Photos by Theron Malone
Kicking off Arlington’s 41-7 District 14-AAA victory over Bartlett on Friday WAS the kickoff.
A 76-yard return of the opening kickoff by Tevarious Foster that went to Bartlett’s 11-yard line led to the Tigers’ first touchdown 30 seconds after the game started and to Arlington coach Chris Wiley saying, “We got a pretty decent start right out of the gate.”
That was one of two first half book-end plays that kept Arlington on its mission while postponing Bartlett’s.
With 2.8 seconds left in the second quarter, Arlington quarterback Tate Kolwyck threw a 55-yard fade-route touchdown pass to Everett Mitchell for a 27-0 lead.
“That was huge. That gave us a ton of momentum. Then we just kept rolling in the second half,” said Wiley.
Bartlett Coach Jeff McFerran used other words.
“The big play at the end of the half was ridiculous,” he said. “We told them to back up 20 yards. Everybody in our set defense in the back half were all underclassmen. They are learning. The first play and the last play of the half, from the Bartlett side, is not acceptable.
“Arlington is a fine ball club and probably better than us,” he continued. “I just wish we had competed and it had been a 35-28 or 28-21 game; where we we had played to the level we played the last two weeks.”
The second half, with Arlington scoring two touchdowns and the Panthers one, “was more of the game I expected.”
Bartlett entered the game with its first 2-0 start since 2000 and a goal to reach 7-3 or better for the first time since 2001. The Panthers (2-1) have had three 5-5 seasons since 2001.
“The bottom line is my kids are trying to learn to win and win consistently, trying to be a 7-3 or 8-2-type club. That is hard hurdle to get over when you have not done it in these kids lifetime almost,” said McFerran.
Wiley’s goal for the Tigers (3-0) is to win another district championship.
“This was a big game for us,” Wiley said. “It was the first district game of the year. That is why we stressed this game.
“They have got a good thing going over here,” he continued. “They have a good buzz about them. I didn’t want to be a turning point for them. We didn’t want to be the one that resuscitated the program. Not that their program is dead. We just definitely didn’t want to help them get better for the most part.”
The Tiger defense, which Wiley said has been “phenomenal” all season, was sparked by senior defensive back Sidney Austin, who intercepted two passes. His first interception at the Bartlett 42 led to Arlington’s second touchdown, a 4-yard run by Keelon Webber.
Webber, who had a game-high 98 yards rushing, scored Arlington’s first touchdown, also a 4-yard run.
Austin’s second interception was in the fourth quarter.
“That is pretty big,” said Wiley.
Austin said, “I think it just changed the momentum Bartlett had. It took away all of the spark they tried to get during a drive.”
Defense made another game-changer.
In the second quarter after Bartlett’s Justin Ammons returned an Arlington kickoff 42 yards to the Tigers’ 42-yard line, Bartlett quarterback Jonathan Bowlan got the Panthers to the 5 before they fumbled.
Arlington defensive lineman Trey Claus, who had seven tackles including two for losses of 10 yards, recovered and the Tigers started a 9-play, 95-yard scoring drive.
“That was a big play for us trying to keep in the game mentally,” said McFerran.
Foster scored on a 27-yard run with 4:27 left and instead of Panthers trailing by a touchdown had they scored, they trailed 20-0 after Cameron Durley kicked his second of five extra points.
Joseph Stevenson had his longest run of the game, 17 yards, during the drive. He finished with 92 yards on 12 carries.
Arlington senior linebacker Hunter Clay said, “Defense created a lot of turnovers. We were able to establish a run game on offense and defense could stop their run game and force them to pass.”
Wiley said, “We got some good stops in the red zone. They were were giving us some short field a couple of times and were able to overcome that.”
Kolywck completed 7 of 16 passes for 172 yards. Kolywck is “phenomenal for a freshman,” said Wiley. “I am pleased with his progress. He understands the offense a lot better.”
Arlington rushed for 255 yards on 46 carries.
“The entire offensive line stood out. To have that many yards rushing you have to give credit to the big guys in the trenches,” said Wiley. Starting on offensive line were Billy Speight, Parker Evans, Eoghan Hepburn, Sherman Johnson, Cameron Freeman.
McFerran said, “I felt like their running game hurt us with the counters all night. They would pound us with the counter and throw over the top and we didn’t do a very good job of covering it.”
What hurt the Panthers was the absence of tailback Jurieen Martin. He entered as Shelby Metro’s leading rusher with 476 yards and six touchdowns.
On the first series, Martin took a hit in the front center of his neck and “everything from my trap to my arm down went numb and starting burning,” he said.
McFerran, who has been pleased with his team’s speed, said, “We are not very deep. If we go down one or two at any position we really struggle.”
The Panthers, playing at home, scored on a 78-yard, 10-play drive in the third quarter. Bowlan threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Christian Busby with 8:11 left. Manny Barrientos’ PAT pulled the Panthers to within 27-7.
Bowlan completed 8 of 23 passes for 66 yards. Bartlett gained 120 yards rushing on 32 carries with Tyrone Cason the leading rusher with 66 yards. Defensively for the Panthers, Johnnie Sheppard had six solo tackles and Dennis ReCarte seven total tackles.
“We have got to catch the ball and I have got to make better reads. I have got to do better for my team,” said Bowlan. “We could have done a lot better job than we did. We just struggled a little bit. It’s all good. We will figure it out and will get better.”
Transferring to Bartlett, Bowlan was facing his former teammates. He said that his mind before the game was “just kind of crazy. I had a lot going on. I was playing against my old friends. I was excited. It was different but fun.”
Bowlan rushed for 33 yards. “I love passing the ball. When I run it I am very excited,” said Bowlan, who has signed to play baseball at Memphis and throws a fastball that has been clocked at 92 mph.
Arlington, which hosts Murfreesboro Oakland on Friday, closed its scoring with Kolwyck throwing fourth quarter touchdowns, 15 yards to Mitchell and 45 yards to Tevin Mays.
Martin has seen a change in the Panthers, which are open this Friday. “This year is different,” he said. “We know how to keep our heads up and keep fighting.”
Written by Bill Sorrell, special to the Express.
