Arlington football plows through North Creek, 56-35

ARLINGTON — One down, four to go.

That’s what an excited Arlington High School coach Greg Dailer told his team after a 56-35 victory over North Creek in a district winner-to-state, loser-out game on Saturday under the lights at John C. Larson Stadium.

The sixth-ranked Eagles (9-1 overall) were flying high entering the contest, having topped Lake Stevens last week for a three-way share of the Wesco 4A title. And this week, Arlington proved it’s still a 4A program to be reckoned with after compiling 537 yards of total offense, 332 rushing and 208 passing yards.

Eagles senior running back Caleb Reed bulldozed his way to four rushing touchdowns and established a new school single-game rushing record of 309 yards on 27 carries. Senior quarterback Leyton Martin threw two touchdowns, both to senior wide receiver Chase Deberry. And junior running back Jace Graham followed in Reed’s footsteps and ran in two rushing scores.

“We felt like we could run, and with the weather, we said for the game it was going to be a ‘Tipper’ night, that’s what we call our o-lineman, and it was,” Dailer said. “Caleb ran amazing tonight. All shoulders and knees, he’s tough to bring down. … We mostly just pounded it.”

North Creek received the ball to begin the game and went three-and-out on the first drive. Arlington’s first series consisted of nine plays, and facing fourth-down-and-18 on the Jaguars’ 26-yard line, Martin found Deberry in the end zone for the game’s first score.

Reed tallied his first rushing touchdown from three yards out three minutes into the second quarter, and Graham followed up with an 18-yard carry two minutes later for a 21-0 lead.

North Creek senior quarterback Jackson McGill found senior running back Eric Battle Jr. on a nine-yard reception to put the Jaguars on the board with three minutes remaining in the half.

But after a good kickoff return to put the Eagles at North Creek’s 37-yard line, Martin eventually connected with Deberry on an 18-yard reception for a 28-7 lead in the last 35 seconds before halftime.

McGill, however, passed to freshman wide receiver Kaeden Weaver for the first half’s final score as time expired. The Eagles blocked the point-after attempt to go into the locker room with a solid 28-13 lead.

“I’m really happy with that o-line,” Reed said. “They created really big holes for me to run through. They were just flat out dominant. … It’s a school record now, and we both share that record.

“They just couldn’t stop anything we did,” he continued. “If we were running it down their throat, they have to stack the box, and we just throw it to Deberry. Or if they’re blocking down the pass, they put five in the box, and then I’m running down the field every way.”

Arlington recovered an onside kick at the 50-yard line in the beginning seconds of the third quarter, and on the next play, Reed evaded tackles to put the Eagles at the five-yard line for Graham to then tack on his team’s fifth touchdown.

Reed followed up with the Eagles’ sixth, seventh and eighth touchdowns all in the fourth quarter and about four minutes apart from one another. His carries were from 15, 12 and eight yards, respectively.

McGill ran in a 12-yard score and connected with Weaver twice for North Creek’s final scores of three- and five-yard receptions.

Seedings for the Class 4A state tournament will be released next week with the round of 16 taking place Nov. 15-16.

“I’m hoping we’re five or six, and we should be home next week,” Dailer said. “Whoever we play, we play. It definitely doesn’t get any easier from here on out, but we’re excited.”

The only team joining Arlington out of Wesco 4A will be Lake Stevens, which ran past Tahoma on Friday, 56-24.

“That loss to GP, total fluke,” Reed said. “Every team looked down on us, and we got that Lake Stevens win. … We’re state-championships contenders.”