lose to Abby,” Jake admitted. ….

lose to Abby,” Jake admitted. “It felt great to get back onto the football field with my teammates against Westby, because they are like family to me and it just feels great to play with them. I wanted to get another win with my family.”

Athens senior linebacker/defensive end Patrick Redmann had two straight clutch plays in the second quarter. First, he made the special teams tackle to force Westby to start its offensive possession on Athens’ 16-yard line. Then he recovered a fumble on the Norsemen’s first play in their possession, to give the Bluejays great starting field position.

Patrick’s huge defensive play eventually led to Diethelm trucking over a Westby defender at the goal line for a four-yard touchdown run. Jake caught the two-point conversion pass on the tip to give the Bluejays a commanding 26-6 advantage against the Norsemen.

“It felt really good to help my teammates out; they are like family and I just love being with them,” Patrick, the son of Dean and Carrie Redmann, said after the win.

Diethelm completed both of his passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns in the victory against Westby, and he added 16 carries for 60 yards rushing and one touchdown.

Diedrich rushed the ball 17 times for 94 yards and three touchdowns against the Norsemen. Senior Cobie Ellenbecker, meanwhile, intercepted the ball deep into Athens territory in the fourth quarter to seal the team’s home win.

Athens’ linebackers wreaked havoc against Westby the entire game. Diethelm collected 20 total tackles, while sophomore Kyler Ellenbecker and senior Kaden Redmann had 10 apiece. Diethelm also recovered a Westby fumble and Diedrich blocked a punt in the victory.

Although the Athens football team improved is record to 3-2 this season, it didn’t qualify for the regional playoffs.

The Bluejays, however, are able to still play at least one more game this season, which will be against Rib Lake/Prentice this Friday, Nov. 13, at home.