Aggies turn to passing attack early, overwhelm Wolves

After rolling up more than 600 rushing yards in its first two games, it was reasonable to expect No. 2 Arbor View to come to Basic on Friday and try to run over the Wolves.

And while the Aggies did roll up 309 yards on the ground, it was the surprise attack through the air that stung No. 10 Basic early and put Arbor View in control.

Quarterback Bryce Poster tossed a pair of touchdown passes in the first quarter to spark the Aggies to a 21-0 advantage, and Arbor View cruised to a 41-20 victory.

Poster, who had passed for only 74 yards in the first two games of the year, said Basic’s game plan on defense opened up the opportunity for the Aggies’ passing game to find success early on.

“We have been trying to open up the offense,” said Poster, who had 138 passing yards against the Wolves. “They were playing 10 in the box, so it was a really good opportunity.”

After Arbor View (3-0) ran on its first six plays, Poster’s first pass on first-and-goal at the 5-yard line struck paydirt, as he connected with a wide-open Mitchell Durkey to give the Aggies a 7-0 lead.

The wind then aided Arbor View’s efforts, as the next two Basic drives ended with high punts into the wind that each netted 4 yards.

The Aggies capitalized, as Herman Gray scored on a 7-yard run to cap a two-play drive. On the next play following the second short Basic punt, Poster hit Maurice Harvey down the seam for a 47-yard TD to put Arbor View ahead 21-0 with 2:42 left in the first quarter.

While Basic (2-2) was able to slow Arbor View’s offense somewhat in the second quarter, the Aggies went back to their bread and butter in the second half — pounding away with the running game.

“The whole thing about our offense is that we try to wear the defense down,” said Gray, who rushed for 108 yards and two scores. “And when the chance is there, we try to capitalize.”

One of those chances came on the first drive of the third quarter. Arbor View was facing third-and-15 at its own 24, with Basic looking to force a three-and-out and shift momentum. Instead, Charles Louch rumbled 75 yards to the 1, and Gray scored on the next play to expand Arbor View’s advantage to 28-0.

“It was a reverse left,” said Louch, who led Arbor View with 153 rushing yards on seven carries. “The hole opened up. I saw the seam and hit the hole, and it was off to the races.”

Basic did manage a late rally behind quarterback Aeneas McAllister, who threw second-half TD passes of 26 and 15 yards to Josh Villaros, and also rushed for a 1-yard score to help trim Arbor View’s lead to two scores.

But Louch broke off a 39-yard run for a TD in the fourth quarter to seal the win for the Aggies.