Arcs Rumble to Homecoming Victory
By Tyler Johnson ('16)
Thanks to another record-setting game for running back Christian Wright, who stuffed the stat sheet with 398 yards and six touchdowns on 33 attempts, the Arcs were able to pick up a 48-35 victory against Riverside in Brush’s homecoming game.
The Arcs improve to 3-4, and 3-1 in the conference, while the Beavers drop to 3-4, and 1-3 in the conference.
On this game and his overall season, Wright said “It just feels surreal… I just want to do it for my team and change the culture at Brush around… I want to go to the playoffs, that’s the main goal.”
Along with Wright’s huge game, the secondary of the Brush defense had a big night, totaling three interceptions. On their impact towards the win, cornerback Khalail Mitchell said “It’s a team win, I’m proud of my boys, and I’m proud that we got the win.”
With game being the one that started homecoming weekend off, the team was extremely excited to get the victory in front of the school. Christian Wright said “This felt terrific, this was a must win for our school.” Cornerback Lloyd McFarquhar added “It just feels good…This win doesn’t just help the team; it helps the community.”
Brush got off to a slow start, as the opening Arc possession ended with an interception and led to Riverside jumping out to a 7-0 lead. The Arcs would not respond until the start of the second quarter, when Wright ran 58 yards to tie the game up.
Later in the game, Joe would throw another interception, but the defense would have his back, as Tyrin Miles would get his first pick of the year. When asked about that moment, Miles said “My first pick felt great…The secondary just invited me to the island, we got the win, it just feels so good.”
Brush would capitalize on the Miles pick with another Wright touchdown. However, a bad snap on the extra point only allowed the Arcs to make the game 13-6. Brush would add on more points thanks to an 81 yard run from Christian. On the play of his running back this season, Coach Fink said “Well, he’s pretty good… he’s been reliable… he’s been playing well and Northeast Ohio’s starting to find out how good Christian Wright is.”
However, the Beavers would not give up, as they would respond with their own touchdown to make it a 20-14 game. After Brush fumbled the resulting kickoff, Riverside was threatening to cut into the Arc lead some more before halftime, but were stopped in their tracks by a Quentin Woodall interception in the end zone to finish the half and keep the score 20-14. On his interception, Woodall simply had this to say “Picks all day!”
At the start of the second half, Brush would make an empathetic statement, picking off the Beavers for the third time in the game, this one caught by Lloyd McFarquhar. On his pick, McFarquhar said “It’s a good feeling, being able to help the defense out.” The Arcs would capitalize on the turnover with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Joe to Donavan Johnson, making the score 27-14. However, Riverside would respond with their own huge touchdown, this one a 64-yard rush to make it 27-21 in favor of Brush heading into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Brush and Riverside would exchange scores to see who would secure the victory. The Arcs would start off the quarter with Wright’s fourth touchdown of the game. They would also go for and convert the extra point, making the score 35-21. Riverside still had fight in them, as they would have a huge return on the kickoff, and that led to another rushing touchdown for the Beavers.
The Arcs would respond with Christian’s fifth touchdown, this one 40 yards. However, Riverside would answer back with another touchdown, making the score 42-35. But, Wright would put the game away with his sixth touchdown of the game, this one a 60-yard dagger. On this huge final run, Wright said “Usually at the end of the games, teams just give up and think it’s over… I like to just give them the dagger and end the game for sure.”
The Arcs’ next game is on the road against the 3-4 Eastlake North Rangers. When talking about the team Brush faces next week, Coach Fink said “I expect another slug out… I expect another physical football game… All I hear about is how big they are, so we’ll have to be ready for that.” Hopefully the Arcs can keep this momentum rolling and get a huge road win to keep their playoff hopes alive.