Ground-and-pound
Warriors manhandle Cardinals in 28-8 victory
ALMA - Facing what was likely a must-win situation to keep playoff hopes alive, the Arapahoe football team delivered Friday with a 28-6 win at winless Alma, stopping a two-game skid and getting back to .500 at 3-3.
The Warriors dominated with defense and got a big special teams play to spark a lead in the second quarter.
After Alma had taken the lead midway through the second, Reilley Einspahr returned the ensuing kickoff 62 yards to put the Warriors in front for good. From there, the Warriors defense took care of the rest.
Arapahoe surrendered just 79 yards of offense in the game and just the one score, a touchdown with about six minutes until halftime for an 8-6 lead.
But Einspahr made that lead short-lived, then the Warriors punched in another score just seconds before halftime when Nolan Meyers found paydirt on an 8-yard run for a 20-8 lead at the half.
The two teams exchanged fruitless possessions through much of the second half as the Warriors again struggled to convert on third and fourth down.
Arapahoe was just 3-for-11 on third down and 0-for-7 on fourth. Alma finished 2-for-16 on third down and converted one of six fourth down chances.
The Warriors did crack the end zone one final time with three minutes left in the game when Keegan Benson, who led the team with 88 yards on 18 carries, dove in for his only score from a yard out to push the lead to 28-8.
Arapahoe rushed for 182 yards and had three others besides Benson with more than 30 yards on the ground, including 45 from Wyatt Jenkins, 38 from Tristian White and 30 from Meyers. Through the air, White completed 2 of 8 attempts for 38 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown to Meyers that opened the game's scoring in the first quarter.
Defensively, Einspahr dominated with 10 total tackles, including a season-high 4.5 for loss for the Warriors. Benson and Levi Kerner each had 2.5 tackles for loss and Jordan Smith and Cord Frink each had another. Smith was second on the team with six total tackles and Kerner and Meyers had 5.5 and 4.5, respectively. Meyers also had an interception.
Arapahoe has another huge game Friday in its final home game against Betrand (3-3). The Vikings have lost two-straight in heartbreakers to Hi-Line and Southern Valley.
