Down seven points with less than a minute on the clock, the White Station Spartans made two huge plays on offense to put an end to Arlington’s season.
White Station, which lost to the Tigers in the regular season, got a late touchdown and opted for a two-point conversion on Friday night on the road to beat Arlington 29-28 in the first round of the playoffs.
It was a disappointing end for an Arlington team that finished the regular season on a 5-1 winning streak and will be losing starting senior quarterback Tate Kolwyck.
Tiger junior running back Kenneth Walker continued to do what he’s done all season and scorched the Spartans with 153rushing yards, three touchdowns and 23 receiving yards.
However, that wasn’t enough against a White Station team that has faced several top ranked teams this season, including Briarcrest, Christian Brothers, Germantown and Montgomery Bell Academy.
The Spartans scored first Friday night three minutes into the first quarter on an 8-yard touchdown run courtesy of Martez Harris.
Three minutes later, Kolwyck got the Tigers on the scoreboard with a 7-yard rushing touchdown of his own. However, the Spartans would finish the quarter strong with another touchdown.
The Tigers answered in the second quarter, with Walker scoring two rushing touchdowns to give Arlington a 21-14 lead at halftime.
The Spartans would tie the score at 21-21 early in the third quarter on a 10-yard touchdown run from Drew Lyons.
Then, with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, Walker scored again for the Tigers and the team completed the extra point conversion.
Arlington nearly sealed the deal on a late interception during White Station’s next drive. However, the Tigers couldn’t move the ball downfield and opted to punt, giving the Spartans the ball at their own 47-yard line.
That’s when White Station not only scored but successfully went for the two-point conversion to cap the game.
The Spartans will now play an undefeated Germantown team in the second round.
Arlington finishes its season 7-4, with an impressive resume of wins over Houston, St. George’s, White Station, Liberty Tech, ECS, Bartlett and Collierville and a nail-biter loss against Cordova.
GRAHAM SWEENEY is the editor of the Shelby Sun Times and the Collierville Independent. Contact him at graham.sweeney@journalinc.com.
