Hard-nosed football gets Arlee a victory for homecoming
Junior Zach Tameler rushed for 216 yards against Noxon in Arlee’s homecoming game.
ARLEE - The Warriors were ready.
Scoring sixty points in their second-straight game, Arlee (3-2) won it's homecoming matchup against Noxon in convincing fashion, 60-26 last Friday. Their method of success? Hard-nosed football.
"If the line is giving you three to four yards every play, they're doing pretty good," Arlee head coach Scott Palmer said.
Behind a dominant offensive line, the Warriors amassed 453 yards on offense against Noxon, with junior running back Zach Tameler leading the way with 216 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.
"That's quite a feat that Zach was able to accomplish," Palmer said. "The blocks were there for him."
Noxon played Arlee tough in the first half, trailing only 14-6 as both teams went into the locker room. The close game wouldn't last long as the Warriors exploded for 30 points in the third quarter en route to the victory.
"We made some small adjustments at halftime," Palmer said. "And we got two lucky breaks in the third quarter."
Arlee drove 65 yards in their opening drive of the second half and senior quarterback Dylan Moran capped it with a short touchdown run near the goal line for the 20-6 lead with 8:19 to go.
Moran paid a price though, as he aggravated an ankle injury he had suffered in the previous game and had to sit out the rest of the night.
"Lets go Warriors," Moran yelled as he was helped off the field. He scored three touchdowns on the night.
With senior Dakotah Desjarlais stepping in as the full-time quarterback, the Warriors would recover the ensuing kickoff and score on a six-yard touchdown run by Desjarlais that put the Warriors up 28-6 with 5:19 in the third quarter.
"Dakotah did a great job," Palmer said. "It's nice to have him step up in the role."
Desjarlais had 27 yards on six carries and led the offense to five more scoring drives in the game. He was also a key player on defense as he had two interceptions and a forced fumble before the end of the night.
"Dylan is a great quarterback, I'm just glad I came out here and did what I did," Desjarlais said.