Blackhawks explode on Green Forest 37-0

— “The way the game started gave me a pretty good feeling,” Pea Ridge head coach Tony Travis understated as an explosive start by the Blackhawks paved the way for a 37-0 drubbing of the visiting Green Forest Tigers.

The visiting Tigers, kept in shelters because of the threat of lightning, were stung by “lightning” repeatedly in the game as the ’Hawks scored on plays covering 85, 52 and 73 yards.

The games’ eventual winning points were tallied in the first 15 seconds of the contest when Daniel Beard gathered in the game’s opening kickoff on the 15-yard line. The senior speedster outmaneuvered, then outran, a host of defenders to the end zone. Beard’s 85-yard return was punctuated with a perfect point-after kick by Nick DeLeon as Pea Ridge quickly led 7-0.

Perhaps even more demoralizing to the Tigers was Dayton Winn’s theft of a Tiger pass on just the third play of the game.

After Winn reached up to snare the Tiger pass, he ran through, around and by a number of defenders as he returned the ball 52 yards for the Hawks’ second touchdown. With 9:56 showing on the game clock, DeLeon made his second PAT kick to run the score to 14-0.

“I was real proud of how the boys handled all the delays and the wet conditions,” Travis remarked. “We warmed up twice, had to go to cover both times and spent over an hour waiting for the game to get started. In spite of all that, they came out focused and ready.”

The first quarter felt kind of strange with the ’Hawks getting to run only six plays while the Tigers snapped the ball 20 times. Pea Ridge’s short time with the ball was due to the quick score efforts by the ’Hawks in addition to a ’Hawk fumble. It wasn’t until the opening quarters’ final minute that the ’Hawks actually got to put together a conventional drive down the field.

That drive was sparked by a 38-yard quarterback keeper by Austin Easterling to put the ’Hawks in business on the Tiger 37-yard line. Dalton Morgan’s seven-yard jaunt on the last play of the quarter put the ball on the Green Forest 30.

Four straight runs by Winn to start the second quarter gavethe home boys a first down on the Tiger six-yard line. Easterling ran for three yards on first down and Winn took it the rest of the way on second down to inflate the ’Hawks lead to 20-0 with 8:38 left in the half.

The Tigers could not make progress on the ground and went to the air, but after one first down, they eventually were forced to punt. Lightning struck the visitors again as Winn gathered in the punt and splashed 73 yards down the west sidelines before getting pushed out on the two-yard line. After Easterling gained one yard on first down, Dalton Morgan punched in it to score the ’Hawks’ fourth touchdown. DeLeon’s kick made it 27-0 as the ’Hawks went into intermission with a commanding lead.

The Tigers couldn’t move the ball at the start of the third period, and had to punt again, this time leaving the ’Hawks to set up on their own 25-yard line. On first down, Morgan burst up the middle then sprinted right by a number of Tigers to score on a 75-yard run to paydirt. This bolt of offense fried any chance of a Green Forest comeback as the Tigers trailed 34-0 with 9:31 left in the third period. DeLeon hadkicked his fourth straight PAT to add to the lead.

After the Tigers next three plays netted them -3 yards, the ’Hawks started another drive from their own 49. Winn ripped off a 15-yard gainer on the last play before Pea Ridge reserves took the field. On first and 10 from the Tiger 36, Jack Rapp broke off a nine-yard run before a penalty wiped out the play.

Rapp had another fine run, this one an eight-yarder, before another penalty wiped this effort out as well. Facing a 2nd and 22 situation, quarterback Trent Ramsey tossed a seven-yard pass to Rapp. Rapp followed with outstanding runs of 12 and 19 yards to set the ’Hawks up firstst and 10 on the Tiger 11-yard line.

A five-yard run by Ramsey and a four-yarder by Rapp could not offset a losing play on first down, as Pea Ridge was forced to try a 30-yard field goal. DeLeon’s kick was true and high, as it bounced on top of the ’Hawk dressing rooms after boosting the Pea Ridge lead to 37-0 with 1:04 left in the third quarter.

On the ’Hawks’ last possession, Rapp recorded a threeyarder before Ramsey added a five-yard effort. Sophomorerunning back Garrett Easterling chipped in with runs of five and six yards, with sophomore Shane Ivy recording the last run of the day, a four-yarder.

“We definitely held a speed advantage over our guests,” Travis said, “and we got a great effort from all the kids. Everybody got into the game and that’s really a good feeling for a coach. The more experience we can spread around, the more dividends we can get down the road. These reserve players will be starters some day and this will only help them.”

The ’Hawks defense was superlative, holding Green Forest to just 63 yards total offense.

The only time the Tigers even got close to scoring was when a muffed punt by the Blackhawks gave Green Forest a first down on the Pea Ridge 18. A fourth down pass from Tiger Mike Anderson to James Watson gave the guests an excellent chance as they gained a first down on the ’Hawk four-yard line. Two runs netted Green Forest two yards as they pushed down to the ’Hawk two-yard line. The ’Hawks’ Will Klein then broke through to sack DeLozier back at the five-yard line to force a fourth down play. The resultant22-yard field goal attempt was wide right, ending the Tigers only real chance to score.

Defenders Jonah Torres, Handy, Charlie Holliday, Klein, Roberts, Morgan and Braxton Caudill all had tackles behind the line of scrimmage to greatly hamper the Tiger offense throughout the battle. The Tigers recorded just four first downs, and one of those was by penalty.

The ’Hawks wound up with 268 yards total offense, with four of the five touchdowns due to outstanding runs on returns.

Morgan led the ground attack with 83 yards on three carries and scored twice. Winn scored twice and picked up 55 yards on 10 carries while Easterling garnered 42 yards on three tries. In all, the ’Hawks were limited to just 34 offensive plays and held the ball just 18 minutes of the 48-minute competition.

The ’Hawks will hit the road for the first time this year, heading to Greenland to take on the Pirates this Friday. The Pirates are coming off a win over the ’Hawks in 2011 and are highly ranked in 3A. The game will be the final non-league game before Gravette comes calling Sept. 21 for the district opener.

Sports, Pages 7 on 09/12/2012