Missed opportunities and inopportune turnovers combined to end the Blackhawks' 2019 football season with a narrow 21-14 loss to the Ozark Hillbillies on a cold, wet night in the Arkansas river valley.
Senior Samuel Beard had a productive night against a very formidable defense, rushing 17 times for 106 yards. Senior Tate Busey completed eight passes for 93 yards and also picked up 40 yards rushing on 14 tries along with a touchdown. Adam Trammel was all over the field on defense, executing 17 tackles to lead the defensive efforts.
The two teams played each other well with most of the plays on both sides very limited by swarming defense. In the end, Ozark made just a few less mistakes to provide the final margin.
The Hawks got within Ozarks' 10-yard line twice without scoring with the Hillbillies getting short fields to score on two of their drives. Pea Ridge then made their job more difficult by turning the ball over on their first two possessions of the second half, one of them leading to the eventual winning touchdown.
The game started well enough with Beard rushing for two first downs on four carries. His runs totaled 33 yards which placed them midfield. A short gain followed by a no gain rush and an incomplete pass led to a punt, giving Ozark possession of their own 26.
The 'Billies made a little headway on their first two plays, but Hawk senior Lance Nunley slammed the Ozark ball carrier down well short of a first down on third, forcing a punt back to Pea Ridge.
The Hawks were faced with a fourth and inches at their own 38, and they went for it. However, the ball was bobbled with the Ozark defense swarming over the ball carrier before he could get moving. Led by the Hillbilly quarterback Ryker Martin. Ozark kept it on the ground to grind it on for the first score of the night. Martin ran it in from the 12 to give the hosts a 7-0 lead after the PAT with 4:10 left in the first quarter.
The Blackhawks had an immediate answer, driving 51 yards to score, set up by a 31-yard kickoff return by senior Hunter Rains. Beard nearly broke through to score on first down, dashing 22 yards to the Ozark 29. After two plays left the Hawks in a third and 13 hole, Busey hooked up with sophomore Trevor Blair to gain just enough yards for a first down at the 'Billy 19. Beard broke through again, rambling 14 yards for a first down on the Ozark 5. A play was called for Busey to pass to Rains who was fading in the end zone but an Ozark defender held Rains to prevent the score.
The interference penalty didn't prevent the score, only delaying it as Busey executed a beautiful fake then rolled in over the left side for the score. Senior Luis Reyes kicked the PAT to knot the score at 7-7 with 39 seconds left in the first period. The Hawks' defense then bowed its back to stop a Hillbilly drive on the Pea Ridge 33. A fourth down pass fell to the earth harmlessly to turn the ball back over to Pea Ridge.
The Hawks drove to near midfield when the 'Billy defense stopped the Pea Ridge advance. Busey laid down a near perfect 51-yard punt, with the ball rolling to the Ozark 4-yard line. Martin spoiled the Hawks' field position with a 24-yard run on first down. Duke Walker's sprint down the south sidelines picked up 73 yards and his team's second touchdown. The PAT kick was true and Ozark led 14-7 with 5:47 left in the half.
The Hawks put together a mild threat on their next possession but the 'Billies' tough pass defense foiled two passing attempts, leading to a punt to the Ozark 11-yard line.
Senior Adam Trammel brought the Blackhawk faithful to its feet when he separated the ball from the Ozark ball carrier to give the Hawks a golden opportunity at the Ozark 11. A 5-yard pass to senior Brayden Ralph gave Pea Ridge 5 yards to the Ozark 6 and a 2-yard run by Busey moved it to the 4. A lost yard rush and incomplete pass spoiled the opportunity with the teams heading into intermission soon after with Ozark remaining ahead 14-7.
The lead Ozark had built quickly evaporated when Reyes knifed in to intercept the 'Billies' first play of the half, a pass from their own 41. Reyes ran it back 41 yards to paydirt, with the senior kicker then booting the PAT through the uprights to knot the score at 14-14.
Disaster struck three plays later when the Hawk defense forced Ozark into a 3 and out. The resulting punt was dropped by the return man for the Hawks and the hosts were in business on the Hawk 32. Ozark drove to the 25 but a wall of defenders led by Trammel slammed the door on a fourth and 3 play to regain possession.
Reyes ran twice for 11 yards for a first down to the Hawk 38. Two plays netted but 2 yards and a third down pass was intercepted to give Ozark great field position. Stating from the midfield stripe, the Hillbillies drove 50 yards in six plays to break the tie. The score came on a 27-yard dash by Martin and accurate PAT to put the hosts back on top 21-14.
It appeared the Hawks might go back down the field and tie it again when Busey picked 15 yards on first down on the ground with Beard following with a 4-yarder to the Ozark 35. A 25-yard pass completion came close to tying the score but the ball was fumbled away on the Ozark 10 to extinguish the drive.
The Hawk defense held and when Ozark punted on fourth down, it traveled only 23 yards to give the Hawks great positioning on the Ozark 40. Beard burst through for a 17-yard gainer to the Ozark 23 for a first down. However, the next four plays netted but a single yard and the 'Billies took over on downs.
The Hawks buckled down on defense and threw the 'Billy ball carrier for a 2-yard loss on a third and 1 play from the Ozark 46.
Time was running out and the Hawks redoubled their efforts. Beard ran for 6 yards on first down with Busey dashing for 8 on second down. Beard picked up another 6 yards on 1st down, but the next two plays netted nothing. With a 4th and 4 from their own 39, the Hawks gambled with Busey appearing to dive past the down marker to gain the first down. The referee on the ground ruled he hadn't made it, turning the ball over to Ozark.
With the clock under 3 minutes, Ozark began melting the clock, delaying Pea Ridge getting another crack at the ball until less than 60 seconds was left. On the final play with 1 second on the clock, Busey threw a desperation pass to the Ozark end zone and was on target to be caught by a Hawk receiver. However, knowing that the Hawks had to throw a deep pass to avoid defeat, Ozark had a defensive back in position to snare the pass and end the game.
In addition to Beard and Busey, others gaining yards on the ground included Rains who ran once for 8 yards and Reyes who ran four times for 9 yards. Blair caught two passes for 32 yards with Ralph catching one for 29 yards and Zac Withrow catching one for 25 yards.
Lance Nunley had another good night, picking up 10 tackles on defense. Samual Tillman recorded eight stops with Mazon Harris and Joe Adams each making seven tackles.
The game was the swan song for Pea Ridge in 4A football. Next season the Hawks will be competing in the 5A West Conference in football. Pea Ridge will remain 4A in every other sport.
The Hawks end their season with a good 8-5 record, going 8-2 against 4A schools. Their 12-5 playoff mark for the past five years ranks among the best in the state.
Sports on 12/04/2019