[By Anthony Hawthorne, Special to ETSN.fm]

LONGVIEW -- One District 8-3A opponent down, one to go.

Waskom overcame a second-half deficit, thanks to an impressive night from Chan Amie, and took down district foe Arp, 35-18, at Pirate Stadium in Longview for its 28th consecutive victory.

The Wildcats advanced to face West Rusk, whom they defeated 40-0 in Week 9, next Friday night at Lobo Stadium in the Class 3A Division II state quarterfinals.

Arp (7-6) ended a season that included a six-game winning streak to get into the third round of the playoffs after a 1-5 start to the season.

Chan Amie was a monster for the Wildcats, rushing for 193 yards and four touchdowns, to go along with a sack and a handful of tackles for loss.

The senior seemingly had a hand in what seemed like every play, constantly putting pressure on the quarterback on defense, while punishing the Tigers defense running the ball straight up the middle.

Despite the three-possession point differential to end the game, it was a tight one until late in the third.

After a Kayce Medlock score just before the half cut the score to 14-12, the Tigers got the ball back to start the second half.

It looked similar to the first half for Arp, who moved the ball effectively through the first two quarters.

A six-play 69-yard drive, all on the ground, was capped when Medlock got his second score of the night around the right end for 41 yards and an 18-14 lead for Arp.

The Tigers struggled with their two-point attempts, failing to convert any of their three tries.

Waskom, aided by a Arp penalty, moved the ball to midfield, but Demarvion Overshown leveled quarterback Dylan Harkrider, forcing a fumble that Cody Blair pounced on.

Arp appeared to have all the momentum and in prime position for an upset, but two plays later it all went away.

Julian Herndon fumbled on second-and 6-and Amie landed on it fora play that would turn out to be huge.

From that point it was all Waskom. The Wildcats moved the ball on the ensuing possession 63 yards in seven plays, six of those Amie carries, including the 14-yard score that capped the drive and gave the Wildcats a 21-18 lead.

“They had a great scheme against us,” Waskom coach Whitney Keeling said. “We had to go in at halftime and make some adjustments. We thought our offensive line and fullback would be a big part of it, and it was in the second half.”

Arp’s next two possessions ended in punts and the Waskom offense got rolling.

A 10-yard run from Amie and a 17-yard gain from Logan Hughes after a fumble that popped right to him moved the ball to the Tigers' 13-yard line. Amie moved them to the 1 and Harkrider punched it in a play later.

Harkrider was the second-leading rusher for Waskom on the night, picking up 35 yards on 11 carries.

The Wildcats forced five negative plays on the Tigers' final four possessions of the game, limiting them to minus-13 yards from the 8:10 mark of the third quarter on.

Amie got his final score of the night on a six-minute drive where he carried the ball on eight of the last 10 plays, accumulating 47 yards and a 1-yard score.

Arp’s final drive ended at midfield after a sack and a pair of incompletions.

After putting up 167 yards in the first half, the Tigers were limited to just 63 after the break.

“We made some adjustments and we expected it to work, but it didn’t on that opening drive,” Keeling said. “Sometimes its not so much the scheme as it is the players. We missed some tackles on that scoring play. They had a great scheme for us, I just think our kids outperformed theirs toward the end there.”

Medlock lead the way for Arp, picking up 60 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries. Isaiah Baker added 50 yards and Julian Herndon finished with 49.

Waskom now prepares for another familiar foe in West Rusk with a trip to the state semifinals on the line.

“We played them the first time in a driving rainstorm,” Keeling said. “They’re a really good football team and we’re gonna have to have a great week of practice to prepare for them. It’s gonna be a war Friday night.”

Waskom built a quick lead on the game's opening possession.

A 24-yard return by Amie set the Wildcats up at midfield. Facing fourth-and-5, Amie took it up the middle to the house from 45 yards out for an early 7-0 lead.

Arp put together its own quick drive, aided by a big 45-yard carry from Baker that moved the ball to the Waskom 10-yard line. On fourth down, Herndon took the snap and while taking a big hit from Amie, pitched it to Medlock who hit Kaleb Cabello wide open in the end zone.

The Wildcats added to their lead early in the second quarter on a drive that featured a heavy dose of Amie. His fourth-down carry of seven yards moved the ball to the 6, and two plays later he was in the end zone for a 14-6 lead.

Waskom couldn’t take advantage of a fourth down stop by the defense, as the offense quickly went three-and-out to set up a Tiger score.

A lucky break helped move the drive along as Tyler Stewart’s pass was deflected by Waskom’s Lucas Norton right into the hands of Jacob Birdsong who took it to the 2-yard line.

Medlock found the end zone on the next play, but the two-point attempt failed, leaving a 14-12 halftime deficit.

Waskom 35, Arp 18

Class 3A Division II Regional
At Pirate Stadium, Longview

Waskom   7   7   7   14  --  35
Arp           6   6   6     0  --  18
First Quarter
WAS – Chan Amie 45 run (Victor Tapia kick), 10:58
ARP – Kaleb Cabello 8 pass from Kayce Medlock (conversion failed), 8:05
Second Quarter
WAS – Amie 2 run (Tapia kick), 9:36
ARP – Medlock 2 run (conversion failed), 2:16
Third Quarter
ARP – Medlock 41 run (conversion failed), 9:15
WAS – Amie 14 run (Tapia kick), 5:14
Fourth Quarter
WAS – Dylan Harkrider 1 run (Tapia kick), 11:39
WAS – Amie 1 run (Tapia kick), 4:29

                                 WAS        ARP
First Downs               15            9
Total Yards                 275          230
Rushes-Yards            52-266     40-165
Passing Yards            9              65
Comp-Att-Int              1-5-0       3-9-0
Penalties-Yards          4-20         5-50
Fumbles-Lost             2-1           3-2
Punts-Avg                  2-38         3-30

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Waskom, Kaleb Haynes 4-(minus-8), Chan Amie 28-193, Lucas Norton 4-8, Dylan Harkrider 11-35, Keileon Johnson 3-2, Logan Hughes 1-17. Arp, Tyler Stewart 14-6, Isaiah Baker 8-50, Kayce Medlock 6-60, Julian Herndon 12-49.
PASSING – Waskom, Harkrider 1-5-0--9. Arp, Medlock 1-1-0--8, Stewart 2-8-0--57.
RECEIVING – Waskom, Eric Stephens III 1-9. Arp, Kaleb Cabello 1-8, Jacob Birdsong 1-47, Tommy Reese 1-10.

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