ARLINGTON — The Gunter family made another huge mark on the Stilly Cup rivalry. This year it was Brandon Gunter, younger brother of former Arlington High School star Kenny Gunter, who did most of the damage for the Eagles.
Brandon Gunter, a hyper-athletic senior quarterback, rushed for two touchdowns and nearly 200 yards, and tossed a fourth-quarter TD pass to help Arlington beat Stanwood 34-14 and reclaim the prized trophy.
“I’ve lived in Arlington all my life and I’ve gone to every single (Arlington football) game. I just wanted to bring (the Stilly Cup) back because we lost it last year,” said Gunter.
Aided by some excellent blocking and a solid defense, Gunter accomplished his mission Friday in the annual Stilly Cup battle at Larson Stadium. He rushed for a game-high 198 yards on 22 attempts, including scoring runs of 51 and 15 yards.
Stanwood coach Dick Abrams said Gunter reminds him not only of Gunter’s older brother, who now plays at Princeton University, but also of former Stanwood standout Aaron Boehme.
“He can take over a game,” Abrams said of Gunter. “He certainly took over this game. He’s a great athlete.”
After losing the Stilly Cup game last year, Arlington won it for the third time in four years and the 27th time in the 37-year series. Michael Keating (13 carries, 80 yards) and Marcus Dolan ran for TDs for Arlington, and Chris Myers caught a scoring pass from Gunter to help boost the Eagles’ record to 2-2 in division, 2-3 overall.
“It’s awfully exciting — the enthusiasm, the crowd. The kids were a little bit different this game. … They were a little bit more bubbly, I guess,” said second-year Arlington coach Tim Tramp, who improved to 1-1 in Stilly Cup games.
Ryan Norman rushed for 93 yards and one TD for Stanwood (1-4, 1-4). The Spartans got within 28-14 after Michael Vaughn’s interception of a Gunter pass set up a 27-yard TD pass from Michael McCune to Norman.
But Gunter and the Eagles, lifted by their raucous home crowd, were too much for Stanwood to handle.
“Our guys stuck in there, I thought. I’m proud of them because they didn’t stop fighting,” Abrams said.
In the first half Arlington rushed for 219 yards and three TDs. Keating, Dolan and Gunter all made it into the end zone to help the run-crazy Eagles take a 21-7 lead to intermission.
Gunter accumulated 176 yards of total offense in the first two quarters, including 153 yards rushing. He nearly doubled Stanwood’s entire offensive output.
The Spartans had just 96 yards in the half, and 55 of them came on Norman’s second-quarter TD burst.
Arlington moved the ball well the entire game, thanks largely to an effective offensive line and Gunter’s all-around ability.
“I was really proud of us offensively,” Tramp said. “We were able to control the clock and move the ball. Gunter had an amazing game.”
Gunter, who repeatedly ran for huge gains on a QB draw play, credited his bulky teammates for doing all the work. “I just followed the linemen. I didn’t have to do anything,” he said. “Coach (Tramp) put us in a position to win.”
Arlington scored on its first two drives of the game. The first possession was a nine-play, 40-yard series capped by Keating’s 5-yard run. The drive was set up by a 33-yard kickoff return by Greg Holsworth.
After forcing Stanwood to punt, the Eagles went ahead 13-0 with 6:41 to go in the opening quarter. Gunter’s 41-yard run up the middle came one play before Dolan’s impressive run around the right end. Dolan outraced several Stanwood defenders along the sideline during a 19-yard TD run.
Stanwood cut it to 13-7 on Norman’s 55-yard scoring run. On the previous play, Stanwood converted a first down with a 10-yard pass on a fake punt from its own 35-yard line.
But Arlington increased its lead to 14 points after Gunter exploded up the middle for 51 yards, following lineman Jarod Baker for the first 15 yards. It was Gunter’s second rush of more than 40 yards in the game and gave him 133 yards on the night.
Before the game started the public address announcer asked the crowd to share a moment of silence in honor of former Stanwood coach Terry Ennis, who along with former Arlington coach Don Gibbons started the Stilly Cup rivalry. Ennis died of cancer Sept. 12 at age 63.
Contact Herald Writer Mike Cane at mcane@heraldnet.com. For more high school sports news, check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
At Arlington H.S.
Stanwood 0 7 0 7 — 14
Arlington 13 8 7 6 — 34
Arlington—Keating 5 run (Pierce kick)
Arlington—Dolan 19 run (Pierce kick blocked)
Stanwood—Norman 55 run (Pilcher kick)
Arlington—Gunter 51 run (McPherson run)
Arlington—Gunter 15 run (Pierce kick)
Stanwood—Norman 27 pass from McCune (Pilcher kick)
Arlington—Myers 26 pass from Gunter (Pierce kick blocked)
Records—Stanwood 1-4 in division and overall. Arlington 2-2, 2-3.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
