Arlington Bowie defense comes up big in second half, tops Martin
Arlington Bowie was 5-of-5 on fourth-down conversions, and none was bigger than Donoven Davenport’s quarterback keeper on fourth-and-1 at the Arlington Martin 36-yard line with 1:13 to play
Davenport gained 2 yards for the first down, putting the stamp on Bowie’s 12-10 victory over Martin in a District 4-6A opener at UTA Maverick Stadium on Friday night.
Thought there would be more points, but I’m proud of them because they did what people said they couldn’t do.
Arlington Bowie coach Danny DeArman
The Volunteers improved to 4-0 overall, their first 4-0 start since 2008. It was Bowie’s first win over Martin since winning the district title in 2012.
“Thought there would be more points, but I’m proud of them because they did what people said they couldn’t do,” Bowie coach Danny DeArman said.
Trailing 10-6 at halftime, Bowie forced a punt on Martin’s first possession of the second half.
The Volunteers took the lead for good three plays later on the ensuing drive when Davenport threw a short pass to Braydon Johnson, who did the rest on an 88-yard touchdown pass-and-run with 8:53 left in the third.
From there, Bowie’s defense held Martin, which lost its first district game since 2013 (a 16-game winning streak).
“That’s a great program over there, and the kids fought hard on both sides — a lot of heart,” DeArman said.
Bowie, which entered the night first in total offense and total defense among 4-6A teams, gained 312 yards of offense, led by Davenport, who threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns on 13-of-26 passing.
Branden Ellis added a game-high 103 yards rushing on 20 carries for the Volunteers.
They did what they had to do. Took care of responsibilities and gave us a chance to win. They trusted each other, we’re a family.
Danny DeArman
Bowie held Martin to 82 yards rushing and 182 yards of offense. The Volunteers held Martin to minus-9 yards rushing and 72 total yards after halftime.
“They did what they had to do,” DeArman said. “Took care of responsibilities and gave us a chance to win. They trusted each other, we’re a family.”
The Warriors (1-3, 0-1) forced a three-and-out on the first possession of the game, and scored on the ensuing drive. Patrick Grady’s 26-yard field goal was good with 7:23 left in the first.
Martin added a 4-yard touchdown run by Tre Henderson for a 10-0 lead with 4:31 left in the second. Henderson finished with 71 yards on 10 carries.
Bowie answered just before the half with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Davenport to Kobe Daniels.
This story was originally published September 23, 2016 at 11:05 PM with the headline "Arlington Bowie defense comes up big in second half, tops Martin."