PEA RIDGE — Prairie Grove ran for 209 yards on 49 carries during its 20-6 victory Friday night at Pea Ridge. But Tigers coach Danny Abshier heaped the most praise regarding his offense on sophomore quarterback Cooper Winters.
When the Tigers needed a first down, Winters came through all night with an on-target pass. He finished 12 of 17 for 158 yards as Prairie Grove improved to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the 4A-1 Conference. Pea Ridge, on its senior night, fell to 1-7 and 0-5.
“He’s a sophomore, and he’s only getting better,” Abshier said of Winters, a 6-foot-1, 163-pounder. “His release is getting quicker, and he’s making really good choices.”
Daniel Schrock’s 1-yard touchdown run gave Prairie Grove a 13-6 lead early in the fourth quarter. Pea Ridge followed by going three-and-out, and the Tigers took possession with 9 minutes, 24 seconds left. They then sealed the victory with a 13-play, 71-yard drive.
Ten of those plays were runs, including a 4-yard touchdown burst by Weston Bartholomew, who led all rushers with 118 yards on 24 carries. But the crucial plays were the three passes, each which earned Prairie Grove a first down.
Winters completed an 11-yard pass to Jon Halbert on third-and-7. He hit Landon West for 18 yards on third-and-6 and connected with Dakota Daniels for 12 yards on fourth-and-7.
“Those were some really big passes he made there in the fourth quarter,” Abshier said.
Pea Ridge coach Tony Travis said he “probably sounded kind of like a broken record” after watching his Blackhawks fight hard during a competitive loss.
“It was another great effort tonight,” Travis said. “We just have to find a way to get over the hump when we’re in games in the fourth quarter.”
Travis said Pea Ridge needed to move the ball more consistently Friday night, especially in the second half when the Tigers put the game away. Prairie Grove held the Blackhawks to 27 yards on 31 carries.
Pea Ridge did put two quality drives together Friday night. The first came on their second drive of the contest, an 11-play, 84-yard scoring march capped by a 2-yard Easterling touchdown run. Easterling completed passes of 20 and 27 yards to Joseph Adams on the drive.
The Blackhawks’ second impressive drive came right after halftime. But their 10-play march ended when Jared Murphy sacked Easterling on fourth down.
“That was such a big momentum-turner in the game,” Abshier said. “Then our offense got it done when it needed to.”
Prep Football
4A-1 Conference
PRAIRIE GROVE 20, PEA RIDGE 6
Prairie Grove 7 0 0 13 — 20
Pea Ridge 0 6 0 0 — 6
First Quarter
PG — Thomas 4 run (Allen kick), 8:31
Second Quarter
Pea — Easterling 2 run (pass failed), 7:07
Fourth Quarter
PG — Schrock 1 run (pass failed), 11:15
PG — Bartholomew 4 run (Allen kick), 4:16
PG Pea
First Downs 18 9
Rushes-Yards 49-209 31-27
Passing Yards 158 99
Comp-Att-Int 12-17-0 7-12-0
Punts 2-31.5 5-30.5
Fumbles-Lost 3-2 2-0
Penalties-Yards 8-65 5-45
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Prairie Grove, Bartholomew 23-118, Murphy 6-27, Thomas 5-27, Schrock 7-25, West 3-19, Winters 5-(minus 7). Pea Ridge, Woollard 5-11, Torres 3-11, Caudill 4-6, Maddox 2-4, Winn 2-2, Easterling 15-(minus 7).
PASSING— Prairie Grove, Winters 12-17-0 158. Pea Ridge, Easterling 7-12-0 99.
RECEIVING— Prairie Grove, Daniels 3-42, Halbert 4-40, Sugg 1-31, West 1-18, Murphy 1-13, Denton 1-9, Schrock 1-5. Pea Ridge, Adams 3-63, Rylee 3-27, Beard 1-9.