Blackhawks rout Huntsville 39-6

Though the Blackhawks offense took a little while to warm up, the 'Hawk defense was roaring from the start as Pea Ridge routed Huntsville 39-6 in the last conference game before the league finale this Friday.

The Blackhawks piled up 456 total yards while limiting their hosts 98 for the evening.

Huntsville had less than 0 yards after their first two possessions, losing a yard on their first series before being held yardless on their second.

Pea Ridge drove into Huntsville territory on their second possession, sparked by two runs for 14 yards by Zaine Holley and a 14-yard pass from Jakota Sainsbury to Britton Caudill. They were poised to score from the Eagle 27 when the 'Hawks mishandled a snap with Huntsville covering it to kill the threat.

After forcing an Eagle punt, the 'Hawks drove 78 yards in four plays to jump into the lead. Sainsbury hit Hayden Holtgrewe for a 6-yarder to the 'Hawk 28, where on the next play, Holley burst down the sideline to pick up 57 yards to the Eagle 15. However, a yellow flag flew on the 'Hawk 41, with the 10-yard penalty pushing them back to the 31. Drew Winn spurted ahead for 10 yards to claim a first down, then took off on the next play to sprint 59 yards to the end zone. Several Eagles were close to the speedy junior but no one could bring him down. The 2-point PAT was good to put the 'Hawks up 8-0 with 5:18 left in the first quarter.

Senior night for the Eagles may have revved their engines as they finally got their offense untracked as they picked up three first downs toward the end of the first period to cross into Pea Ridge territory. Starting the second quarter with a first down on the 'Hawk 24, three straight quarterback keepers by the Eagles McCone set them up first and 10 on the 'Hawk 13.

Facing a fourth and 16 three plays later, Huntsville threw for the end zone but Winn stepped in front of the pass to take possession on the Huntsville 3.

On the 'Hawks' next series, Holtgrewe had a 9-yard reception for a first down on the 16, with Winn running twice for 10 yards on second and third downs. However, a fumble on first down cost the 'Hawks 3 yards and a holding penalty on sec0nd down derailed the drive.

The 'Hawks brought the wood to Huntsville on their next series with the Eagles driving into 'Hawk territory with a third and 4 on the 'Hawk 43. A wall of 'Hawk tacklers swept over the Eagle front four to bury the quarterback for a 7-yard loss, forcing a punt.

Winn dashed off a 5-yarder with Holtgrewe catching a Sainsbury offering for a first down on the 'Hawk 36. Yellow flags were flying on the next play, pushing Pea Ridge back 15 yards to the 20 on a holding call. Things went from bad to worse when an Eagle defender took down a 'Hawk pass for an interception on the 'Hawk 24. It looked like the 'Hawks might have held when the Eagles were saddled with a fourth and 6 on the 20. A 'Hawk jumped offside to give Huntsville a fourth and 1 and the fourth down run up the middle made the down marker by inches.

A 14-yard run up the middle nearly scored, but a quarterback sneak by McCone from the 1 on the next play did dent the goal line. The Eagles' 2-point attempt was stopped leaving the 'Hawks clinging to an 8-6 lead with 3:04 left in the half.

The 'Hawks did a great job with time management as they took the kickoff at their own 40 to start another drive. Holley ran twice for 9 yards with Winn following up with a pair of dashes that netted 12 more yards to the Huntsville 39. The 'Hawks were slowed down with another penalty but an 18-yard strike from Sainsbury to Holtgrewe chalked up another first down, this time on the Eagle 25. Sainsbury picked up 12 yards on the ground for a first down at the 13. Holley bashed the middle for 3 more to the 10, but two incomplete passes with the clock winding down sent kicker Evan Green onto the field for a field goal. The junior kicker split the uprights with 4 seconds left to give Pea Ridge an 11-6 half-time advantage.

The 'Hawks defense came out of the break with a lot of fire, stopping the Eagles as they gained but a yard on their first two plays. Jacob Torres shot through the blocking to nail the quarterback for a 3-yard loss to force a punt. 'Hawk defenders managed to sack the Eagles quarterback five times.

After the Huntsville punt, the 'Hawks would launch a scoring drive, in fact, the first of four straight scoring marches that blew out the Eagles.

The 'Hawks would stay on the ground for six straight plays with Winn picking up 27 yards on three jaunts with Holley adding 9 on three tries. The rushing tandem drove the ball to the Eagle 35 where Sainsbury threw a 15-yard bullet to Holtgrewe on the Huntsville 20. Holley ran for 4 on first down, then Robby Pickthal rambled upfield for 11 more for a first down on the Eagle 5. Holley ran inside for a yard with Pickthal following that up with a 4-yard jaunt to paydirt. Sainsbury flipped the PAT pass to Britton Caudill to run the score to 19-6 with 5:12 left in the third period.

The first two runs after the kickoff netted the Eagles but a single yard, and a pass attempt went awry when the 'Hawks' Bret Kirby and Mike Mahoney chased the quarterback out of the pocket as the third down pass failed. The ensuing punt was taken by Pea Ridge at the 'Hawk 36.

Holley ran twice for 15 yards to the Eagle 49 with Sainsbury connecting with Holtgrewe again for 5 yards to the 44. On second down, Wyatt Weber delivered a terrific block that sprung Winn as he raced 20 yards to the Huntsville 23. After Holley picked up 2 on first down, Sainsbury delivered on two keepers as the first one drove the ball to the 13 with the junior quarterback sneaking the ball into the end zone on the next play. The score left the game at 25-6 with 3:18 left in the third.

After the kickoff, the Eagles could not make much headway against the 'Hawk fierce pursuit and had to punt to the Pea Ridge 31. Duncan Truesdell caught an 18-yarder to the 'Hawk 49 which was followed by another pass reception by Holtgrewe moving the ball to the Eagle 28. On the very next play, Holley broke free to score on a 28-yard run. Evan Green came on to boot the extra point and lift Pea Ridge into a 32-6 with 9:43 left in the game.

Faced with a large deficit following the 'Hawks' score, Huntsville decided to go to the air. Winn made the Eagles regret that decision as he swiped the pass at the Eagle 16. Eagle interference gave the 'Hawks 8 more yards on a penalty. Holley ran 2 yards to the Eagle 6, and Sainsbury scored on a 6-yard sneak for the game's final touchdown. Green was accurate again for the PAT and Pea Ridge was way out front 39-6.

The 'Hawks subbed freely after the score and with the ball on the 26 facing a fourth down, the Blackhawks decided to see how close their kicker could get on a 43-yard attempt. Green missed but only by hitting the front of the goal post, meaning the 'Hawks have a good enough kicker to rely on in the upcoming playoffs.

Drew Winn led the attack with 141 rushing yards on 12 carries. The junior back recorded 212 all purpose yards including receiving and returns. Holley had another stellar night, racking up 120 yards on 23 carries. Sainsbury rounded out the ground game with 4 yards on seven runs.

Sainsbury had a good night through the air, completing 12 of 12 passes for 130 yards. Holtgrewe hauled in seven passes for 81 yards with Caudill catching two for 22 yards.

The game was a final tuneup for the climatic struggle with Shiloh this Friday. The favored Shiloh boys will try to break a two-game losing streak to the 'Hawks with both teams looking to grab the second seed for the state playoffs.