ELKINS -- Pea Ridge football got off to a solid start Friday, Sept. 4, kicking off the season the same way it did last year, by throttling Elkins.
The Blackhawks fed the Elks a steady diet of ground chuck, as Pea Ridge's rushing attack paced a 35-8 victory at John Bunch Jr. Memorial Field.
"I'm proud of the way we came out here and played tonight," Tony Travis, Blackhawk coach, said. "We played good in the first half and tackled well."
Pea Ridge (1-0) scored first midway through the first quarter when Zane Holley bullied his way into the end zone from the nine. Pea Ridge then forced Elkins (0-1) to punt, and Holley added his second touchdown with a run from the three to give the Blackhawks a 14-0 lead.
Carrying much of the offensive load for Pea Ridge, Holley's 15-yard run set up the Blackhawks' third score. Back in the red zone with only minutes left to play in the first half, sophomore Robby Pickthall bowled into the end zone to give Pea Ridge a commanding 21-0 lead.
Elkins struggled offensively for much of the first half, but the Elks drove deep into Pea Ridge territory behind several good runs from quarterback Eric Stills near the end of the first half. But the Pea Ridge defense deflected two Elkins passes to end the threat.
Sophomore Drew Winn made the defensive play of the evening for both teams, breaking up what looked to be a surefire Elkins touchdown. Winn soared in and punched the ball away from the Elks receiver to preserve the first half shutout.
On fourth down, Elkins tried a trick play -- tossing to the half back who then looked down field for a receiver -- but the Blackhawk defense swatted the ball into the turf.
"We tell the defense not to let up until the refs say they're in," Travis said. "We want them to keep fighting."
Pea Ridge took a 28-0 lead at halftime when quarterback Jakota Sainsbury connected with Hayden Holtgrewe for a 22-yard touchdown. Sainsbury added a rushing touchdown in the third quarter.
"Pea Ridge is very good," Elkins coach Thurman Shaw said. "We didn't play very well in the first half and they've got a lot of weapons."
Elkins scored early in the fourth quarter when Stills hit Colten Lewis for a 39-yard touchdown pass. Stills then added the 2-point conversion to end the scoring.
Sports on 09/09/2015