Blackhawks look for first win

Pea Ridge has had two weeks to prepare for its home opener, but coach Stephen Neal said there has not been a major overhaul since the Blackhawks’ 0-2 start.

“We do what we’re going to do,” Neal said. “We have an opportunity to get better each week, and our focus hasn’t been on Harrison or Maumelle or Farmington. It’s been completely on us and trying to get our team better, and our time is coming. We just need to control our turnovers and create some takeaways on defense.

“We’ve spent the last two weeks putting the team in different scenarios and tweaking things with our personnel. It’s still a process.”

A 2-0 Farmington team provides the opposition, the third straight Class 5A opponent for Pea Ridge before the Blackhawks open 4A-1 Conference play next week. Pea Ridge opened the season with losses at Harrison and at Maumelle.

“The exciting thing is we’ve been challenged by some very good Class 5A football teams, and our teams are used to the road process,” Neal said. “Our community and our school expect those challenges, and we hope to satisfy them throughout the course of our first home game.

“A lot of people see what has been done, which is the 0-2 start, but we have to keep looking ahead. There’s nothing that can be done about the past. We just need to move forward, and the good thing is we have a new opportunity this week.”