LINCOLN — The Blackhawks and the Lincoln Wolves matched each others 4-0 records but it was the ’Hawks’ front four that had the biggest influence as Pea Ridge won the battle of unbeatens 35-9 on the road last week.
The ’Hawks piled up 171 yards in offense in the first half while limiting the Wolves to just 77. After climbing out to a 14-0 lead, the ’Hawk defenders came up big to keep the Wolves out of the end zone after Lincoln had got- ten a first down on the Pea Ridge 6. Four plays by Lincoln netted just three yards and that would be the last time that the Wolves would threaten the ’Hawks until after Pea Ridge put subs in after building a 35-0 in the third quar- ter. The ’Hawks then outgained Lincoln 132 yards to 25 yards in the fateful third quarter, scoring three times. The ’Hawks finished the game with 304 total yards.
“We did what we came to do,” coach Tony Travis said. “We knew we could not give them time to throw as they had a good passing game. Our front four played lights out and kept their offense bottled up most of the time. We got another great game from Winn and Easterling threw
very well.” All-State tailback Dayton Winn
would gain 149 yards on 21 car- ries in his two and half quarters of playing, scoring twice. Quar- terback Austin Easterling had his best outing throwing the ball, passing for three scores on 4 for 5 passing, netting 126 yards. East- erling also had 26 yards on five carries.
The ’Hawks offensive line started the game in fine stead as the running game averaged over 6 yards per carry in the games first five plays. Three runs by tailback Winn garnered 24 yards along with runs of 6 yards and 1 yard by fullback Dalton Morgan and quarterback Easterling. Fac- ing a second and short from the Wolves’ 39, the ’Hawks stopped themselves, however, as a mix-up in the play call knocked the ball loose and was recovered for a 5-yard loss. A booming 45-yard punt by Easterling pinned the Wolves back to the 2-yard line af- ter a swarm of ’Hawks got to the ball before it went into the end zone.
The ’Hawks held Lincoln af- ter an initial first down for the Wolves, and a shanked punt on fourth down gave the ’Hawks great field position on their own 44. A 6-yard run by Winn put the ball on the mid-field stripe and one play later, the offensive line opened a hole that Winn jetted through on his way to a 50-yard dash to the end zone, scoring untouched. Nick DeLeon’s extra point kick was good for a 7-0 lead with 5:02 left in the first quarter.
The fired up ’Hawks throttled the Wolves’ offense on the next series and got the ball back on their own 15 after a solid punt by Lincoln. From here, the ’Hawks would launch their longest drive ofthegame, marching85yards on 14 plays.
Easterling started things with a 3-yard run followed by runs of 2 and 11 yards by Winn for a first down on the ’Hawk 31. Morgan dove for a yard with Winn getting 4 more on the next carry. Facing third and 5, Winn broke through and struggled near the first down marker when a Lincoln defender pulled the senior down by his face mask. The 15-yard penalty tacked onto the run placed the ball first and 10 on the Lincoln 47. Morgan then ran for 4 with Winn bursting through for 10 more two plays later. Easterling picked up 12 on a keeper on the next play, then picked up four more to bring up a third and 4 situation. Easter- ling then went to the air, throw- ing for 11 yards to Braxton Caudill on the Lincoln 4. A pair of 2-yard bursts by Winn put the ball into the end zone with 7:45 left in the half. DeLeon’s second PAT kick pushed the score to 14-0.
The Wolves got a great re- turn on the kickoff to start in Pea Ridge territory at the 42. A 26-yard pass from the Wolves’ Harris to Handy netted 26 yards and a first down on the ’Hawk 16. Harris and tailback Simmons shot through for 5-yard gains and a first down on the Pea Ridge 6 to set the stage for the ’Hawks’ stand. Simmons ran for gains of 1 and 2 yards to face a third and 3. The third down run was snuffed out for no gain, and the ’Hawk defenders chased the Wolf quar- terback into making a forced pass that went uncaught through the end zone to end the threat.
Lincoln came out determined to stop the ’Hawks’ ground game in the second half, sending more defensive players forward. Easter- ling crossed them up by lofting a 49-yard bomb to Daniel Beard on the ’Hawks third play of the third quarter. DeLeon’s kick was again true as Pea Ridge expanded their lead to 21-0.
Lincoln felt compelled to go to the air but missed their first two passes on tight defensive play by the ’Hawks. A busted play al- lowed Harris to scramble 14 yards to near mid-field but they could go no further, facing fourth and 7 from the 50-yard line. The snap to the Wolves’ punter sailed over his head and the resulting melee allowed the ball to get kicked around until it was finally cov- ered on the Lincoln 19.
Winn ran for 2 then 13 yards to give Pea Ridge a first down on the Lincoln 4. A couple of runs went nowhere, but a third down pass from Easterling to Beard netted
5 yards and another touchdown. With DeLeon’s kick right down the middle, Pea Ridge emerged with a 28-0 lead with 5:01 left in the period.
Harris ran and passed the Wolves into Pea Ridge territory at the 49, but two errant passes left them with a fourth and 6 from the 49. With time running out and not willing to concede the game, the Wolves gambled on fourth down but lost, giving Pea Ridge excellent field position at mid-field. Winn broke loose for 15 yards but had the play erased on a holding call. The misfortune didn’t faze the ’Hawks as East- erling hit a streaking Jack Rapp who was running down the west sideline for a 61-yard touchdown play. DeLeon’s fifth straight good kick put the game away for the ’Hawks as the score initiated the mercy rule, which would allow the clock to run continually until the game’s end.
Coach Travis emptied the benches with the Wolves opting to leave their starters in for their homecoming game. The Wolves then proceeded to get a great kick return which was followed by three straight big yardage plays to put Lincoln on the ’Hawk 3.
Johnny Yang then punched in the score with 8:29 left in the game. The kick was good to thin the deficit to 35-7.
Pea Ridge lost yards on two plays but the biggest mistake was a bad snap which put the ball into their own end zone. Scram- bling ’Hawks managed to cover the ball, scoring 2 points for the Wolves on a safety with six min- utes left in the game, but avoiding the defensive touchdown.
The Wolves drove deep into ’Hawk territory in the game’s fi- nal series but ran out of downs on the Pea Ridge 10.
After the game, Lincoln football officials were impressed with the ’Hawks’ line play. The Wolves had a potent passing attack through their 4-0 run, but they could not mount a great challenge in the face of the ’Hawks’ persistent pursuit. They opined that the ’Hawks played as well as anyone they had seen play in a long time.
The other two undefeated 4A-1 teams, Farmington and Prairie Grove, were playing each other just seven miles from Lincoln. With Prairie Grove winning a tight contest, they joined the ’Hawks as the last two undefeated teams in the league.
The ’Hawks will test Gentry this week with Lincoln and Prai- rie Grove set to battle this Friday as well.