Blackhawks end regular season
Settle for second
The Blackhawks had their seven game winning streak come to an end with a regular season finale loss to Shiloh 49-13.
“We played a really good team tonight,” coach Stephen Neal said, “and while we are a good team as well, we could have played better.”
Turnovers and miscues played a large role in the ’Hawks’ loss, though the state’s second-ranked 4A team from Springdale played extremely well in their lopsided victory.
Shiloh took the opening kickoff, then drove 76 yards in eight plays, passing on all but the last two plays. Shiloh’s Jaret Russ ran for 5, then 11 yards to break into the end zone with 10:04 showing in the first quarter. Patrick Williams then booted the first of seven PATs for a 7-0 lead.
The quick score allowed by the ’Hawks was compounded by a fumble on the ’Hawks’ first play, resulting in a 6-yard loss to the Pea Ridge 26. Carson Rhine ran twice for 12 yards, but it wasn’t quite enough to make up for the loss so the ’Hawks’ punt team was called in. A bad snap flew over the punter’s head, giving the ball to Shiloh on the ’Hawk 11. Two more runs by Russ and Shiloh had another score, to quickly take control of the game 14-0.
The roof came near to just falling in when the ’Hawks fumbled the kickoff giving the ball right back to Shiloh on the visitors’ 49-yard line. Rhine bailed the ’Hawks out of trouble when Shiloh decided to try for a quick score with a deep pass. The veteran senior safety intercepted the pass to get the ball back, this time on the Pea Ridge 9-yard line.
The first play resulted in a penalty on the ’Hawks, but Rhine saved the day again, bolting for 15 yards to gain a first down on the ’Hawk 19. Two rushes netted 0 yards and a great deep pass from Rhine to Justin Koon was on the mark but batted away by good defense from Shiloh, thereby forcing a punt.
Shiloh took the punt at their own 49, then moved down the field in eight plays to score their third touchdown. It was again Russ scoring, though this time he took a 15-yard pass from Eli Reece to hit paydirt. With 3:29 left in the period, Williams converted the kick for a 21-0 lead.
The ’Hawks got great field position to start their next possession, beginning on the Shiloh
41. Tristen Brewer ran twice for 7 yards with Rhine rushing for 1 to bring up a fourth and 2 from the
33. Electing to go for it, Samuel Beard converted, bashing his way forward for 4 yards and a first down in the Shiloh 29. Brewer then bulldozed his way for 4 yards with Rhine nearly breaking loose completely, picking up 11 yards to the Shiloh 14. Brewer rushed for 2 yards twice, then burst through the line for 10 yards and the ’Hawks’ first score with 11:18 left in the half. Luis Reyes kicked the point after to close the gap to 21-7.
The ’Hawks fired up defense finally forced a Shiloh punt, mostly through a heads up defensive play by Brewer that resulted in his bringing down a Shiloh receiver 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage. An ensuing punt set the ball up on the ’Hawk 48.
Beard and Rhine picked up some yardage, but a third down play was blown up by the Shiloh defense, resulting in a massive 11-yard loss. Shiloh then took the resulting punt to their own 29yard line. Shiloh’s Jaiden Henry then took off on first down and ran down the east sidelines for a 71-yard touchdown run to put the ’Hawks into a deep hole. Williams’ kick put the guests ahead 28-0 with 9 minutes to go in the half.
The ’Hawks regrouped and answered, setting off on a 10play scoring drive to narrow the deficit. Rhine broke loose on first down to dash 16 yards and a first down on the ’Hawk 47. A 7-yard run by Brewer was met by an out-of-bounds hit by a Shiloh defender, giving the ’Hawks an additional 15 yards and a first down on the Shiloh 32.
Brewer then ran for 7 yards and when Rhine rushed twice for short gains, the ’Hawks had another first down on the Shiloh 21. Rhine rushed for 3 on first down, and Brewer followed with runs of 4 and 10 for a first down on the 4-yard line. Rhine then dashed the remainder of the way on second down for the ’Hawks’ second score. The kick was off, leaving the score at 28-13 with 4:06 left in the half.
The ’Hawks’ defense came alive again, throwing the Shiloh backs for losses on two consecutive plays. Brewer and Gannon Conrad dropped the quarterback for a 4-yard loss on first down, with Adam Trammel and Conrad, dropping the tailback for a 1-yard loss on second down. Two plays later, the visitors punted giving the ball back to Pea Ridge on the ’Hawk 32.
After a short gain by Beard, Rhine flipped a 14-yard pass to Trevor Blair that got the ’Hawks to near midfield at the ’Hawk
47. More bad luck rained on the ’Hawks when the next pass was intercepted on the Shiloh 46, giving the guests one more shot at scoring before intermission.
Brewer hoped to derail the drive, sacking the quarterback for a 6-yard loss on first down. Though having less than a minute to work with, it took just two passes to get Shiloh to the ’Hawk
29. The ’Hawks prevented the first two passes from the 29 on good pass defense, but the third Reece try got through to Russ
who ran it into the end zone with just 15 seconds left in the half.
The ’Hawks got the ball to start the second half. A first down rush by Rhine to start the possession was met by a guest who grabbed his facemask, with the added yardage giving Pea Ridge a first down on the ’Hawk 40. Two short runs could not get the ’Hawks rolling but a third down 10-yard scamper by Beard got the ’Hawks into Shiloh territory at the 49. Brewer ran twice for 8 yards and the ’Hawks decided to go for it on fourth and 2 from the 41. A bad snap blew up the play and the guests took over on the Shiloh 49.
A flurry of passes was ended with a 7-yard run by Russ into the end zone. Williams kick with 6:11 left in the third quarter made it a 42-13 game. The ensuing kickoff left the ’Hawks on their own 8 yard line.
Beard got some yardage on second and third downs which was added to when Shiloh committed their third personal foul against the ’Hawks. Though they drove a little farther on runs by Brewer, Rhine and Beard, it was not enough to stave off a punt, but a good booming 39-yard punt by Reyes pushed the guests back to their own 30.
The visitors were keen to score their seventh touchdown so their starters were reinserted and went on a 13-play scoring drive. The final score came on a 7-yard rush by Russ. With 9:15 left in the game, the guests set the final score at 49-13.
Rhine and Brewer led the rushing for the ’Hawks with 69 and 68 yards, respectively. Beard chipped in with 35 yards, leaving him 1 yard shy of having a 1,000 yard season.
Brewer led the way defensively with 12 tackles to lead the team. Jake Adams was second with 8, with Rhine recording 7, Reyes 7, Justin Koon 6 and Gavin Warden 6.
This Friday the ’Hawks will play what will probably be their final game at home. West Helena Central will be making their first trip to northwest Arkansas; they are currently the 11th ranked team in the state.