Double-wing sends Aggies soaring over Wildcats

Arbor View could not have executed its offense much better than it did in the second half on Friday at Las Vegas.

The No. 8 Aggies used their double-wing set to grind out a pair of long, clock-consuming touchdown drives on their way to a 36-22 road win over the sixth-ranked Wildcats.

After Las Vegas tied the game with an early score in the third quarter, Arbor View embarked on a 13-play, 80-yard drive that ate up 7:10 and gave the Aggies the lead for good.

Arbor View (3-1) then forced a quick Wildcats punt and padded the lead with a 14-play, 67-yard drive over the next 7:04.

“That’s kind of what we’ve been doing all year. I think we’ve had close to a dozen of those types of drives,” Arbor View coach Dan Barnson said. “That’s what we do. Four or five yards a carry and keep wearing them down.”

Jacob Speaks ran for 125 yards and two scores and Anthony Smith added 93 yards for the Aggies. Herman Gray capped the third-quarter scoring drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. Speaks ran in the score on the second long drive.

Las Vegas (3-2) responded with a 13-yard run by Andrew Moreland and still had 5:21 to play, trailing by just seven points. The Wildcats couldn’t get a stop, however, after failing to recover an onside kick. Speaks scored from 37 yards out to seal the victory.

“We had stopped them a few times in the first half, but we just couldn’t get a stop in the second half,” Las Vegas coach James Thurman said. “I don’t know if we wore down or what, but they did some good things in the second half. They’re a good team and they were just a little bit better than us tonight.”

Moreland rushed for 216 yards and a touchdown for the Wildcats. Aaron Zanin-Banks caught 11 passes for 110 yards and a score.

Arbor View opened the game with a 13-play drive and grabbed the lead on a 10-yard run by Devon Turner. The Aggies offense failed to score again in the first half, however.

Las Vegas came right back down the field and scored on a 33-yard pass from Trevor Swenson to Aaron Zanin-Banks, but the extra point was missed. The Wildcats took their only lead of the game by blocking a punt through the end zone after forcing a three-and-out on Arbor View’s next possession.

The Aggies were able to grab a halftime lead when Smith grabbed a tipped ball out of the air and ran it back for a 56-yard interception return early in the second quarter.

Arbor View, which completed just 1 of 4 passing attempts, was coming off a disappointing 7-0 loss to Legacy last week.