Witcher adds to Blackhawk arsenal

Chip Souza

Staff writer

Jordan Witcher had already impressed his new teammates before he ever laced up his shoulder pads or buckled his chin strap.

Last spring after enrolling at Pea Ridge, Witcher joined several members of the Blackhawks' football team on an afternoon fishing trip. For kids growing up in a rural community, fishing is a normal part of life. Witcher grew up in Little Rock, so before the group wet a hook, it was understandable they might think Witcher's fishing skills were lacking.

"He knew what he was doing," Blackhawk senior quarterback Jakota Sainsbury said. "He was already good to go."

Witcher (6-foot-1-inch, 175 pounds) was familiar with a lot of the players on the Pea Ridge football team long before he started school there. His family had connections to the community and he often spent his summers in the area. So when his family made the decision to relocate from Bryant to northwest Arkansas last spring, they looked at several schools before deciding that Pea Ridge was the best fit.

The transition from Class 7A Bryant to Class 4A Pea Ridge has been a smooth one, Witcher said.

"Coach (Stephen) Neal helped me through it," Witcher said. "He helped me to learn some new names, but I already had some family members up here so it wasn't tough."

Witcher was able to go though spring practices with his new team, which also helped him gain a familiarity with his teammates.

Pea Ridge, which opened the season at 5:30 p.m. Monday against Hamburg at the University of Central Arkansas' Estes Stadium, gained yet another offensive weapon to add to an already loaded arsenal. Witcher gives the Blackhawks a legitimate deep threat in the passing game with his 4.52 speed and 33-inch vertical leap.

Blackhawk senior receiver Hayden Holtgrewe caught 73 passes for 1,156 yards last season despite being double-covered. With Witcher now on the other side, that should mean more 1-on-1 opportunities for both receivers, said first-year offensive coordinator Cody Alexander.

"This makes us more dynamic," Alexander said. "Last year teams knew that 90 percent of the time when we needed to throw that it was going to Hayden. This year they will not be able to do that because Jordan is as good as Hayden is. We've got two really good receivers.

"And Jordan is a great leader for our team. He came in and he's already one of the leaders. He's our rah-rah guy, he picks us up when we're down. It's a treat to have him with us."

Pea Ridge is Witcher's third high school in as many years. As a sophomore, he played at Little Rock Central, then moved over to Bryant for his junior season.

Sainsbury said he heard Witcher's family was making the move to northwest Arkansas last spring, so he went online to check Witcher's Hudl highlights, then started messaging him on social media to come to Pea Ridge. His recruiting efforts proved to be successful.

"They kind of already knew me and Jakota messaged me on Twitter and asked me about moving up here," Witcher said. "So when I got up here, they just welcomed me in."

In his first full action with the Blackhawks last Tuesday, Witcher caught four passes in a controlled scrimmage against Siloam Springs, including a touchdown on a pass over the middle from Sainsbury.

A host of colleges have extended scholarship offers to Witcher, including Harding University, Henderson State, Arkansas-Monticello and Southwest Baptist University. Witcher also plays baseball and said that could be an option as well.

With a number of key players back from last season's 13-2 state runner-up team, the Blackhawks open the season ranked No. 2 in Class 4A. Witcher could be the final piece needed to bring Pea Ridge its first state football championship.

"Our goal, everybody wants to win a state championship," Witcher said.

"Coach Neal has stressed that if we do good things on and off the field, then that's where it will lead us."