Football 10-16 @ Arlington

It wasn’t cold, it wasn’t windy, but it sure was wet as the Oak Harbor Wildcat varsity football team traveled to Arlington to play the Eagles. The game was at Larsen Stadium, but it looked like Larsen Lake as there were several areas of standing water on the playing surface as the rain came down for the entire game. It was Arlington’s homecoming - the 3^rd homecoming opponent for the ‘Cats this year. The Wildcat were missing several key players for a variety of reasons, and lost more as the game progressed.

Oak Harbor received the opening kickoff, but punted 3 plays later. Arlington started on their own 40 yard line. Their first play was a long pass complete down to the OH 27 on a halfback pass and eventually wound up with a first and goal at the OH 4 yard line. Oak Harbor didn’t give up easily, making Arlington take 4 plays before finally punching it in with 7:00 to go in the first quarter. Arlington 7, OH 0.

After a false start penalty on Oak Harbor’s first play of their second series, the Wildcats found themselves backed up deep, the ball on the OH 7 yard line. The first play was a pass to Brad Farnum, then Brent Ryan pounded it up the middle for the Oak Harbor first down at the OH 28. On the 2^nd and 6 play from the OH 32, QB Luke Felkner found a hole and wasn’t downed until he got across midfield and down to the Arlington 43. On 2^nd and 4 at the 37, Felkner found Josh Higbee open for a first down at the 26, but the refs added another 15 yards after a late, out of bound, helmet first hit by an Arlington defender. The penalty placed the ball just inside the Arlington 13 yard line, and 3 plays later Ryan took it up the middle again to tie the game with 3:14 left in the first. That score would stand through the end of the first quarter.

On their first possession of the 2^nd quarter, Arlington was able to march down the field, finally scoring on an 8-yard pass play with 5:29 left in the half. Arlington 14, OH 7.

Higbee got the ball on the kickoff at the 3 yard line, but slipped and went down at the 13. He was hit by an Arlington player while down, but the refs chose not to flag that contact. Oak Harbor was forced to punt, with Arlington signaling for a fair catch at the OH 40. Arlington tried the halfback pass again, but this time the Wildcat defense was ready, and Derrick Clarit snagged the pass at the OH 22. The Wildcat celebration was short-lived, as a bad snap on the Wildcat’s first play took the ball back to the OH 10, and again Oak Harbor punted away.

The Wildcat defense held the Eagles, and the Arlington punt was picked up by Higbee at the OH 4 and returned to the 19 yard line. A nice run made it 2^nd and 4, but on the next play the ball carrier was hit hard and the ball jarred loose. It was recovered by Arlington at the OH 23 with only 1:20 left on the clock.

Arlington’s QB scrambled around on the first play and appeared to fumble the ball at the OH 9 yard line, but the officials ruled him down and gave Arlington a first down at the OH 13. Two plays later and with only 29 seconds left in the half, Arlington took a 21-7 lead.

After bringing the kickoff out to the 30, the Wildcats opted to take a knee to end the first half, down 21-7.

To open the 2^nd half, Oak Harbor tried an onside kick. The ball skidded across the large puddles and through the hands of the first Arlington player, but a 2^nd Arlington man fell on the ball to retain possession for the Eagles.

Arlington moved the ball down to the OH 30, and it looked like the defense would hold, as Arlington was looking at a 4^th and 5. However, during the pass, the Wildcat defender was well blocked, then slipped when he turned towards the receiver, and Arlington was able to score again, taking a 28-7 lead with 10:02 left in the 3^rd.

Now looking at 3^rd and almost 10 from their own 35 yard line, Felkner tossed a pass high towards Peter Franssen. The Arlington defender slipped and fell, but was able to put a hand out and snag Franssen’s foot just after he caught the ball, preventing a sure OH touchdown. Two nice runs by Ryan later, Oak Harbor had the ball with a first down on the Arlington 18 yard line and two plays after that it was Felkner to Franssen again to close the score to 28-14 with 6:57 left in the 3rd.

Arlington’s next drive got down to the Wildcat 32, where the defense had put the Eagles into a 4^th and 13 situation. Arlington threw deep, and had a receiver open at the OH 3, but Andy Haag came seemingly from nowhere, and made a smart play by batting the ball away rather than attempting an interception, so instead of a first down at the OH 3, it was first down Wildcats at the OH 32.

The third quarter ended with the Wildcats trailing 28-14, but with the ball and driving, looking at a 3^rd and 3 on the Arlington 45. The 3^rd down run was stopped, but the 4^th down pass was complete to Franssen for a first down at the Arlington 38. However, after a tackle for a loss on a run attempt by Felkner and a sack, the Wildcats punted from the Arlington 47. The Eagles were able to return the ball into Oak Harbor territory, at the 45 yard line. Felkner made the tackle on the Eagle return man, but injured himself and he didn’t return for the remainder of the game.

The Wildcats were able to stop Arlington in 3, but the Eagle punt splashed down at the OH 1 yard line. The first play of this drive was an incomplete pass by new QB Gabe Dye, the 2^nd a short run setting up 3^rd and 8 from the 3. There, Dye found Mike Washington, Jr. open for a 34 yard gain to the 37 yard line. Ryan plowed across midfield to give OH a first down at the Arlington 47. Dye then ran the ball himself up the middle, used an official as a screen, and made it down to the Eagle 32. The next play was nearly disastrous for the ‘Cats, as the Dye pass to Farnum was a little short and looked like a sure interception, but two Eagle defenders both went for the ball and it bounced off both, falling incomplete. On 3^rd and 8, Dye found Ryan open at the Eagle 20 with forward progress to the 17. Franssen caught a pass at the 5, then a pass intended for Washington was nearly intercepted again, but was ruled incomplete. 2^nd down was incomplete, in and out of the hands of Washington at the goal line. On 3^rd down, Dye was sacked at the 17 yard line. Now with a 4^th and goal to go, Dye tossed the ball to Sayre, who caught it at the 1 yard line, fell across the goal line and into the end zone to close the gap to just a single TD, 28-21, with 4:44 left in the game.

Again the Wildcats attempted the onside kick, and again the Eagles were able to cover, this time at the Eagle 45. Their 2^nd play was a handoff around the left side that went down to the Oak Harbor 3 yard line before Higbee could make the tackle. On the next play Arlington ran through the middle to give themselves a two-TD lead again, 35-21, with 3:33 left.

Josiah Miller returned the kickoff to the OH 39, but sacks on both 3^rd and 4^th downs ended the Wildcat drive and gave Arlington the ball at the OH 25 yard line. The second Eagle play of the series was an end around that went into the end zone. The Wildcats blocked the PAT kick, but it was still 41-21 with only 2:07 left in the game.

The Wildcats couldn’t do anything with their final possession and punted the ball away, then Arlington took a couple of knees to end the game, winning their homecoming 41-21.

5 video highlight clips are posted HERE.