ARLINGTON — The football fell just right for Arlington High School on Friday night in their 52-7 Wesco 4A win against Kamiak.
Whether it was recovering the ball off a squib kick, capitalizing on a mishandled kickoff or blocking a punt, the Eagles’ offense, defense and special teams delivered. The victory also moved Arlington to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in league play.
“We just take what the defense gives us. We gameplan for everything,” said Eagles senior quarterback Leyton Martin. “(Against Jackson last Friday), we didn’t have great focus in the first half of that game, just dialing it in. I think we had great focus tonight, which is why we were successful.”
Arlington High School senior quarterback Leyton Martin throws the football during the Wesco 4A game against Kamiak High School at John C. Larson Stadium, in Arlington, Washington, on Sept. 27, 2024. Arlington won 52-7. (Taras McCurdie / The Herald)
Martin completed eight of 18 passes for 155 yards and tallied one rushing and two passing touchdowns. He also completed a pass for a two-point conversion to junior running back Jace Graham. Senior running back Caleb Reed had eight carries for 158 yards and three rushing touchdowns of one, 37 and 80 yards. Senior wide receiver Kaid Hunter registered only one catch during the game but made the most of it by diving in the end zone to secure Martin’s throw on a 29-yard reception during Arlington’s first drive.
Arlington High School senior wide receiver Kaid Hunter dives to make a catch in the end zone during the Wesco 4A game against Kamiak High School at John C. Larson Stadium, in Arlington, Washington, on Sept. 27, 2024. Arlington won 52-7. (Taras McCurdie / The Herald)
“The preparation all week, we were working on that run. We knew they were running some sort of Wing-T, not throwing the ball much,” Hunter said. “A big thing for us is at halftime it’s 0-0. So we come out fired up.… Our halftime speech is always on point and gets us fired up. And a big part of our program is special teams. We take huge pride in that. So … getting the ball back twice in a row was huge for us.”
Kamiak (3-1, 1-1) received the ball to begin the game, and senior running back Zamari Mitchell ran in a one-yard touchdown on the Knight’s first drive.
Kamiak High School senior running back Zamari Mitchell dives for a touchdown during the Wesco 4A game against Arlington High School at John C. Larson Stadium, in Arlington, Washington, on Sept. 27, 2024. Arlington won 52-7. (Taras McCurdie / The Herald)
For the remainder of the contest, Arlington dominated both sides of the football and went on a seven-touchdown rally, puncturing Kamiak’s defense on throws and runs.
The Eagles led 25-7 at halftime, and their scoring campaign didn’t stop there. During the first minute of the second half, Arlington scored three touchdowns and added another at 9:18 remaining in the third quarter.
Reed’s 80-yard rushing touchdown made it 32-7. A squib kick during the next kickoff ricocheted off a Kamiak player and was recovered by the Eagles, which led to Martin’s 45-yard rushing touchdown.
Arlington High School senior wide receiver Chase Deberry runs toward the end zone during the Wesco 4A game against Kamiak High School at John C. Larson Stadium, in Arlington, Washington, on Sept. 27, 2024. Arlington won 52-7. (Taras McCurdie / The Herald)
The third score in the quarter stemmed from a Kamiak player mishandling the catch during the next kickoff, which Arlington recovered at the 11-yard line. The Eagles soon scored on Martin’s pass to senior wide receiver Chase Deberry for a 22-yard reception following a holding penalty. And not even two minutes later, junior defensive back Eli Rae ran in a touchdown that came from a blocked punt..
Senior wide receiver Jake Willis earned four receptions for 87 yards, and two of his catches helped Arlington take a 14-7 lead. The Eagles faced fourth down and 10 yards on their 30-yard line when Martin found Willis on a 30-yard reception to get on Kamiak’s 40-yard line. Martin locked with Willis again for a 39-yard reception to get to the Knights’ 1-yard line for the first of Reed’s three scores.
Arlington High School senior quarterback Leyton Martin runs toward the end zone during the Wesco 4A game against Kamiak High School at John C. Larson Stadium, in Arlington, Washington, on Sept. 27, 2024. Arlington won 52-7. (Taras McCurdie / The Herald)
Kamiak senior running back Jullian Notoa had 21 carries for 118 yards and senior wide receiver Onkar Bhangu two receptions for 24 yards.
Arlington compiled 233 rushing and 155 passing and Kamiak 162 rushing and 40 passing yards.
Arlington High School football players celebrate with fans after beating Kamiak 52-7 in a Wesco 4A game at John C. Larson Stadium, in Arlington, Washington, on Sept. 27, 2024. (Taras McCurdie / The Herald)
“I was really proud of our defense because we were worried about people running right at us. They went down the field and scored that first touchdown, and then we held up, played great defense the rest of the night,” Eagles coach Greg Dailer said.
“And then taking advantage of those mishaps by them and scoring immediately. We (also) got great playmakers. Leyton, I call pass play, and he runs (45) yards. You don’t draw that up that way. … Our kids did a great job of taking advantage of things when they went our way.”
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