MASON — Wahama played the role of David very well for 24 minutes Friday night, but visiting Athens showed its goliath size in the second half by scoring 23 unanswered points en route to a 36-20 victory during a Week 10 non-conference giridron matchup at Bachtel Stadium on Senior Night.

The host White Falcons (7-2) — a Class A program in West Virginia that would be the equivalent of a Division VI school in Ohio — gave the bigger Division II Bulldogs (9-1) major fits in the opening half of play, storming out to a 20-13 advantage at the intermission.

However, Athens — the West Virginia equlivalent of a Class AAA program — rallied around its numbers after the break, scoring twice in the third quarter for a 22-20 edge before tacking on 14 more points in the finale to secure the 16-point decision.

AHS started the scoring late in the opening period after quarterback Trey Harris connected with Connor Tope on a 69-yard scoring pass, giving the Bulldogs an early 7-0 lead with 2:56 remaining in the first.

The Red and White countered with a score of their own at the two-minute mark after Ryan Lee scampered 57 yards to paydirt, pulling the hosts to within 7-6.

Athens, on its ensuing drive, botched a punt attempt late in the first quarter, giving WHS possession deep inside AHS territory to start the second canto. The Falcons capitalized on that golden opportunity on the first play of the second quarter after Micaiah Branch plunged in from one-yard out, giving the hosts a 12-7 edge with 11:55 remaining in the half.

The Green and Gold countered with a scoring drive on their next possession, as Harris hooked up with Frank Valentour on a two-yard TD pass with 8:22 showing on the clock — giving the guests a 13-12 lead.

Wahama was forced to punt on its ensuing possession, but the Falcons’ defense came up big shortly afterwards as Colin Pierce picked off a Harris pass and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown — giving the hosts a 20-13 advantage with 5:56 left in the contest.

The score remained that way headed into halftime, with Wahama set to receive the opening kickoff of the second half. That opening possession, however, was quickly thwarted after a WHS fumble was recovered by Athens.

The Bulldogs wasted little time in turning that turnover into points, as Joey Young rumbled 30 yards to the endzone to knot the game up at 20-all with 7:38 remaining in the third stanza.

Both teams traded punts on their ensuing possessions, then the Athens’ defense broke the 20-all tie with 1:46 left in the canto after WHS quarterback William Zuspan was sacked in the endzone for a safety — giving AHS a 22-20 advantage. Wahama was never closer the rest of the evening.

Tanner Weaver scored from two yards out with 11:49 left in regulation to give Athens a 29-20 edge, then Harris found Tope on a 15-yard scoring pass with 4:37 remaining to wrap up the 36-20 decision.

The Bulldogs — playing in their season finale — stymied Wahama on both sides of the ball, posting a 343-75 advantage in total offense. AHS also had 11 first downs in the victory, compared to only one by the hosts.

Overall, Athens accumulated 125 rushing yards on 34 carries and had another 218 yards through the passing game. The White Falcons, on the other hand, had just 28 rushes for 41 yards and another 34 yards through the air. Wahama did finish the night plus-one in turnover differential.

Ryan Lee led the Wahama rushers with 70 yards on 10 carries, followed by Branch with five yards on eight totes. Zuspan finished the night 3-of-8 passing for 34 yards, throwing zero touchdowns or interceptions. Isaac Lee led the WHS wideouts with one catch for 27 yards.

Young led Athens with 61 yards on seven rushes, followed by Davon Sharp with 50 yards on nine totes. Harris finished the night 13-of-21 passing for 218 yards, throwing three TD passes and one interception. Tope led the AHS wideouts with three catches for 103 yards and two TDs.

It was the final home game for White Falcon seniors Pierce, Zuspan, Branch, Matt Dangerfield, Kevin Klingensmith and Jordan Decker.

Wahama will look to lock up a postseason spot in Class A next Friday night when it travels to Putnam County to battle Buffalo in the regular season finale. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.