Stephen Neal's Blackhawk football team cut a wide swath through MaxPreps statewide statistical records this season, with the locals claiming three top spots, five second-place finishes, and a pair of third place bests.
Senior Hayden Holtgrewe led the 4A state with 83 pass receptions, a dozen ahead of the next best player. Holtgrewe was also the leader in return yards with 471 accumulated yards. This in spite of the fact that many teams chose to kick short rather than allow him the chance to run it back.
Tristan Brewer was the other athlete to top a chart. He led the state in tackles with 157, to average more than 11 per game.
Senior Drew Winn claimed a pair of second places, just barely out of the top spot in each case. His 2,285 yards came up just 9 yards short of Gravette's Austin O'Brien who finished with 2,294. Winn was also second in scoring, piling up 194 points, 10 points back of Arkadelphia's Zion Hatley who has 204.
Senior Jakota Sainsbury had one of the best years ever for a Pea Ridge quarterback, with 2,419 yards passing to finish second. The talented signal caller was also the eighth best punter in the state with a 31.9 average per game.
Sophomore Luis Reyes finished the season as the second best kick off specialist in all of Arkansas, averaging 45 yards per boot. Senior placekicker Evan Green was also among the best, scoring the fifth most PATS (49) and scoring the fifth most kicking points (55).
Third-best finishers include Carson Rhine who had the third most interceptions at seven, and Witcher who caught 56 passes this season. Witcher was also the seventh finisher in the state for receiving yards with 809.
The top three in each category among 4A schools in the state:
Yards passing
• Tyler Hanson, Nashville, 3,162
• Jakota Sainsbury, Pea Ridge, 2,419
• Landon Brown, Shiloh, 2,101
Yards rushing
• Austin O'Brien, Gravette, 2,294
• Drew Winn, Pea Ridge, 2,285
• Zion Hatley, Arkadelphia, 1,679
Yards receiving
• Domonic Knight, Nashville, 1,369
• Hayden Holtgrewe, Pea Ridge, 1,271
• Jacob Bremmon, Heber Springs, 902
Total receptions
• Hayden Holtgrewe, Pea Ridge, 83
• Peyton Wright, Gentry, 71
• Jordan Witcher, Pea Ridge, 56
Scoring
• Zion Hatley, Arkadelphia, 204
• Drew Winn, Pea Ridge, 194
• Austin O'Brien, Gravette, 186
Kick return yardage
• Hayden Holtgrewe, Pea Ridge, 471
• Ahman Johnson, Fountain Lake, 427
• Eddie Graham, Ozark, 420
Tackles
• Tristin Brewer, Pea Ridge, 157
• Andrew Foster, Riverview, 141
• Vinny Valdes, Riverview, 136
Interceptions
• Jacob Bremmon, Heber Springs, 13
• Alex Moses, Truman, 8
• Carson Rhine, Pea Ridge, 7
Kick off yard average
• Gabe Goodman, Arkadelphia, 54
• Luis Reyes, Pea Ridge, 45
• Austin Dobbs, Booneville, 38
Kick scoring
• Gabe Goodman, Arkadelphia, 94
• Jhonny Piongante, Nashville, 77
• Julian Cameron, Heber Springs, 60
Warren to defend their title Saturday
Defending 4A state champion Warren will take on Arkadelphia Saturday at noon in War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock for the 2017 State Championship.
Warren won a championship in 2014 before winning it again in 2016. Were it not for three third-quarter turnovers in a quarter-final matchup with Nashville in 2015, the Lumberjacks may well be playing for a fourth consecutive championship. Nashville scored on all three turnovers but had to hold on to win by 5 points. Warren is 32-1 in league and playoff games over the past three years, best in the state.
I usually root for teams that hadn't won in a long time when looking a state final matchup. With Arkadelphia's abysmal sportsmanship on display for the entirety of the game here last week, along with some of the conduct of a few of their staff members, I am hoping the Lumberjacks chop the Badgers down to size.
Arkadelphia is a very talented team that took Pea Ridge to the wire in last year's first round in the playoffs. The Badgers returned virtually all their playmakers while the 'Hawks lost a lot of talented players through graduation this past spring. Incredibly, Arkadelphia was 0-5 in conference play in 2016 before winning their last two games to gain a tie for fifth, taking the seed in a tiebreaker. The young squad looks like the odds on favorite to win it all in 2018. The Badgers could have been undefeated this season, losing only to Robinson in a tight game when star running back Zion Hatley could not play due to an injury.
Warren runs a class program down in south Arkansas and has sent numerous players on to Division 1 colleges and universities, with some even making it to the NFL. They will have experience and a sense of winning working for them Saturday. It may just be the winning edge against a team with self control problems.
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Editor's note: John McGee is an award-winning columnist and sports writer. He is the 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 12/06/2017