North Bend Central duo Brodey Johnson and Ian Virka connected twice for first-half passing touchdowns during the Tigers' Sept. 3 home game against Arlington.
Kyler Hellbusch scored on a run, too, as NBC led coach Colter Mattson's Eagles 20-7 at the break.
“Halftime was a gut check for us,” he said.
AHS owned it and decided to fight back, scoring two rushing touchdowns during the fourth quarter for a 21-20 win. Frankie Rosenbalm scored all three Eagle touchdowns, while freshman Colton Willmott kicked through every important extra-point — including the game-winner.
The rookie kicker is 7-for-7 on kicks during Arlington's 2-0 start.
“His commitment and desire in practice have helped this team secure a win for two-straight weeks,” Mattson said.
Rosenbalm, who scored on a 2-yard run during the first half, finished with 34 carries for 127 yards. The senior found the end zone from 1-yard out on the first play of the fourth quarter before tying the game with a 16-yard run with 8:02 left on the clock.
“We finally settled in on offense,” Mattson said of the Eagles' fourth quarter. “Our coaching did a good job putting our kids in the right situations on offense, and we kept running the ball.”
Quarterback Logan Kaup added 57 rushing yards for the Eagles, while throwing to Dustin Kirk and Rosenbalm for 24 more.
Defensively, AHS held North Bend Central scoreless during the second half. The Tigers threatened with 5:14 left in the game, but fumbled deep inside Eagles territory at the 7-yard-line, according to the North Bend Eagle. Arlington secured the ball and the win.
“Defensively, we played assignment football and our guys did what they had to do,” Mattson said. “That confidence was contagious on both offense and defense.”
Next, Arlington battles Class C1 No. 4 Ashland-Greenwood at home. Tonight's game starts at 7 p.m.
The Bluejays, like the Eagles, are 2-0 with wins against Auburn and Milford. They edged the Bulldogs 17-16 in the opener, but routed the purple Eagles 33-0.
