Arlington moves on in 4A with 28-14 win over Kentwood

KENT — For Arlington's football players, it's been more than a lifetime since the Eagles won a state playoff game.

Friday, the Eagles celebrated a state win for the first time in 23 years after beating Kentwood 28-14 at French field in the first round of the Class 4A state football playoffs.

The WesCo North school's last state win came in 1982 in the Class 3A state championship game.

The win sends Arlington (11-1) to the quarterfinals against Puyallup (11-0) and extends coach John Boitano's season for at least another week. Arlington's coach plans to retire after this season, his 14th.

"Oh, man, this is just so much fun," said Boitano. "This is just such a special group, and I'm glad they're giving me such a great sendoff. It's been a long time since Arlington's done this, and it's just great for the school and the whole community."

The Eagles came into the game with a reputation for a high-powered and balanced offense, but almost all the damage on this night was done through the air.

Brett Smith, who came into the game with 2,094 passing yards, completed 16 of 25 passes for 338 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. The running game accounted for only 39 yards.

As good as the senior quarterback has been all year, he may have gotten even better in the late going thanks to an illness that sidelined Arlington's leading rusher, Jake Webb, for two games.

"We've had a good offense all year," said Smith. "We have a lot of weapons, and with Jake out the rest of those weapons just got that much better."

Webb, playing in his second game since being out, scored two second-half touchdowns for the Eagles. The senior running back gave the Eagles (11-1) a 21-14 lead on a 27-yard screen pass from Smith on fourth and eight. He converted another screen pass on fourth down to preserve a drive that he finished with a 1-yard run to give the Eagles a two-touchdown lead.

Senior wide receiver Tim Acker caught seven passes for 185 yards and intercepted a pass late in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory.

With the score tied late in the first half, the Eagles took a 14-7 lead on a bizarre play. On fourth down, Arlington was attempting a 27-yard field goal when a low snap forced Smith, the holder on the play, to pick the ball up and scramble to his right.

After avoiding the rush, Smith found a wide-open Payne in the end zone as time expired. Smith also hit Payne for a 1-yard score in the first quarter.

Demetrius Bronson, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound sophomore, powered his way to a game-high 174 yards on 34 carries to lead the Conquerors, who ended the season at 8-3.

"I thought we played really well except for a few letdowns," said Kentwood coach Rex Norris. "They executed on the big downs. We missed a lot of opportunities, but I'm not trying to take anything away from them.

"We had a great season and I'm proud of them."