Jared Arntzen was thrilled back in late August when Blue Ridge started camp. The Georgia product who’d filled a gap on the line for an undersized Barons squad in 2011 was going to get his chance to take a couple of steps back and carry the ball after an infusion of talent up front.
Saturday afternoon, Arntzen made good on the move, running for a pair of touchdowns as part of a multi-faceted power run game that made all the difference in a 41-14 victory over North Cross that pushed Blue Ridge to 3-0 on the year.
“Our line this year has been great,” Arntzen said. “They just got some great surges. I was excited to have my first two touchdowns all behind that great positive surge from the line.”
Arntzen pointed to captain Sam Kalinski as a cornerstone up front, and the unit has clearly made strides in the short time the Barons have been together, opening up big gashes for the ground attack.
The Barons’ top three running backs, Shawn Steen, Cody Pegram and Arntzen combined for 211 yards and four touchdowns. With Arntzen brining the power, Steen the speed and Pegram a combination of both. Pegram was quick to credit the line too, but he showed an ability to get loose in the secondary as well as get the tough yards, including converting a fourth and one inside the North Cross five yardline. He pounded it in a play later to pull the Barons within a touchdown late in the first half.
“Once I get past the line I’m looking to make contact and keep going,” Pegram said. “I’m not really looking to juke anyone, I’m looking to run somebody over but we’re only as good as our line.”
Blue Ridge also overcame some adversity, as the Barons refused to lose control after going down 14-0 to the Raiders. Instead, they stayed with the game plan on offense and stepped up the defensive effort. That allowed them to cut the lead on Pegram’s score just before the break and then grind out a 57-yard, 11-play drive to start the second half that tied it up at 14-14.
The authoritative run game forced North Cross to load up against the Barons and created one-on-one coverage on the edge for wide receiver P.J. White. White capitalized with a pair of long catches down the sideline. The first came on the 57-yard drive with the Barons facing third and 21 and went for 33 yards. The second came after Arntzen’s second touchdown that gave the Barons the lead. On the play right after North Cross turned the ball over on a failed fourth down, White leapt for a jumpball tossed by Tristan Allen and hauled it in for a 56-yard touchdown. Just like that the Barons were up 13 and in complete control.
“The first half was a bit ugly trying to get the run established — they were getting a lot of penetration,” said Blue Ridge coach Orlando Patterson. “But after awhile it just came down to basic football.”
Tyler Pace and Steen capped the scoring, with Pace picking off a desperation lateral attempt by North Cross’ Max Revercomb early in the fourth quarter. Pace snagged the loose ball and raced 93 yards for the touchdown, down the Barons’ sideline. Pace is a lacrosse star who is learning football on the fly, but his athleticism allowed him to make the early impact.
“He’s learning on the fly — we put him in a helmet a couple of weeks ago and he’s just trying to pick up as much as he can,” Patterson said. “Having an athlete of his caliber really helps our football team.”
Blue Ridge’s Ryan Etheridge had a pair of back-to-back sacks at the end of the first half to close out a North Cross drive.
Blue Ridge has a short week to prepare as the Barons face Covenant Thursday afternoon in a cross-county battle.
