McGEE: Lady Blackhawk volleyball are 4th in 4A-1, 12th in state
Chace Austin is the leading ball carrier for Gravette, having gained 249 yards at 6.6 yards per carry average.
Mason Dagley is the leading pass receiver, having caught 26 passes for 351 yards. Austin and Ian Drake have caught 12 or more passes this season, providing Hilger with two other targets.
Their three top defenders are Lane Wilkins, Trenten Durham and Isaac Dann who have recorded 34, 37 and 39 tackles, respectively. Against Prairie Grove, the Lions piled up 175 yards in passing but managed only 73 yards rushing.
I think the ’Hawks’ defense will have success shutting down the run and if they can limit the damage what Hilger can do through the air, the Ridge boys ought to be able to log in their third conference win. After two games, the ’Hawks’ rushing defense has allowed almost no positive yards in rushing.
4A-1 Conference football
Pea Ridge’s 55-21 win over Lincoln, Prairie Grove’s 48-7 victory against Gravette and Shiloh’s 58-0 drilling of Green Forest kept the aforementioned teams tied atop the 4A-1 with 2-0 records. Gravette’s loss to the Tigers dropped them into a two-way tie for fourth with Gentry who bashed Berryville 40-14. Green Forest, Berryville and Lincoln are still looking for their first win in conference play.
This Friday, beside the ’Hawks’ home game with Gravette, Berryville hosts Lincoln, Prairie Grove will be at home with Shiloh, and Gentry will travel to Green Forest. Prediction: After Friday, the ’Hawks and Shiloh will be alone atop the 4A-1 and Gentry will be tied for third with Prairie Grove at 2-1.
MaxPrep/CBS 4A State football poll
*Current statewide MaxPreps rankings
The Blackhawks jumped up five spots in the poll after their convincing win over Lincoln last week. Prairie Grove moved up 12 spots with Gentry rising five. The state’s biggest loser was Southside Batesville who dropped 10 spots to No. 29 when they were crushed by Riverview last week. The 4A’s biggest gainer was Malvern who improved 13 places to No. 17 after upsetting Harmony Grove last week in the tough 7-4A.
The second- through fourth-ranked teams remained the same with Nashville, Arkadelphia and Robinson in that order. Nashville beat Arkadelphia by 1 point two weeks ago with Arkadelphia besting Robinson by 1 point last week. This week Nashville plays Robinson, so the big three of the 4A-7 conference will have played each other in the first half of the league schedule. Should Robinson beat Nashville by 1, well, there may be a real problem determining who wins the district title.
Another big game this Friday will be the Ozark/ Dardanelle game to be played at Sand Lizard Stadium. Dardanelle is a sight favorite, ranked No. 5 in the state with Ozark ranked No. 6. Personally, I think Ozark will run over the Lizards to take control of the 4A-4. With the way the playoffs are structured, Pea Ridge could be playing the 4A-4 champion if they can make the
Editor’s note: John McGee, an award-winning columnist, sports writer and art teacher at Pea Ridge elementary schools, writes a regular sports column for The Times. The opinions expressed are those of the writer. He can be contacted through The Times at prtnews@nwadg.com.