Smith, Aggies top Gators
Junior running back Anthony Smith racked up 139 yards on 14 carries Friday to help second-ranked Arbor View start strong and hold on for a 28-19 victory over visiting Green Valley.
Jimmie Finister ran for a 57-yard touchdown on Arbor View’s second play, helping the Aggies (2-0) dominate the first half.
Touchdown runs from Ricky Clark and Larry Norman, and a scoring pass from Rasheem Parks to Rasheed Parks helped Arbor View build a 28-7 halftime lead.
But the Aggies’ offense went to sleep in the second half, allowing Green Valley (0-1) to make it close.
“It was almost like two different games,” said Arbor View coach Dan Barnson. “We came out strong in the first half, then I think we got a little overconfident at halftime.”
Green Valley, which got a 3-yard scoring run from Gino Jonassanit late in the first half, cut the deficit in the second half with a 30-yard TD pass from Kyler Chavez to Quintin Kohorst, and a 12-yard scoring run by Christian Lopez to make it 28-19 with 7:24 remaining.
But a late interception by Finister helped secure the Aggies’ win.
“We battled through adversity tonight,” said Barnson, who felt his squad learned some hard lessons. “I think in the long run, this game is going to help us.”
Finister helped the Aggies with 109 yards on nine carries, and Norman rushed 15 times for 94 yards.
Chavez completed 14 of 20 passes for 127 yards to lead Green Valley.