Hawks lose roller coaster battle with Prairie Grove Tigers 35-33
Jeff Williams’ Blackhawks jumped ahead of the host Prairie Grove last week, fought to a tie at the half, fell far behind in the third quarter, then came roaring back in the fourth quarter only to see a tying 2-point conversion pass sail just a bit too high as the Tigers hung on to claim a nailbiting 35-33 victory.
With starting quarterback Logan Stewart (No. 10) still out with an injury, starting receiver Zac Withrow (No. 5) went under center and had his first ever 200-yard passing game, as he threw for 204 yards (unofficially) on 10 completions. Outstanding wide receiver Trevor Blair (No. 8) attracted crowds on defense but the junior standout caught all Withrow’s completions for his best day receiving to date. The Withrow to Blair combo was good for four touchdowns, three of which came in the frenzied fourth quarter.
Junior Blackhawk Joe Adams (No. 2) put on a good show running against a very good Tiger rushing defense, carrying the ball 20 times for 70 yards. Adams also scored the game’s first touchdown. Withrow added 34 rushing yards for 238 yards of total offense. Sophomore Caden Mann (No. 26) chipped in with 15 yards on five tries.
Things did not start well for the Hawks, gaining no yards in their first series, then allowing the hosts to pick up a pair of rushing first downs to mid-field. However, the Tigers’ growing confidence evaporated when the Hawks covered a loose pigskin on the Prairie Grove 43 to give the visitors a grand opportunity.
Adams ripped off a great run to give the Hawks a first down on the Tiger 30. Withrow bulled through for 5 yards with Adams adding 3 more on the next play to set up a fourth and 2 on the Tiger
22. Adams scooted through for 5 and a first down on the 17, and repeated the feat on the next play to the Tiger 12. Withrow nearly wiggled free, running to the Tiger 4 for 8 yards before getting stopped. Adams got a yard on first down then went the remaining 3 yards to cross the goal line with 4:29 left in the first quarter. Senior Collin Stewart’s (No. 42) accurate kick after gave the Hawks an initial 7-0 lead.
Starting at their 35, the Tigers got 4 yards from Foster Layman, and then an 8-yard pass from Knox Laird to Landon Semrad for a first at their 47. Layman rushed for 5 yards then Laird threw a deep pass to the 6’3” Semrad with the lanky receiver hauling it down to run into the end zone with 2:57 showing. The PAT kick was good, tying the game at 7-7.
Not being able to get anything going through the air, the Hawks kept their ground game going with short runs by Adams, Withrow and Mann pushing the ball to the Hawk 47 before being forced to punt.
The Hawks held the Tigers to a 3 and out, but could not move the ball on the Tigers, resulting in a punt to Prairie Grove on the Tiger 42. A Laird to Jackson Sorters pass covered 11 yards to the Hawk
47. Sophomore tailback Ethen Miller then sped 14 yards to the Hawks 33. After penalties and short gains left the Tigers 10 yards further down field to the 23, Laird went to his tall receiver Semrad again with the pass netting another score. The point after kick was good and Prairie Grove led 14-7 with 4:57 left in the half.
Adams had a great 6-yard run to start the next series but that was all the offense could muster as junior Blair punted for the fourth time. The rapidly improving punter is averaging close to 40 yards per. The good punt by Blair provided dividends as the Hawks took the ball away on the second play, covering the ball on the Tiger 40. Adams ran for 8, 6 and then 8 yards to set the Hawks up on the 18.
Penalties against both teams left the Hawks on the 13, after a holding call on the Tigers more than offset a false start call on the Hawks. The with just 18 seconds left in the half, Withrow threw his first of four touchdown passes to Blair for a 13-yard score. Stewart was true again, sending the teams into the locker rooms tied at 14-all.
Prairie Grove came out of the break as vintage Tigers, launching a ground attack then used Layman, Laird and Grant Hall to cover nearly all the 74 yards to the end zone. Hall scored on a 7-yard dash with 9:27 showing on the clock. The kick was good to put the Tigers back up by 7, 21-14.
With the passing attack going 2 for 7 for 14 yards in the first half, the Hawks stayed on the ground but could not move the ball well enough to gain a first down. A mishap on the resulting punt gave Prairie Grove great field position on the Hawk 36. The Hawks put up a good wall on defense, but the Tigers went over it with a pass from Laird to Sorters netting a first down on the Hawk 19. Miller ran twice to gain 13 yards to the Hawk 6. The Hawks got a break on a 5-yard procedure penalty against the Tigers, but the Laird to Sorters combination worked again as Prairie Grove scored from 11 yards out. With 3:59 left in the third, the PAT kick was good and the hosts led 28-14.
With the game slipping out of reach, the Hawks had to come up with something, and they did, launching a 12-play scoring drive that culminated in an 18yard Withrow to Blair pass with 11:11 left in the game. Withrow had runs of 6 and 7 to start the drive from the Hawks 21. Mann ran twice for 6 yards with Withrow gaining 8 that gave the Hawks a first down on the Hawk 47. Facing a third and 9 from the 48, the Tigers held a Hawk receiver, giving the Hawks a first down on the Tiger 41. Withrow then threw to a unheld Blair who gathered it in to run 22 yards to the Tiger 19. After a short rushing gain,
Withrow hooked up with a heavily guarded Blair to cover the remaining 18 yards to the end zone. The kick was blocked, leaving the Hawks facing a 28-20 deficit with 11 minutes left in the game.
Prairie Grove then used four different ball carriers to move into Pea Ridge territory at the 48. Hawks’ senior Samual Tillman (No. 66) blew up their momentum by knifing past the blockers and dropping Laird for a 7-yard loss back to the Tiger 44, eventually forcing a punt to the Hawks at the Pea Ridge 22.
Adams got off a 5-yard run to get the Hawks going but a low snap and fumble erased the previous gain, forcing the Hawks to go to the air. The Tigers again hanging on the Pea Ridge receivers, attracting another pass interference call and giving the Hawks new life on the Hawk 37. Two incompletions and a 5-yard loss put the Hawks into a punting situation with a fourth and 15 on the Hawk 32. Gambling on a fake punt, the Hawks went for it but the Tigers sniffed it out, downing the ball carrier on the Hawk 34.
It took the Tigers just two plays to score with Grant Hall sprinting around the end to cruise into the end zone with just 5 minutes left in the game. The PAT kick ballooned the hosts’ lead to 35-20, seemingly all but icing the game.
The Tigers kicked off through the end zone and the Hawks had to start from their own 20. The dismayed home crowd then watched junior Blair make an outstanding catch from Withrow to gain 39 yards to the Tiger 41. The Hawks then lost 5 to a penalty with the next play seeing an incompletion. From the 46, Withrow made a great throw down field with Blair out jumping a host of defenders to bring the ball down into the end zone, with the drive consuming no more than a minute of playing time. Stewart made the kick and the Hawks trailed just 35-27 with 4:08 left in the game.
With the game still within striking distance, the Hawks went for an onside kick to get the ball back and the Pea Ridge boys worked it to perfection. After the bouncing ball passed the 50, Blair got his hands on it at the Tiger 48 where the officials blew it dead in the Hawks’ possession. Blair had taken the loose ball and crossed the end zone with it, but the run was nullified on the officials’ whistle.
On first down, the Hawks nearly scored on a 33-yard bomb from Withrow to Blair to the Tiger 15. Prairie Grove, seeing their lead about to evaporate, threw up stiff resistance as the Hawks got no traction, facing a fourth and 12 from the 17. The fourth down run failed and the Tigers had the ball with 3 minutes to run down to victory.
Layman opened with an 8-yard run to jack up the home crowd but the next two plays went nowhere with the Tigers facing a fourth and 1 with 2 minutes left. Supremely confident of making the yard gain and ice the game, Prairie Grove tried a quarterback sneak. The Hawk defense rose to the occasion, throwing up a brick wall on the sneak to stop it for no gain, regaining possession for Pea Ridge.
The last chance did not start well, with a penalty and two incompletions.
The third down pass to Blair was a real battle, but the Hawks came out on top with the pass from Withrow netting 24 yards to the Tiger 9. Two plays later saw Withrow flip a 9-yard pass to Blair who took it in to score with little over a minute left in the game. Having to go for a 2-point play to tie the game, the ensuing pass to Blair was just out of his reach and the home crowd could finally breathe a sigh of relief with the Tigers running out the clock for a 35-33 win.
The Hawks are off this week and will open their 2020 conference season against Alma on Sept. 25.