Arlington Earns Gritty Win

Arlington High School's smashmouth style of football, personified by running back Michael Clarke, proved too much for Newton South's aerial attack Saturday, as the Spy Ponders held on to win their first game of the season 20-14 on the road.

Arlington coach Dan Hirsch said the Dual County League win felt great, especially coming back from a 2-8 season.

"I'm so proud of our guys," he said. "We really went through a lot last year."

Arlington's hard-nose style sealed the win in the second half, but Spy Ponders quarterback Mitch Cummings made it all possible in the first.

Cummings, a senior, rushed for 2 touchdowns and connected with tight end Rob Shea on another to put Arlington on top 20-0 early. Newton South quarterback Justin Klumpp then responded, hitting receiver Jeremy Lee for a 42-year touchdown and halfback Jerrett Atkinson for a 15-year score to cut the lead to 20-14 by halftime.

In the second half, Clarke, a junior, shifted field position and controlled the clock with 10 carries for 57 yards. Running backs Conor Duggan, Mitch Coiley and Jayson Witt, along with Cummings, also chipped in.

Newton South's offense did have fourth-and-inches at Arlington's 25-yard line with 3 minutes remaining, but an Arlington defense, which had been tough up front all day, plugged the gap and stopped a run for no gain, giving the ball back to their offense. Defensive lineman Zach Smiley made the pivotal play, while linemen Sean Fagan, Ben Childs and Rob Shea made a number over the course of the game.

Arlington's senior linebackers, Joe Keefe, Coiley and Duggan, also helped stop the run and deflected a number of passes against Newton South's spread offense.

After the fourth-down stop and ensuing Arlington drive, Newton South got the ball back with 30 seconds to play. Klumpp completed three passes to advance to Arlington's 38-yard line with 10 seconds left, but Spy Ponders defensive back Christian Sleeper intercepted a pass in the end zone to seal the win.

Arlington faces Burlington, of the Middlesex League, in its home opener at 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 18.