Last Friday night at UTA Stadium, Arlington High defeated the South Grand Prairie Warriors in overtime by a score of 24-21.

The Colts jumped out to a early 6-0 lead in the second quarter from two made field goals by junior K Griffin Kell.

SGP responded with a touchdown pass late in the second quarter to put the Warriors up 7-6 to end the first half.

The Warriors came out of halftime firing on all cylinders, finishing a long drive with a designed quarterback run for a six-yard touchdown to make the score 14-6.

The Colt offense had a hard time moving the ball for most of the second half, with penalties playing a big role in stopping the offense from being productive.

“We had probably eight penalties in the first three quarters,” head coach Scott Peach said. “We had a lot of negative plays behind the line so we just kept getting in our own way.”

With 3:37 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Warriors rushed for a two-yard touchdown, making it a 21-6 deficit for the Colts. The Colts had their backs against the wall, but remained confident in their ability.  

“We just had to keep going,” Senior OL Jacob Russ said. “We knew we had a good offense.”

The offense changed its approach, resulting in a 75-yard rushing touchdown by senior RB Kenland McCray. McCray, who lead the team in rushing and receiving yards, was an explosive impact player for the Colts’ offensive attack.

“We made an adjustment in our blocking scheme, instead of the dart play we adjusted to the zone and that’s the one where McCray popped for about 75 yards,” Peach said. “It was a great adjustment for coach Nelson and the staff.”

The defense forced a three and out on the next possession by the Warriors, leaving the Colts 1:17 to tie the game. The defense was steadfast all game, coming up with the big stop at the right times.

“The key of tonight is we played awesome defense,” Peach said. “I can’t stress enough what a job our defense did.”

The Warriors then proceeded to attempt a punt, only to botch that punt, giving the Colts the ball at the SGP 36-yard line. The Colt offense had prime starting field position to try and even the score.

Two plays later, Senior QB D’Montae Davis threw a 28-yard touchdown to RB Qaklon Fore to pull the Colts to within two points. With the game on the line, Davis threw a pass to the aforementioned McCray to complete the two-point conversion. All of the sudden, it was a brand new game.

In a matter of minutes, Arlington had erased a fifteen point deficit. SGP ran out the clock in the fourth quarter. The game was headed for overtime.

The Colts had all of the momentum in the game, and opened up the overtime period with a clutch 34-yard field goal from Kell.

“He was outstanding,” Peach said of Kell. “He was phenomenal in the kicking game. The key was we didn’t turn the ball over, and he punted the ball great, and he had awesome kickoffs. As a whole he was one of our top players tonight.”

SGP did not gain a first down, and left the game up to its kicker. Something went awry and the holder attempted to run for the first down. Junior DB Kyron White made a open field tackle, and the holder didn’t get the first down. The Colts had won the game.

“The resilience of this football team, the willingness to fight for every snap, I could not be more proud of them,” Peach said.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE COLTS:

The Colts will take on the Flower Mound Marcus Marauders this Friday. The Marauders are 1-0 this season, with their lone win coming against the Bowie Volunteers.

Arlington will go on the road to face the Marauders on Friday night at 7:30 P.M. at Marauder Stadium.

Gallery • 7 Photos

Gordon Smith

Early in the game, senior Jacob Russ blocks a Warrior.