With postseason possibilities up for grabs, Arlington football put it all on the line and delivered a critical victory over Snohomish on their Senior Night.
The Panthers scored first but Arlington had several players with big performances and the Eagles rallied to win 37-29 in the Oct. 24, Arlington’s last in front of a home crowd for the regular season.
Junior quarterback Jake Parduhn scored the tying touchdown, connecting with junior tight end Jon Shell. Then, fellow junior Andy Smith stepped in at quarterback and scored four touchdowns in his biggest game of the season by far.
Smith’s first touchdown pass connected with junior wide receiver Dylan Lindberg, giving Arlington an eight-point lead after the successful two-point conversion with 54 seconds left before halftime. Shell then picked off Snohomish quarterback Spencer Caraballo, setting up his own 22-yard TD reception with seven seconds left in the half. Once again, the team successfully converted for two points.
Snohomish still had some fight left, coming back two touchdowns after halftime to tie things up 23-23. But Arlington saw their 16 points and raised them a 43-yard gain on a bubble screen to sophomore Griffin Ginnis for seven points.
Snohomish answered again, but Jerod Baker blocked their extra point. Those six points would be the Panthers’ last.
Baker’s co-captain Sherman Pruitt recovered the onside kick and Arlington ate time off the clock with runs by Pruitt and senior running back Kellen Botten. The icing on the cake was a six-yard touchdown pass by Smith, who once again connected with Shell.
Arlington coach Greg Dailer decided to make the call to play Smith after the junior had several great weeks of practice, he said.
“It was great. He really stepped it up and did a great job,” Dailer said.
While Arlington’s postseason dreams looked to be on ice a few weeks ago, they’ve made a solid recovery. After starting out 1-3 in leagues, Arlington got a key victory in the win over Snohomish. A victory in the Stilly Cup, plus a little help from M-P and Lake Stevens will see Dailer’s first Arlington team qualify for the playoffs, which begin in early November.
