PEA RIDGE — Turnovers and a dominant Gentry line conspired to spoil the Blackhawks’ Homecoming game as the locals lost 24-7 in a 4A-1 contest.

“We got whipped up front,” coach Tony Travis said, “and we just couldn’t get any running room. Our backs ran hard but there was nowhere to run. Credit the Pioneers for having a great game plan.”

On the cold, damp night, turnovers were a big part of most of the scoring. While Pea Ridge took advantage of a Gentry fumble to lead to a score, the visitors had more chances resulting in more points.

The cross county affair definitely had a “Ramsey” flavor as three of the four touchdowns were scored by three different Ramseys, two from Gentry, one from Pea Ridge. Caleb Ramsey, Gentry signal caller, scored in the first half with his Pea Ridge cousin Tyler Ramsey scoring in the second half, as did Caleb’s brother Eathen Ramsey.

The game started out well for the ’Hawks. On their first possession, sparked by a 29-yard run by quarterback Ethan Rhine, the ’Hawks drove all the way to the Gentry 6-yard line where they had a first down. However, the Pioneers defensive line slammed the door on the drive, taking the ball on downs.

While the Pioneers did a good job denying the ’Hawks while on defense, Pea Ridge returned the favor, keeping Gentry off the scoreboard until the waning seconds of the first half. With the clock winding down in the half, the ’Hawks went to the air but were foiled when a tipped pass found its way into the hands of a Gentry defensive back. Gentry, which had no time outs remaining, quickly drove inside the ’Hawks’ 10-yard line. The Pioneers were greatly aided when the field referee, who had stopped the clock for an officials time out, failed to start it again until the next play, giving Gentry extra several seconds. Gentry made the most of it, with quarterback Caleb Ramsey scoring from the 1-yard line with five seconds left to break the 0-0 deadlock. The kick after was good, making the score 7-0.

On the third play of the second half, Gentry got a man wide open right up the middle on a passing play for a quick score as the Pioneers went up 14-0. A subsequent field goal further depressed the large home crowd as Gentry led 17-0 with time running out on the ’Hawks.

The ’Hawks first big break came with Scott Fisher came up with a fumbled punt recovery on the Pioneer 39-yard line. Rushes by Rhine and Tyler Ramsey drove the ball to the Pioneer 3-yard line where Ramsey punched it in. Rhine’s successful point after cut the lead to 17-7, giving the ’Hawks a flicker of hope for a comeback.

That slim hope was dashed when Gentry’s Eathen Ramsey, normally in the game as a defensive player, took a hand-off and burst up the middle for a 60-yard scoring jaunt, putting the game out of reach as the Pioneers led 24-7 with only five minutes left in the game.

“While I am disappointed with the game tonight, I am still heartened by the boys’ attitudes,” coach Travis said. “We are going to have a good program and we are making progress although tonight was not one of our better games.

“We will get after it Monday, as we still have a lot of football left in ’09.”

Sports, Pages 11 on 10/14/2009