BENTON COUNTY — The year has very nearly come to a close and it’s at this time that a lot of folks think back over the past year and reflect on what was or what could have been. The year has indeed been one to remember for lots of reasons.

Though I am not sure of the past, at least in the recent past, there has not been a two-sport all-state athlete for quite some time. Now graduated Corey Trevathan earned that accomplishment, earning All-State honors in both basketball and baseball this past spring.

More a testament to his courage than his athletic ability was the incident at the end of the basketball season when Trevathan’s final seconds defensive rebound clinched a game for the ’Hawks. An opposing player threw Trevathan to the floor after the rebound, resulting in torn tissue in Trevathan’s knee, an injury most thought was serious enough to cancel out the remainder of his senior year athletics. Not only did he not miss the coming baseball season, he came back and played in the ’Hawks’ final basketball game less than two weeks after his surgery.

Other all-staters were two basketball Lady ’Hawks. Amy Simpson was named to the 4A Tournament All-State Team after she had a monster game against Waldron in the state tournament, a game lost by the ’Hawks in a closely fought contest. Ariel Billington was named 4A All-State Team for composite season statistics as she was a terrific scorer and rebounder. The Lady ’Hawks had the honor of advancing to the state tournament.

Coach Charley Clarke’s Blackhawks were and have been a power to be reckoned with ever since he inherited the job from now athletic director Larry Walker. The ’Hawks were stopped from making a trip to the state tournament last year by Dardanelle, but they are back this fall, better than ever with excellent chances to make it far intothe 2010 state tournament.

There is no limit to how far the ’Hawks can go if they can just make some more progress in a few areas.

The softball girls had one of their strongest teams ever. They missed advancement in the state tournament after losing 1-0 to Dardanelle, but the Lady Sand Lizards went on to win the 4A State Championship. A strong case can be made that Dardanelle’s toughest game enroute to their title was their battle with Pea Ridge. Brittany Morgan was named to the 4A All-State team.

Jessica Small scored for the Lady ’Hawks in the 4A State Track Championships with a fourth in the 400 meter dash.

The baseball boys didn’t make it to the state tournament in 2009, but anyone who has been passing the high school in the afternoon for the past couple of months may have noticed quite a few athletes running and generally working out on the football practice field. The U.S. Postal Service has nothing on the Blackhawk diamond athletes as they toil through the rain, the cold, the snow, the wind and the dark of night as they prepare for the 2010 season. I’m not much of a baseball prognosticator but anyone who puts as much work into what they do as what the baseball players are demonstrating, has just got to be successful.

This fall, while not compiling a winning record, the ’Hawks football team doubled their previous year victories with a 2-8 mark. New coach Tony Travis breathed some life back into the Blackhawk program after the past few lackluster years. A hands on kinda guy, Travis monitored and helped out with the junior high program and was seen on thesideline of the elementary games as the new ’Hawks field commander plans for future Pea Ridge success.

With the numbers of athletes going way up amongst the younger players and with gridiron excitement on the rise on all levels, it looks like the trail has been blazed for an emerging Pea Ridge program.

Girls volleyball made its debut this season although the Volley ‘Hawks won’t compete for conference or district honors until next school term. The new gym in the primary school has been a boon for the athletic program. With the high school gym, middle school gym, old gym and primary school gym in use, it is hard to think back to not that long ago when everyone had to use the same gym.

2010? It ought to be a good year, a better year, a successful year and a year to remember.

Former state champ back for a visit

The only Meet of Champions winner for Pea Ridge, Dianne (Miller) Holman was in Pea Ridge for a visit over the weekend. As a freshman Blackhawk in 2001, she was a state champion in the indoor mile and 2-mile, was state runner-up in cross country and the outdoor 1600, and was the state champ in the 3200 and went on to win the Overall 3200 meter championship in a fast time of 11:51.

Her family moved to Siloam Springs for her sophomore year and she wound up winning more state medals that any other distance runner in Arkansas history until Elkins’ Grace Heymsfield surpassed that mark recently. She went on to run at Delta State in Mississippi and got married a couple of years back.

She was visiting her parents, Jeff and Debbie Stokes. Her husband and her son, Bryson, a 3-monthold son, were also there.

Her husband was a collegiate football player and is a friend of Michael Oher, the subject of the blockbuster movie “The Blind Side.”

Sports, Pages 7 on 12/30/2009