Athens kept the field position in its favor, and it led to Ward connecting with Johnnie Anderson for a 45-yard touchdown pass on third-and-20 play. The Eagles were unable to convert on the two-point play, but they still led 8-7 at halftime and all of the third quarter.

Phillips set the tone for the second half by intercepting Ward on Athens’ first possession.

The Tigers were unable to take advantage as Hartselle was stopped a yard short of a first down.

The defense bailed out the Tigers after a fumbled punt return set up Athens in Hartselle territory again. That put Hartselle back on its own 13-yard line with four minutes left in the fourth.

From there, they marched to the other end of the field to set up Hammack’s go-ahead field goal. The key play was Aldridge’s 36-yard pass to Tanner Oakes. Aldridge also hooked up with Blake Slayton on several successful swing passes for first downs.

Then after Jackson’s interception return, the Tigers put the game out of reach. Slayton recovered his own fumble in the end zone for a touchdown, putting the final score at 23-8.

“It was a great football game between two good football teams,” Godsey said. “This is what you expect in Region 8. It was a tough test for our football team.”

And it only gets tougher the next three weeks, as they host No. 7 Cullman Sept. 21, host Decatur Sept. 28 and then travel to No. 2 Muscle Shoals.

“This is only just the beginning of this tough four-game stretch,” Godsey said.