Arlee mounts furious fourth- quarter comeback against Noxon

NOXON - Going into the fourth quarter against Noxon, the Arlee Warriors were looking at a 34-18 deficit on Friday night.

No problem.

The Warriors scored 14 unanswered points behind their fast-paced offense and almost pulled off the comeback, but fell 34-32 to move to 1-3 on the season.

"We didn't give them any points," Arlee head coach Mike Rogers said of the last stanza. "They stiffened up the defense in that fourth quarter."

Rogers said that the real factor in the game was turnovers - seven of them - that put Arlee at a disadvantage.

"That's what hurt us," he said. "That's a backbreaker."

Still, the Warriors' heart and hard play kept them in the game, and they had a chance to score with less than a minute to go at the four yard line. However an interception in the endzone dashed the chances of a complete comeback for Arlee.

While it didn't turn into a victory, it sure said a lot about the fight in the team.

"Everybody came out to play," Rogers said. "We just couldn't hold onto the ball."

Arlee's offense, which has rolled before this season, shows positive signs and if they can cut down on the turnovers, there should be more W's in the future.

"We run the wristbands and we call the plays in from the sideline," Rogers said. "It's not a no-huddle offense but we try to keep the ball rolling and keep the tempo moving."

Arlee now has a very important game against Drummond this Friday at home.

"We need to win this game if we want to keep our playoff hopes alive," Rogers said. "I think it just comes down to if the kids will be ready."

If the Noxon game was any indication, the Warriors shouldn't be counted out at any point.