ARLINGTON — The homecoming crowd was bustling as Arlington faced Snohomish on Sept. 28 for their homecoming game, finishing with an impressive 48-17 victory over the Panthers.

Arlington quarterback Skylor Elgarico was a force to be reckoned with, starting the game off with a 5-yard rushing touchdown. Elgarico ended up with 12 carries and a total of 140 yards. His first quarter score was followed up by two successful scoring throws in the second half.

John Decker also led the offense on the second drive, and with a lack of response from the Panthers’ defense, Arlington scored a touchdown from three yards out, giving the Eagles a 14-point lead in the first quarter alone.

The Eagles’ success in the second half was owed in part to simple mistakes made by Snohomish, including two fumbles in the third quarter and offensive weakness overall.

One of the most exciting moments of the game, especially for Arlington’s homecoming crowd, came when junior Jared Alskog returned the Panther kick-off for a touchdown from 90 yards, gearing up the fans in the second quarter.

“Jared Alskog had a 90-yard kickoff returned for a touchdown and that was right after they had scored their three points,” said AHS head coach Greg Dailer. “That was an impressive run.”

Overall Dailer is happy with his team’s success.

“There’s always a lot of distractions during homecoming so I was proud of them for focusing on the game,” he said. “John Decker had a great game, he rushed 172 yards with two touchdowns and 2-point conversion. Jayden Jira also had a great game as a receiver, and caught two touchdown passes.”

Dailer’ss only concern was with the passing game.

“We had a lot of opportunities to run the ball, but we had real trouble throwing in the beginning,” he said. “We were 3-for-9 in the first half, but we got better in the second and we were 6-for-8 with two touchdowns.”

The Eagles face Lake Stevens at home on Friday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m.

“With Lake Stevens our focus is to slow them offensively and keep moving the ball,” said Dailer. Arlington’s record sits at 1-0 league and 2-2 overall, while Lake Stevens’ record is 1-1 league and 3-2 overall.

The homecoming court made an appearance during half-time, including freshman princess Sevi Bielser, freshman prince Joshua Basher, sophomore princess Hannah Scarth, sophomore prince Quinn James, junior princess Jordan Adell, junior prince Albert Abes, senior princess Diamond Martin, senior prince Stephan Adams, senior queen Chelsea Wiersma and senior king Mario Mirante.