Blackhawks lambast Lincoln 42-13

Cody Foltz was jitterbugging along the defensive line prior to the first snap of the game with Lincoln last week, with the junior linebacker knifing between Wolf linemen seconds later to sack the quarterback and set the tone of what would be an easy 42-13 victory over their conference rival.

Quick strikes on offense and a stifling defense nearly ran the visitors off the field as Pea Ridge roared to a 42-6 lead by the half. Senior Shane Ivy scored on a 65-yard dash on the first offensive play of the game for Pea Ridge and the senior tailback went on to score two touchdowns while rushing for 156 yards on just nine carries to lead the team offensively.

The 'Hawks were in such fast strike mode, that while they controlled the ball only six minutes in the first half, they outgained Lincoln 236 to 89 in total yardage. Throughout the game, Lincoln ball carriers were thrown for losses 11 times and Lincoln's passing game completed six passes but netted only 10 yards for their trouble.

In the first series, after Foltz dropped the Lincoln quarterback Ryan Pitts for a 4-yard loss, a host of 'Hawk defenders broke through to smother tailback Charles Rowe for an additional 2-yard loss. On the first play following the eventual punt, Ivy sprinted left then outmaneuvered the defense all the way to the goal line for the first score of the day. Jake Edwards hit the PAT kick for a 7-0 lead with 10:06 showing on the clock.

Three plays netted the Wolves but a single yard on their next possession and the ensuing punt was blocked by Britton Caudill who scooped up the bouncing pigskin and dashed 26 yards to paydirt. Edwards came on to kick another PAT and the 'Hawks were in control, leading 14-0 with a little over 3 minutes gone in the game.

Toward the end of the first quarter, Lincoln finally got untracked, moving the ball into Pea Ridge territory before being stopped on downs on the 'Hawk 45. Ivy picked 4 and 26 yards on consecutive carries before Seth Brumley threaded a pass to Nick Hardy who had beaten his man near the goal line. The catch was carried into the end zone for a 25-yard scoring play. Edwards was again true on the kick as Pea Ridge led 21-0 with 10:44 left in the half.

After the kickoff, Lincolns's first pass was completed for a 5-yard loss, which was followed by another quarterback sack for a 2-yard loss. Facing third and long, the Wolves decided to go deep but were frustrated when Garrett Easterling made an interception to set the 'Hawks up first and 10 on the Lincoln 30.

Fullback Dakota Canaday picked up 2 yards rushing, then 9 yards more on a pass from Brumley. After Ivy picked up 4 more yards on a run, the 'Hawks set out several receivers to bamboozle the Lincoln defense as Brumley kept the ball straight up the middle to race into the end zone on a 15-yard sneak. Edwards' fourth PAT was perfect to give the 'Hawks a 28-0 advantage.

After Pea Ridge hung more losses on the Wolves to force a punt on fourth and 16, the 'Hawks suffered one of their few mistakes of the evening, fumbling the kick to give the ball right back to Lincoln. After Steve Maddox picked up 8 yards on first down, Rowe ripped off three straight runs of 11 yards each to get the Wolves on the scoreboard. Brumley shot through the Lincoln line to block the PAT kick, leaving the score at 28-6.

Ivy started off the next series with a 2-yard run which was followed by a 42-yard scamper by Canaday to score less than 30 seconds after the Lincoln touchdown. Edwards was good again, ballooning the lead to 35-6.

Lincoln got a couple of positive yardage plays before Foltz swooped in again to nail the quarterback for still another loss, forcing the Wolves' fourth punt of the half with 1 minute left in the time frame. It was more than enough time to score again as Ivy strung together runs of 42, 6 and 7 to find the end zone for the second time. Edwards kept his streak alive by booting another extra point as the score mushroomed to 42-6 going into intermission.

The 35-point lead at the half invoked the mercy rule which meant the game would be shortened with a continually running clock. The first-string 'Hawks went to the bench for the rest of the game with Zaine Holley toting the ball 10 times in the third quarter for 52 yards. The 'Hawk defense had no fall off as they held their guests to -7 yards for the quarter.

The visitors finally got something going in the last period, starting from their own 13 to march 87 yards for their only real drive of the evening. It took Lincoln 12 plays to go the distance, which ended with a 1-yard plunge by Pitts with 5:02 left in the game. The 2-point conversion was successful to set the final score at 42-13.

Besides Ivy's game leading 156 yards, Holley wound up with 58 yards on 11 tries. Canaday ran twice for 46 yards with Brumley and Wyatt Weber each had one carry for 15 and 4 yards, respectively. Brumley was 2 for 4 in the passing department for 34 yards. Oddly enough, the Wolves snapped the ball 60 times compared to the 'Hawks 35 snaps. Pea Ridge ended the game with more points than snaps.

The 'Hawks will travel to Gravette this week for their first big test of the 2014 season. While 3-2, Gravette's two losses have been to teams that have been ranked in the state's top 10. The Lions boast the league's leading rusher in Cedric Duarte who has already piled up more than 1,000 yards this season.