win over Wellsboro here Tuesday afternoon in NTL boys soccer action.

The win put Athens in sole possession of first place in the NTL with a 7-1 league mark, while Wellsboro falls to 6-1-1.

The Green Hornets got the better of play in the first half, but the Wildcats, thanks to the play of senior keeper Levi Kuhn and the defensive back line, spearheaded by sophomore Alex Campbell, kept them off the board.

“(Wellsboro) put us under a lot of immediate pressure, but the guys made some great plays,” said Athens coach Jake Lezak.

“Levi’s been flying all over the place,” he noted. “We’re pleased with what’s going on there, and definitely with our back line.

“They had a lot to deal with. Wellsboro is tough up top, they’re very physical and quick,” added Lezak. “It was nice to get out 0-0 at the half.”

With 27:48 remaining in the contest, Hughey took a feed from senior Nate Quinn, and made a run down the right hash. He was tripped up in the box, and drove home the resulting penalty kick to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.

“Nate (Quinn) played a beautiful ball in, and I just took it line,” noted Hughey. “I beat the defender, and had an open lane to the goal … and he tripped me from behind.”

“I was just focused on burying it in the goal,” said Hughey of the penalty kick. “The Wellsboro kids were talking around me, trying to get in my head, but I just had to tune them out.

“I saw the goalie go one way, so I went the other,” added Hughey. “He went to the left, which is where I was going to go, but I saw him move, so I went right. It was a last-second switch … I was a little scared I was going to pull it right.”

With 10 minutes remaining, Wellsboro’s Peyton McClure headed a shot past Kuhns to tie the game at 1-1. The goal came off a corner kick, and was the third header in a sequence which the ball never hit the ground.

The Green Hornets pressured the Athens goal for several minutes, but were unable to get the go-ahead score.

With a little more than a minute to play, the Wildcats countered and Quinn found Hughey open down the left hash.

With a defender a half-step behind on his right hip, Hughey ripped a shot with his left foot that crossed the goal mouth and ripped into the net just inside the far post with 1:00 left on the game clock.

According to Lezak, the goal was the result of a halftime adjustment.

“We talked about some things at half, and shuffled a couple of guys around,” said  Lezak. “We moved Mason (Hughey) back to the left-side to put pressure on there.

“We were working with the guys on pressing in the corners, and taking the corners — getting it deep in the 18 and doing those things,” added Lezak. “It paid off.”

“Originally, I was going to go right wing, but there was a last-minute switch to the left,” said Hughey. “The guys had been playing balls in all day, and I was barely missing them.

“That one from Nate was perfect, and I took it line, and went across my body (with the shot),” he added. “The keeper made a good effort, but it was just out of his reach.”

Lezak was impressed with the game-winner.

“That was a great goal,” he said. “That’s what we look to do, we force the issue in training. It was a great series.

“We yell at the guys in practice to keep the ball rolling. We need to look fast,” noted Lezak. “You take guys with average pace, and some quick guys and you make them look faster because the ball continues to roll.

“It disorganizes a defense. … it was the quick combination we’ve been hoping for,” he continued. “We’ve done it in a lot of games.

“We were finally able to catch (Wellsboro) in transition, where we were able to slide it behind, and Mason was able to get the corner, and get deeper into the 18. And, it was a great finish,” Lezak added. “He’s got a great left leg.”

In their first meeting this season, Wellsboro ripped the net for five goals in a 5-3 win at Alumni Stadium.

Lezak said his team has put in a great deal of work since then to ensure there would be no repeat performance by the Green Hornets.

“We’ve been working, and changing a lot of things,” he said. “We’ve been working on a lot of things defensively to lock down the mistakes we were making.

“We’ve caused ourselves a lot of headaches in the back. I think the boys have worked really hard for this.

“We’ve shuffled guys around — we’re a different team right now,” added Lezak.

Hughey was pleased to get a bit of redemption.

“It feels amazing to come over here and win a game against a very talented Wellsboro team,” he said. “I’m sure we’re feeling the same way they did winning on our turf.”

The Wildcats, now 9-6 overall, can clinch the league title with wins over Galeton Thursday, and Troy on Oct. 23.

“(This win) has to feel great for the guys, but it’s not over yet,” said Lezak. “We still have two more league games before we lock anything down.

“Hopefully, we build off of this, and finish the season strong heading into the postseason,” he added.

EAST TROY — Troy scored four first-half goals, and pulled out a 5-3 win over Athens here Saturday morning to take sole possession of first place in the NTL girls soccer standings.

Troy, which has not won an outright NTL title since 2010, improves to 7-1 in the league standings, while Athens falls to 6-2. The win also avenges a 3-2 early-season loss at Athens.

Addy Parker scored four goals for Troy, to offset a hat trick by Athens senior Hannah Walker.

Parker put the Lady Trojans on the board in the 5th minutes, then took a through-ball from Camille McRoberts in the 12th minutes and knocked it past Athens keeper junior Karlee Bartlow to make it 2-0.

Less than a minute later, junior Alli Thoman set up Walker  for her first goal to trim the deficit to 2-1.

Four minutes later, freshman Addison Wheeler found Walker outside the box, and she drove a shot from 30 yards out over the keeper’s head to tie the game at 2-2.

Shortly after the tying goal, the Lady Wildcats had a chance to take the lead on a direct kick, but it sailed wide.

Troy controlled the action for the majority of the next 40 minutes.

With 9:59 remaining in the first half, Parker slid a pass through the defense to Makena Matthews, who punched a shot into the net to give the Lady Trojans a 3-2 lead.

With just 1:11 left before the intermission, Parker, off a feed from Anneleise Getola, gave troy a 4-2, which it would carried into the half.

After the intermission, Troy kept the ball in the Athens defensive end for the first 15 minutes, but Barlow and company kept the Lady Trojans off the board.

After an Athens counter came up empty, Parker and McRoberts each got off shots that were on target, but Barlow made nice saves on both to keep the score 4-2.

After a leaping save by Barlow, Walker worked her way down the field and punched a shot past Troy keeper Madelyn Seeley to pull Athens within a goal, at 4-3, with 16:37 remaining in the contest.

But 5 1/2 minutes later, the Athens defense was able to clear a ball out of the box after a Troy direct kick, and Parker knocked a shot into the back of the net to make it 5-3.

Troy had a 12-7 advantage in shots-on-goal and a 5-0 edge in corner kicks.

Barlow had seven saves for Athens, while Seeley had four for Troy.

Athens, now 8-6 overall, returns to action next Saturday when it hosts Bloomsburg.

ATHENS — Junior Brayden Post scored gave Athens the lead midway through the second half, and the Wildcat defense made it stand in a 3-2 win over Williamsport here Saturday in non-league boys soccer action.

Senior Nate Quinn scored in the 5th minute to give the Wildcats a quick 1-0 lead. Senior Daniel Horton was credited with an assist.

In the 24th minute, Horton scored off an assist from Quinn to put Athens up 2-0.

The Millionaires scored two goals in 76 seconds to tie the game at 2-2.

Owen Kaar scored the first goal off an assist from Angelo Kasas with 9:10 remaining in the first half, and Jimmy Pombor netted an unassisted goal with 7:54 left.

After more than 17 minutes of scoreless action in the second half,  Post scored an unassisted goal with 22:48 remaining in game to put the Wildcats up 3-2.

Athens had an 11-7 edge in shots-on-goal, and a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks.

Senior Levi Kuhns recorded five saves in net for the Wildcats.

Athens, now 8-6 overall, travels to Wellsboro Tuesday. Wellsboro is unbeaten in league play, but has one tie, while Athens has just one loss in NTL play.

ATHENS — Athens used some hard running, big plays, and a stifling defense to beat NP-Mansfield 44-14 for its 2021 homecoming win in NTL football action Friday.

“It was a great team win,” said Athens coach Jack Young. “We had a really, really good week of practice, coming off a couple crazy weeks with a lot of distractions. I couldn’t help, but mention the whole team — the young guys on scout team did a great job — and we just got to keep building.”

Senior Shayne Reid rushed for 136 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries to lead the Wildcats, who ran for 279 yards as a team. Caleb Nichols had 48 yards on the ground on six touches, while Jaden Wright (three carries, 71 yards) added a 67-yard touchdown run.

“At the tailback position we’re really four-deep,” Young remarked. “You saw what Jaden Wright did right here at the end of the game with a young offensive line and some of North Penn’s starting defense in there. We’re pretty deep there.”

Mason Lister continued to make some athletic plays, throwing the ball for 110 yards and a touchdown on 5-of-11 passing while also running in a score. JJ Babcock had two catches for 40 yards and a score to lead the receiving corps.

Defensively, the Wildcats held NP-Mansfield to just 24 yards rushing in the first half, and held them scoreless for three quarters, which included a goal-line stand that ended with a blocked field goal.

Cam Fabian was a bright spot for the Panthers, with 96 total yards of offense and two scores — one rushing, one receiving — while quarterback Karson Dominick was 11-for-17 for 83 yards and a touchdown.

Early on. it looked like North Penn-Mansfield was going to take the lead, as they took the opening kick-off down to the Athens 4-yard line.

A 13-yard pass play on third down, and a 9-yard run on fourth kept the drive alive, and a pass interference call gave them first-and-goal.

However, they only went backward after that, and the 16-play drive ended up with a field goal attempt from the 11-yard line that was blocked by the Athens defense.

Taking over at its own 27, Athens would need just nine plays to get into the end zone — eight of them rushes. Lister capped the drive with a 3-yard TD run. Reid, who ran for 42-yards on the drive, added the point-after to make it 7-0 with 32 seconds left in the opening quarter.

The Panthers turned it over on a fumble on the ensuing drive — linebacker Dylan Harford jumped on the loose ball for Athens. The Wildcats would take over at the NP-Mansfield 18-yard line.

It would take them five plays to get inside the NPM 5, but a sack on Lister pushed them back to the 17, where they ended up taking a Reid field goal. His kick was good from 33 yards, and Athens led 10-0 with 9:19 to play in the half.

NP-Mansfield went 3-and-out on its next two drives as its offense faltered.

On Athens’ next drive it needed just two plays to score, with Reid taking it up the gut 42 yards to pay dirt. A bad snap ruined his point-after attempt, but Athens led 16-0 with 7:11 left in the half.

On the Wildcats’ final drive of the half. they started on their own 27-yard line, and needed 11 plays to get into the end zone.

Two key pass plays on third-and-long kept the drive alive — a 25-yard catch-and-run by Nichols, and a Matt Machmer toe-line grab on the edge of the field for 28 yards — put Athens first-and-goal at the 10-yard line.

Penalties then reared their ugly head — two of them bringing back touchdowns — pushed Athens into a 4th-and-goal from its own 33-yard line.

Lister simply found the 6-foot, 7-inch Babcock in the end zone, threw it up to him, and watched him come down with it for the touchdown with 41 seconds left in the half. Reid added the point after to give Athens a 23-0 lead at the half.

The Wildcats then scored on their first two drives of the second half.

Starting at their own 36-yard line, they would use five plays to hit pay dirt, ending with a nifty 28-yard run by Reid. His kick was good, and Athens led 30-0 just over two minutes into the second half.

Even his coach was impressed with how Reid evaded several Panther would-be tacklers on the scamper.

“I couldn’t not say that I might have seen one of the greatest runs I’ve seen in a long, long time tonight,” Young said. “We execute up front, but then, my God, did he make a run.”

After a Panther punt, Athens started at the 50 and needed eight plays to get into the end zone. Reid got the 6-yard touchdown, but an 18-yard run on third-and-11 by Nichols kept the drive alive.

Reid’s kick was good, and the Wildcats pushed their lead to 37-0 with 5:39 left in the third.

The NPM offense came online in the fourth quarter as Cam Fabian had a 3-yard touchdown run, followed by a 20-yard scoring catch from Dominick on the following drive to cut it to 37-14.

However, Athens had the final say, as, on the first play from scrimmage on the ensuing drive, Wright found some room running left and took it 67 yards down the sideline to pay dirt. Reid added the point after for the 44-14 final.

Athens will host undefeated Canton next week for a crucial NTL Division-I match-up for both teams. It’s part of the Wildcats’ tough stretch to end the season — Canton, Wellsboro, and Sayre — all playoff-caliber teams that will test the Wildcats.

But Young feels his team is ready.

“We’re just going to work hard, that’s what I’m going to tell you,” he said. “This group of kids has risen to the occasion every week. The two games we got beat, you can’t doubt our toughness, and the way these kids are going to play in a game, so we’re just going to work on our mental and physical health right now.”

They didn’t have school on Friday as part of a long weekend, but Young made sure they got up and were active all day to be ready for the Panthers.

“I just told them, Monday, they don’t have school, and they all looked at me like ‘yeah, yeah, yeah,” explained Young. “And I said, ‘sleep in, please, sleep in.’”

They deserved it.

NEWARK VALLEY — Athens freshman Sara Bronson, and Waverly freshman Harper Minaker each finished in the Top 10 here Friday afternoon here at the Bob Greene / Newark Valley Cross Country Invitational.

Bronson finished sixth in a time of 21:19.8, and Minaker was ninth in the field of 124 runners in a time of  21:39.9.

The Lady Wildcats, running without No. 2 runner junior Emma Bronson, finished 12th in the team standings with  255 placement points. U-E won the team title with 79 points, while Elk Lake was second with 97, and Delhi was third with 99.

Also for the Lady Wildcats, sophomore Thea Bentley was 49th in 25:38.2, sophomore Cailyn Conklin was 79th in 28:22.3, sophomore Emily Henderson was 94th in 29:57.0, and senior Ruby Kinsman was 113th in 34:08.4.

For the Lady Wolverines, senior Olivia Nittinger was 26th in 23:51.3, and  sophomore Elizabeth Vaughn was 41st in 24:56.8.

NEWARK VALLEY — Athens had three runners place in the top 14 to fuel a fourth-place finish, while senior Nate Ackley paced Waverly’s efforts here Friday afternoon at the Bob Greene / Newark Valley Cross Country Invitational.

Senior Matt Gorsline finished sixth in a time of 18:13.9 to lead the Wildcats, while junior Ethan Denlinger was 11th in 18:25.5, and senior Kyle Anthony was 14th in 18:35.5.

Athens placed fourth with 116 points, well behind first-place Vestal, which had 44 placement points.

Freshman Carter Lewis was 47th for the Wildcats in 19:57.5, while sophomore Nate Prickitt was 50th in 20:08.5, senior Izaak Hobday was 65th in 20:43.7, and senior Sander Bertsch was 78th in 21:39.7.

Ackley finished 12th for the Wolverines in a time of 18:27.9, and senior Gavin Schillmoeller was 75th in 21:25.0.

JV Race
Senior Brendan Jones was 37th in a time of 24:12.4 to pace Athens in the JV race, while freshman Pierce Oldroyd was 48th in 24:51.2,  freshman Ryan Gorman was 53rd in 25:27.5, and freshman Lohith Kinthala was 72nd in 30:18.4.

ATHENS — Athens bounced back from its first league loss Tuesday with a dominant performance in a 5-0 win over Northeast Bradford here Thursday night in NTL girls soccer action.

“It’s a great bounce-back win for us,” said Athens coach Rich Pitts. “We played amazing soccer throughout the match.

“We feel like we are hitting our stride at the right time, but understand after Tuesday night, we have no room for error,” noted Pitts in reference to the Lady Wildcats’ 3-2 home loss to Wyalusing.

“We played a really talented NEB team tonight and performed at a great level,” added Pitts. “We were able to go deep into our bench and allow players who have been working very hard to get valuable playing time for the future.”

The Lady Wildcats took an early lead when sophomore Kendra Merrill took a through-ball from senior Delaney Stedge and deposited it into the back of the net.

In the 27th minute, senior Hannah Walker took a feed from freshman Addison Wheeler and beat the NEB keeper for the first of her three goals in the game to make it 2-0.

About six minutes later, sophomore Mya Thompson set up Walker for a point-blank shot extend the lead to 3-0, which is where it stood at the half.

In the opening minutes of the second half, Walker returned the favor and set Thompson up for a close-range shot that found the net to make it 4-0.

Walker finished off her hat trick with an unassisted goal about three minutes later to push the Lady Wildcat lead to 5-0.

Holly Towner put NEB on the board in the 75th minute to provide the final margin.

Athens had a 12-8 advantage in shots-on-goal, but NEB had a 4-1 edge in corner kicks.

Junior Karlee Bartlow registered five saves in net for Athens.

The Lady Wildcats, now 8-5 overall, are 6-1 in the league and tied atop the NTL standings with Troy. They play at Troy Saturday morning.

WELLSBORO — Sophomore Evan Cooper fired a career-best round to lead Athens to a win here Wednesday in the final NTL golf match of the season. The Wildcats also claimed the league title with their second straight win.

Athens went 6-0 on the day with a four-player aggregate score of 383 — 26 strokes better than runner-up Wellsboro. Wyalusing was third with a 413, while Towanda was fourth with a 415, Cowanesque Valley was fifth with a 427, and Sayre, playing without three of their top five scorers, shot a 470 to go 1-5 on the day. North Penn-Mansfield, who had just two golfers in action, carded a 572.

The Wildcats finish the season at 34-7 to claim the NTL crown, while Wellsboro was second at 32-9, Sayre dropped to third at 26-10, Wyalusing was fourth at 26-15, Towanda was fifth at 13-28, CV was sixth at 10-31, and NP-M was seventh at 0-41.

“We really finished strong, winning all six in the last two matches,” said Athens coach Lenny Pientka. “Going into the last two matches, we knew we had to win out.

“It was great to see all of our guys improve and peak at the right time.

“It’s a great group of kids, and they are all back next year,” added Pientka.

Cooper finished third on the day with an 82, behind low-medal winner Andrew Green of NP-Mansfield, who fired a 79, and Sayre senior Kannon VanDuzer who shot an 81.

Athens junior Cameron Sullivan finished fourth with an 88, and Sayre senior Dylan Seck was seventh with a 94.

Athens junior Lucas Kraft was 14th with a 103, and freshman Dylan Saxon was 20th with a 110.
Sophomore Nicholas Jacob added a non-scoring round of 112 for the Wildcats, and freshman Keaton Sinsabaugh carded a 129.

Sophomore David Hall added a 147 for the Redskins, and David Hall Jr. tacked on a 148.

LEAGUE AWARDS: Sayre senior Kannon VanDuzer earned the league MVP Award, and repeated as the “Scott Taylor Award” winner, which is given to the NTL Sportsman of the Year. … Athens sophomore Evan Cooper was named the “Most Improved Player,” and Athens freshman Dylan Saxon is the “Rookie of the Year.”

VanDuzer, Athens junior Cameron Sullivan, and Cooper earned first-team NTL all-star honors, and Saxon was named to the second team.

ROME, Pa. — Neither team was able to get off many shots, but Athens made the most of theirs in a 3-0 win over Northeast Bradford here Wednesday afternoon in NTL boys soccer action.

With the win, the Wildcats improve to 6-1 in NTL play, and remain just 1/2-game behind first place Wellsboro (6-0-1).

Senior Daniel Horton scored in the 10th minute of the game — on the Wildcats’ third, and final, shot-on-goal of the first half — to give Athens a 1-0 lead.

The Wildcats only managed three shots in the second half, too, but senior Nate Quinn found the back of the net with the last two — in the 60th minute and the 68th minute — to extend the lead to 3-0.

Northeast Bradford only got off three shots-on-goal — two in first half, and one in the second — in the 80 minutes.

NEB had a 7-6 edge in corner kicks.

Senior Levi Kuhns had three saves in net for Athens, while Garrett Cooper had three for the Panthers.

Athens, now 7-6 overall, returns to action Saturday when it hosts Williamsport.

ATHENS — Wyalusing made the most of its three shots-on-goal as Olivia Haley scored in the final two minutes of the game to lift the Lady Rams to a 2-1 win over Athens here Tuesday afternoon in NTL girls soccer action at Alumni Stadium.

The loss is the first in league play for the Lady Wildcats, who are now 5-1. They fall into a first-place tie with Troy. Wyalusing and NEB are 1 game back.

“I thought the girls executed our game plan and we played great ‘soccer,’” said Athens coach Rich Pitts.
 
“We faced a lot of adversity throughout the game, but nothing we haven’t seen before when playing them the last two years,” noted Pitts.

“I am proud of the girls, and how they handled themselves to the end,” he added. “We will get back to work and prepare for NEB.”

The Lady Wildcats struck first midway through the first half when senior Hannah Walker set up freshman Addison Wheeler for a goal to make it 1-0.

Layla Botts tied the in the 30th minute, and the game went to the half tied at 1-1.

With 1:57 remaining in the game, Haley scored an unassisted goal to give the Lady Rams a 2-1 lead.

Athens had a 7-3 advantage in shots-on-goal, and a 4-3 edge in corner kicks.

Pearl O’Connor had six saves for Wyalusing, while Karlee Bartlow had one for Athens.

Athens, now 7-5 overall, hosts NEB Thursday night.

TROY — The unbeaten Athens boys swept the top four spots in a 16-47 win over Troy, while the Lady Wildcats dropped a 26-32 decision here Tuesday afternoon in NTL cross country action at Mt. Pisgah State Park.

WAVERLY — Athens shot four rounds in the 80s to win the NTL golf match here at Tomasso’s Golf Course on a rainy Monday afternoon, while Sayre senior Kannon VanDuzer shot a season-best round to earn low-medal honors.

The Wildcats shot a four-player aggregate score of 340, with runner-up Sayre shooting a 347. Wellsboro was third at 354, while Wyalusing was fourth at 355, Cowanesque Valley was fifth at 427, Towanda was sixth at 455, and North Penn-Mansfield was seventh at 546.

Athens sophomore Evan Cooper and freshman Dylan Saxon tied for fourth with rounds of 83, while junior Cameron Sullivan was sixth with an 85, and sophomore Lucas Kraft was tied for 11th with a career-best round of 89.

Sullivan had two birdies in his round, while Cooper, Saxon, and Kraft each had one.

“It was a team effort,” said Athens coach Lenny Pientka. “Lucas Kraft  had his best round this year, but so did Evan Cooper, Dylan Saxon, and Cameron Sullivan.

“It was difficult playing conditions and they all came through with their best rounds of the year,” added Pientka. “I am really proud of all of them, including Nick Jacob and Keaton Sinsabaugh, who both played well.”

Sophomore Nick Jacob added a non-scoring round of 112, and freshman Keaton Sinsabaugh tacked on a 113 for the Wildcats.

VanDuzer fired a 75 in a round that including one birdie, and 10 pars. Senior Dylan Seck shot an 89 for the Redskins, while junior Jackson Hubbard carded a 91, and senior Dom Fabbri had a 92.

Sayre remains in first place in the league standings with a 25-5 record, with Athens movie into second place at 28-7. Wellsboro is in third with a 27-8 record.

The NTL wraps up its regular season Wednesday at Tyoga Country Club in Wellsboro.

ATHENS — Athens scored three goals late in the game to pull out a 3-0 win over North Penn-Liberty here Saturday morning in NTL boys soccer action at Alumni Stadium.

With the win, Athens (6-6 overall) improves to 5-1 in league play, and trails Wellsboro (5-0-1) by 1/2-game.

After nearly 69 minutes of scoreless action, junior Brayden Post found the back of the net with 11:04 remaining in the game to put the Wildcats up 1-0. Senior Mason Hughey was credited with an assist.

With 7:22 remaining, senior Daniel Horton scored an unassisted goal to give Athens a 2-0 lead.

Hughey finished off the scoring three minutes later.

Athens had a 14-1 advantage in shots-on-goal, and a 10-2 edge in corner kicks.

Senior Levi Kuhns had one save in net for Athens.

Athens returns to action Wednesday at NEB.

TIOGA JUNCTION — Freshman Addison Wheeler scored the game’s lone goal about 10 1/2 minutes in to lift Athens to a 1-0 win over Williamson here Saturday afternoon in NTL girls soccer action.

“I thought we played really good soccer,” said Athens coach Rich Pitts. “We put the ball on the floor, and moved it up an down the field better than we have all year.

“We were not quite good enough on the final shot, or final pass in there end though,” noted Pitts. “So, we will work on that this week.

“Big props to Williamson and that coaching staff,” added Pitts. “He has made them a very formidable program in a short time. I was impressed with how they played the game the entire 80 minutes.”

Wheeler took a cross from senior Hannah Walker, and knocked it past the Williamson keeper to put the Lady Wildcats up 1-0 with 29:33 remaining in the first half.

Athens outshot Williamson, 15-3, and had an 8-0 edge in corner kicks.

Karlee Bartlow had three saves in net for the Lady Wildcats, while Ashley Woodring recorded 14 saves for Williamson.

Athens is now 7-4 overall, but is atop the NTL standings at 5-0 — 1 game ahead of Troy.
 
“Overall, I am happy where we are in the league, and I’m looking forward to a tough week upcoming.”

The Lady Wildcats host Wyalusing Tuesday and NEB Thursday, before closing out the week Saturday morning at Troy.