Arlington Heights pulls away from Frisco Independence for first playoff win since 2014
When Arlington Heights fell behind 14-13 with 5:33 to play in the third quarter, the Yellowjackets didn’t panic.
The Jackets leaned on running back Brian Furch and got big plays from defensive back Keith Guidry to reel off 27 unanswered points on the way to a 40-21 victory over Frisco Independence in a Class 5A Division 2 bi-district playoff game Friday night at Farrington Field.
The playoff win was Heights’ first since 2014.
The Yellowjackets (10-1) will take on Canutillo (9-2) in the area round next Friday at Odessa’s Ratliff Stadium at a time to be determined. Canutillo defeated Amarillo Palo Duro, 28-0 on Thursday night.
Furch scored three of his five rushing touchdowns during the run while Guidry recovered a fumble deep in Knights territory and a loose ball on a kickoff at the Independence one-yard line.
Both recoveries led to touchdowns.
Furch, who scored on runs of 1, 1, 4, 6 and 41 yards, finished with 158 yards on 33 carries. Backfield mate Brandon Monroe carried 14 times for 83 yards and scored on a 14-yard run.
Heights’ quarterback Eric Orozco had a nice night completing 13 of 19 passes for 143 yards. His favorite target was Tymir Biscoe who hauled in 10 passes for 113 yards.
Heights built a 13-0 lead in the first quarter on a pair of touchdown runs by Furch.
Both times Orozco connected with Biscoe for 30 yards gains. Furch’s first score came from a yard out and put the Yellow Jackets up 6-0 with 5:49 to play in the first quarter.
Burch followed things up with a 6-yard touchdown run that gave Heights a 13-0 lead with 2:37 left in the first quarter.
The Knights’ lone score of the first half came with 30 seconds remaining before halftime when Matteo Quattrin hit Jake Simpson for a 7-yard score that cut Heights’ lead to 13-7. Independence’s scoring drive took 35 seconds and covered 64 yards in three plays.
Quattrin finished with 271 yards passing and three touchdowns. Simpson had touchdown catches of 7 and 2 yards. West, whose 60-yard touchdown catch put the Knights up 14-13, had a big night with four catches for 164 yards.
This story was originally published November 11, 2022 at 11:45 PM.