The Arlington High School football team was firing on all cylinders in the first quarter of Friday's game against Omaha Concordia. That led the Eagles to a 35-0 homecoming victory.
“We were able to make some things run game, which was good,” Arlington coach Colter Mattson said. “Our defense played pretty good and pretty sound.”
Arlington started fast with three touchdowns in the first quarter. It took the Eagles only six plays to find the end zone on its opening 70-yard drive, which was capped by a 27-yard quarterback keeper by senior Logan Kaup. The QB led Arlington with 158 yards rushing on 11 carries.
Just 2 ½ minutes later, senior Dustin Kirk scampered 14 yards on a sweep. He also caught a two-point conversion pass from Kaup to put the Eagles up 14-0.
Kaup finished Arlington's scoring in the first quarter with a 37-yard run with 1:18 remaining. Freshman kicker Colton Willmott added the extra point for the 21-0 lead.
Arlington added to its lead in the second quarter on a 19-yard run by senior Collin Burdess. He later scored on a 34-yard fumble recover in the third quarter to give the Eagles a 35-0 lead.
Defensively, Burdess led Arlington with seven tackles. Senior Frankie Rosenbalm and sophomore Kaden Foust each recorded an interception.
“Defense is a mindset. We're really trying to instill that into the kids that it's a mentality,” Mattson said. “Defense is just a physical side of the ball that you've got to just want to be the toughest dude on the field.”
Arlington's win sets up a big cross-county matchup in district play as both the Eagles and Fort Calhoun make a bid for the playoffs.
Fort Calhoun defeated Douglas County West 43-20 on Friday.
“They're a physical team. It's going to be a good game,” Mattson said. “We've got to take care of us first off and we've just got to be ready to play a four quarter football game next week.”
