There were some who were surprised to see the 'Hawks' non-conference schedule for 2018 when it was released last year.
Pea Ridge was graduating a raft of extremely talented, athletic playmakers and most observers were pushing the story line that 2018 was going to be a rebuilding year for the Blackhawks. Some of the football internet chat boards had folks predicting a precipitous fall for Pea Ridge. Going from a state playoff semi-finalist three straight years to perhaps not even making the playoffs in '18 has been a popular idea.
The first game was a blowout to Harrison, one of the top four 5A schools in the state. Turnovers, mistakes, missed tackles, etc., and it looked like (to some) that the gloomy predictions might come true. The next week, the 'Hawks repeated their dismal performance in the first half on the road at Maumelle, falling behind 33-7 by intermission.
Something happened after that half-time team meeting at Maumelle. The 'Hawks came out and were within one turnover from having a chance at a victory. They did outscore the Hornets 23-7 in the second half and eventually lost by 10, even though suffering five turnovers in the game.
No one in the press gave Pea Ridge much of a chance to win over Farmington last week, but it turned out to be the 'Hawks' best game against the Cardinals in the history of the school. It became a 42-0 mercy ruled conquest with the 'Hawks dominating every statistic in the battle of the birds.
Combined with the second half score at Maumelle, the 'Hawks have outscored their opposition 65-7 in their last six quarters. In contrast, the 'Hawks were outscored 78-21 in their first six quarters of the season. Quite a turn around!
The first couple of games, as well as the scrimmage with 6A Siloam Springs, served to let coach Stephen Neal know what needed to be fixed and what aspects of their game needed to worked on. Having the week off before Farmington allowed them to fix and shore up, and they used that time to great effect.
The offensive line gave the quarterback needed time, the d-backs spoiled many a good pass from the Cards' quarterback, and the d-line and linebacker corps kept the visitors' running game bottled up most of the time. Tackling was much improved, and the 'Hawks running with the ball made the most of it, keeping the ball off the turf and in their possession.
Building hurricane proof houses in places like North Carolina is kind of like rolling the dice. Until you actually put a building through a hurricane, you really don't know if it can take the pounding and stress that an event like that can exact on a dwelling.
By the same token, you really can't tell what inexperienced or young players will do in a given situation unless they have been tested in battle, like the hurricane that was Harrison. Playing teams with weak lineups may pad a team's victory total, but it will do nothing to prepare a squad for the hurricanes they might face later in the season when it really counts.
Poll standings are for the fans. Going undefeated in the nonconference games is a great thing if it is against quality opponents, like last years games with Hamburg, Booneville and Farmington.
Interestingly enough, after the 'Hawks dived in the MaxPreps/CBS polling after the first two games, their masterpiece against Farmington restored them to where they were to start the season. With battle scars and the adversity of the 5A schedule behind them, they are now entering their 4A conference schedule with a great deal more useful experience that I think will lead them to their fifth straight appearance in the state playoffs.
'Hawks take big leap up the polls
The Blackhawks' unexpected thrashing of undefeated 5A Farmington jetted their polling position from 29th to 13th, the biggest upward movement of any team in the 4A poll this week.
Meanwhile, Gravette has sunk into the 42nd slot after starting the year in the top 25. The Lions have had a real problem generating any offense in their non-conference games, averaging just four points a game while giving up 34 points per game on defense. The west county league member had a tougher than average schedule, much tougher than Lincoln or Berryville.
Gravette had a +2.1 strength of schedule rating, far and away tougher than the negative ratings compiled in Berryville's -28.9, Green Forest's 30.5 or Lincolns's -30.7 seasons to date. Lincoln is undefeated at 3-0, with Berryville coming in a 2-1 and Green Forest at 1-2.
The Blackhawks have the strongest schedule in the 4A-1 with a +16.6 rating, considerably better than Prairie Grove at +7.5 and Shiloh at +7.7. In fact, the only team with a tougher schedule in all of the 4A is Arkadelphia who had a very tough +24.3 rating, The defending champs are 0-3 with that tough slate, but are very conditioned to compete in the rigorous 4A-7 conference.
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Editor's note: John McGee, an award-winning columnist, sports writer and art teacher at Pea Ridge elementary schools, writes a regular sports column for The Times. He can be contacted through The Times at [email protected].
Sports on 09/19/2018