MANSFIELD — Sophomore Kolsen Keathley touched the ball four times, and rushed for four TDs, including runs of 75 and 61 yards, to lead Athens to a 55-0 win over North Penn-Mansfield here Friday night in NTL Large School Division football action.

Keathley rushed for 156 yards, and also had TD runs of 18 and 2 yards, while senior tailback Caleb Nichols rushed for 38 yards and one TD on 10 carries, and had one reception for 70 yards in a night of big plays for the Wildcats.

Athens got on the board early on a 23-yard TD pass from senior QB Mason Lister to junior Josh Martin. Lister’s PAT kick made it 7-0.

Keathley’s first TD run of 2 yards made it 13-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Keathley broke loose on a 75-yard TD run on Athens’ next possession, and Lister’s PAT boot made if 20-0.

Athens cashed in on a North Penn-Mansfield with a short scoring drive, capped by a Nichols 5-yard TD run, to make it 27-0.

Lister and senior Lucas Horton hooked up on a 71-yard TD pass with 4 minutes remaining in the half to extend the lead to 34-0.

Keathley tacked on an 18-yard TD run in the final minute of the first half to make it 41-0.

Keathley added a 61-yard TD run in the third quarter, and freshman Cooper Robinson scored his first varsity TD with a 15-yard run in the fourth quarter. Lister, who made seven of eight PAT kicks in the game, tacked on the final point of the contest for the Wildcats.

Athens amassed 519 yards in total offense — 278 through the air, and 241 on the ground.

Lister completed 9 of 13 passes for 242 yards and two TDs, and Horton completed his only throw for 36 yards.

Martin led Athens with four receptions for 41 yards and one TD, while Horton had two catches for 79 yards and one TD, and senior Matt Machmer had two grabs for 65 yards.

Robinson added 42 rushing yards and on TD on eight carries for the Wildcats.

NP-M had 133 yards in total offense, including 39 rushing yards on 19 carries.

Defensively, Nichols had two interceptions, and Martin had one for the Wildcats.

Athens, now 5-2, is on the road at unbeaten Canton Friday.

ATHENS — Wellsboro needed extra play in two sets, but pulled out a 3-1 win over Athens here Thursday night in NTL Large School Division volleyball action.

The Lady Hornets won a lengthy 29-27 decision in the first set, then won the second set, 25-22. The Lady Wildcats stayed alive with a 25-17 win in the third set, but Wellsboro closed out the match with a 26-24 win in the fourth set.

Senior Jenny Ryan led Athens with five points — all aces, six kills, three blocks, 22 setter assists, and 23 digs, while senior Audrey Clare had six kills, five assists, and 15 digs, and sophomore Ella Coyle recorded 30 digs.

Senior Cailin McDaniel had four points — all aces, three kills one block, and eight digs, while sophomore Kassie Babcock had four kills, and 17 digs, senior Cassie Friend registered seven kills, three blocks and three digs, Keaton Wiles had a team-high nine kills and three digs, and Emily Marshall chipped in with two digs.

Meredith Brownlee led Wellsboro with 12 points, three kills, one block, 12 digs, while Emily Starkweather had 11 points, nine kills, two blocks, 21 digs, Lexi Urena added nine points, eight kills, nine digs, and six assists, and Paige Logsdon registered eight points, eight kills, 10 blocks, six digs.

Athens, now 5-6, hosts North Penn-Liberty Tuesday.

HORSEHEADS — Tes Eisner scored late in the game to lift Horseheads to a 1-0 win over Athens here Friday night in non-league girls soccer action.

“It was a great game, and a great atmosphere to play in,” said Athens coach Rich Pitts. “Horseheads played a great game, and I think we battled the entire 80 mins.  

“I’m super-proud of all the girls … we went deep into the bench,” added Pitts.

After more than 76 minutes of scoreless action, Eisner took a cross from Leila Vargas, and knocked a shot into the side of the net.

Horseheads had a 13-4 advantage in shots-on-goal, and a 4-3 edge in corner kicks.

Senior Karlee Bartlow recorded nine saves in the net for the Lady Wildcats.

Athens, now 5-6-1, returns to action Saturday morning against Northeast Bradford.

VOUGH FINISHES THIRD IN GIRLS RACE

EAST TROY — Sophomore Marcos Quiros scored to give Athens the early lead, and the Wildcats never trailed in a 3-2 win over Troy here Thursday afternoon in NTL boys soccer action.

Quiros scored about 12 1/2 minutes into the game to the Wildcats a 1-0 lead, then scored again with 15:14 remaining in the half to make it 2-0.

Troy’s Landon Jenkins scored 85 seconds later to close the gap to 2-1.

Senior Brayden Post put Athens back up two goals, off an assist from junior Korey Miller, with 9:54 remaining in the first half.

The remainder of the game was a defensive battle until Troy’s Andrew Houseknecht scored with 19 seconds left in the contest.

Athens had a 24-2 advantage in shots-on-goal, and a 3-1 edge in corner kicks.

Athens, now 9-5-1, returns to action Saturday morning at Williamsport.

NEWARK VALLEY — Athens sophomore Ethan Hicks, and senior Ethan Denlinger each finished in the top-12 here Thursday afternoon in the boys race at the Bob Greene Cross Country Invitational.

The Wildcats finished 10th in the team standings with 242 points, while Tioga and Waverly fielded incomplete teams. Delhi won the team title with 93 placement points, while runner-up Owego had 101, and third-place Ithaca had 127 points.

Hicks finished eighth in a field of 121 runners in a time of 18:21.2, and Denlinger was 12th in 18:38.7.

Senior Nate Prickitt finished 57th for the Wildcats in a time of 20:25.2, while freshman Sam Sensing was 84th in 22:30.2, freshman Caleb Simwale was 95th in 23:28.6, sophomore Aiden Oldroyd was 102nd in 24:18.5, and sophomore Pierce Oldroyd finished 108th in 24:56.8

NEWARK VALLEY — Athens sophomore Sara Bronson led four Valley runners in the top-16 here Thursday afternoon in the girls portion of the Bob Greene Cross Country Invitational.

Elmira’s Ana Mordvinova won the individual title in a time of 19:26.1.

Sara Bronson finished fourth in the field of 131 runners in a time of 20:32.1, while Waverly sophomore Harper Minaker was 13th in 22:07.3, Waverly junior Elizabeth Vaughn was 14th in 22:07.4, and Athens senior Emma Bronson was 16th in 22:19.4.

Senior Abby Prickitt finished 79th for the Lady Wildcats in a time of 27:10.1, while freshman Olivia Cheresnowky was 86th in 27:20.3, junior Janae Harkins was 118th in 31:56, and sophomore Mary Rose Bertsch was 127th in 34:39.7.

The Lady Wildcats finished ninth in the team standings with 232 points. Horseheads won the team title with 87 points, while Owego was second with 90, and Delhi was third with 109.

WELLSBORO — Senior Ally Thoman scored a pair of second-half goals to help Athens to a come-from-behind, 3-2, win over Wellsboro here Wednesday afternoon in NTL Large School Division girls soccer action.

“We didn’t play well at all after our first goal,” said Athens coach Rich Pitts. “Wellsboro played great soccer and we didn’t have much of an answer.

“We re-grouped at half and came out to dominate the second half,” added Pitts. Another great come from behind win for the cardiac kids.

Freshman Kaitlyn Sutton put Athens on the board a little more than three minutes into the game, but Sarah Seeling scored 64 seconds later to tie the game at 1-1.

Corys Barlett put Wellsboro ahead 2-1 with 25:19 remaining in the first half.

Thoman, off a feed from sophomore Addy Wheeler, tied the game at 2-2 with 28:45 remaining.

About 5 1/2 minutes later, senior Taegan Williams lofted a pass over the defense, and Thoman tracked it down, then beat the keep 1-v-1 with the game-winner.

Athens had a 9-4 advantage in shots-on-goal, and a 4-1 edge in corner kicks.

Senior Karlee Bartlow had two saves in net for the Lady Wildcats.

Athens, now 5-5-1, travels to Horseheads Friday.

TOWANDA — Short-handed Athens, led by senior Jenny Ryan’s quadruple-double, got stronger as the night went on, rallying after dropping the first set for a 3-1 win over Towanda here Tuesday night in NTL Large School Division volleyball action.

The Lady Black Knights pulled out a 26-24 win in the first set, but the Lady Wildcats bounced back with wins of 25-21, 25-15, and 25-15.

“I am beyond proud as a coach tonight,” said Athens coach Heather Hanson. “We were out two starters — Braelynn Wood due to injury and Audrey Clare due to illness — but got the job done.”

Ryan posted her second quadruple-double of the season with 24 service points, including seven aces, 18 kills, 21 setter assists, and 16 digs, while sophomore Kassie Babcock had 19 points, including six assists, five kills, one block, and 15 digs, junior Emily Marshall had 18 points (three aces), two kills, eight assists, and nine digs, and sophomore Ella Coyle had three points (three aces), two kills, and 26 digs.

“Jenny Ryan played incredible tonight and definitely shined in her leadership role,” said Hanson. “The way that girl runs the floor is unbelievable. She is quick and agile, and made her passers and hitters look amazing.

“Ella Coyle’s defense and serve-receive was beautiful tonight,” noted Hanson. “Ella stepped up big and I saw her take more ownership of the entire back row … she was flying and it shows in her stats with 26 digs and 24 serve receptions.

Emily Marshall stepped up and saw a lot of playing time, along with Sammi Mack — both did great,” added Hanson.

Senior Cassy Friend had seven points, and 12 kills, while senior Cailin McDaniel added three points, four kills, one block, and six digs, sophomore Keaton Wiles added four kills and two digs,, and junior Samantha Mack chipped in with three digs.

“Cassy Friend and Jenny Ryan and had some hard hits tonight. It’s really cool to see these girls really step up at this stage of the season,” said Hanson.

“Cailin McDaniel was a leader out there and is so competitive,” she added.

Athens, now 5-5, hosts Wellsboro Thursday.

ATHENS — The Athens boys and girls both dropped decisions to Wyalusing, and registered wins over Wellsboro here Tuesday afternoon in an NTL double-dual cross country meet at Round Top Park.

While the Wyalusing boys are in the Large School Division, the girls are in the Small School Division, so the loss does not effect the Lady Wildcats’ chase for the Large School title. The Athens girls can clinch the division title next week with wins over CV and NP-M.

BOYS
Wyalusing 23, Athens 38
Athens 19, Wellsboro 40
Wylausing’s Jeremy Clauser ran the fasted time of the day, clocking in at 17:45, while senior Ethan Denlinger (17:48) and sophomore Ethan Hicks (17:54) finished 2-3 against the Rams.

The Rams had the next six finishers, with senior Nate Prickett placing 10th against Wyalusing in 20:08, while sophomore Aiden Oldroyd (21:57), freshman Sam Sensenig (22:45), freshman Caleb Simwale (23:26), sophomore Pierce Oldroyd (23:31), freshman Aiden Pollock-Sinsabaugh (23:46), freshman Andrew DeForest (24:35, and Lohith Kinthala (41:16) finished 13th through 19th, respectively.

Denlinger, Hicks, and Prickett finished 1-2-3 against Wellsboro, while Aiden Oldroyd and Sensenig sixth and seventh, respectively, and Simwale, Pierce Oldroyd, Pollock-Sinsabaugh, and DeForest were ninth through 12th, respectively. Kinthala was 14th.

GIRLS
Wyalusing 25, Athens 32
Athens 21, Wellsboro 40
Sophomore Sara Bronson ran the fastest time of the day, clocking in at a time of 20:38.

Senior Emma Bronson finished fourth against Wualusing in a time of 22:06, and junior Thea Bentley was sixth in 22:35.

Sophomore Emily Henderson (25:48), freshman Olivia Cheresnowsky (26:12), senior Abby Prickett (27:16), junior Janae Harkins (29:33), and sophomore MaryRose Bertsch finished 10th though 14th, respectively, for the Lady Wildcats.

Sara Bronson placed first against Wellsboro, while Emma Bronson was third, Bentley was fourth, and Henderson, Cheresnowsky, Prickett, and Harkins placed sixth through ninth, respectively. Bertsch placed 11th.

JUNIOR HIGH
Boys
Athens 19, Wellsboro 44
Athens 23, Wyalusing 35
Graham Wanck ran the fast time of the day, crossing the finish line in 9:38.

Eli Hicks placed third against both teams in a time of 10:43, while Jacob Shores (11:15) and Matthew Rossettie (11:19) placed fifth and sixth, respectively, and Zach Fisher (11:46) and Abram Steinfelt (12:00) were eighth and ninth, respectively.

Darious Miller finished 11th in 13:37, and Isaac Roy (15:00) and Jonny Roberts (15:18) were 13th and 14th, respectively.

Shores, Rossettie, Fisher, Steinfelt, and Miller finished fourth through eighth, respectively, against Wellsboro, and Roy and Roberts were 11th and 12th.

Girls
Wellsboro 15, Athens 50
Wyalusing 15, Athens 50
Alyssa Vough finished third in the junior high girls race in a time of 11:50, and Abigail COnklin was ninth in 18:49.

ATHENS — Athens senior Mason Lister has used a mixture of talent and toughness to start at quarterback in 35 straight games, and now stands as the program’s all-time passing yardage leader with 4,618 yards.

“I’m super-proud of him, there are times in his four-year career where he’s taken a beating,” said Athens coach Jack Young. “Other than a few timeouts and a couple missed plays, in four years that kid has showed a ton of toughness and hasn’t missed a game.”

Lister was sacked 24 times during his freshman season (2019), but still completed 53.2 percent (82 of 154) of his passes for 1,182 yards and 11 TDs. He was picked off nine times.

During the Covid season, Lister completed 59 percent (62 of 105) of his attempts for 938 yards, four TDs, and three interceptions.

Last year, he completed 62 percent (108 of 174) of his throws for 1,560 yards and 16 TDs, while being picked off five times.

This year, Lister is completing 59.8 percent (67 of 112) for 938 yards and 12 TDs, while being intercepted six times.

Overall, he has completed 58.5 percent (319 of 545) of his passes for 4,618 yards and 43 TDs, while being intercepted 23 times. He also has 16 rushing TDs.

Lister broke the previous record of 4,339 yards, held by Shane Raupers, during Athens’ 32-7 loss to Troy on Sept. 23.

“Mason’s progression has been rock solid,” said Young. “In an ideal world, he’s going to have a top-notch offensive line in front of him, but we don’t live in an ideal world.

“Mason has gotten better … he’s made some mistakes over his four years, but what I’m proud of he’s gotten better at taking care of the ball — and that’s the bottom line; that’s probably the thing I’m most proud of Mason for.

“We preach on three things, and two of those are turnovers and big plays,” noted Young. “He’s gotten better at taking care of the football and has made a lot of big plays.”

Another strength, says Young, is getting the ball to guy who’s open, and not forcing throws.

“We have six guys we’re throwing the ball to, and they are six pretty talented guys.

“Mason is starting to realize it doesn’t matter who he goes to, he has guys who are going to make plays,” said Young. “He’s getting better all the time in seeing that he doesn’t have to force the ball to someone because he has other guys who can make plays.”

Not only has Lister had to overcome a constant string of pass-rushers, he’s had to overcome his coach’s self-admitted preference to run the football.

“I’m not a big stats guy … coming from the school I come from, when you throw the ball only three things can happen, and two are negative,” laughed Young.

“My philosophy is if we can complete 70 percent of our passes, then it’s worth throwing the ball,” he noted. “Mason is around the 60-percent mark for his career.

“The common thread during his career for opposing teams is ‘bring pressure,’” added Young. “We haven’t handled that pressure well all the time … but he’s still around the 60-percent completion mark.”

Lister’s progression, says Young, has come from the work he’s put into his game.

“Mason is a kid who has worked hard to improve his arm strength, mechanics and everything else that comes with being a quarterback.

“I said when he was a freshman, I didn’t know if I had ever had a quarterback that could spin it like him,” said Young. “When I say spin it, I mean when he needs to put a little touch on it, he can put touch on it … when he needs to drill the ball, he can drill the ball, and when he needs to put it downfield, he puts it downfield.

“He’s worked hard on his mechanics … he hit the road hard last spring, and went to a lot of combines and camps. There are a lot of colleges and universities looking at him,” noted Young. “If he just focuses on the fundamentals, he’s going to find a place collegiately to play because he’s intelligent, he can spin it, and he’s coachable.

“Sometimes he can be a handful, but that’s OK, competitors can be that way,” added Young “That’s what I like the most about Mason Lister — he’s a competitor.”

WILLIAMSPORT — Athens junior Evan Cooper entered Day 2 of the District 4, Class AAA golf championships in good position to punch his ticket to the PIAA Championships.

With the top two place-fishers qualifying for States, Cooper was in second place after an opening round of 82 on Thursday — seven shots behind the leader, Sam Wetmiller of Selinsgrove, but four shots ahead of a trio of golfers, and five shots ahead of his teammate, sophomore Shane Saxon.

Cooper just needed another solid round, but he one-upped his opening-round performance with the best round of the day in the Class AAA field, firing a 7-over par 78 on the 6,156-yard, par-71 Williamsport Country Club Course to lock down his spot at States.

“I couldn't be more happy for Evan and going to States,” said Athens coach Lenny Pientka. “He certainly has put the work in the entire year.

“I checked his average for the NTL from last year to this year.  He has lowered his average by 11 strokes,” he noted. That is amazing to drop that many shots in one year.

“We talked about what he would need to shoot the second day. We figured if he could duplicate the 82 he had a good chance,” added Pientka. “He took care of business and made certain with a solid 78.”

Cooper’s two-day total of 160 was six shots behind Wetmiller, who shot a 79 Saturday for a two-day total of 154.

Saxon carded a 94 to finish seven with a two-day total of 181.

“Dylan played great the first day, but didn't shoot the score he expected,” said Pientka.

Dylan is only a sophomore with tremendous ability and has a pretty golf swing,” he added. “Im happy he got the experience at this level, it will be a huge asset for next year.”

The PIAA Championships are Oct. 17-18 at the Penn State Golf Course at State College.

ROCHESTER — Sophomore Ethan Hicks and senior Ethan Denlinger both finished in the top-30 to lead Athens in the Small Schools A-2 race here Saturday at the rugged McQuaid Cross Country Invitational.

Hicks placed 13th in a time of 16:44.7. He was 143rd in the merged results, which combines the times of participants in all races. The field consisted of 2,182 runners.

Denlinger finished 29th (260th merged) in a time of 17:12.9, while senior Nate Prickitt was 133rd in 18:52.8, sophomore Ronel Ankam was 171st in 19:28.7, and freshman Sam Sensing was 249th in 20:34.4.

Sophomore Aiden Oldroyd was 310th in 21:37.3, and sophomore Pierce Oldroyd was 327th in 22:19.6

Waverly junior Braylon DeKay finished 302nd in a time of 21:28.8.

The Wildcats finished 21st in a field of 50 complete teams. There were 367 competitors in the race.

Athens hosts Wellsboro and Wyalusing Tuesday in a double-dual at Round Top Park, while Waverly returns to action Thursday at Newark Valley’s Bob Green Invitational.

ROCHESTER — Athens sophomore Sara Bronson and senior Emma Bronson, and Waverly junior Elizabeth Vaughn turned in top-50 performances here Saturday in the girls Small School race at the prestigious McQuaid Cross Country Invitational.

Athens finished 21st in a field of 36 complete teams, which also featured 322 runners. Waverly had just four runners, and was incomplete.

"The kids ran great today,” said Athens coach Mike Bronson. “The level of competition was really deep this year and our kids responded really well."

Sara Bronson finished 12th in a time of 19:00.9 to pace Athens.Her time was good for 49th place in the merged results, which combines all the races on the day and consisted of a field of 1,437 runners.

Emma Bronson was 47th (208th merged) in 20:26.9, and junior Thea Bentley was 114th in 21:51.8.

Senior Abby Prickitt finished 244th in a time of 24:43.1 for the Lady Wildcats, while freshman Olivia Cheresnowsky was 255th in 25:02.1, and junior Janae Harkins was 299th in 27:22.8.

Vaughn finished 42nd (172nd merged) for the Lady Wolverines, clocking in at a time of 20:08.2, while sophomore Harper Minaker was 71st in 20:52.0, freshman Mackenzie Chamberlain was 115th in 21:52.9, and sophomore Haylie Davenport was 257th in 25:09.9.

Athens hosts Wellsboro and Wyalusing Tuesday in a double-dual at Round Top Park, while Waverly returns to action Thursday at Newark Valley’s Bob Green Invitational.

ROCHESTER — Eighth-grader Graham Wanck accomplished something most high school runners, regardless of age, only dream of, winning the junior high title at the prestigious McQuaid Cross Country Invitational here Saturday.

Wanck not only won his race, but logged the fastest junior high time of the day in a field of 832 runners, and broke the course record in the process — logging a time of 8:20.1 on the 1.6-mile Genesee Valley course.

The junior Wildcats finished ninth in a field of 70 complete teams in the merged results, and sixth in their race, which was the junior high #2 race for Small / Medium schools.

Eli Hicks placed 16th in his race, and 31st in the merged results, clocking in at 9:17.4, while Matt Rossettie was 31st (70th in merged) in a time of 9:42.4, and Jacob Shores was 37th (90th merged) in 9:51.8.

Darious Miller finished 112th in his race in a time of 11:08.4, and Isaac Roy was 150th in 11:35.1.

VOUGH PACES ATHENS’ EFFORTS
Athens’ Alissa Vough placed 21st in her race (48th merged) in a time of 10:54.2, and Abigail Conklin was 165th in 16:01.