Ferndale rolls over Arlington in 3A Wesco North debut
The first Wesco bout for the Ferndale football team was a no contest, as the Golden Eagles defeated Arlington 41-0 on Friday, Sept. 23.
“We were looking to this one as our first chance to come down here and be a part of Wesco, and our kids did a great job of coming down here prepared to play,” Ferndale coach Jamie Plenkovich said.
The game’s start seemed to suggest that the matchup would be even, as Ferndale and Arlington exchanged three-and-out possessions, but Arlington could only bend so far before its defense was broken by Ferndale’s rushing attack and its 28-point second quarter.
“We came out with a fast start on both sides of the ball,” Plenkovich said. “Our defense put us in position to have a short field, and did a great job of eliminating their offense. Offensively our guys did a great job of making plays when plays were there to be made.”
Ranked fourth in Class 3A, the undefeated Golden Eagles (4-0) continue to dominate opponents.
Star of the game
Running back Ben Broselle was the star of Plenkovich’s wing-T offense. Broselle rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown and also caught a 38-yard pass from quarterback James Hinson.
Turning point of the game
Ferndale faced a third-and-10 on its third possession of the first quarter, when Arlington jumped offside. The Golden Eagles converted the resulting third-and-5 and would go on to score the first touchdown of the game, beginning a 41-point run.
Play of the Night
Hinson, Broselle and running back Justice Powell executed a reverse handoff, which Broselle turned into a 56-yard rushing touchdown. Ferndale returned to the play several times later in the game, but Arlington was able to contain them for minimal gains.
What it means
No longer the lone 3A team in the Northwest Conference, as they had been for the past four years, Ferndale’s dominance proves that it is right where it belongs in the 3A Wesco-North.
Ferndale | 7 | 28 | 6 | 0 | — | 41 |
Arlington | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
First quarter
FER — James Hinson to Jacob Kildall 14 y TD PASS (Patrick Hegarty Kick)
Second quarter
FER — Cole Semu 10 y RUSH TD (Hegarty Kick)
FER— Ben Borselle 56 y TD RUN (Hegarty Kick)
FER — Justice Powell 1 y TD RUN (Hegarty Kick)
FER— Hinson to Watiko Leighton 8 y TD PASS (Hegarty Kick)
Third quarter
FER — Powell 8 y TD RUN (No Kick)
Fer | Arl | |
First downs | 20 | 12 |
Rushing Att-yards | 45-310 | 16-68 |
Comp-Att-Int | 5-6-0 | 13-28-2 |
Passing yards | 73 | 130 |
Penalties-yards | 3-35 | 4-28 |
Fumbles-lost | 1-1 | 1-1 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING — Ferndale: Cole Semu 14-80, Ben Broselle 10-133, Justice Powell 11-72, Gabe Zwade 6-18, Jaden Schwartz 2-4, Carson Moyes 2-3. Arlington: Trevor Krazen 1-0, Devon Nutter 2-6, Cooper Cummings 1-(-6), Gabriel Green 4-18, Campbell Hudson 4-11, Tallen Williams 4-39.
PASSING — Ferndale: James Hinson 5-6-0-73. Arlington: Hudson 11-26-2-113, Anthony Whitis 2-4-0-17.
RECEIVING — Ferndale: Powell 2-13, Jacob Kildall 1-14, Broselle 1-38, Watiko Leighton 1-8. Arlington: Devon Nutter 2-(-1), Cooper Cummings 4-30, Christian Wahldal 3-24, Kazen 2-36, Williams 2-41.
This story was originally published September 23, 2016 at 10:24 PM with the headline "Ferndale rolls over Arlington in 3A Wesco North debut."