PEA RIDGE — A couple of years ago, Pea Ridge played host to Ozark in the first meeting between the two schools.
Both teams were coming in with losing records and both teams sported sophomore-dominated line-ups.
The Hillbillies got ahead early and were nursing a 14-12 lead late in the game.
The ’Hawks were driving with quarterback Austin Easterling doing a masterful job of both running and throwing the ball. The ’Hawks had just crossed mid-field and were threatening to take the lead and the game. At that point, one of the Billy defenders grabbed Easterling and in a move probably taught in karate or Kung Fu schools, he flipped the ’Hawk signal caller over an extended knee and then slammed him head first into the turf, resulting in a concussion.
That sort of move would get a player ejected in the NFL but the high school refs here that night didn’t see any thing wrong with it. The concussion took Easterling out of the game with the result that Ozark won the contest. The victory led to a string of wins that led Ozark to the playoffs where they won a couple more to stake their claim to being perhaps the best young team in the state. The ’Hawks didn’t win again that year.
Last season, the juniordominated ’Hawks made great strides and just barely missed making the playoffs. Ozark went on to win the conference and grab the No. 1 seed for the playoffs, a situation that would lend itself well to helping Ozarkget into the semi-finals.
Then something happened.
Dollarway, the state’s actual second best team after Pulaski, got caught with ineligible players.
Dollarway then had to forfeit some victories which dropped their seeding all the way down to fifth in their league. That leagues’ fifth seed played the first seed from our conference in the opening round in 2011 - Ozark.
In a very close game, Ozark lost to Dollarway, a team which fought all the way to the state finals, where they lost to Pulaski.
Had Dollarway not been penalized, they would have probably had to play Pulaski in the semi-finals. Had Dollarway not been penalized, it very well may have been that Ozark would have been playing for the state title last year. Dollarway’s infractions ended up helping them and harming the Hillbillies, who had done nothing wrong of course.
Fast forward to 2012, many were picking Ozark to defend their league title since the great majority of players were back. Prairie Grove was also picked high as they are always competitive and could win in almost any given year.
After three smashing victories to begin the 2012 season, Ozark fell flat against Prairie Grove and lost theiropener 30-6 in conference action. Still highly ranked, the Hillbillies have been ranked in the top 10 all year, and are still in the top 10 after losing to Pea Ridge.
Both teams started out two years ago with much the same quality of players, with much the same outlook. Ozark’s sophomores had the better of it between us, and have won great honors in the past two years.
Last week, in a game billed as the state’s 4A “Game of the Week,” the ’Hawks came out on top, denying the Hillbillies offensive success when it counted and putting up enough numbers to carry the day.
While the season is mostly over, the next two games loom very large for both Ozark and Pea Ridge. The 2-2 Billies play Farmington, a team, at 3-1. Should Ozark best the Cards, it would give them the No. 3 seed for the playoffs, infinitely better than the fourth or fifth.
The ’Hawks, on the other hand, can almost certainly cinch the top seed with a victory over the Tigers Friday. Should the Tigers lose, they will end the year at 6-1 in conference play.
The ’Hawks travel to Farmington next week and if Pea Ridge is still undefeated by then, even a loss to the Cardinals wouldn’t deny them the No. 1 seed.
I have always believed that what goes around comes around. Bad things that happen to you will eventually turn to good things if you just hang in there and keep on plugging. Conversely, I also think that bad behavior will eventually exact a price, in ways that may or not be recognizable. At my age, I have seen this kind of drama play out again and again.
Lest anyone think I am down on Ozark, nothing could be further from the truth. I was once heavily involved with their youth running program that led to a lot of athletic greatness, especially for their female athletes back in the ’90s. I got to know an awful lot of Ozark families and they are some of the finest, friendliest people I have ever run across.
I know personally that the most memorable year of an athlete’s high school career is how it ends.
Not how it went early on, and how it went in the middle, but how the story is finished. While perhaps Pea Ridge didn’t match the early success of their riverside counterparts to the south, it could well be that the greatest success of them both has yet to be witnessed.
No one knows how this season will play out. I would like to think that I do, but I will keep that to myself.
The Ridge
Folks coming into Blackhawk Stadium may have been surprised to see the ’Hawks line up in new red Nike football uniforms. The new threads had each of the player’s names printed on the back.
Coach Tony Travis planned and purchased these uniforms in the highest of secrecy. No one knewabout the suits, not even the other coaches. The CIA would have been proud of the security Travis used to present these uniforms on the day of the ’Hawks’ greatest victory to date.
On the front of the uniforms are the words “THE RIDGE.” Now there’s something to ponder.
Teams lining up to play our ’Hawks will be lining up against a ridge, often defined as a rock-encrusted hard scrabble formation that is hard to get around and harder to get through.
Much the same can be said of the 2012 ’Hawks.
Ozark had the most prolific rushing attack of any team this season against the ’Hawks and even they could only get 70 yards. I wouldn’t be surprised if the ’Hawks’ defense led the state in rushing defense with so fewyards being gained this year against them.
The ’Hawks’ rotating linemen have proven to be a brambly, stout and dangerous place for running backs trying to make their way. The roving ’Hawk defenders on the edge of the ridge have had great success picking off those wishing to run around it.
While a bit suspect at first, the ’Hawk pass defense has picked it up considerably over the past two games.
The Ridge has arrived.
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Editor’s note: John McGee is an award-winning columnist and sports writer. He is the art teacher at Pea Ridge elementary schools, coaches elementary track and writes a regular sports column for The Times. He can be contacted through The Times at [email protected].
Sports, Pages 9 on 10/17/2012