Arp wide receiver Michael Roberson (3) picks up yardage after a catch against Rogers on Friday night in Teague. (Vanessa E. Curry | Courtesy Photo

TEAGUE — The Arp Tigers capitalized on six turnovers Friday night at Lions Stadium to defeat Rogers, 52-20, in the area round of the Class 2A Division II playoffs. Arp recovered four fumbles in the first half en route to the victory.

Kyle Copeland and Mikechell Potts led the attack on offense, combining for 237 yards on the ground. Copeland ran for 122 yards on 20 carries. Potts added 14 carries and 115 yards rushing.

Despite punting on the first possession of the game, Arp forced Rogers to turn the ball over on downs.

Copeland found Mikechell Potts on the third play of the scoring drive for 35 yards. Marcalas Johnson found the end zone two plays later and a successful two-point conversion gave the Tigers an 8-0 lead.

Rogers posted its lone touchdown of the first half on the next offensive play. Cody Weir broke a run up the middle for a 61-yard score. The two-point conversion failed to make the score 8-6 Arp.

Arp scored its second touchdown later in the first quarter. Potts took a handoff 55 yards for the Tigers’ touchdown to push their lead to 18-6.

The Tigers began their turnover streak in the second quarter. Rogers put the ball on the ground four times in the quarter, and Arp responded by scoring a touchdown after each of them.

Copeland scored after the Eagles’ first fumble. He found Johnson on a 34-yard screen pass to move the ball into Rogers’ territory, and later scored from 4 yards out.

Arp took over three plays later at the Eagles’ 46-yard line. Potts moved the ball inside the 10 with a 19-yard run and scored three plays later on a 4-yard run.

Rogers fumbled on its next play, which Copeland followed with a 53-yard run on the Tigers following play. He also scored the third touchdown in the quarter on a 1-yard sneak.

The Eagles’ fourth turnover came on a screen pass and gave Arp the ball 46 yards from the end zone. A 37-yard pass to Rusty Pearce on a bubble screen advanced the Tigers inside the 5. Copeland scored two plays later to push Arp’s lead to 38-6.

Rogers opened the second half with a 12-play, 57-yard drive for a touchdown. Cody Richmond finished the drive with a 1-yard quarterback sneak. The Eagles scored their final touchdown later in the third quarter on a 58-yard run by Carson Skala.

Arp’s last touchdown also came in the third quarter. Copeland scored his fourth touchdown on a 14-yard run.

Copeland passed for 129 yards on six completions to add to his rushing total. Pearce caught two passes for 41 yards for the Tigers.

Skala led Rogers with 128 yards on 17 carries. Weir followed with 16 rushes for 113 yards. Richmond added 17 yards rushing and 26 yards passing on three completions. The Eagles end their season with a 10-2 record.

The Tigers’ area championship moves them to the regional round next week where they will face Corrigan-Camden. The Bulldogs defeated Centerville 22-14 Friday night.

Arp 52, Rogers 20

Class 2A Division II Area Playoff

At Lion Stadium, Teague

Rogers     6     0    14   0—20

Arp         16   28     8   0—52

First Quarter

ARP—Marcalas Johnson 3 run (run good), 5:44.

ROG—Cody Weir 61 run (pass failed), 5:33.

ARP—Mikechell Potts 55 run (run good), 2:00.

Second Quarter

ARP—Kyle Copeland 4 run (run good), 8:22.

ARP—Potts 4 run (run failed), 4:12.

ARP—Copeland 53 run (run failed), 3:49.

ARP—Copeland 1 run (pass good), :50.

Third Quarter

ROG—Cody Richmond 1 run (run good), 7:20.

ARP—Copeland 14 run (pass good), 4:50.

ROG—Carson Skala 58 run (run failed), 4:14.

                         ROG             ARP

First Downs         13             19

Rushes-Yards      50-305      45-277

Passing Yards     26             129

Comp-Att-Int      3-7-0         6-13-1

Punts-Avg.         0-0.0          3-23.67

Fumbles-Lost     4-4             0-0

Penalties-Yards  7-50           2-20

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING—Rogers, Carson Skala 17-128, Cody Weir 16-113, Ricky Campos 10-47, Cody Richmond 7-17. Arp, Kyle Copeland 20-122, Mikechell Potts 14-115, Marcalas Johnson 10-33, John Hawkins 1-7. 

PASSING—Rogers, Cody Richmond 3-7-0-0—26. Arp, Kyle Copeland 6-13-0-1—129.

RECEIVING—Rogers, Zach Fisher 1-13, Cody Weir 1-7, Ricky Campos 1-6. Arp, Rusty Pearce 2-41, Michael Roberson 2-19, Mikechell Potts 1-35, Marcalas Johnson 1-34.