PEA RIDGE — With the swirling mists of the remnants of Hurricane Isaac blowing through Blackhawk Stadium last Friday, a new “storm” threatens to cut a wide swath through high school football this fall as Pea Ridge overwhelmed the Elkins Elks 49-7 in the season opener for both teams.
Two years in the making, this senior dominated Blackhawk team dominated all phases of the battle Friday. Heralded senior tailback Dayton Winn led the way, rushing for 225 yards on just 16 carries on his way to scoring five touchdowns.
Racking up more points than a Pea Ridge team has scored in many, many years, the ‘Hawks rolled up 436 yards of total offense to go with 16 first downs.
On the defensive side, the ‘Hawks limited Elkins to just 23 yards of total offense until wholesale substitutions came into play midwayinto the third quarter. The Elks finished the game with only five first downs and 74 total yards.
“Dayton has some speed as he showed us tonight,” head coach Tony Travis remarked. “But we also had great blocking on offense and tremendous pursuit on defense.”
“A lot of things went our way, but it was because of how well and hard the boys competed,” Travis said. “We had heads-up play on defense and great execution on offense. I don’t know how the team could have played any better in a season opener.”
The heroes were many with nine ’Hawks registering positive rushing yards. The ’Hawks gained 349 yards on the ground, averaging nearly nine yards per carry. Starting quarterback Austin Easterling and backup signal caller Trent Ramsey combined to complete three of seven passes for 87 yards.
A fumble turned back the ’Hawks’ first possession to openthe game, but a stout defense held Elkins to -2 yards following the fumble. Streaking linebacker Jonah Torres broke through to stop Elkins first run half a yard short of the line of scrimmage with Braxton Caudill breaking through the offensive line to drop the ball carrier for a two-yard loss on the next play. An incomplete pass then forced an Elkins punt.
It didn’t take the ’Hawks long to score. After Winn burst up the middle for eight yards, Easterling faked a pitch then tucked in the ball to race 37 yards down the west sideline before getting stopped just three yards from the end zone. From there, Winn slammed it in on first down with place-kicker Nick DeLeon adding the extra point as Pea Ridge assumed a 7-0 lead with 7:34 showing.
The Elks couldn’t solve the ’Hawk defense and Zach Oldenbekken put the visitors into a deep hole as he pinned an 11-yard sack on Mitchell Clark, the Elkins’ quarterback. Winn gathered in an ensuing fourth down punt and returned it 29 yards for excellent field position on the Elks’ 31.
A 16-yard run by Winn gave the ’Hawks a first down on the Elks’ 15 with Easterling adding a fouryarder two plays later. However, a delay penalty and two incomplete passes brought DeLeon back onto the field for a 32-yard field goal attempt. DeLeon drilled it through the uprights for a 10-0 lead with 4:20 left in the first quarter.
DeLeon’s kickoff to near the Elks’ goal line helped result in Elkins taking over 1st and 10 from their own 8-yard line. Tyler Handy stopped the Elks inches short of the line of scrimmage on first down with Caudill blasting through to nail the Elks’ Harris for a 2-yard loss on second down.
Two plays later a short Elks punt gave the ball back to Pea Ridge on the Elkins 31.
Winn picked up 8 yards on a slant left on first down, then dashed the remaining 23 yards on a pitch to the right side to dent the scoreboard with 1:49 left in the first. DeLeon’s PAT was againtrue as Pea Ridge padded their lead to 17-0.
After another deep kickoff by DeLeon helped pin the Elks back to their own 18. A first down blitz by Torres caught the Elks’ Trent Bulla three yards behind the line of scrimmage. Finally a 10-yard quarterback run by Clark on the last play of the first quarter gave the Elks their first positive yards of the game as they ended the period with five yards total offense.
Clark’s run left them short on fourth down, forcing another punt to begin the second quarter.
A sack and grounding penalty on the ’Hawks on their ensuing possession resulted in what would be the only time that the ’Hawks would have to punt. Daniel Beards’ fine 8-yard run on third down wasn’t enough to avoid a punting situation. Easterling’s 40-yarder pushed the Elks back to their own 36.
After two passing misfires, the Elks’ Clark finally connected with Bulla for an 11-yard gain.
With 15 more yards tacked on due to a penalty on the ’Hawks,Ellkins crossed midfield for the first time of the game with a first down on the ’Hawks’ 37. The Elks hopes were short lived, however, after an Elkins ball carrier coughed up the pigskin at the end of an 8-yard run. The miscue allowed Pea Ridge to regain possession on their own 29.
Four consecutive runs by Winn netted 26 yards and a first down on the Elks 45.
Easterling then completed the first pass of the season, hooking up with Jack Rapp to pick up 8 yards and get the ’Hawks down to the Elks’ 37. On second down, Winn sprinted right, veered left then utilized swarming blocks by hustling ’Hawks as he broke free for 37 yards and his third touchdown. With 7:32 left in the half, the ’Hawks lead ballooned to 24-0.
A decent kick return of a deep DeLeon kickoff set the Elks up first and 10 on their 23. While not being able to move the ball offensively, a 15-yard penalty against the ’Hawks put the visitors up to their own 38. Two plays later, the diminutive Torres continued to be a thorn in the Elks’ side as he swiped a pass to give the ’Hawks possession on the Elkins 43.
Easterling picked up 21 yards on two quarterback keepers to drive the ball down to the Elks 21 and a 6-yard jaunt by Winn had the ’Hawks knocking on the door DASH run set
The DASH to Remember 5K Run/Walk and 1 Mile Fun Run is set for 8 a.m. Sept. 15 at the Ryan Mondy Memorial Tee Ball Field, Weston Street, Pea Ridge. Entry fees are: 5K - $20 if entered by Sept. 8, $25 after Sept. 8; 1 Mile Fun Run - ages 12 and under, $15;with a first down on the Elks’ 15. A quick sprint by Torres went 14 yards to the 1 and the senior back came right back for another yard on the next play to score the ’Hawks’ 30th point. The kick was blocked by the Elks to leave the score 30-0 with 4:34 left in the half.
The Elks’ Harris produced a great return, putting the visitors in their best starting field position of the game on their own 36. Down by 30 with the half running out, the Elks were forced to go to the air, but three incompletions forced another punt. Setting up on their own 30, it took the ’Hawks just one play to score as Winn took off on a 70-yard cruise to give Pea Ridge an imposing 36-0 advantage going into the half.
After Elkins began the second half 1st and 10 on their own 23, more misfortune came their way as the ’Hawk defensive line swarmed through to bury the Elks’ Harris six yards behind the line. The Hawks’ Oldenbekken added to their misery as he pinned a 3-yard loss on Harris on the very next play.
An incomplete pass on third down led to perhaps the coup de grace of the game as Blake Roughton blasted through to block the punt, giving the ’Hawks a first down on the Elks 1-yard line. A 1-yard plunge by Winn moments later put the game away as the ’Hawks climbed to a 42-0 over 12 years of age, same as 5K. The first 100 participants are guaranteed a T-shirt and goody bag. Register online at www.register-wizard.
com. Download entry forms at www.mondyfamily.com.
Proceeds benefit the Ryan Mondy Memorial Scholarship Endowment.
lead. DeLeon’s kick made it 43-0 with 8:49 left in the third quarter.
At this point, Travis began to send in wholesale substitutions, giving the Elks a chance to get something positive going for their young team. Harris jetted loose for 22 yards on first down for the Elks’ second foray of the game into Pea Ridge territory. Two runs gave the Elks another first down with the ’Hawks’ third major penalty setting Elkins up first down on the ’Hawks’ 15. Bulla rushed for 10 on first down with Clark scoring from five yards out on a quarterback keeper one play later. The PAT was good to reduce the Pea Ridge lead to 43-7 with 4:54 left in the game.
With the ’Hawk backups running the show, it looked like the offense wasn’t going to skip a beat as Trent Ramsey hooked up with Logan Rose on a 56-yard pass play to put the ’Hawks on the Elks’ 15-yard line. Two yard runs by Ramsey and Kevin Gomez took the ’Hawks to the 11 but that was as far as they would go, turning the ball over on downs.
The ’Hawk reserves buckled down and kept the Elks bottled up deep in Elkins territory. A 47-yard Elkins punt gave the ball to Pea Ridge on their own 35 with 8:56 left in the game.
It was back to being the Easterling/Winn show on the’Hawks’ last possession but this time with different given names. Sophomore Dakota Winn rushed for 28 yards as did fellow sophomore Garrett Easterling as the pair sparked the last scoring drive of the evening. Easterling gained his yardage on runs of 5, 5, 9 and 9 with Winn rushing five times for gains of 7, 3, 9, 6 and 3. Winn’s final 3-yard run crossed the goal line with 1:03 left that set the final score at 49-0. Also key in the drive were runs by sophomores Shane Ivy and Dakota Canaday. Ivy’s 6-yard run and Canaday’s 3-yard jaunt both picked up first downs.
The Elks were led by Clarke who rushed nine times for 18 yards and passed for 23 more.
Harris ran 12 times for 12 yards as the Elks averaged little more than two yards per carry.
“I think key to the contest was our ability to roll a lot of players in and out of the battle in the early going,” Travis said. “This kept us physically fresh and allowed all of us the chance to focus, the chance to contribute.
“More than anything, I am pleased that we absorbed no injuries. Conditions like these lend themselves to injuries but we avoided all of that,” Travis concluded.
The Elks will try to get back on track by hosting Lavaca next week with the ’Hawks entertaining the Green Forest Tigers.
News, Pages 7 on 09/05/2012