PEA RIDGE — “We’ve got something to prove.”

So said head football coach Tony Travis, entering his second year as head Blackhawk football coach.

“We’re definitely a young team. We can be as good as we can be - we’ve got a talented bunch. Our goal - we’ve got something to prove.

“We’ve talked about that a lot in the weight room.

We’re better than what people are predicting. They haven’t seen what we’ve been doing.”

“We’ve got it,” Travis said, of his young team.

“It seems like, so far, with three weeks of pre-season camp, we’re not centered on one or two stars ... I feel like we’re a balanced team.”

The Pea Ridge Blackhawks have 40 players this year - 14 seniors, five juniors and 21 sophomores.

“There are 15 players coming back on the senior high team,” Travis said. A dozen players graduated last May.

Of the competitors in4A, other squads are larger, Travis said, with Gravette having 56 players, Farmington has 70 or more and Prairie Grove has more than 60. More players allows more opportunity to rotate players in and out allowing rest time between plays.

“With us having 40 this year, we’ll be able to rest the kids - platoon it a little, get deeper into the games.”

“I hope we’re growing in the football program at the same rate we’re growing as a school,” Travis said.

“Over the course of two-adays, we’re a stronger team. We’ve spent a ton of time in the weight room.

“I think our kids will handle themselves better. They have a better grasp of what we’re doing offensively,” hecontinued.

Travis has increased the time - and spirit of competition - in the weight room, adding monthly goals and records. He said that at least half of the team is now maxxing out at 200 pounds.

“Our kids have really bought into the weight room. We set records fromseventh grade up. It’s something to shoot for - we post the top 10 for linemen and backs and receivers.

It’s a little thing, but it’s not subjective,” Travis said of the reward system honoring the top weight lifters.

“We’re trying to make weight lifting important.

It’s tough to work through December, January andFebruary without it ... sometimes we run during the off season,” he said.

Travis plans a couple of junior varsity games during the season “for the guys who don’t get to play on Friday nights.”

“Football is the ultimate team game. You can’t do it without the other 10 guys.

“I don’t see that (ego)here. The team chemistry is very good. We play for each other, instead of ourselves.”

“Our goal will always be to be a playoff team.

Travis came to Pea Ridge from Fayetteville High School, where he spent three years, and was at Ramey Junior High for seven before that.

Sports, Pages 9 on 08/25/2010