The Brush Arcs Friday night won in the stat book with more total yards as well as more offensive plays, but in the end it wasn’t enough as they fell for the second straight year to the Hoover Vikings, losing in Friday’s night opener 24-20.
The Arcs last season were 1-9, and coach Jeff Fink had stressed the importance of a fast start. Down 7-0 they scored 13 straight points before the Vikings were able to score with just :30 left in the first half to take a 14-13 lead into the locker room.
Trailing 17-13 after a field goal in the third quarter, the Arcs took a 20-17 lead after Christian Wright raced 80 yards to give the team the lead.
They held the lead till the 8:06 mark of the fourth quarter, when Nate George ran 20 yards for the game-winning score to put Hoover up for good 24-20.
The Arcs outgained the Vikings 322 to 153, and ran 55 plays to 46 for Hoover. One key number that didn’t go Brush’s way was that of turnovers, as the Arcs lost two fumbles and they were picked off twice.
Wright led the ground game for Brush, as he ran for 139 yards on 10 carries including the 80-yard score that gave Brush the lead in the third quarter.
Quarterback Thomas Loya was 10-for-25 for 80 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Aaron Murphy led the Arcs with five catches for 25 yards in the tough loss.
Vikings QB John Keller was 15-for-22 for 111 yards and a touchdown in the win. Hoover is looking to improve on their 2-8 record a season ago, with one of those two wins being against Brush.
The Arcs will look to even their 2016 record at 1-1 next Friday when they travel to Perry for a 7pm showdown with the Perry Pirates, who beat Brush last season in overtime.
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