Eagles keep Stilly Cup

Published 9:00 pm Friday, September 30, 2005

STANWOOD – As his teammates chanted “Stilly Cup! Stilly Cup!” all around him, Arlington High School senior Tim Acker reflected on how fun it is to play for the Eagles’ potent offense.

“That’s what we’re all about, making big plays,” Acker said. “It’s like multiple levels of attack. It’s like pick your poison, because we can pass and we can run.”

Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald Arlington’s Darren Edwards is grabbed by Stanwood’s Kameron Gambill while returning a punt in the Eagles’ 20-7 Stilly Cup victory.

On Friday night, Arlington packed enough big plays into the first half to topple the Stanwood Spartans 20-7 in the annual Stilly Cup game. Neither team scored in a miscue-filled second half, and the undefeated Eagles held on to win the Western Conference North Division battle in front of an overflowing crowd at Stanwood High School.

“They’re all important, but this is a big one,” Arlington coach John Boitano said of the Stilly Cup. “This is a real big one for the community. We had a packed house.”

Arlington (5-0 in league and overall) has won the Stilly Cup two consecutive years and 26 times in its last 35 tries. This one held extra meaning for Boitano, who will retire at the end of the season. The victory also kept Arlington a half-game in front of Oak Harbor (4-0, 5-0), which defeated Lake Stevens 21-13.

Arlington’s Acker made several key defensive plays, including an interception, but it was his superb 20-yard touchdown reception just before halftime that essentially locked up the victory. Acker broke two tackles on a short screen pass from Eagles quarterback Brett Smith and raced to the left corner of the end zone, putting his team ahead 20-7 with just six seconds remaining in the first half. He finished the night with six catches for 75 yards.

A few minutes earlier, Smith (12-for-20, 136 yards) tossed a TD pass to Thomas Payne, who leaped high over a Stanwood defender to haul in a reception in the right corner. Payne also rushed for 51 yards, including a 5-yard TD.

Senior running back Jake Webb also played well for Arlington, rushing for 96 yards on 22 carries. He entered the game as the league’s top rusher.

In the first half, Arlington’s offense outgained Stanwood 213 yards to 34. The Eagles ran 38 offensive plays, compared to just 13 for the Spartans.

Despite the lopsided first half, Stanwood (2-2, 3-2) had its chances. The Spartans finally started moving the ball in the third quarter, but they hurt themselves with two turnovers inside Arlington territory. After that, Stanwood further limited itself with poorly-timed penalties.

“We didn’t execute very well,” Stanwood coach Dick Abrams said. “We tackled poorly and we … had the ball in our hands but we didn’t make the play.”

As it turned out, Arlington’s back-to-back scores late in the first half were more than enough for the Eagles, who next Thursday play a non-conference game at Kent-Meridian.

Senior running back Casey Burke (41 yards on 10 carries) scored the only touchdown for Stanwood, which travels to play Marysville-Pilchuck next Friday. Between now and then, the Spartans will have to figure out how to cut down on miscues.

“(Arlington) got (a TD) right before the half that kind of sealed the deal for them,” Stanwood’s Abrams said, “but we thought we’d come right back out in the second half and get right back in it. We moved the ball fine, but we kicked ourselves in the foot.”

At Stanwood High School

Arlington71300-20

Stanwood7000-7

Arlington-Payne 5 run (Brown kick)

Stanwood-Burke 3 run (Mai kick)

Arlington-Payne 20 pass from Smith (Brown kick) Arlington-T. Acker 20 pass from Smith (Brown kick failed) Records-Arlington 5-0 in league and overall. Stanwood 2-2, 3-2.