Blackhawks drum Waldron 40-0 in first round action

Blackhawk head coach Stephen Neal wanted his charges to get off to a good start, and they obliged by exploding for 40 points in the first quarter and a half of action to put away the Waldron Bulldogs in short order.

"The team responded well after having their first loss last week," Neal said, "but that is in their character so I wasn't surprised. They executed well, did their jobs and a lot of kids got to participate."

The victory was the Blackhawks' 17th consecutive home victory, setting up a rematch at home against Hamburg Friday night. The home win streak, if not a record, is something the 'Hawks have not done in a very long time.

The 'Hawks received the opening kickoff and took less than a minute to score the game's first touchdown. The run to the end zone was accomplished on Drew Winn's first two carries. His first one from the Pea Ridge 38 gained 11 yards, with the senior tailback roaring by the Bulldog defenders to sprint to the end zone for a 51-yard scoring jaunt. Evan Green nailed the PAT for a 7-0 lead.

The 'Hawk defenders started fast as well, limiting the guests to -1 yard on their first two runs. A short third down gainer by Bulldog quarterback Tyrel Williams wasn't enough to avoid a punt, putting the 'Hawks back in business on the Waldron 46. A 5-yard procedure penalty put the 'Hawks back a bit, but a 10-yard pass from Jakota Sainsbury to Jordan Witcher followed by a 5-yard dash by Winn set gained a new set of downs on the Waldron 36.

Sainsbury gained 2 yards on a keeper with two subsequent passes top Bradley Wright and Peyton Galbraith setting up a fourth and 1 play on the 27. Winn burst through for 9 yards for a first down, with Sainsbury lofting an 18-yard pass to Hayden Holtgrewe on the next play as he was rolling into the end zone for the 'Hawks' second score. Green was good again and the 'Hawks assumed a 14-0 lead with 5 minutes left in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs finally earned a first down on the strength of a 17-yard run by Jarrod Starr but that was all the offense they could muster, eventually punting from the mid-field stripe. Winn picked up 3 yards to start the drive from the 'Hawk 17 with Sainsbury running for 14 more on the next play. With the ball on the 'Hawk 34, Sainsbury connected with a sprinting Witcher across the middle of the field with the fleet receiver chasing the ball down to tuck it in and score. The score ballooned the lead to 20-0 with 4:31 left in the period.

The Bulldogs were stalled out again on their next possession until they pulled off their best play of the game, with Williams hitting Cole Huddleston for a 32-yard gainer to the 'Hawk 31. The flicker of hope that Waldron may have had was soon doused when junior safety Carson Rhine swiped a pass, then returned it back upfield 8 yards to the 'Hawk 32.

Sainsbury hooked up with Winn for a 32-yard gain to the Bulldog 37 with Robby Pickthal rushing three times for 16 yards and a first down on the 'Dog 21. There was a replay of the last possession with Sainsbury flipping a pass to Witcher to score, this time a 21 -yarder. The lead rose to 26-0 with 35 seconds left in the first.

The kickoff to Waldron proved to be disastrous for the visitors with Justin Koon covering a fumble, getting the ball back on the Waldron 21. The gift was given back on the next play on an interception. The guests couldn't do anything with it as they went three and out early in the second period, punting to the 'Hawks' 37-yard line. This Pea Ridge drive would only last as long as it took Winn to dash to the end zone as he scored on a first down run. The 63-yard score with a little over a minute gone in the second period gave Winn 143 yards on just six carries and it would be his last carry of the day. Winn's run and Green's kick made the score 33-0 with 10:39 left in the half.

The Bulldogs made another first down though it was helped with a penalty against the 'Hawks. The Bulldogs neared mid-field, but a wave of tacklers hung a 6-yard loss on the quarterback with Pickthal coming up with a fumble recovery on the next play to regain possession on the Bulldog 37. A 5-yard penalty set the 'Hawks back some, but some elusive running by Holtgrewe nearly scored on the next play, a pass from Sainsbury. Holtgrewe encountered tacklers four times on his run downfield, with the senior receiver running 41 yards downfield until the safety brought him down on the 1-yard line. Pickthal punched it in on the next play to trigger the Mercy Rule, leading by more than 35 points. Green's kick was through the uprights and the 'Hawks led 40-0 with 6:47 left in the half.

The guests' only real chance to score came just before the half when the 'Hawks fumbled it away, giving Waldron a first down on the 'Hawk 25. They got as far as the 2-yard line, but the 'Hawk defense stopped them cold on three straight plays at that point to extinguish the threat thus preserving the shut out.

Both teams generally played in the middle of the field the rest of the way with younger athletes from both teams being increasingly used. The game clock ran continuously the second half.

Winn sparked the team with his 143 yards on six carries and two touchdowns. Pickthal added 36 yards on 10 runs with Chase Duncan picking up 38 yards on six tries. Sainsbury was seven of 10 passes for 189 yards and had a fine 112 quarterback rating. Witcher and Galbraith grabbed three passes each for 97 and 38 yards respectively with Holtgrewe snaring two for 58 yards.

Twenty three different tacklers took down Bulldog ball carriers with Mike Mahoney and Ryan Shepherd leading the way with eight stops each. Mazon Harris was close behind with seven tackles. Jackson Tillman, Tristin Brewer and Gavin Warden all had six tackles.

The 'Hawks outgained the Lions nearly 500 to 200 in total yardage.