PEA RIDGE — A halftime adjustment paid big dividends for Heber Springs on Friday night.
Panthers coach Steve Janski moved Clint Ligon from receiver to running back and the senior responded by rushing for 117 yards in the second half as Heber Springs scored 36 unanswered points to defeat Pea Ridge 42-21 in a Class 4A second round playoff game at Blackhawks Stadium.
Gamebreaker
HEBER SPRINGS 42, PEA RIDGE 21
Why The Panthers Won
Senior Clint Ligon rushed for 118 yards on nine carries and he caught eight passes for 139 yards and Heber Springs scored on its first five possessions of the second half to erase a 15-point halftime deficit.
Why The Blackhawks Lost
Pea Ridge suffered two second-half turnovers and had just three first downs after taking a 21-6 halftime lead.
Heber Springs, Ligon Rush Past Blackhawks
Pea Ridge (10-2) had a 21-6 lead and the momentum at halftime but Heber Springs scored on its first five possessions of the second half to pull away. Heber Springs (7-4) will play Highland (21-1) Friday night in the quarterfinals.
“This is a big thing for Heber Springs to go to the quarterfinals,” Janski said. “It’s only been done two times in the history of the school. Our seniors have done a phenomenal job.”
Ligon had three catches for 51 yards in the first half and one carry for a yard. But the second half was a different story as Ligon rushed eight times for 117 yards and caught four passes for 88 yards. Ligon had touchdown runs of 34, 15 and 2 yards and his 40-yard run setup the Panthers second touchdown of the second half. Ligon, who finished with 139 yards receiving on seven catches, lined up at receiver, running back and quarterback in the second half.
“We came in at half and said we had to figure a way to get him the ball,” Janski said. “He has been a phenomenal player for us all year long. We just put him in the backfield and let him go at it. That really worked out for us. He really wants the ball in his hands.”
Pea Ridge turned the ball over twice in the second half and had just three first downs after taking a 150-point lead at halftime.
“Momentum swung to Heber Springs,” Pea Ridge coach Tony Travis said. “We have played two or three bad quarters this year, and one was the third quarter against Prairie Grove and then in the third quarter against Heber Springs. Heber Springs did what they had to do. Ligon is a great athlete, and we knew they were going to try and get him the ball in different ways. He made some plays for them.”
Pea Ridge running back Dayton Winn rushed 16 times for 102 yards in the first half but the senior was held to just 14 yards on four carries in the second half. Winn finishes the season with 2,061 yards rushing.
Pea Ridge marched 63 yards on the game’s opening possession and took a 7-0 lead on a 10-yard touchdown run by quarterback Austin Easterling. Winn upped the lead to 14-0 with a 53-yard scoring run on the first play of the second quarter. Easterling threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jack Rapp right before halftime for a 21-6 lead but the second half belonged to the Panthers and Ligon.