Blackhawks win 30-24

Compete for state championship Friday

The Blackhawks mastered Shiloh for the fourth consecutive time and earned a 4A state title berth in a 30-24 semifinal battle last week at Blackhawk Stadium.

The victory earned first year head coach Stephen Neal and his jubilant team a spot opposite the top-ranked Warren Lumberjacks in the 4A Championship game set for War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock this Friday.

Game scoring summary

Shiloh^7^17^0^0^24

Pea Ridge^3^14^7^6^30

First quarter

Pea Ridge — 36-yard field goal by Green 4:24

Shiloh — 15-yard pass from Reece to Nelson; Williams kick 3:16

Second quarter

Pea Ridge — 56-yard run by Winn; Green kick 11:24

Shiloh — 2-yard run by Berus; Williams kick 9:27

Shiloh — 3-yard pass from Reece to Thomson; Williams kick 4:40

Pea Ridge — 43-yard pass from Sainsbury to Higgins; Green kick 2:35

Shiloh — 27-yard field goal 0:05

Third quarter

Pea Ridge — 24-yard run by Winn; Green kick 10:47

Fourth quarter

Pea Ridge — 32-yard run by Winn; Kick failed 9:10

"This was a great win for our program, school and community," Neal said after the game. "We are very proud of our student athletes in our program and we continue to be very thankful for the opportunities that we have been given.

"We are looking forward to competing with such a tradition-rich program like the one at Warren High School," Neal concluded.

Shiloh got the better of the 'Hawks in the first half, jumping out to a 21-10 lead in the middle of the second quarter. Pea Ridge cut the deficit to 7 points by intermission, then used an inspired defense to shut the visitors out for the entire second half. Touchdown runs of 24 then 31 yards by junior Drew Winn in the third and fourth quarters were all the Blackhawks would need to end Shiloh's season.

Though the 'Hawks were a slight favorite in pre-game predictions, Shiloh came out determined to end the 'Hawks' recent streak of wins over their proud program. A tremendous run back of the opening kickoff by Broc Berus set the guests up in fine style with the ball on the 'Hawk 15 to start their offense. However, the running plays could only muster 7 yards and a fourth down sneak by quarterback Connor Reece was sniffed out by the 'Hawks' Robby Pickthal who met the field general at the line of scrimmage to allow the 'Hawks to take over on downs.

Pea Ridge didn't have much success on their first three plays so Pickthal was called on to punt, and he sent a boomer that traveled 50 yards downfield to the Shiloh 42. The visitors had no success with the 'Hawk defenders and the resulting punt set the 'Hawks up first and 10 on their own 32.

After Winn had a 5-yard run, Zaine Holley burst up the middle and sped 34 yards to the Shiloh 29. After a short gainer by Winn, quarterback Jakota Sainsbury hooked up with Hayden Holtgrewe on a 13-yard passing play deeper into Shiloh territory at the 15. Three subsequent rushes gained the 'Hawks little, so kicker Evan Green was pressed into service to try a 36-yard field goal. The kick was good with 4:24 left in the first quarter, allowing Pea Ridge to draw first blood and grab a 3-0 lead.

Shiloh then demonstrated how they have improved their passing game by hitting passes of 45 then 15 yards to get into the end zone a little over a minute later with Reece delivering the final scoring toss to Nelson. With 3:16 showing, Williams booted the PAT to give Shiloh a 7-3 lead.

Neither side could really mount a threat on their next possessions, so the teams exchanged punts. On the 'Hawks' next possession, however, they reclaimed the lead.

Holley started things off with a pair of short runs, which were followed by a 9-yard strike from Sainsbury to Britton Caudill for a first down on the 'Hawk 44. After an incompletion, Winn swept around the end, and dashed down the sidelines to head into the end zone on a 56-yard scoring run. Green's accurate kick gave Pea Ridge a 10-7 lead with 11:24 left in the first half.

After taking the kickoff at their own 24, Shiloh used an 11-yard run by Berus to get their offense moving and two plays later, Berus caught a pass from Reece and 43 yards downfield to the 'Hawk 7. Two plays later, Berus ran it into the end zone with 9:27 left in the half. Williams' kick was good, giving Shiloh a 14-10 lead over the 'Hawks.

Shiloh was upping their level of play, swarming the 'Hawks on defense to force a punt, then launching a four-play, 72-yard scoring march highlighted by a 65-yard pass from Reece to Nelson to the Pea Ridge 7. The 'Hawks stiffened, making them run three plays to get it in, but they finally did so on a 3-yard pass from Reece to Thomson. The PAT from Williams was good for the third time and Shiloh assumed a 21-10 lead with 4:40 left in the half.

Pea Ridge, a team that has seemingly thrived on adversity all season, did what they had to do. They got back into it.

Sainsbury ran the ball on a keeper to pick up 4 yards with Holley following that with a 6-yard jaunt and first down on the 'Hawk 45. Runs of 5 and 7 by Holley and Winn, respectively, earned the 'Hawks a first down on the Shiloh 44. From there, Sainsbury lofted a 44-yard pass to a streaking Ryan Higgins who caught the ball inside the 10-yard line then motored in for the touchdown. Green's kick tightened the game with Shiloh leading 21-17 with 2:35 left in the half.

Shiloh was determined to increase their lead and they launched a drive from their own 29. The guests mixed in runs and passes to steadily move down the field until they gained a first down on the 'Hawk 13. However, three plays could net but 3 yards and they were forced to bring on their kicker for a field goal attempt, With just 6 seconds left in the half, Williams booted one through to send Shiloh into intermission nursing a 24-17 lead.

The second half started with big plays for the 'Hawks as they scored the tying touchdown on just three plays. Justin Koon leaped high to snare an outside kick attempt to give Pea Ridge excellent field position at the Shiloh 43. Holley started the third quarter offense off with runs of 8 then 10 yards to get closer at the 25. Winn then burst loose to hurtle 25 yards to the end zone. Green's accurate kick knotted the score at 24-24 with barely a minute gone.

Shiloh set out to reclaim the lead but after 10 plays , Shiloh had only traveled 29 yards to the 'Hawk 37. A fourth and 12 pass was batted away by Holtgrewe to regain possession.

The 'Hawks gained 5 on two short runs by Winn and Holley, and then Holley brought the home crowd to its feet with a 33-yard run than plowed through the middle of the defense to the Shiloh 25. Holley broke off a 10-yarder for a first down to the 15, but after a 5-yard run by Winn put the 'Hawks close at the 10, three successive plays couldn't get much closer with Shiloh taking over at the 20 following a missed field goal.

Riding the tough running of Shiloh's Berus and effective keepers by Reece, Shiloh looked poised to retake the lead. However, a pass into the end zone on Shiloh's last play of the third quarter was picked off by Winn with the fleet back returning it all the way for a 100-yard interception score. The officials wiped out the play to the 'Hawks' fans displeasure but the ball stayed with Pea Ridge on their own 14.

Sainsbury then went to work, hitting Higgins for a 12-yard pass on the side, then tossing an 18-yarder to Holtgrewe for another first down to the 'Hawk 44. Holley smacked the line for 2 yards, with Sainsbury hitting Holtgrewe again, this time for 14 yards to get into Shiloh territory at the 40. Winn then ran for 3 followed by a 5-yard pass from Sainsbury to Higgins to set up a third and 2 on the 32. Great blocking sprung Winn loose up the middle to cross the first down marker, then the last of the Winn boys turned on the jets and rocketed right through five defenders as he scored standing up for a 32-yard touchdown run. Blackhawk fans were made a bit nervous as Shiloh was successful in blocking the PAT attempt and limit the Pea Ridge lead to just 6 at 30-24 with 9:10 left in the contest.

It appeared that Shiloh may retie the game or perhaps take the lead after marching deep into 'Hawk territory after receiving the kickoff. Berus ran four times for 16 yards with a Reece to Thomson pass gaining 11 as Shiloh had a first down at the 'Hawk 25. A quarterback keeper gained 7 yards to the 18 but this is where the 'Hawk defense stiffened their backs.

Seth Trammell and Pickthal teamed up to drop the quarterback for a 4-yard loss. Facing a fourth and 7, Tristan Brewer rushed the quarterback, forcing an off balance throw resulting in a 3-yard loss when the receiver had to reach back for the throw and fell down after catching it.

With 5 minutes left, the 'Hawks wanted to melt the clock and that they did, with a 4-yard run by Holley and a 22-yard passing play from Sainsbury to Holtgrewe netting a first down on their own 49. Holley then ran for 4 and 5 yards with Sainsbury sneaking a yard for another first down on the Shiloh 41. The 'Hawks couldn't get another first down, however, giving the guests once final chance to score and possibly win with less than a minute left.

Pickthal's very effective punt pinned Shiloh back on their own 9 to start. Two quick Reece passes netted 11 yards to the 20, but Trammel shoved the quarterback's blocker into him on the next play with Reece falling for a 6-yard loss to the 14. With no time outs left, the sack let the clock run but the hurry up offfense didn't keep Trammel out as he sacked the quarterback again, this time for a 1-yard loss.

Reece finally got loose to fling a pass downfield with Russ catching the ball for a 23 yard gain to the 35. Scrambling to get off another pass, Trammel and Trevor Hyman sacked Reece one more time and the clock ran out soon afterward to seal the victory for the Blackhawks.

Winn was the star of the game with 134 yards on 13 carries and three touchdowns. All-state back Holley had another 100-yard game, gaining 104 on 20 carries.

Quarterback Sainsbury had another good day under center, hitting 10 of 17 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown. His favorite targets were Holtgrewe who caught four for 68 yards and Higgins who caught three for 62 yards and a touchdown.

Brewer led the defense by recording 13 tackles with Hyman and Pickthal close behind with 10 tackles each.

The 'Hawks are breaking new ground, entering the championship round of the state football playoffs for the first time in history. The 2015 season saw the 'Hawks reach the semi-finals for the first time and this year's team has done that mark one better.

The second-ranked Pea Ridge team will play No. 1 Warren at 7 p.m. Friday in Little Rock. The 50,000 seat stadium will be hosting one title game Friday, with the 3A and 2A championship games set for Saturday. Temperatures are forecast to be in the upper 30s by game time.

Sports on 12/07/2016