PEA RIDGE -- One big play was all Pea Ridge was looking for as the fourth-quarter clock passed the midway point in a tie game Friday night.
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The Blackhawks got it when they forced an Arkadelphia fumble inside the Badgers' 20-yard line with just over 5 minutes left in the game.
From there, Pea Ridge powered into the end zone behind Zaine Holley and Drew Winn, with Holley going the final 6 yards to give the Blackhawks a 30-24 victory in a Class 4A first-round playoff game in Blackhawks Stadium.
The victory moves Pea Ridge (10-1) into a second-round matchup with defending state champion Nashville on the road next week. Nashville defeated the Blackhawks last season in the semifinals.
Holley, who rushed for 111 yards on 23 carries, said the Blackhawks stuck with their game plan to run the ball even after Arkadelphia loaded the box to try and stop them.
"We stayed with it, we stayed faithful to it and we kept hitting the holes hard," Holley said. "Drew did a fantastic job. The line did a fantastic job. It just took us a little while to get going."
Arkadelphia (5-6) held Pea Ridge to under 100 yards in the first half and led most of the game behind freshman quarterback Cannon Turner. Arkadelphia also took advantage of tremendous field position most of the third quarter to take leads of 17-10 and 24-17.
The Badgers made several crucial mistakes that allowed Pea Ridge to stay in the game. The first was a fumble after Arkadelphia started a drive at the Pea Ridge 33 after a short punt. Arkadelphia also had a short field goal blocked after driving inside the Blackhawks' 20-yard line.
The biggest mistake was the fumble midway through the fourth quarter.
"I thought our defense played great the whole game," Pea Ridge Coach Stephen Neal. "They were put in bad field position two or three times that gave them a short field to work with. The wind was a factor on the short punts, and we gave them a short field."
Pea Ridge limited Arkadelphia to 83 yards on the ground.
The score was tied 10-10 at halftime. Arkadelphia scored first on a 28-yard touchdown pass from Logan Lucas to Shemar Dickens, then added a 28-yard field goal by Nathan Warner for a 10-0 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff after the field goal, Ryan Higgins had a 24-yard return to spark Pea Ridge. Out of the Wildcat formation, Holley gained 14 yards, then Winn ripped off 41 yards for a touchdown with 10:39 left in the first half. Evan Green added a 35-yard field goal to tie the score 10-10 at halftime.
The third quarter saw the two teams combine for three touchdowns in a span of 42 seconds. Arkadelphia drove 34 yards in 8 plays to take a 17-10 lead on Turner's 4-yard run. On the kickoff, Winn raced 39 yards to the Blackhawks' 40, then turned a short pass from Jakota Sainsbury into a 61-yard touchdown to tie the score at 17-17. Arkadelphia's Dillon Scott fumbled the ensuing kickoff, but picked the ball up and weaved his way 80 yards to give the Badgers back the lead at 24-17.
Pea Ridge turned to Winn, who rushed for 128 yards on 10 carries and caught 2 passes for 63 yards, again to tie the score, breaking a couple of tackles on the left sideline and racing 50 yards with 4:08 left in the third quarter to tie the game at 24-24.
"In the second half, a kid named Drew Winn got his hands on the ball a few times, and did his magic," Neal said. "No. 6 did his magic and got us out of the hole a couple of times. Between his explosive running and Zaine's really tough inside running, we were able to take control a little bit."
Sports on 11/12/2016