Rhine plays his 'dream game'

PEA RIDGE — Ethan Rhine's gut ached, standing on the sidelines as a junior with seven pins and a steel plate holding his broken collarbone together.

There, he watched his Pea Ridge Blackhawks lose nine of 10 high school football games.

"I dreamed about playing all the time," the senior quarterback said. "I wished so bad I was out there, every Friday night. It was hard watching on those sidelines."

That's because his gut told him, "I could help."

Just as he did this past Friday, leading the 'Hawks to their first victory, 40-21 against Greenland. He played his "dream game," the one he envisioned from the sidelines.

Rhine, who also plays outside linebacker, completed 4 of 4 passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for 35 yards, returned one of two interceptions for a touchdown and returned a fumble for a touchdown in the nonconference victory.

He threw into double coverage 41 yards downfield to Bo Rylee.

"I threw up a prayer and Bo made a great catch and took it in," Rhine said. He threw from the 3 to Kyle Westerdale for the other TD pass.

"He ran an out route on a rollout and it was there," Rhine said.

Of the interception he returned for a touchdown, he said: "I knew it was a screen. I dropped back. I read it right. I was pretty much in the right place at the right time." He returned it 30 yardsuntouched.

Of the fumble return, Rhine tracked down Greenland's running back scooting outside, scooped up the turnover and returned the ball 34 yards.

"The ball was loose and I stripped it," Rhine said.

Again: Right place, right time.

His "player-of-the-week" type night came on the heels of throwing for 100 yards against West Fork a week earlier.

Rhine started at outside linebacker as a sophomore and was projected as the go-to receiver his junior year. The injury was vicious, occurring just two days intofull-pad practice in August.

"It was in a tackling drill," he said. "I went up against another kid. His facemask hit me right on my collarbone. It was a clean break."

He learned about the QB job from former coach Mark Laster during baseball season, when Rhine plays shortstop and pitcher.

"Coach Laster came up to me and told me he was planning on working me at quarterback," he said. "Inever played quarterback in my life, not since pee-wee anyway. It's all new to me."

He has three games and nearly three months experience at the position he loves.

"He's catching up fast," first-year Pea Ridge coach Tony Travis said. "We're glad to have him out there with us this year. He's done a lot of things for us."

Part of Rhine's success is his work ethic, Travis said.

"Since July 7, I don't know that he's missed a day, maybe one for a vacation this summer," Travis said. "We've had quarterback practices and quarterbackrunning back practices and quarterback-receiver practices.

"He's here for all of it and worked hard to learn the system."

All Rhine needed was a chance to live out his dream.