SHORELINE — So much for first impressions.
What looked like the start of another long, cumbersome football season for Shorecrest turned out to be a false alarm.
Still, the Shorecrest faithful must have been a tad paranoid when the Scots coughed up the ball on their first play from scrimmage and Arlington’s Kenny Gunter returned the fumble 58 yards for an easy score.
But the Scots shrugged off the early slip-up and came back to squeak by Arlington 25-24 in a non-league clash Sept. 5 at Shoreline Stadium.
“The ability of these guys to persevere against the adversity we faced with the turnovers, the Hail Marys, it’s a tribute to them and the work they put in,” said Shorecrest coach Mike Wollan, who improved to 3-0 in season openers.
Senior Shane Hoffman supplied 245 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns for the Scots, including the game-winner with a minute to go.
On fourth-and-4, Shorecrest quarterback Jon Glancy rolled to his right and tossed a swing pass to Hoffman, who sprinted 25 yards to the end zone.
The touchdown was set up by J.D. Gardner’s 57-yard catch-and-run four plays earlier. Shorecrest had regained possession by stuffing Arlington on fourth-and-goal at the 2-yard line.
Hoffman ran for 86 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, caught five balls for 95 yards and returned three kickoffs for 64 yards.
“I have to give it up to my linemen,” Hoffman said. “If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have done this.”
Despite three turnovers, Shorecrest outgained the Eagles 372 yards to 232 and owned a nine-minute time of possession advantage.
“They underestimated us because of our size, but they didn’t know what was coming when we hit them,” Hoffman said. “Our linemen aren’t so big, but they’re quick off the ball. And we’ve got quick people in the backfield.”
Making his first varsity start, Glancy completed 11 of his 13 passes — including all eight of his attempts in the first half — for 215 yards, one TD and one interception.
“We took it kind of easy with Jon at the beginning, but then we had to let his hair down a bit,” Wollan said. “I tell him everyday before practice, ‘Understand who’s around you. You get them the ball in spots and they’ll make plays for you.’”
Gardner had two receptions for 69 yards and sealed the win by picking off Gunter’s tipped pass with 48 seconds remaining.
Hoffman’s 6-yard TD run gave Shorecrest a 7-6 advantage midway through the first quarter. Arlington went back in front three minutes later on Gunter’s 14-yard screen to Brenton Bodewig.
Shorecrest regained a 13-12 lead going into halftime on Hoffman’s 1-yard dive, which capped a 75-yard, 12-play drive at the 10:07 mark of the second quarter.
In the second half the lead changed hands four more times, starting with Bodewig’s 20-yard score. Fullback Colin Small responded for the Scots with a 16-yard TD that made it 19-18.
The Eagles went ahead once more with 10:40 to play on Gunter’s 1-yard keeper, but their two-point conversion run failed.
“Our line did a heckuva job against a lot bigger line,” Wollan said. “That’s what they’re going to face all year.”
Shorecrest opens its Western Conference 4A South Division schedule by hosting Mariner at 7 tonight.
“People have got to prepare for us,” Wollan said. “That’s exciting.”
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