FARMINGTON -- Pea Ridge started strong with an eight-play, 90-yard touchdown drive but couldn't sustain the momentum and dropped a 5A West Conference football game 49-16 at Farmington Friday.
The outcome of the game held major bearing on playoff seedings.
Pea Ridge, which entered the contest at 3-5 overall, found itself in the role of a potential spoiler with a chance to slip into the playoffs.
The Blackhawks remained alive coming into week nine despite their 1-4 record in the 5A West. The Blackhawks could have turned their season around and garnered a No. 3 seed, by beating Farmington in week nine, and Harrison in week 10, and only if the Cardinals, Goblins and Alma all lost in both week nine and again in week 10.
None of those teams lost in week nine and the Blackhawks' playoff chances went out the door with Friday's loss to Farmington combined with Harrison's 56-0 win over Clarksville, along with Alma's 59-14 win over Dardanelle.
Farmington, which approached week nine at 5-3 overall, improved to 4-2 in the 5A West.
The Cardinals came into Friday's game facing a potential elimination if they lost to both Pea Ridge in week nine and Prairie Grove in week 10 -- a scenario that required either Pea Ridge or Alma to win in both week nine and week 10.
The Cardinals, by virtue of their 49-16 victory over Pea Ridge, could still leapfrog to as high as a No. 2 playoff seed with a win over Prairie Grove, which suffered its first conference loss of the season last week to Shiloh Christian, should Pea Ridge beat Harrison this week -- or the Goblins fail to secure the maximum 13 tiebreaker points against Pea Ridge.
After Pea Ridge went up 7-0 on Bowen Phillips' 10-yard touchdown pass from Gavin Dixon, the Blackhawks pulled out all the stops early, attempting an on-side kick and a fake punt from their own 28 on fourth-and-9 in the first quarter. Neither of those ploys were successful and the Cardinals seized momentum.
Farmington senior wide receiver, Peyton Funk part of the "hands team," recovered the onside kick giving the Cardinals possession at their own 46. Funk capped a three-play drive by catching a 10-yard touchdown pass from Sam Wells. Jorge Cervantes' kick evened the score at 7-7 with 7:44 remaining in the first quarter.
Four plays later a Blackhawk pass fell incomplete out of punt formation and the Cardinals took over on downs at the Blackhawk 28. They overcame a holding call on first down with Luke Elsik breaking off a 30-yard run, followed by a 5-yard carry. Pea Ridge had an opportunity to regain some of the momentum when a high snap sailed over the head of Farmington's Cooper Gardenhire on a 2-point conversion attempt.
Pea Ridge senior Jonathan Lyons, a 5-feet-10, 140-pound cornerback, tackled Gardenhire, forcing a fumble which his teammates recovered, stopping the conversion attempt. Farmington led 13-7 at the 6:11 mark of the first quarter and kicked off to Pea Ridge.
The kickoff went out of bounds inside the 5 and Pea Ridge sent out its offensive unit with good field position at the 35 because of the penalty on the kickoff. The Blackhawks reeled off 13 plays, gaining 40 yards, but a 42-yard field goal attempt was wide to the right.
Farmington began at its own 20 following the missed field goal and scored on Russell Hodge's 35-yard run. Sam Wells ran in the 2-point conversion lifting the Cardinals to a 21-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Pea Ridge tried to stay in the game, leveraging good starting position from its own 38 set up by a handoff on the kick return. Blackhawk signal caller Gavin Dixon completed three passes and took the offense to Farmington's 22. On fourth-and-6 Pea Ridge attempted a 39-yard field goal but Damian Trejo kick's bounced off the left upright.
Farmington again started from its own 20 and Wells busted a 54-yard run to paydirt. Cervantes kicked the PAT and the Cardinals were up 28-7 with 7:36 left in the first half.
Pea Ridge answered with a solid drive culminated with Phillips' 5-yard touchdown on a pass from Dixon. Trejo's kick reduced the Blackhawk deficit to 28-14 with 3:15 to play in the first half.
The Blackhawks tried another onside kick, but Farmington was prepared. Morgan Schader recovered at the Cardinal 34.
Hodge polished off an eight-play march with a 3-yard touchdown run, the first of three Cardinal touchdowns that broke the game open in the last 1:52 of the half.
Farmington's Charlie Mobley scored on a 47-yard interception return. Pea Ridge could neither score nor run out the clock and gave Farmington too much time. The fleet-of-foot Cardinal quarterback, Wells, engineered a three-play 43-yard touchdown drive that ended with his 17-yard run with six seconds on the second quarter clock.
Leading 49-14 at halftime, Farmington mounted another march into Blackhawk territory but a 33-yard field goal missed and the running clock made the game go by fast. The only scoring of the second half occurred in the fourth quarter. A Cardinal defensive back intercepted a Dixon pass in the end zone and tried to run the ball out on the last play of the third quarter. He was tackled at Farmington's 3.
On third-and-11 from the two, Brayden Penne threw incomplete. There was contact with a receiver downfield, but instead of pass interference the Cardinals were called for holding in the end zone, which by rule awarded a 2-point safety to Pea Ridge to make the final 49-16.
This week Farmington takes on Prairie Grove with more playoff implications on the line while Pea Ridge goes to Harrison to close out its 2022 football season.
Farmington 49, Pea Ridge 16
Pea Ridge^--^7^7^0^2^--^16
Farmington^--^21^28^0^0^--^49
First Quarter
Pea Ridge -- Bowen Phillips 10-yard pass from Gavin Dixon (Damian Trejo kick), 8:12.
Farmington -- Peyton Funk 10-yard pass from Sam Wells (Jorge Cervantes kick) 7:44.
Farmington -- Luke Elsik 5-yard run (run failed), 6:11.
Farmington -- Russell Hodge 35-yard run (Sam Wells run), 1:24.
Second Quarter
Farmington -- Sam Wells 54-yard run (Jorge Cervantes kick), 7:36.
Pea Ridge -- Bowen Phillips 5-yard pass from Gavin Dixon (Damian Trejo kick), 3:15.
Farmington -- Russell Hodge 3-yard run (Jorge Cervantes kick), 1:52.
Farmington -- Charlie Mobley 47-yard interception return (Jorge Cervantes kick), 0:59.
Farmington -- Sam Wells 17-yard run (Jorge Cervantes kick), 0:06.
Fourth Quarter
Pea Ridge -- Safety by penalty, holding called in end zone, 10:19.
TEAM STATISTICS
Farmington^Pea Ridge
Total plays^73^74
First downs^22^20
Total offense^380^270
Rushes-yards^24-200^22-45
Passing yards^180^225
Rush average^8.3^2.0
Comp-Att-Yds^TD^Int^10-17-179-1-0^21-39-225-2-2
Punts-Avg.^0-N/A^2-35.0
Penalties-Yds^10-96^7-77
Turnovers^0^2
Fumbles lost^0^0
Third-down conversion^2-5^4-15
Fourth-down conversion^0-1^6-7
Missed field goals, Pea Ridge, Damian Trejo 42 yards, 2:57 first quarter, Pea Ridge, Damian Trejo 39 yards, 9:30 second quarter, Farmington, Jorge Cervantes 33 yard, 7:53 third quarter.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING -- Farmington, Russell Hodge 10-108, Sam Wells 5-85, Luke Elsik 2-30, Brayden Penne 1-1, Trey Moser 3-(-5), Zach Ralston 1-(-19). Totals 42-200. Pea Ridge, Seth Foster 14-26, Gavin Dixon 6-17, Garrett Foltz 1-1, Cody Morales 2-1. Totals 22-45.
PASSING -- Farmington, Sam Wells 9-15-179-1-0, Brayden Penne 1-2-1-0-0. Totals 10-17-180-1-0. Pea Ridge, Gavin Dixon, 21-39-225-2-2.
RECEIVING -- Farmington, Payton Funk 5-103, Lawson DeVault 2-32, Hunter Reaves 1-22, Luke Elsik 1-22, Brandon Clark 1-2. Totals 10-180. Pea Ridge, Caden Thompson 6-68, Austin James 4-59, Bowen Phillips 3-43, Seth Foster 3-15, Waylon Fletcher 2-33, Logan Stewart 1-10, Greer Marler 1-1, Will Nobles 1-1. Totals 21-225.
MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER/Pea Ridge junior Austin James, a 6-feet-3, 195-pound wide receiver, makes a reception on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. Farmington defeated the Blackhawks 49-16 in a 5A West football game at Farmington's Cardinal Stadium.
MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER/Pea Ridge head football coach Brey Cook has a front row view as Blackhawk junior Austin James, a 6-feet-3, 195-pound wide receiver, turns downfield with Farmington middle linebacker Cooper Gardenhire in pursuit after making a reception on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. The Blackhawks lost 49-16 in the 5A West football game at Farmington's Cardinal Stadium.
MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER/Pea Ridge junior Gavin Dixon, a 6-feet-1, 170-pound quarterback, makes a difficult throw with his right arm while running to his left after getting flushed out of the pocket during 5A West football action at Farmington's Cardinal Stadium on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. Farmington handed the Blackhawks a 49-16 loss.
MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER/Pea Ridge junior Gavin Dixon, a 6-feet-1, 170-pound quarterback, gets flushed out of the pocket during 5A West football action at Farmington's Cardinal Stadium on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. Farmington defeated the Blackhawks 49-16.