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Niagara held an 8-6 lead at halftime but couldn’t find the end zone after that, falling 30-8 to Athens in eight-player non-conference football action Friday.
“Athens is an outstanding team,” said Niagara coach Ben Laarman. “They are very strong and physical, and they have more depth than we do. They wore us down over the course of the game.”
After falling behind 6-0 in the second quarter, the host Badgers responded with a 41-yard touchdown heave from Sawyer Rouse to Abain Patterson. Rouse’s two-point conversion run gave Niagara the lead going into halftime.
Three turnovers hurt the Badgers in the second half. Athens had two touchdown drives in the third quarter, then capped the scoring with an interception return for a touchdown on a desperation pass late in the fourth.
“It was a good football game overall,” Laarman said. “The last-minute pick-six makes the score look more lopsided than it really was. It was a great learning experience for our guys to start the season against such a good team.”
The Fighting Bluejays finished the 2025 season with a 7-3 record, including a 46-0 win over Niagara in the first round of the WIAA playoffs.
The Badgers compiled 67 yards rushing and 96 yards passing Friday. Patterson had four receptions for 70 yards, while Owen Dunkes rushed 10 times for 30 yards.
On defense, Dunkes had an interception and Myles Laarman recovered a fumble that was forced by Jesse Wahlstrom. Dunkes was the leading tackler with 13, including one for loss. Mason Whaley had nine tackles, with two for loss.
Niagara travels to Suring on Thursday for a Northeast-8 Conference game. Suring defeated Almond-Bancroft 47-6 in its opener and returns last season’s 1,200-yard rusher Kroix Kempka.
In another game Friday, Three Lakes-Phelps hosted Florence and came away with a 28-12 win. Florence is slated to host Gillett on Thursday, though the Tigers forfeited their scheduled opener against Marion/Tigerton.
On Saturday at Goodman, Pembine-Goodman dropped its opener to Elcho-White Lake, 22-6. The Patriots, who did not field a varsity team last year, will face 2025 state semifinalist Lena-St. Thomas Aquinas on Thursday at Lena.