The 9-0 junior boys Blackhawk football team dispatched Huntsville 14-6 to advance to a winner-take-all battle with Shiloh this week.
The 'Hawks completely throttled the Eagles out of the gate, racking up 197 yards off offense in the first half while limiting their guests to just 49. Quarterback Tate Busey had over 160 yards of total offense in the opening half to lead the 'Hawks. The signal caller threw for a touchdown while running for another, and also threw for a 2-point PAT.
Both teams misfired a bit from the start with each squad being forced to punt on their first possession. The 'Hawks got things going quickly on their next series with Busey tossing a 9-yarder to Raines on first down. Facing a second and 1, Pea Ridge crossed up the Huntsville defense with Busey going deep to Tristan Hall who made it into the end zone after catching a pass for a 51-yard touchdown. Busey then tossed the 2-point conversion to Raines to pad the lead. With 2:40 showing in the first, the 'Hawks led 8-0.
Huntsville was undaunted by the turn of events, and set out on a nine play, 58-yard drive that took them to the Pea Ridge 7. Instead of tying the score, the Eagles' hopes were dashed by a Jake Adams' interception in the end zone to give the ball back to Pea Ridge on the 20.
Luis Reyes knifed through the defense for a 5-yarder to start the new possession, and then Busey brought the crowd to its feet with a sterling 50-yard run down the eastern sidelines to flip the field back in the 'Hawks favor. A fumble at the end of the run ended the brief threat at the Huntsville 25, but it put the Eagles a long way from paydirt.
Nathan Harris and Shepherd led a 'Hawk defensive charge on first down that dropped the Eagle ball carrier for a 4-yard loss. The next two Eagle plays netted but 5 yards which led to another Huntsville punt.
Beginning from their own 27, Busey reeled off three straight passes, one to James Fort and two to Hall, for 51 yards as the 'Hawks were threatening again with a first down on the Huntsville 22. Raines was cornered on a rushing attempt, but he broke several tackles to move 14 yards upfield to the Huntville 8-yard line. Hall went most of the way on first down with a 5-yard carry with Busey rushing the rest of the way on second down for the 'Hawks' second touchdown. With 2:07 left in the half, the 'Hawks held a commanding 14-0 advantage.
Huntsville used ball control to their advantage in the second half, running 31 plays to just eight for Pea Ridge. The 'Hawks' defense bent, but didn't break as they shut out their foes until the last 57 seconds of the game.
The Eagles picked up a few yards on their first possession of the half but ran out of gas at mid-field and had to punt. The 'Hawks could not get a first down after the Eagles' punt, and a high snap to the 'Hawk's punter led to a short punt which gave the Eagles a great opportunity with a first down on the 'Hawk 34.
The Eagles repeatedly ran up the middle and gained enough yardage for a first down on the 18. After Huntsville nearly scored on a 6-yard run to the 'Hawk 12, the 'Hawks bowed up their defensive backs and allowed just a single yard gained on the next three Eagle rushes. The final Huntsville rush left them a yard short of a first down on the Pea Ridge 9 where the Hawks took over on downs.
With the 'Hawks back in control of the ball, David Snarr caught a 4-yard pass to the 'Hawk 13 where Busey delivered a big 43-yard gainer to Hall. The third down play took the 'Hawks into Eagle territory at the 44 with 5 minutes left in the game. However, disaster struck two plays later when the 'Hawks fumbled the ball over to Huntsville on the Eagle 41.
With the clock their biggest obstacle, the Eagles used a mixture of passes and runs to drive 59 yards to score. The 'Hawk defenders made their progress slow so when they finally scored on a 2-yard plunge, there was barely more than half a minute left to try and score again.
With the obvious onside kick coming, the 'Hawks smothered the Eagles' last chance at mid-field by covering the ball. The clock then ran down to 0:00 to end the game.
The 'Hawks will invade Champions Field in Springdale Thursday to take on rival Shiloh for the 4A-1 district crown. Both teams are undefeated at 9-0. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. at Shiloh.
Sports on 11/02/2016