ROME, Pa. — Sophomore Marco Quiros netted a first-half hat trick as Athens handed Northeast Bradford its first NTL boys soccer loss, a 5-0 decision here Wednesday afternoon.

Athens (6-3) overall improves to 5-1 in league play, while NEB (4-2) is now tied with Williamson (5-2) at 4-1. Wellsboro sits atop the NTL standings at 7-0.

“It took us a little while in the first half to get settled in,” said Athens coach Jake Lezak. “NEB has some good midfielders who were tough to handle all game, but especially early on.

“Once we started passing and creating, moving the ball forward it just came together for the boys,” he noted. “We created a lot in the second half and just didn’t put it low and away from there keeper.

“The boys played a good defensive game with guys getting in and behind where we needed them,” added Lezak. “We still have to work hard at staying consistent for 80 minutes, regardless of who is in, but we are narrowing that gap.”

Quiros, off a feed from senior Levent VanHelden, scored with 24 minutes remaining in the first half, and the Wildcats scored four more goals in the next 13 minutes.

With 22 minutes remaining, junior Korey Miller, off an assist from sophomore Isaac Wilcox, scored to extend the lead to 2-0. Two minutes later, Quiros scored off an assist from Miller to make it 3-0.

With 15 minutes remaining in the half, Quiros finished off his hat trick, with VanHelden getting the assist.

Four minutes later, senior Brayden Post capped the scoring, with Miller credited with an assist.

Athens had a 14-3 advantage in shots-on-goal, while NEB had a 3-2 edge in corner kicks.

Senior Grady Liechty had three saves in net for the Wildcats.

Athens returns to action Friday when it hosts powerhouse Corning.

ATHENS — For the second time in five days, Athens found itself in an epic five-set battle. This time, however, the Lady Wildcats came up short in a 3-2 loss to Williamson here Tuesday night in NTL volleyball action.

On Thursday, Athens trailed 2-1, but rallied to beat Sayre. Tuesday night was a complete 180-degree reversal.

Athens opened the night with a 25-23 come-from-behind win over Williamson, which won the second set, 25-11. The Lady Wildcats bounced back with a 25-23 win in the third set, but the Lady Warriors won a 26-24 slugfest in the fourth set, and won the decisive fifth set, 15-8.

“It was an awesome match tonight,” said Athens coach Heather Hanson. “It was a battle to the end.

“Williamson has some huge lefties who know when to swing and when to tip,” noted Hanson.

“For us, Ella Coyle was everywhere tonight … I see the fire in her eyes for more,” she added. “And Kassie Babcock had four aces that really fired us up.”

Kassie Babcock led Athens with five service points, including four aces, five kills, and 14 digs, while Audrey Clare had four points, 11 kills, and 13 digs, and Jenny Ryan had two points, seven kills, one block, 13 setter assists, and 17 digs.

Braelynn Wood added three points, two kills, three assists, and seven digs for the Lady Wildcats, while Cassy Friend registered two kills and three blocks, Coyle recorded 26 digs, Keaton Wiles chipped in with two points and one block.

Athens, now 3-2, returns to action Thursday at Wyalusing.

TOWANDA — Athens had four of the top 11 scorers, led by low-medal winner junior Evan Cooper, to win its sixth straight NTL golf match and clinched its second straight league title here Tuesday afternoon at the Towanda Country Club.

The Wildcats, now 36-0 on the season, shot a four-player aggregate scored of 347, while runner-up Wellsboro carded a 357, and third-place Wyalusing had a 362. North Penn-Mansfield was fourth at 381, Cowanesque Valley was fifth at 391, Towanda was sixth at 439, and Sayre was seventh at 463.

Cooper was low for the day with a career-best round of 74 on the par-71 course. He had two birdies, and nine pars.

North Penn-Mansfield senior was second with a 78, and Wellsboro junior Hayden Zuchowski was third with an 82.

Athens sophomore Dylan Saxon was seventh with an 87, while junior Nicholas Jacob was ninth with a 92, and junior Brady Darrow was 11th with a 94. Junior Lucas Kraft was 19th with a non-scoring round of 99, and senior Sean Clare tacked on a 101.

Sayre senior Jackson Hubbard finished 17th with a round of 97, while senior Kegan Hayford shot a 117, junior David Hall Jr. carded a 122, junior Tanner Green had a 127, and freshman Cole Homer tacked on a non-scoring round of 128.

The NTL golfers wrap up the regular season next Tuesday at Tomasso’s Golf Course.

STANDINGS: 1. Athens 36-0; 2. Wyalusing 29-7; 3. Wellsboro, 22-14; 4. North Penn-Mansfield, 20-16; 5. Cowanesque Valley 13-23l 6. Towanda, 6-30; 7. Sayre, 0-36.

ATHENS — Athens scored a pair of second-half goals to rally for a 2-1 win over Wyalusing here Tuesday evening in NTL girls soccer action at Alumni Stadium, snapping a three-game losing streak.

Layla Botts, off a feed from Chloe Bennett, broke a scoreless tie with 7:04 remaining in the first half to give Wyalusing a 1-0 lead, which it carried into the halftime intermission.

About nine minutes into the second half, senior Ally Thoman drove a shot into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1.

With 11:06 remaining in the contest, sophomore Addy Wheeler took a cross from Kendra Merrill and knocked in a shot from 20 yards out to put the Lady Wildcats ahead 2-1.

Athens has an 11-10 edge in shots-on-goal, and a 7-6 advantage in corner kicks.

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

Athens, now 3-5, returns to action Thursday.

ATHENS TOWNSHIP — The Bronson sisters — sophomore Sara and senior Emma — finished 1-2 to lead the Athens girls to wins over Troy and Sayre to take control of the NTL Large School Division title chase, while the Athens boys topped Sayre, but dropped a decision to Troy.

GIRLS
Athens 24, Troy 32
Athens 15, Sayre 47
Troy 17, Sayre 40
Sara Bronson clocked in at 20:39, and Emma Bronson was second in 21:49 to lead Athens to a 24-32 win over Troy, and a 15-47 win over Sayre.

Thea Bentley finished fifth against Troy in a time of 22:40, while Emily Henderson was seventh in 25:31, Olivia Cheresnowsky was ninth in 27:39, and Abby Prickett was 10th in 28:01. Janae Harkins was 12th in 35:25, and Mary Rose Bertsch was 14th in 40:24.

Bentley, Henderson, Cheresnowsky, and Prickett finished third through sixth, respectively, against Sayre, while Harkins was 14th and Bertsch was 16th.

Sayre’s Corey Ault placed fifth against Troy and seventh against Athens in a time of 28:39, while Rose Shikanga was sixth against Troy and eighth against Athens in 28:58, and Deborah Shikanga was eight against Troy and ninth against Athens in 30:12.

Olivia Corbin was ninth against Troy and 10th against Athens in a time of 36:28.

BOYS
Troy 25, Athens 34
Athens 15, Sayre 48
Troy 15, Sayre 50
Ethan Hicks and Ethan Denlinger finished 1-2 for the Wildcat boys, but Troy runners were the next five to cross the finish line to pull out wins over Athens and Sayre.

Hicks clocked in at 18:21, and Denlinger was second in 18:54, while Nate Prickett was eighth against Troy in a time of 20:52, Ronel Ankam was 11th in 22:00, and Samuel Sensing was 12th in 22:09.

Aiden Oldroyd (22:45) and Caleb Simwale (23:08) finished 13th and 14th, respectively, while Pierce Oldroyd (23:42) was 17th, Aiden Pollock-Sinsabaugh (24:03) was 19th, Andrew DeForest (25:04) was 21st, and Lohith Kinthala (26:05) was 22nd.

Prickett, Ankam and Sensing finished third through fifth, respectively, against Sayre, while Aiden Oldroyd was seventh, and Simwale was eight.

Sayre’s Sam Claypool finished sixth against Athens and eighth against Troy in a time of 22:24, and Mark Golden was 12th against Troy, and 11th against Sayre in a time of 25:59.

JUNIOR HIGH
Boys
Athens 15, Troy 44
Athens 15, Sayre 50
Troy 15, Sayre 50
The junior Wildcats swept the top five spots in convincing wins over Troy and Sayre.

Graham Wanck won the race in a time of 9:41, while Eli Hicks (10:57), Jacob Shores (11:23), Matt Rossetti (11:30), and Zach Fisher (11:41) finished second through fifth, respectively.

Steinfelt finished in 12:04 for Athens to place seventh overall, while Darius Miller was 13th in 13:35, and John Roberts was 19th in 16:27.

Sayre’s Casey Hurd finished 11th overall in a time of 12:53, and Ian Garrison was 17th in 14:02.

Girls
Alyssa Vaughn won the junior high girls race in a time of 12:49, and teammate Abby Conklin was fourth in 19:45.

Reagan McGaughey led Sayre with a third-place finish in a time of 14:57, while Luanne Niema was fifth in 20:15, and Krystal Nyangogo was sixth in 21:17.

ATHENS — Neither team managed many shots-on-goal in a defensive battle, but Athens made the more its opportunities, scoring on both of its second-half shots to pull out a 2-1 non-league win over Horseheads here Monday evening in boys soccer action at Alumni Stadium.

Horseheads scored late in the first half, and led 1-0 at the intermission.

With 13:32 remaining in the contest, sophomore Eli Benninger-Jones tied the game up with an unassisted goal.

About 10 minutes later, with 1:40 left in the contest, junior Korey Miller, off an assist from senior Levent VanHelden, scored the eventual game-winning goal.

The win snaps a three-game losing streak this season against non-league opponents.

Horseheads, which has now lost five straight, had a 4-3 edge in shots-on-goal, and a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks.

Senior Grant Liechty recorded three saves in net for the Wildcats.

Athens, now 5-4, returns to action Wednesday at NEB.

ATHENS — Midd-West pumped in four second-half goals to blow open a close game en route to a 5-0 non-league win over Athens here Saturday afternoon in boys soccer action at Alumni Stadium.

“It was a good first half from the team, but a poor second half,” said Athens coach Jake Lezak.

“We have to be a better team and kill the dribble, and put the other teams back line under pressure,” noted Lezak.

“Poor transition led to the second and third goals after we failed to pass early and lost possession.
 
“I think the biggest issue we have is trusting each other against the better opponents,” added Lezak. “The boys have to take ownership of their own mistakes first then we can improve.”

Owen Solomon made a run down the right-side of the box, and fired a shot across the goal mouth inside the net at the far post with 15:08 remaining in the first half for the only goal prior to the halftime intermission.

Athens senior keeper Grant Liechty made a pair of diving saves in the first half to keep the score at 1-0.

Kyle Ferster and Noah Romig scored in the opening minutes of the second half to give the Mustangs a 3-0 lead.

Romig and Solomon tacked on goals in the final 15 minutes to provide the final margin.

Midd-West had a 11-3 advantage in shots-on-goal, and a 4-2 edge in corner kicks.

Liechty recorded six saves in net the for the Wildcats.

Athens, now 4-4, hosts Horseheads Monday at 6 p.m.

NORTH SYRACUSE — Athens dropped a pair of decisions over the weekend, falling to Baldwinsville and Cicero-North Syracuse — both Class AA programs — at the “North-South Challenge” here at Cicero-North Syracuse High School.

Saturday
Baldwinsville 2, Athens 0
The Bees scored a pair of goals in a seven-minute span early in the first half, and then made it stand up in a 2-0 win over Athens Saturday.

“We played pretty well, especially in the second half,” said Athens coach Rich Pitts.

Adrianna Orlando scored about nine minutes into the game on a shot from 35 yards out to make it 1-0.

Nicole Pelletier put one in the net from 25 yards out about seven minutes later to make it 2-0.

Baldwinsville had a 10-3 advantage in shots-on-goal, and a 2-0 edge in corner kicks.

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

Sunday
Cicero-North Syracuse 4, Athens 0
The Lady NorthStars scored a pair of goals in less than three minutes, and dominated possession in a 4-0 win over Athens Sunday.

“We were a bit over-matched, but we battled until the end,” said Pitts.

Brianna Dorrance scored in the 23rd minute to give C-NS a 1-0 lead, and Emilee Rio tacked on another goal a little less than three minutes later.

Mya Jenkins and Chloe Tice added goals in the second half for C-NS to provide the final margin.

C-NS had a 20-2 advantage in shots-on-goal, and a 4-1 edge in corner kicks.

Bartlow had 16 saves in net for Athens.
 
Athens, now 2-5, hosts Wyalusing Tuesday.

WELLSBORO — Wellsboro scored on its first possession, but the Athens defense kept them off the board until the final minute of the game in a 23-13 win here Friday night in NTL Large School football action.

The win snaps the Wildcats’ five-game losing streak to the Hornets, which dates back to the 2015 season.

“Wellsboro has had our number,” said Athens coach Jack Young. “I don’t remember the last time we beat them.

“It’s nice to play a good ball game, and get a good quality win on the road,” Young added.

The game took nearly three hours to play, thanks in part to 23 penalties — 12 on Wellsboro for 100 yards, and 11 for 115 yards on Athens.

“The penalties were out of control,” said Young. “It was a sloppy game in that regard.

“We have to work on getting better with (penalties),” Young added.

Young said his defense was the key in the victory.

“The kids bought into the defensive game plan, and they were well-prepared,” he said. “It’s probably the best prepared we’ve been this year.

“When it comes down to it, we won the turnover game, we tackled really, really well, and we didn’t give up big plays,” added Young. “Those three things were the ingredients to success tonight.”

Wellsboro’s Spencer Wetzel returned the opening kickoff 40 yards to the Athens 45, and nine plays later Hornet QB Conner Adams scored on a 1-yard run. Jack Poirier’s PAT kick made it 7-0 with 8:47 remaining in the opening quarter.

The key plays in the drive were a 10-yard pass from Adams to Wetzel, and a 16-yard pass to Joe Brown.

“(Wellsboro) came out in the opening drive, and they put one down on us,” said Young. “We didn’t execute on the first drive, but we lifted up our intensity after that and we got after it.”

Athens initial possession ended after one first down, but Wellsboro took over at its own 40 following a punt.

Four penalties later, the Hornets faced a fourth-and-35 from their own 15, and a 28-yard punt gave the Wildcats the ball at the Wellsboro 43.

Athens couldn’t do anything with the field position, and the teams exchanged possessions with the Wildcats stopping Wellsboro on downs at the Athens 37 early in the second quarter.

Athens QB Mason Lister engineered an eight-play, 63-yard TD drive to tie the game at 7-7 with 5:03 remaining in the first half.

Lister completed an 18-yard pass to senior running back Caleb Nichols on a third-and-6 early in the possession, then connected with senior Lucas Horton for 16 yards. Facing a third-and-1, Lister hooked up with Horton on a 26-yard TD pass.

Athens’ first possession of the second half stalled at the Wellsboro 40, but Horton’s punt pinned the Hornets at their own 6.

The Wildcat defense forced a three-and-out, which gave the Athens offense the ball back at the Wellsboro 40.

After a 10-yard run by Horton, Lister connected with three different receivers on three consecutive plays to move the ball to the Wellsboro 27.

On second down, Lister ripped off a 10-yard run, and two plays later scored on a 3-yard run. Lister connected with senior Glenn Romberger on the two-point conversion to make it 15-7 with 41 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

After the teams traded punts, Athens sophomore Kolsen Keathley intercepted an Adams pass for the game’s only turnover, and returned it to the Wellsboro 32.

Following an initial first down, Athens was flagged for holding, and Lister was sacked, resulting in a second-and-31. The Wildcats lined up to punt moments later, but the Hornets were flagged for roughing-the-snapper, and Athens had a first down at the Wellsboro 15.

Two plays later, Nichols broken free on a 17-yard TD run with 1:15 remaining in the game. Lister tacked on the conversion run to extend the lead to 23-7.

After Wetzel returned the ensuing kickoff to the Athens 49, the Hornets got a 13-yard run by Adams, and 15 yards tacked on for a late hit to move the ball to the Athens 21.

Two plays later, Adams connected with Marek Mascho on a 19-yard TD pass to close the gap to 23-13.

The Wildcats recovered the ensuing onside kick, and Lister took a knee as time expired.

Lister completed 16 of 23 passes for 164 yards and one TD, with Horton hauling down five catches for 64 yards and one TD. Sophomore Xavier Watson added four grabs for 29 yards, and Nichols

“(Wellsboro) gave us fits in pass protection,” said Young. “We made some adjustments late in the first half, and again at halftime. They have two very strong defensive ends, and we had some difficulties containing them, but our guys were working hard.

“Our pass protection wasn’t great, but Mason (Lister) did a nice job overall,” noted Young.

“Wellsboro was doing everything in their power not to let us throw the ball down the field, and they did a pretty good job of that,” he added.

Nichols led the Athens ground game with 43 yards and a TD on 19 carries. In all, Athens rushed for 84 yards on 38 carries.

“What I’m most proud of our guys for is our running game,” said Young.

“At halftime we talked about running the ball, whether we’re spread or under center, and in the second half, we picked up the running game,” he added.

Adams completed 15 of 24 passes for 127 yards, one TD, and one interception for the Hornets, and also led his team with 52 rushing yards and one TD on 15 carries. Wellsboro rushed for 91 yards on 27 carries.

Athens, now 3-1, is on the road at Troy next Friday.

SAYRE — Senior Jenny Ryan posted a quadruple-double, and senior Audrey Clare added a triple-doubles to lead Athens in a come-from-behind, 3-2, win over Sayre here Thursday night in NTL volleyball action.

The Lady Redskins did not play like a team searching for its first win. After dropping the first set, 25-13, Sayre bounced back to win the next two sets, 25-21 and 25-21.

The Lady Wildcats re-grouped and evened the match with a 25-18 win in the fourth set, then pulled out a 15-11 win in the decisive fifth set.

“Oh my goodness what a game,” said Athens coach Heather Hanson. “Sayre played incredible tonight, they would not let the ball hit the floor. They totally wanted it and came back with fire after the first game.

“We were pretty full of it after the first game and Sayre shut us down, not once but twice actually, and  almost a third time,” noted Hanson.”

Hanson gave kudos to Ryan and Clare after the win.

Jenny Ryan played and all-around incredible game,” she said. “High in kills, and second in digs, while also running the court and being a leader.

“Audrey Clare’s serving in the third game got us our spark back,” noted Hanson. “Even though we lost the third game, it reminded everyone we are a good team and we can do this.

“Overall, I was really encouraged by our strong serving,” added Hanson. “We had 105 serves and only missed 10 — that’s incredible.”

Ryan led Athens with 17 service points, including five aces, 22 setter assists, 14 kills,, two blocks, and 27 digs, while Clare had 10 points (two aces), 13 kills, and 11 digs.

Sophomore Kassie Babcock had nine points, 29 digs, and three kills in the win, while senior Braelynn Wood had four points, six kills, and 15 digs, junior Izzy Davis had three points and six digs, and senior Cailin McDaniel added two points and two digs.

Senior Cassy Friend registered four kills and one block for the Lady Wildcats, while sophomore Ella Coyle recorded 29 digs, junior Samantha Mack chipped in with three digs, and sophomore Keaton Wiles had two kills.

Senior Maddison Belles led Sayre with 22 points, including five aces, six kills, and 14 digs, while senior Gabby Shaw had 10 points (three aces), seven kills, two blocks, and 12 digs, sophomore Mazlin VanDuzer added five points, and senior Elizabeth Boyle had three points and 26 setter assists.

Senior Aliyah Rawling had two points, five kills, and seven digs for the Lady Redskins, while sophomore Raegan Parrish registered four kills, and eight digs, senior Makenna Garrison added two kills, and 14 digs, and sophomore Abbie McGaughey chipped in with two points, and two digs.

Athens, now 3-1, returns to action Saturday at the Tunkhannock Tournament, while Sayre (0-4) hosts Galeton Saturday at noon.

ATHENS — Defending league champion Troy remained near the top of the league standings with a 3-0 win over Athens here Thursday evening in NTL girls soccer action.

The Lady Trojans (7-2 overall) improve to 4-1 in league play. NEB is 5-1, and Wyalusing is 3-1, while Athens falls to 2-2.

Saydi Renzo netted a hat trick to account for all of the Lady Trojans’ offense.

Renzo found the net about 3 1/2 minutes into the contest, and led 1-0 at the half.

Renzo added a goal with 27 minutes remaining in the game, and close out the scoring with 3 1/2 minutes left in the game.

Troy controlled the possession throughout the game, and had an 11-3 advantage in shots-on-goal, and a 7-0 edge in corner kicks.

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

Athens, now 2-3, will play two games Saturday at the Cicero Tournament.

ATHENS — There are few things guaranteed in life, but one of them is the fact that when the Athens and Wellsboro boys soccer teams square off, it’s going to be a hard-fought and tightly-contested game, and it will have league title implications.

Wednesday evening proved to be no different as unbeaten Wellsboro scored an overtime goal to hand Athens its first NTL loss of the season, a 2-1 decision here at Alumni Stadium.

The Hornets improve to 6-0 overall and 5-0 in NTL play, while Athens is 4-3 overall, and 4-1 in the NTL.

Wellsboro standout Jack Poirier put the Hornets on the board, off a feed from Sam Rudy, midway through the first half.

The Hornets maintained the lead until Athens senior Brayden Post, off a feed from senior Levent VanHelden, scored with 11:44 remaining in regulation to tie the game at 1-1.

Caden Smith, off a feed from Poirier, provided the game-winner for Wellsboro with 2:41 remaining in overtime.

Wellsboro had a 12-8 advantage in shots-on-goal, while Athens had an 8-7 edge in corner kicks.

Senior Grant Liechty recorded five saves in net for Athens.

Athens returns to action Saturday when it hosts Midd-West in non-league action.

WESTFIELD, Pa. — All six of Athens’ golfers placed in the top 15, and the Wildcats took first place for the fifth consecutive week here at the NTL golf match at River Valley Country Club.

The Wildcats shot a four-player aggregate score of 356 to top runner-up Wyalusing by 12 strokes. North Penn-Mansfield was third at 374, edging out Cowanesque Valley, which was fourth at 378.

Wellsboro placed fifth at 378, while Towanda was sixth at 432, and Sayre was seventh at 498.

Athens junior Evan Cooper finished third with an 83, and sophomore Dylan Saxon was fourth with an 86.

Senior Lucas Kraft shot a 93 to finish 11th for the Wildcats, while sophomore Brady Darrow shot a 94, senior Cameron Sullivan carded a non-scoring round of 95, and junior Nicholas Jacob shot a non-scoring round of 96.

Cowanesque Valley junior Jordan Vargeson was low-medalist on the way with a 79, edging out second-place finisher Andrew Green of North Penn-Mansfield by one stroke.

STANDINGS: 1. Athens, 30-0; 2. Wyalusing, 25-5; 3. (tie) Wellsboro, 17-13 and North Penn-Mansfield, 17-13; 5. Cowanesque Valley, 11-19; 6. Towanda, 5-25; 7. Sayre, 0-30.

The NTL golfers return to action Monday at the Towanda Country Club.

MANSFIELD —  Freshman Kaitlyn Sutton netted her second hat trick of the young season as Athens bounced back from a loss to Waverly Monday night with a 4-0 win over North Penn-Mansfield here Tuesday afternoon in NTL girls soccer action.

“It’s a nice bounce-back from (Monday) night,” said Athens coach Rich Pitts. “We scored two early in each half, which allowed me to use the full bench and tinker with the lineup and formation.

“Now, we focus on the defending champs on Thursday,” added Pitts in reference to the Lady Wildcats’  home game against Troy Thursday.

Sutton put Athens on the board 3 1/2 minutes into the game when she collected a rebound off the keeper’s hands and knocked it into the net.

In the 16th minute, Sutton took a through-ball from junior Mya Thompson, and beat the keeper in a 1-v-1 to make it 2-0.

Senior Ally Thoman fielded a pass over the back line from sophomore Emma Yohe, and beat the keeper 1-v-1 to make it 3-0 just 61 seconds into the second half.

Sutton finished off her hat trick 3 1/2 minutes later when she punched a rebound off the keeper into the net to make it 4-0.

Athens had a 16-4 advantage in shots-on-goal, and a 3-1 edge in corner kicks.

Senior Abby Chapman recorded four saves in net for the Lady Wildcats.

Athens improves to 2-2 on the season.

ROME — The Athens boys and girls both earned splits in their tri-meets here Tuesday afternoon, beating Sullivan County, but falling to Northeast Bradford in NTL cross country action.

The Athens boys junior high team earned wins over NEB and Sullivan County, while the girls team was incomplete.

GIRLS
NEB 25, Athens 32
Athens 16, Sullivan County 40
NEB’s Gracelyn Laudermilch outdueled Athens sophomore Sara Bronson, and three next three finishers were Lady Panthers in a 25-32 win over the Lady Wildcats.

Laudermilch crossed the finish line in 20:30, while Sara Bronson clocked in at 21:02.

Athens senior Emma Bronson finished sixth in a time of 22:51, while junior Thea Bentley was seventh in 23:57, junior Emily Henderson was eighth in 26:33, and freshman Olivia Cheresnowsky and senior Abby Prickett were ninth and 10th, respectively, in times of 27:48 and 27:49.

Junior Janae Haskins finished 13th in 37:02, and sophomore MaryRose Bertsch was 14th in 38:27.

Sara Bronson, Emma Bronson, Bentley and Henderson finished first through fourth, respectively, against Sullivan County, while Cheresnowsky was sixth, and Prickett was seventh in a 16-40 Lady Wildcat win.

BOYS
NEB 19, Athens 42
Athens 21, Sullivan County 36
Northeast Bradford, led by Creed Dewing, had five of the top six finishers to pull out a 19-42 win over Athens, while the Wildcats topped Sullivan County, 21-36.

Dewing clocked in at 18:08, while sophomore Ethan Hicks paced the Wildcats with a second-place finish in a time of 19:01.

Senior Ethan Denlinger placed seventh in a time of 19:44, while senior Nate Prickett (20:47), sophomore Ronel Ankam (21:20), and sophomore Carter Lewis (21:50) finished 11th through 13th, respectively.

Freshman Aiden Pollock-Sinsabaugh (22:47), junior Caleb Simwale (22:57), and freshman Samuel Sensenig (22:58) finished 16th through 18th, respectively, while sophomore Pierce Oldroyd was 21st in 24:24, and freshman Andrew DeForrest was 25th in 26:13.

Hicks and Denlinger finished 1-2 in the win over Sullivan County, while Prickett, Ankam, and Lewis were fifth through seventh, respectively. Pollock-Sinsabaugh finished ninth, and Simwale was 10th.

Athens returns to action Saturday at the Section IV Pre-State Meet at Chenango Valley State Park.

JUNIOR HIGH
Boys
Athens 18, NEB 44
Athens 19, Sullivan County 39
Graham Wanck and Eli Hicks finished 1-2 overall to lead Athens to wins over Northeast Bradford and Sullivan County.

Wanck crossed the finish line in 10:09, while Hicks clocked in at 11:19.

Jacob Shores (11:54) and Zachary Fisher (12:11) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, against both teams.

Abram Steinfelt (12:25) and Matt Rossettie (12:27) finished sixth and seventh against NEB, and seventh and eighth against Sullivan County.

Isaac Roy (15:35) and Darious Miller (15:37) finished 10th and 11th against NEB, and 15th and 16th against Sullivan County.

Girls
Alissa Vough finished second overall for the junior Wildcats in the girls race in a time of 13:02.