What they’re saying about Pea Ridge

Anonymous opposing coaches, pundits size up Blackhawks

“Pea Ridge is a program that is moving in the right direction. They have good coaches that have built that program up and they always prove to be a tough matchup in the 1-4A.”

—1-4A assistant coach

“Honestly they used to be a team that we looked forward to playing. They were an easy ‘W’ per se, but that’s obviously changed the last few years with the success that they’ve been able to have. You can’t schedule them for Homecoming anymore.”

—Former 1-4A player

“I’ll say this, the Blackhawk Burger is amazing. I haven’t really kept up with their program since Tony Travis left, but I know it’s obviously got to be in good hands. I know their facilities used to suck but they’ve made huge strides in that department.”

—NWA media member

“Stephen Neal is one of the best guys in the business. He’s a class act and if my son lived in their district, I would be happy with him as a leader and a molder of young men.”

—1-4A head coach

“It is crazy how much this area has grown, and especially Pea Ridge. The only thing that used to be there was the battlefield and football was an afterthought. You can tell now that there’s a sense of pride and accomplishment within the community and that people genuinely care and are excited about it.”

—Former area head coach

“We talk about it a lot in the coaching fraternity but it’s really just building a culture. Tony started it and then Stephen has really just kind of put his own spin on it and bolstered it to the point where everyone expects to win big every year. You can’t put a price on that.”

—1-4A head coach

“10 years ago, Pea Ridge would not have been on anyone’s list of places to live in Northwest Arkansas if you were looking to relocate. Now it’s something people are willing to consider. Call me crazy but I think the football success has something to do with that. I think it just makes a place more appealing.”

—Former area administrator

“They’ve had some talented kids come through there. The Winns were special. You can sit there and talk about whatever you want but at the end of the day, you’ve got to have talent to win. That’s the bottom line. If you have a good class of kids, you’ll probably be successful. And by the same token, if your kids aren’t very good and aren’t willing to put in the work to be it, you’ll probably have very little if any success.”

—1-4A assistant coach