Arlee plays another close game before falling to Drummond

ARLEE - Arlee had a chance to down the Trojans with a pass to the end zone with 32.1 seconds left on the clock, but it fell incomplete and Drummond held onto a 28-22 victory over the Warriors last Friday. It was the second straight week where the game went right down to the wire for Arlee, who fell to 1-3 on the season.

"If the ball bounces our way, it could have been a different outcome," Arlee head coach Mike Rogers said. "If things go differently in our last two games, we'd be 3-2 and right in the middle of the hunt."

Arlee, playing against a perennial Class C powerhouse, showcased that they're a much better team than their record would indicate. Senior running back Zach Tameler was again an offensive force for Arlee, rushing for two touchdowns and collecting 140 yards on 29 carries. The Warriors showed just how dynamic their offense can be, as the normally tough as nails Drummond defense had to contend with several weapons in the Warriors backfield. Lane Wilson rushed for 51 yards on 12 carries while quarterback Cody Sheridan was 6-for-13 for 145 yards, five of those passes going to Christian Haynes for 135 yards.

"I feel very confident about our offense," Rogers said. "A lot of teams are going to be keying in on Zach, and if our offense is clicking, we'll move down the field."

The Warriors scored the opening touchdown of the game thanks to a nine-yard pass from Sheridan to Haynes, but Drummond gained a 12-8 lead at the half.

"He would play any position that I would ask him to," Rogers said of Haynes. "That kid just loves to compete and he's by far the toughest kid I know."

In the opening play of the fourth quarter, the Trojans punched it in to make it 20-8 and it looked like they might run away with the game. However, the Warriors never faltered. Their defense was impressive as Clayton Trimble recorded 13 tackles, three for a loss, recovered a fumble and had one sack. Brady Potts, who might be the most intimidating defensive lineman in Class C, had nine tackles with a sack, one interception and a batted ball.

"Potts is a very physical kid and he's very smart," Rogers said. "Clayton is very quick to the ball."

The Warriors scored on a 28-yard run by Tameler with 7:55 to go in the game to make it 20-16. While Drummond would extend their lead after just two plays on their next drive to 28-16, Arlee once again put the ball in the end zone with a seven-play drive that ended with Tameler punching the ball in from two yards out with 5:42 to go. It was set up by a 34-yard pass by Sheridan to Haynes to get into the red zone.

The Arlee defense held on Drummond's next drive, and then drove down the field for what could have been the game-winning touchdown but came up just a bit short.

"The Drummond safety made a heck of a play in the coverage," Rogers said.

Two things Arlee showed in this game - the impressive size of the team and their effort - should be a key factor in this Friday's game when they travel to Charlo for the Vikings' Homecoming.

"Charlo is a very, very complete football team," Rogers said. "Coach Krahn and Coach Petersen have that team clicking."

It should be a speed vs. size matchup and then you throw in the years of the Arlee-Charlo rivalry behind it, and this isn't a game you want to miss.

"I think our ballclub is a good ballclub and we'll going in there and we need to just come in a play our game and we'll see where the chips fall."