PEA RIDGE -- Samuel Beard found a hole and punched in an 8-yard touchdown with 38 seconds on the clock, his third rushing touchdown of the night. The score put Pea Ridge up 42-0 on Gravette before the teams left the field.
It was only halftime.
Pea Ridge 42, Gravette 0
Gravette^0^0^0^0^—^0
Pea Ridge^21^21^0^0^—^42
First Quarter
Pea- Ralph 21 pass from Busey (Reyes kick), 7:36
Pea- Beard 1 run (Reyes kick), 5:21
Pea- Reyes 35 interception return (Reyes kick), 1:38
Second Quarter
Pea- Beard 38 run (Reyes kick), 4:48
Pea- Ralph 25 pass from Busey (Reyes kick), 0:54
Pea- Beard 8 run (Reyes kick), :38
The Blackhawks (3-3, 3-0 4A-1) dominated this 4A-1 Conference clash, jumping on Gravette (2-4, 1-2) early and not letting up.
After a Gravette punt on the first possession of the game, Beard broke loose for a 51-yard run on the first play from scrimmage for Pea Ridge, and the Blackhawks never looked back.
Blackhawk receiver Brayden Ralph finished the drive off with a 21-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Tate Busey, Ralph's first of three touchdown catches on the day. Ralph, who missed the first two games of the season due to a hand injury, was the biggest deep-ball threat of the night for the home squad, which won its third straight game.
"He's just now starting to get back into a groove," Pea Ridge coach Stephen Neal said. "Tonight, it was nice to be able to get him the ball and highlight his talents."
The running game was also working for the Blackhawks as Beard gained more than 120 yards on the ground.
"Sam ran like Sam runs," Neal said. "Last two to three games he's played really well."
It was not just the Pea Ridge offense that dominated. The Blackhawks' defense earned the shutout while forcing four turnovers, one of which put points on the board. Pea Ridge linebacker Luis Reyes snagged his second errant pass of the night with just over a minute left in the first quarter and took it to the house for a 35-yard interception return, putting the Blackhawks up 21-0 with three quarters still to play.
The defense did not relent, as Gravette never even entered the red zone all game.
"On third down, we forced a couple of turnovers. Our defense has played well all season long, and tonight we just continued that," Neal said. "It was a satisfying win, especially for our senior class. (Tonight) was their last homecoming, and this is a special class at PR, so definitely a satisfying win."
Four Downs
• Ralph caught four passes for 113 yards and 3 TDs.
• Gravette punted the ball five times and turned the ball over five times.
• There was a fireworks show at halftime.
• Next week Pea Ridge will face Prairie Grove on the road, while Gravette will return home to take on Berryville.
Sports on 10/12/2019