'Hawks batter Shiloh 30-13

For the third straight year, the Blackhawk football team ended the regular season by whipping Shiloh, this time by a decisive 30-13 margin.

With a playoff second seed on the line and a higher finish in the district, the 'Hawks responded by scoring on their second offensive play of the evening and using a stingy defense to limit Shiloh to its lowest passing yardage total in perhaps years.

"We have been trying to get off to a fast start just about every week," Blackhawk head coach Stephen Neal said, "and tonight we did just that. We got the ball to Drew Winn and we watched him go to work and the defense kept Shiloh bottled up."

Thunder and lightning running backs Zaine Holley and Winn both scored a pair of touchdowns with Winn racking up 125 yards on just 10 carries. Holley accumulated 84 rushing yards to put the senior's season total to over 1,000.

Shiloh won the toss to take first possession and rushed for 23 yards on four straight rushes. Combined with an additional 15 yard yards when a penalty was assessed against the 'Hawks, the guests were threatening with a first down on the Pea Ridge 27. After a 2-yard run by Brock Berus left Shiloh with a second and 8, they resorted to their vaunted passing attack to try and get into the end zone.

Though Shiloh averages over 250 yards per game passing with their all-state quarterback Connor Reece, the 'Hawks rivals could complete only four passes for 50 yards in the game. The first three passes thrown in this game were all incomplete which resulting in turning the ball over on downs in their first drive to the Pea Ridge 25. The fourth and 8 pass went awry when the 'Hawk defenders swarmed through the blocks and chased Reece into making a wide throw.

Holley bashed the line for 2 yards on the 'Hawks' first play following, and then the fireworks started soon after when Winn took a pitch left then sprinted past several Shiloh defenders to race untouched 75 yards to paydirt. The score gave the 'Hawks a 6-0 lead, a lead that they would never relinquish.

Shiloh resumed their ground game after the kickoff and got 6 yards on Russ' first down run. Shiloh's leading rusher Berus took a handoff on second down but was met in the backfield by Robby Pickthal for a yard loss. Reece managed to just get past the line of scrimmage on third down but Jacob Torres brought him down to force a fourth down play. Though still in their own territory at the 45, Shiloh had supreme confidence they could convert a fourth and 3 but the 'Hawks responded to the challenge. As soon as Berus got to the line of scrimmage, a wall of 'Hawk defenders stopped the drive dead in its tracks and took over possession.

The private school boys would soon rue their decision to gamble when the 'Hawks launched methodical 45-yard 10-play drive that scored the 'Hawks' second touchdown. Holley started things off with a 3-yard run, followed by a 13-yard dash by Winn. Holley ran for 3 more then Winn for 11 more to gain a first down on the Shiloh 18. Jakota Sainsbury completed his first attempt to pass, hitting Hayden Holtgrewe with an 8 yarder to the 10-yard line. Pickthal then ran up the middle for 3 yards and a first down. Holley finished the drive by covering the remaining 7 yards on three carries to score the 'Hawks' second touchdown. The score put Pea Ridge ahead 12-0 with 3:04 left in the first quarter.

The visitors caught a break on the ensuing kickoff. Berus took the kick and seemed to be going down on the east sidelines near the Shiloh 22. Somehow, Berus managed to avoid going down and burst out of the crowd to sprint across the middle of the field headed to the end zone. Blackhawk defenders finally caught up to him and brought him down on the Pea Ridge 24. Moore and Berus rushed for 9 yards and then a 7-yard keeper by Reece gave Shiloh a first down on the 12. Russ took the next handoff, and though three times it appeared the 'Hawks had him down, he slipped their grasp and escaped, making his way into the end zone with 46 seconds left in the quarter. The PAT kick was good to cut the 'Hawk lead to 12-7.

Holley had a pair of 5-yard runs to start the next 'Hawk drive after the kickoff, but penalties and errors brought on the 'Hawks' first punt of the day. Senior cover man Jacob Torres proved what an intimidation factor he has become when the Shiloh deep receiver decided to let the ball go when he saw Torres and the ball arriving about the same time. The ball rolled to the Shiloh 13 to put the guests in a hole to start their possession.

On first down, Reece completed his first pass of the night, this one going 12 yards to Russ who then pitched to Berus on a hook and ladder play. Berus made it 17 more yards yards upfield to the Shiloh 42. On first and 10 from the 42, Torres put a kink in their plans with his tackle of Russ behind the line of scrimmage. With a second and 11, Shiloh went to the air but Winn was ready as he swiped the pass at mid-field with a lunging interception.

Hollet broke off a 17-yard run to start the next series, with Winn pounding the visitors twice for 11 yards and a first down on the Shiloh 22. Winn ran gain for 5 yards and an offsides against Shiloh gave the 'Hawks' a first down on the 12. Holley ran twice for 6 yards to the 6 but a third down pass fell incomplete to present a fourth and 4 situation. The Blackhawks elected to go for a field goal and Evan Green split the uprights for a 23 yarder as Pea Ridge got further ahead 15-7 with 6:36 left in the half.

Russ ran for 4 yards on Shiloh's first play after the kickoff, but Winn shot through to drop him for a loss on the second down run. Going to the air again, the 'Hawk defense got to the quarterback, with Trevor Henry hitting him as he threw. The play forced another Shiloh punt.

Taking over on the 50-yard line, Sainsbury completed two passes to Holtgrewe and Winn that were limited to just 2 yards each on good coverage by Shiloh. A holding call against the 'Hawks was too much to make up and the 'Hawks were forced to punt on fourth down. The high soaring punt by Pickthal enabled Torres to get down field and intimidate the Shiloh deep man again and the ball was allowed to roll and roll it did all the way to the Shiloh 1. The punt covered 55 yards, one of the best punts of the year by anyone in northwest Arkansas.

Rushes by Russ and Berus chipped away at the 'Hawk defense, gaining two first downs to the Shiloh 22. Berus came up with his best run of the night, dashing 30 yards to the 'Hawk 48, before being brought down by Pickthal and possibly saving a touchdown. On the next play, Shiloh got derailed when Trevor Henry broke through to sack the ball carrier 4 yards behind the line. The next pass was incomplete and the next play crossed mid-field just before the horn sounded to end the half.

The 'Hawks received the second half kickoff with Holley starting things off with a short run. Winn dashed 12 yards for a first down, but the yellow flags came out and wiped out the play on a holding call. Holtgrewe took a 5-yard pass from Sainsbury, but was sandwiched in between two Shiloh defenders who would not allow him to get downfield on the next play. Instead of interference, the officials charged Shiloh with holding which prevented a Blackhawk first down. After a pass was incomplete, the 'Hawks punted again. Although kicking into the wind held the ball up some, Torres wasn't so delayed, so Shiloh once again let the ball bounce with the punt ending up covering 42 yards.

Shiloh decided to stay on the ground and made it work, picking up three first downs on 12 rushes to the 'Hawk 32. New quarterback Gower picked up 19 yards on a keeper and the run was followed with a 13-yarder by Berus who scored the visitors' second touchdown. A 2-point PAT run was stopped just short of the goal line to preserve the 'Hawk lead, though the advantage had shrunk to just 15-13 with 3:56 left in the third period.

Winn had a good return on the kickoff to give the 'Hawks' good field position at their own 42. Sainsbury then hooked up with Winn for a 28-yard play to the Shiloh 30. On the next play, Sainsbury tossed a pass to a wide open Britton Caudle who crossed the goal line with an apparent touchdown. After a couple of steps into the end zone, a Shiloh player knocked the ball out of Caudle's hands and the officials ruled a touchback, giving the ball to Shiloh and erasing the score, in spite of the fact that the rule states that when a player crosses the goal line in possession and in control of the ball, the score is registered.

After the ball was given to Shiloh on their 20, they made 6 yards on first down but the next two runs were thrown back by losses and they were forced to punt.

The 'Hawks tried a reverse on first down and the play succeeded with Holtgrewe taking the pigskin into Shiloh territory at the 42. Holley burst through the middle for 5 yards, and then Sainsbury made 24 yards on a surprise keeper, setting up the 'Hawks' first and 10 on the Shiloh 14 as the quarter expired.

Winn picked up 3 yards on two plays to start the final period, but a third down pass was incomplete. Winn executed a great fake on fourth down then scooted the 12 yards into the end zone to put some distance between the two combatants. Green converted the kick to give Pea Ridge a 22-13 lead with 10:35 left in the game.

With the 'Hawks shutting down the Shiloh air attack, the guests stuck to the ground, gaining 39 yards to the 'Hawk 44. On first down there, Shiloh saw their chances take a big hit when the center snapped the ball over the head of the quarterback, resulting in an 18-yard loss. Compounding their misery was a 9-yard loss on the next play when Seth Trammel barged into the backfield to take down the Shiloh quarterback. Facing a fourth and 33, Shiloh wisely decided to punt.

Holley ran the next two plays to pick up 7 yards, and the 'Hawks were rewarded with a first down on an offside call against Shiloh. Holtgrewe brought 'Hawk fans to their feet when he gathered in a Sainsbury pass and raced 40 yards downfield to the Shiloh 11. Holley nearly scored on the first down play, covering 10 yards to the 1-yard line, Holley punched it in on the next play with Green's accurate PAT kick lifting the lead to 30-13.

On the ensuing kickoff, Shiloh mishandled it and a Blackhawk actually recovered it before rolling out of bounds. The referees could not see the recovery and gave the ball back to Shiloh on their own 27. The two teams traded fumbles in the waning moments of the contest but Shiloh never got got closer than the 'Hawk 41 before the game expired. Kenny Dorsey came up with a Shiloh fumble on the Shiloh 32 but a 'Hawk fumble two plays later prevented any further scoring.

In addition to the heroics of Winn and Holley, Sainsbury turned in a solid game by completing seven of 13 passes for 115 yards. The junior signal caller also picked up 45 rushing yards on four attempts. Holtgrewe led the receiving corps with four catches for 56 yards. Winn caught two for 30 and Caudle caught one for 29.

On the defensive side of things, Caudle led the team in tackles with 11, while two others, Pickthal and Tristan Brewer, recorded 10 tackles each. Holtgrewe was responsible for nine tackles with Trammel and Winn counting up eight each. A total of 20 different Blackhawks recorded tackles on the evening.

Pea Ridge will now enter the extended season by beginning play in the 4A state playoffs.

The 'Hawks earned a first round home game hosting No. 9 state ranked Arkadelphia. Arkadelphia was the fifth place finisher in the tough 4A-7 district and may go down as the first fifth place conference finisher to be ranked in the state's top 10 at the end of the regular season.