STAFF REPORTS
DOUGLAS — The Douglas Eagles came close to rewriting history Friday night, but the Arab Knights had other plans.
Despite leading 7-0 at halftime in a Class 5A, Region 8 showdown at Arthur Jarvis Stadium, the Eagles couldn’t hold off Arab in the second half, falling 21-14. The loss not only dropped Douglas to 3-3 (0-3), but also extended their winless streak against the Knights to 0-6 all-time.
Quarterback Baker Lyles gave the Eagles an early spark, punching in a 2-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to put Douglas in front. But Arab controlled the second half, scoring three straight touchdowns to flip the momentum.
In the third quarter, Luke Hudson tied the game with a 1-yard run, and quarterback Nic Stevens followed with a 4-yard scoring strike to Wesley Holland, sending the Knights into the fourth with a 14-7 advantage.
Stevens then added what proved to be the decisive blow, a 3-yard rushing touchdown with 3:21 remaining to stretch the Arab lead to 21-7.
Douglas made it interesting late, as Lyles connected with Keilan Green on a 78-yard touchdown pass with 2:17 left in regulation, but the Eagles ran out of time.
The Knights leaned on their ground game, finishing with 212 rushing yards compared to just 11 passing. Hudson powered his way to 113 yards on 26 carries, while Stevens added 76 yards on 13 attempts.
Douglas had its own offensive success, racking up 312 yards of total offense with a balanced attack. Lyles led the way with 97 rushing yards on 25 carries while throwing for 149 yards and a score. Green added 51 rushing yards on 13 carries and contributed two receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Arab’s defense proved to be the difference. Evan Jones snagged three interceptions, while the Knights forced four turnovers in all and came up with four fourth-down stops.
Douglas’s defense couldn’t force any takeaways, though it did stand firm on three Arab fourth-down tries.
The Eagles, who had snapped a two-game skid with a 41-7 win over New Hope last week, were chasing their first region win since October 2024. Instead, Arab (4-3, 3-1) got the bounce-back victory it needed after two straight losses to ranked opponents.
Next week, Douglas travels to Sardis (1-6) for another region contest.
