Fuquay-Varina football outlasts Holly Springs

When teams play Fuquay-Varina they pretty much know what’s coming — run after run after run. But knowing which run is going where is the key to stopping the Bengals’ option-based attack.

Holly Springs did as good of a job as any team has this season Thursday night, but it wasn’t enough as third-ranked Fuquay-Varina held on for a 16-8 Southwest Wake Athletic 4A Conference win.

After fullback Josh Arrington handled most of the rushing duties for nearly three quarters, wingback Colten Smith broke away on a 28-yard counter run for the game’s final score with 1:47 to play in the third quarter, breaking an 8-all tie. Smith also ran in the two-point conversion to boost an early lead to eight points.

The Bengals defense did the job the rest of the way, including on Holly Springs’ last possession when linebacker Austin Pluckhorn stepped in front of a Davis Ferguson pass at the 10-yard-line to end the Golden Hawks’ final drive.

“I saw the tight end just coming up the middle. I saw that quarterback looking at him and I just said, ‘This ball is mine,’” Pluckhorn said of the interception. “I’ve got to end this game for my team. … I’m speechless.”

The win moves Fuquay-Varina to 7-0 overall (3-0 SWAC), its best start this century. The Bengals were also 6-0 in 2009.

It is the first SWAC loss for 12th-ranked Holly Springs (4-3, 2-1) this season.

Turning point

Smith’s blasting run around the right side of the Bengal offense line and into the open field was one of few plays that piled up more than 10 yards on a night where both defenses played stellar.

They said it

“The defense read their keys; kept everything in front of them,” said Fuquay-Varina coach Jeb Hall. “The line was great, our linebackers read their keys well, did a heck of a job keeping (Tray Staten) in check.”

Three who mattered

Josh Arrington, Fuquay-Varina: In the first half, he drove the Bengals’ option-based offense. In the second half, he kept the focus of the Holly Springs defense on the middle of the field. He finished with 158 yards rushing on 24 carries.

Austin Pluckhorn, Fuquay-Varina: He typified the effort of the Bengal defense all night: almost always in position and able to make plays by himself, including the win-clinching interception with less than 30 seconds to play.

Davis Ferguson, Holly Springs: He scored the Hawks’ only TD and kept the offense moving in the fourth quarter when the Bengal defense started to take away the runs of Staten (23 carries, 89 yards).

By the numbers

0: Gains of 20 or more yards on a play by Holly Springs.

1: Turnover by both teams on a night perfectly made for multiple fumbles to be exchanged. Fuquay-Varina had five fumbles but only lost one of those.

2: Numbers of games and wins Fuquay-Varina has posted in the past four days.

“We were just so ready to get back on a normal schedule and not play on another Monday and mess up another week,” Hall said. “It gave Holly Springs one less day to get ready and I thought we responded to the challenge.”

41: Total points allowed by Fuquay-Varina in three conference games this season.

“Our line controlled theirs and they didn’t let them get to us linebackers,” Pluckhorn said of the key to the defensive effort. “They allowed us linebackers to run free.”

This story was originally published October 1, 2015 at 10:14 PM with the headline "Fuquay-Varina football outlasts Holly Springs."