Punts Become Farmington’s Achilles Heel

PUNTS BECOME FARMINGTON’S ACHILLES HEEL IN MATCH WITH PEA RIDGE

— Farmington’s Achilles’ heel was exposed in the punting game and Pea Ridge repeatedly took full advantage of a short field while handing the Cardinals a 42-0 drubbing Friday.

The Blackhawks got on the scoreboard late in the first quarter on a 47-yard drive following a 2-yard Farmington punt that went straight up before falling well behind the Cardinals’ punt coverage unit.

Pea Ridge capitalized on a 9-yard net punt that rolled backwards with Farmington’s coverage team having to turn around and chase it. One player dived at the bouncing football and missed. Pea Ridge wound up with prime field position at Farmington’s 27 and scored easily on Tate Busey’s 1-yard quarterback sneak to assume a 21-0 lead at the half.

First half punts that netted 27, 9, and 28 yards respectively allowed Pea Ridge to dominate field position although the Blackhawks weren’t very good at punting either. Farmington’s defense forced Pea Ridge to punt three times in the first half and the Blackhawks netted 21, 27 and 30 yards on the trio of kicks. When a third quarter Pea Ridge punt traveled a mere 13 yards, Farmington assistant coach Jay Harper marveled.

“It’s the worst punting game I’ve ever seen,” he stated.

Farmington did get off two decent punts, the first of which netted 33 yards of field position that was stretched into 40 when a halfthe-distance to the goal holding penalty was marked off pinning Pea Ridge back at its own 7 with 3:26 remaining in the second quarter. That factored into keeping them out of the end zone again until the third quarter.

Farmington couldn’t cash in on the 13-yard Pea Ridge punt in the third because they lost the ball, which was fumbled away on a sack. Two plays later Pea Ridge completed a 56-yard touchdown pass from Busey to Brayden Ralph to extend its lead to 28-0. That was the second score off a Farmington turnover Pea Ridge converted into points. The first came after a pass was caught then fumbled to set up Carson Rhine’s 47-yard touchdown reception midway through the second quarter.

The turnover and touchdown really hurt because Farmington’s defense held after a muffed kickoff, which Pea Ridge recovered at the Cardinal 35.

Farmington senior Ruben Whitney (5-8, 135) had another decent punt that netted 34 yards in the third quarter, but Pea Ridge was on a roll and needed only three plays to cover 57 yards scoring on Rain’s 44-yard catch and run.

Farmington’s last punt from its own 13 produced a net 18 yards with the Blackhawks taking over at the Cardinal 31. Farmington sophomore free safety Decory Thomas (6-1, 155) nearly had a “pick six” as he broke on the ball, but couldn’t hang on and Rains made a catch going 31 yards the other direction for the final Blackhawk touchdown stretching the final score out to 42-0.

David Snarr’s interception at the Blackhawk one and 15-yard return sealed the shutout for Pea Ridge ending a promising 14-play, 69-yard Farmington drive with 4:44 left in the game.

Farmington begins 5A West play Friday on the road at Clarksville.

MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER Farmington’s punt coverage unit frequently had to come back with punts landing well behind them. Short kicks hurt the Cardinals and gave Pea Ridge good field position, which they capitalized on during the 42-0 rout with Farmington suffering its first loss of the season Friday at Pea Ridge’s Blackhawk Stadium.