Well, we are in the midst of the playoffs and I am writing this before I leave for Chicago. Due to my daughter's very serious cancer surgery set for this morning, I will be with family at the hospital in Chicago the rest of the week, which means I will miss the game with Shiloh Friday.
I will sorely miss being on hand for the game this Friday, but if things go well, I very well might be able to find a computer hook-up and watch the game from 640 miles away. if things do not go well, I won't be thinking much about football at that point. If you know Lora or her children, we would appreciate prayers for her surgery, recovery and for her future.
Recently while perusing the aisles of the Bentonville Wal-Mart store, I crossed paths with a Gravette Lion who was playing the next day in Pocahontas. He was getting some last minute stuff for his long trip to northeast Arkansas. He saw my hoodie with "Pea Ridge" emblazoned on it, and he wanted to wish the Blackhawk football team good luck on the game we had the next evening with Arkadelphia.
We chatted for awhile, talking football, and I assured him that I was betting on the Lions winning their first round. We talked a little about community and he thought, as do I, that both Gravette and Pea Ridge are really fine communities with really good schools.
Before we parted ways, this very polite and respectful young athlete told me how he liked and appreciated the players from Pea Ridge, and then he walked away.
It is occurrences like these that give me hope that at least some of our future generations of our young men and women will be turning out just fine. With the parade of spoiled, misinformed and ill tempered young people that have been marching across our TV screens of late, it is great to experience what I did.
At the Arkadelphia game earlier in November, I bumped into a few Badger fans who were as gracious as could be, very complimentary of our school plant and community in general. When the Pea Ridge band played a number of patriotic songs at the half, I noticed a number of fans across the field who were enthusiastically applauding what they were hearing.
During the half-time break, the Arkadelphia kicker was practicing kicking field goals into the wind. In a close game like the one we were in, a field goal into the wind could make the final difference so I could understand why he would come out in front of the fans and avail himself of the chance to see how to cope with the wind conditions.
While going about his kicking chores, a few young Pea Ridge fans began shouting at the player to kick one from the 50-yard line. With the way this young man was kicking, I wouldn't have been surprised if that was within his range.
To my surprise, and likely to the 'Hawk fans as well, this player picked up his holder and went to the 50-yard line to try and kick one as suggested. Though he had the direction down pat, he came up a little short, but he tried again from the 45. He was again just short but by not much.
The little interaction was entertaining to watch and all in good fun. I hated to see it end when the teams came back onto the field.
The game was nip and tuck, but the 'Hawks pulled it off in the same manner as what fueled their run to the semis last year. The effectiveness of our defense especially late in the game made the final difference.
Well, the game ended, we had won, and I obtained a few quotes from our Coach Stephen Neal. I cut across the field on the way to my car parked by the north gate. For what I then witnessed, I wished I had tried another exit.
One of the Arkadelphia coaches was lambasting some of the Badger managers from something they did or failed to do, I suppose. The foul and vulgar language this coach employed in dressing down his helpers was hugely unpleasant to witness. When this coach noticed my being in the vicinity, his vulgarity waned but not his decibel level. The verbal abuse this coach was hurling at these students was personal, demeaning and extremely insulting. My witnessing this took a just a bit of luster off my evening, and I thought about it on my way home.
We are fortunate to have many fine individuals on our coaching staffs. I wouldn't say "lucky" as I believe the quality of character was largely one of the reasons they were hired. I count myself blessed to have personally never experienced an abusive, win at all costs, surly kind of coach, but they do exist.
While my high school coach could melt an athlete with a certain look of disapproval, he never resorted to profanity, verbal abuse or any other kind of abuse. My college coach never raised his voice except in celebration and both my coaches later became Hall of Fame honorees.
Back when I was helping the legendary University of Arkansas track coach John McDonnell in conducting his home track and cross country meets, I was struck with how kind and personable the man was.
Sports for me can be very enjoyable but not just because of winning games. Seeing young men demonstrate character and determination in the face of adversity gives me a hope for the future. it's too bad that in some places, the men who are charged with instilling character lack that trait.
As many have said, and will say, it is great to be an American, it is great to be an Arkansan, and it is great to be from Pea Ridge.
Welcome to the 4A-1 football invitational
Who'd a thunk it?
We have come down to the final four teams in the 2016 4A state football playoffs, and what do you know. Three of the four teams hail from our very own 4A-1. The only other school left in the march to Little Rock beside the teams from the northwest, is football power Warren.
Most football pundits have ranked our league a strong one, maybe on a par with the 4A-8 (Warren and Hamburg's league). We were definitely thought to be inferior to the 4A-7, the league that had seven of their eight members ranked in the state's top 10 teams at some point this season. I even read where one sportswriter wouldn't be surprised if all four semi-finalists eventually came to be from the 4A-7.
Fast forward to reality and it turns out that not one team from the 4A-7 made the semi-finals this year. In reality only one of the 4A-7 schools made it as far as the third round. Local sportswriter Rick Fires made the comment that the earthquake felt recently in northwest Arkansas was actually the balance of football power moving from the south of Arkansas to the northwest. I'm down with that.
'Hawks take on Shiloh for second time
Some folks may think that, well hey, we beat Shiloh a month ago so we will certainly do that again. The problem with that is that it is always harder to beat a good team twice in a row.
Bentonville whipped Fayetteville during the season but lost to Fayetteville in the playoffs. That has happened a number of times. Over in Tulsa, Okla., there has been the same thing going on between Jenks and Union for years. Both being state powers, they almost always play each other twice. I don't think either team has gotten two victories in the same year over the other.
Of course, this is not to say that Shiloh will probably win. The team that beat Nashville two weeks ago could beat anyone. As a matter of fact, that victory shot the 'Hawks up into the No. 17 ranking counting all classes and divisions. Pea Ridge would be ranked No. 8 in the 7A right now, a truly amazing statistic.
There was so much energy and effort spent in crushing Nashville last week, that I was worried a bit about a possible let down against Hamburg. The 'Hawks did leave points on the field and had too many penalties, but that is behind them.
Now to turn to the 'Hawks' game this Friday. The 'Hawks played three top 10 teams in their three playoff victories, while Shiloh played none. Shiloh averaged 45 points per game while allowing 14 in their three wins, games that didn't really test the private school boys.
Dardanelle did not have effective passing defense in their loss to Shiloh last week. Starting quarterback Conner Reece accumulated over 400 yards in the first half alone and didn't play in the second. As a matter of fact, Shiloh has passed for over 1,000 yards in just the playoffs, a 335 average per game.
I believe the experiences the Blackhawks had in their three victories have made them a much better team that they were a month ago. Further, I would state that the 'Hawks have the best defensive secondary in the state. Shiloh averaged 250 yards per game in the regular season, but racked up only 52 in their 30-13 loss last time.
If the fans come out and support the team like they always do, and the 'Hawks play like they can, we should be preparing to play in the first football championship game in school history. I believe they will.
Hawks -- 2nd in state poll for 1st time in history
The 'Hawks masterful dismantling of previously unbeatable Nashville jumped them up to second in the state CBS/MaxPreps 4A polls, right behind conference member Prairie Grove. The 'Hawks' solid win over Hamburg also improved their power ranking a bit as well. This poll is compared to the Nov. 14 poll as The TIMES didn't run the poll of Nov. 21.
CBS/MaxPreps 4A state poll
Nov. 28, 2016
School^won-loss^pwr rtg^+/-
1. Prairie Grove^12-0^40.5^+1.9
2. Pea Ridge^12-1^34.5^+8.1
3. Warren^13-0^33.2^+4.6
4. Nashville^11-1^29.1^-7.9
5. Robinson^11-2^29.2^-3.4
6. Shiloh^11-2^29.0^+5.0
7. Hamburg^9-4^20.2^+4.1
8. Dardanelle^10-3^16.9^+1.9
9. Gosnell^11-2^16.2^+3.4
10. Stuttgart^8-4^13.3^+0.6
17. Gravette^7-4^7.4^+0.4
31. Huntsville^4-7^-7.1^+0.2
35. Lincoln^3-7^-11.5^+5.0
40. Berryville 3-6 -17.5^-0.3
41. Gentry^2-7^-19.9^-0.4
•••
Editor's note: John McGee, an award-winning columnist, sports writer and art teacher at Pea Ridge elementary schools, coaches elementary track and writes a regular sports column for The Times. The opinions expressed are those of the author. He can be contacted through The Times at [email protected].
Sports on 11/30/2016