By RUSTY MILLER

AP Sports Writer

Athens High School’s home field is a shambles. But the students’ — and the community’s — determination hasn’t taken a hit.

The violent tornado that struck southeast Ohio last Thursday destroyed the Bulldogs’ stadium, 40-year-old Basil Rutter Field. The visiting bleachers were flipped upside down, the scoreboard was leveled, the goal posts mangled and the press box shattered. Even the school’s victory bell was badly damaged.

But two days later, the Bulldogs played on the road at Chillicothe and won, 19-10.

With a home game just days away, Athens is trying to come up with a solution.

Ohio University athletic director Jim Schaus said Peden Stadium is an option, provided the details can be worked out. But there is a concern that free use of the facility may be complicated in terms of NCAA rules.

Nelsonville-York High School, roughly 15 minutes away, could be another option since the artificial surface could handle the increased load of additional games. However, the field is lined only for football, meaning Athens’ soccer teams would have to find another home.

The outpouring of support for the school, the students and the community has been overwhelming.

Message boards came alive with offers of support and best wishes following the storms.

At Saturday’s game, donation boxes were set up for spectators to offer canned goods and other supplies that Athens coaches then took back to the Red Cross station set up in The Plains — to help out those with more immediate demands than where to play a game.

LAKE EFFECT: Freshman Braelen Bader’s PAT in overtime allowed Celina to snap an 11-game losing streak to rival St. Marys Memorial with a 26-25 win in the annual Battle of Grand Lake. It’s the first time since 2000 that the Bulldogs have won three straight games, while the loss drops the Roughriders to 0-3 in the Western Buckeye League for the first time since 1974.

AIR RAIDS: Columbiana Crestview’s Carter Hill was 16 of 23 passing for a school-record 349 yards and three TDs in a 47-7 win over New Middletown Springfield; Hanoverton United’s Josh McLaughlin completed 15 of 20 passes for 309 yards and four scores in a 40-14 win over Lisbon David Anderson; and Ashland’s Marcus Fuller, a D1 first-team All-Ohioan last year, completed 14 of 25 passes for 314 yards and five TDs, and also ran for a score, in a 51-37 win over Wooster.

BULLETIN BOARD MATERIAL: Clark Montessori, in just its third varsity season, is off to its first 4-0 start under the coaching of Steve Sheehan, who led now-defunct Cincinnati Academy of Physical Education (CAPE) to three state titles back in the days of stars Carlos Snow, Vinnie Clark and David Pool; Coldwater defeated St. Henry 7-6 to make it 15 straight wins in The Backyard Battle — with two of those games decided by a missed extra point; backup QB Mason Jordan’s first varsity passing attempt went for a 70-yard score to Wayne Evans in Portsmouth’s 47-7 win over Warren; Sebring McKinley (3-1) has already won more than two games in a season for the first time since 1992; Salineville Southern, which has allowed only 16 points all season, is off to its first 4-0 start since 1977; New Washington Buckeye Central’s Sam Shafer intercepted four passes, including three in the fourth quarter, of a 21-10 win over Ontario; and Nathan Strock led two 99-yard scoring drives in the second half and intercepted a pass in his own end zone with 3 seconds left to secure Dresden Tri-Valley’s 26-21 win over visiting Dover.

POINTS APLENTY: After Phillip Arsuffi’s fourth TD of the game with 1:35 remaining cut Columbiana’s lead to 32-30, North Lima South Range’s David Peterson recovered the onside kick to set up Ethan Witmer’s 35-yard field goal with 16 seconds left to lift the Raiders to a 33-32 win; and Brady Weber completed 35 of 54 passes for 490 yards and four TDs and rushed for 57 yards and two other scores, but it was enough as Mount Blanchard Riverdale lost 49-42 to Bucyrus, which was led by Britt Cox’s 217 yards and five TDs rushing.

NOVEL APPROACH: In a matchup of two of the top teams in Division IV, No. 3-ranked Ottawa-Glandorf used an innovative defense and a ground attack to edge top-ranked Kenton, 22-20. Kenton’s Maty Mauk, one of the most highly regarded junior QBs in the country, completed 35 of 53 passes for 368 yards and three TDs, including two in the final 15 minutes to cut O-G’s lead to two points. But a two-point conversion pass fell incomplete. O-G recovered the onside kick and used its running game to control the final 6 minutes, getting a key first down on fourth-and-short from inside the 10. On defense, O-G had no down linemen. Instead, the Titans had them stand up, usually in a three-man front, and blitzed off the corners. They also picked off two passes, stopping one Kenton drive inside the 10. Adam Hershberger returned the other interception 47 yards to set up O-G’s third touchdown.

LEG WORK: Zane Kieffer had 321 yards of total offense including 268 rushing yards on 27 carries and scored twice as Van Buren beat Hardin Northern 14-7; Conneaut’s Chris Poore rushed for 217 yards on 22 carries and scored on runs of 3 and 70 yards in an 18-7 win over Beachwood; and Tres Wilks ran eight times for 212 yards and four TDs and also returned an interception 54 yards for a score as Ironton beat unbeaten rival Ashland (Ky.) 43-6.

FLYING HIGH: The Clinton-Massie Falcons are 4-0 this season and have won 26 consecutive regular-season games. Jordie Scanlon has rushed for 779 yards and 14 TDs this season, with three games of more than 200 yards rushing. Last season, Scanlon rushed for over 2,000 yards.