Arbor View runs by Spring Valley

Make it eight in a row for the Arbor View Aggies.

For the eighth straight year, the Aggies have advanced to the second round of the Class 4A Sunset Region playoffs after pounding Spring Valley 56-12 on Friday night.

“We have to keep fine-tunin’, keep reppin’ the basics,” Arbor View head coach Dan Barnson said. “We’re not going to change anything. We’re not going to do anything differently. We played Legacy a couple weeks ago and it was a battle. We know they’re going to bring it.”

On Friday, the Aggies (9-0) got off to a fast start when quarterback Dillon Cowan connected with Jaquan Hannie early in the first quarter on a 33-yard touchdown pass to take a 6-0 lead over the Grizzlies, the fourth seed from the Southwest League.

Spring Valley (5-5) answered back when quarterback Sylo Staton scored on a 37-yard quarterback draw to tie the score at 6-6. Staton used the draw play effectively on the drive to take his team 65 yards on 11 plays.

“That quarterback draw killed us because we sent too many people on that one play,” junior linebacker J.J. Tuinei said. “We made the adjustment of having at least one of the backers staying for him and that was it. He didn’t run the ball anymore.”

After that, it was all Arbor View. The Aggies regained the lead on their next possession when senior running back Deago Stubbs scored the first of his three touchdowns on a 60-yard run. Arbor View added 28 second-quarter points to take a 42-6 lead into halftime.

The Aggies’ defense adjusted and stuffed the quarterback draw. Arbor View held Spring Valley to 100 yards of total offense, sacking Staton six times and recording four tackles for loss. Barnson praised Tuinei as the team’s defensive leader who helped shut down the Grizzlies after their initial drive.

“JJ is our leader on defense. He makes the calls even before the coaches make the calls,” Barnson said. “He’s a student of the game, and we appreciate that of him. All the kids know it, too. The kids respect him because he works hard and that’s all we ask. We ask kids to work hard and the others will follow. JJ is a true example of that.”

Stubbs led all rushers with 119 yards and three touchdowns on 4 carries – all in the first half.

“Deago is a special kid. He makes things happen,” Barnson said. “He’s got a lot of kids in front of him that allow him to do that. It’s not just Deago, and he knows that and all the other kids know that as well.”