Running back’s big night leads Arlington Heights in district opener
Adrian Robinson of Fort Worth Arlington Heights had a night to remember in Thursday’s District 7-5A opener.
The sophomore running back rushed for 161 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half, and Arlington Heights defeated Fort Worth Southwest 35-19 at Herman Clark Stadium.
Heights (3-1, 1-0 7-5A), which won its fourth consecutive meeting with Southwest (2-2, 0-1), scored on its first offensive play. After a Southwest punt, Robinson scored on a 52-yard run with 10:18 left in the first quarter.
The Raiders responded with 13-play drive, capped by a 14-yard touchdown pass from Octavio Martinez to Greg Mims, but the 2-point conversion was no good with 4:26 left in the first.
From there, it was all Robinson, quarterback Jaiden Zackery and Arlington Heights until halftime.
Robinson scored rushing touchdowns from 1, 3 and 1 yard out, and Zackery scored from the 4 to give the Yellow Jackets a 35-6 halftime lead.
Southwest ran 12 plays on its first drive of the third quarter and scored on an 11-yard pass from Martinez to Thomas Bonner with 1:29 left in the quarter. The Raiders added another score when Martinez connected with Missouri commit Rod Ford on a 31-yard pass with 2:48 left.
Arlington Heights, which entered with 351 yards rushing in three games, had 343 yards on 48 carries. Zackery had 94 yards rushing and one touchdown and Da’Jour Traylor added 86 yards.
Martinez was 21-of-34 passing for 172 yards and three touchdowns for Southwest. Ford finished with five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Prior to kickoff, three players from Arlington Heights took a knee during the playing of the national anthem. Players in several sports are protesting social injustice, racial oppression and police brutality in the United States.
This story was originally published September 22, 2016 at 10:29 PM with the headline "Running back’s big night leads Arlington Heights in district opener."