Football: Blackhawks face two stern tests in same week

Pea Ridge rising senior Drew Winn races for a touchdown against Hamburg in the 2016 Class 4A state quarterfinals at Blackhawks Stadium.
Pea Ridge rising senior Drew Winn races for a touchdown against Hamburg in the 2016 Class 4A state quarterfinals at Blackhawks Stadium.

Pea Ridge will open the 2017 football season with not just one but two games the opening week, and both will be on the road.

The Blackhawks are coming off the program's best season in history, going 13-2 and advancing to the Class 4A state championship game for the first time. Pea Ridge lost to Warren in the title game in War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock last December.

With a number of standout players returning, Pea Ridge will be a title contender again this season, and that is exactly the kind of team officials with the Hooten's Kickoff Classic were looking for, Chad Hooten said.

"We are always looking for a program on the rise, and Pea Ridge fit that criteria," Hooten said.

So the Blackhawks agreed to play the first game in the state when they will take on Hamburg at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28, at Estes Stadium at the University of Central Arkansas. This will be a rematch of last season's quarterfinal clash, won by Pea Ridge 36-24.

"Both teams were title contenders last year, so we were excited to get them to play the first game of the season," Hooten said.

This is the 18th season of the Hooten's Kickoff Classic, and over the past 17 seasons, 21 teams that have participated in the classic have gone on to play for a state championship. The Pea Ridge-Hamburg game will be followed by a 7:30 p.m. clash between Conway Christian and Danville on the gray- and purple-striped UCA turf.

The Blackhawks won't get much rest when this game ends. Pea Ridge will travel to Booneville on Friday, Sept. 1, to take on the always tough Bearcats. The Blackhawks hammered Booneville 41-22 in the season opener last year.

It is a daunting task for sure but one the Blackhawks won't shy away from, second-year coach Stephen Neal said.

"No question this is a challenge, but we feel like our kids are up for it," Neal said. "We feel like these two games, both on the road, will prepare us for later in the season."

Pea Ridge returns an enviable number of standouts from last season, including quarterback Jakota Sainsbury, who passed for more than 2,000 yards and led a huge second-round upset on the road at Nashville. Top receiver Hayden Holtgrewe is back after a breakout season on offense, defense and special teams. And running back Drew Winn is drawing a lot of college interest after rushing for 1,500 yards as a junior.

The Blackhawks also get a big boost from move-in Jordan Witcher, who comes from Bryant and gives Pea Ridge yet another offensive weapon. Witcher went through spring practices with the team and will be a solid complement to Holtgrewe, Neal said. Pea Ridge also returns a lot of defensive experience, led by linebacker Robbie Pickthall, the NWADG Division II Defensive Player of the Year.

"One thing we take great pride in this community is not backing away from a challenge," Neal said. "And this will be a challenging first week against two very good programs. Hamburg is a good program, and Booneville is as well, and they will be much improved over last year's team.

"We'll have our work cut out for us; that's for sure. But we feel like we're up to it and looking forward to it."

There have been a couple of changes to the Pea Ridge coaching staff since last season. Former offensive coordinator Crosby Tuck took a head coaching job in Georgia, and former defensive coordinator Lafe Caton took a similar position in Brownsboro, Texas.

Former junior high coach Cody Alexander has taken over as the offensive coordinator, and Pea Ridge hired Jacob Meyers from Berryville and Asa Poteete from Tulsa, Okla., to fill the staff. Neal, a longtime defensive coordinator at Tulsa Union, will call the defense, he said. Poteete will coach the offensive line, and Meyers will coach the defensive backs.

Because the Blackhawks will play two games in the opening week, they will not have a game the second week of the season, which would have been against Green Forest, Neal said. Pea Ridge will take on Farmington in the third week of the season before opening 4A-1 Conference play.

Sports on 06/13/2017

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