PEA RIDGE — Pea Ridge lightning strike offense ran through, over and around Shiloh defenses but came up short on the scoreboard as defending state champion Shiloh eked out a 38-34 win over the ’Hawks. The Blackhawks piled up a staggering 586 yards of offense against their visitors’ 400-yard total but key mistakes and missed opportunities prevented the monumental upset.

“This one stings ... stings a lot,” head coach Tony Travis lamented after the game. “This was a game we could have won and should have won, but didn’t. The kids put out a great, great effort and they made a statement tonight that they can play with anyone. They never doubted they could win and they were in it until the final whistle. I couldn’t be prouder.”

While the ’Hawks’ first two possessions were cut short by interceptions, one inside the Shiloh 8-yard line, Shiloh was unable to capitalize. Shiloh was stunned when they were stopped cold on two of their first three possessions to force a punt. Their second possession ending on a failed fourth down play after the visitors got their initial first down.

The first break in the game came when the ’Hawks were forced to punt from their own 32 facing a long fourth down.

The punt attempt was severely shanked, landing in the bleachers for a net distance of only 9 yards. Shiloh took advantage with Shiloh’s Jeremy Cox rushing four times for 34 yards to set up a 7-yard quarterback sneak by Jeremy Slone. The touchdown put Shiloh on top 7-0 with just 11 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Shiloh attempted onside kick on the ensuing kickoff went out of bounds to give Pea Ridge good field position on their own 45. Austin Easterling shucked several would-be tacklers to spin and fight for 18 yards to the Shiloh 38. After Braxton Caudill bulled his way up the middle for 7 yards, tailback Dayton Winn burst up the middle, blowing past the Shiloh defenders for 32 yardsand the ’Hawks’ first score. Rico Schneider split the uprights to tie the score at 7-7 with 11:18 left in the half.

Good kick coverage by the ‘Hawks put Shiloh back on their own 26 to start the next possession. After gaining a first down, it looked like the ’Hawks had held again as the Saints got bogged down, facing a fourth and 3 from the Pea Ridge 37. After Shiloh’s called play broke down, Slone began to scramble which lulled the ’Hawk secondary into breaking off coverage on some of the Shiloh receivers. The result was that a lone Shiloh receiver wound up all alone near the goal line, where he was subsequently spotted by an alert Slone. An easy pass netted the visitors 37 yards and a goahead score. Their kick was good to push the score to 14-7 to with 8:20 left in the half.

Shiloh wasn’t able to enjoy their good fortune for long as Easterling hit Winn on a third and 9 strike which turned into a 60-yard touchdown pass. Schneider was good again on the point after, tying the teams up at 14-all with7:30 left.

Two plays into the Shiloh possession, a ’Hawk defender very nearly made a diving interception of a pass, but it was completed, resulting in a 24-yard gainer to the Pea Ridge 30. Cox ran for 14, with Slone sneaking for 7 more to get inside the ’Hawk 10. On first and 4, Cox ran it in for their third touchdown and a 21-14 lead with 5:12 left.

The ’Hawks came right back, with Easterling finding Daniel Beard open for a 33-yard pass to the mid-field stripe. The ’Hawks were on the move until pass protection broke down resulting in a 10-yard loss on a quarterback sack. A fourth down pass fell incomplete, giving Shiloh a first down on the ’Hawk 44. Alternating passing and rushing plays, Shiloh moved to the ’Hawk 23 with 3 seconds left in the half.

Shiloh’s 40-yard field goal attempt as time expired was right on the money, giving the visitors a 24-14 bulge at intermission.

Beard got the second half off with a bang, deflecting tacklers and dodging the opposition torun the opening kick back 54 yards. A holding call wiped out the play, however, as the ’Hawks had to put the ball in play on their own 9 yard line. The penalty just delayed the inevitable as Easterling hooked up with Winn for a 16-yard pass play which was followed by a 75-yard dash by Winn, right by Shiloh defenders to score standing up. The kick went wide right to leave the score at 24-20 with 10:44 showing on the clock.

Shiloh’s Cox got off a great return of his own as he returned the kickoff 45 yards to the Pea Ridge 38. A Cox rush, two Slone passes and a quarterback sneak later and the visitors were back in the end zone, increasing their lead to a game best 11 points, 31-20 with 8:18 left.

Beard got off a good kickoff return, returning the ball 33 yards to the ’Hawk 38. On first down, ’Hawk fans were brought to their feet when Easterling burst through for a 40-yard gainer to the Shiloh 28. The joy was short lived as the junior quarterbackwas gang tackled and stripped of the ball to douse the threat. As in the two previous turnovers, however, the ’Hawk defense rose to the occasion forcing a punt to regain possession on the ’Hawk 15. The Blackhawks didn’t waste any time to retaliate, as Easterling found a streaking Bo Rylee open as he gathered in the pass and raced 85 yards untouched into the end zone. The 2-point conversion pass was good from Easterling to Darrick Thomas as the ’Hawks were back to within 3, trailing just 31-28 with 4:09 left in the third quarter.

The fired up ’Hawks were smelling upset and forced Shiloh to go 3 and out on their next possession. Looking to take the lead, Caudill and Winn combined for 14 yards to get a first down on the ’Hawk 30. Runs of 8 and 16by Winn netted still another first down on the Shiloh 46. A 7-yard run by Winn and another 7-yard run with Easterling advancing the ball before lateralling the ball to Winn gave the ’Hawks a great shot with a first down on the Shiloh 32. A fumble lost 2 yards with a no-gain run putting the ’Hawks into a fourth down situation on the Shiloh 27. Disaster revisited the ’Hawks as Shiloh broke through to sack the quarterback and an intentional grounding call gave Shiloh the ball at the 50. Using Cox’s running ability, Shiloh scored in five plays to go up 38-28 with 6:16 left in the game.

Proving why many teams regard him as a dangerous return man, Beard ran his third kickoff back for significant yards. His 40-yard return from the goal line got the ’Hawks nearmid-field to start their possession. On second down, Winn broke loose to pick up 18 yards to the Shiloh 42. Three plays later, the ’Hawks were facing fourth and 9 without their starting signal caller as Easterling went down with a foot injury. With Rylee being pressed into service in the field general slot, the senior receiver responded by flinging a 35-yard pass downfield to Thomas who was downed on the Shiloh 7-yard line. On second down, Winn nearly scored as he was stopped just inside the 1-yard line. Winn then scored on the next play to get the ’Hawks back in it, trailing 38-34 with 2:15 left.

The ’Hawks tried an onside kick which traveled too far as Shiloh covered on the 45. With the home folks screaming and the ‘Hawk defenders hungryfor one more chance to score, Shiloh kept the ball on the ground hoping to eat the clock and seal the game. With not much time left, and facing a fourth and 1 from 46-yard line, Shiloh decided to go for a first down, even though they risked giving the ’Hawks a short field should they fail.

A dive play up the middle got the needed yardage and Shiloh was happy to let the clock run out on the game and the terrific bruising the Blackhawks were dealing them.

“This was one of the greatest games I have ever been associated with as the home folks were just outstanding,” coach Travis said. “The folks were loud and supportive and it meant a lot to the team.”

Winn led the offense by picking up 241 yards rushing and caught two passes for 76 yards. Easterlingpiled up 194 yards in passing to match last week’s break out game the junior had against Gravette. Winn is well over 700 yards rushing for the season at the mid-way point.

The ’Hawks will be home against Gentry this week as the Blackhawks hope to get into the win column in the1-4A District playoff chase.

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Editor’s note: John McGee is the art teacher at Pea Ridge elementary schools, coaches elementary track and writes a regular sports column for The Times. He can be contacted through The Times at prtnews@ nwaonline.com.

Sports, Pages 9 on 10/05/2011