PEA RIDGE — A sluggish first-half performance had Gentry coach Brian Little challenging his Pioneers during halftime of their homecoming game against Pea Ridge.
He demanded an immediate response Friday night, and while his offense didn’t produce the big plays he sought, Little didn’t complain about what transpired.
Tanner Coy weaved 81 yards for a touchdown on the second half-opening kickoff, fueling Gentry to a 26-0 victory in 4A-1 Conference action.
“We’ve had some good returns this year, but that was the first one we finally broke for a score,” Little said. “We knew it was a matter of time before it happened, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.”
Little felt that way because of his offense’s consistent struggles Friday night.
Gentry (4-2, 2-1 4A-1) managed only 190 total yards against the stingy Blackhawks (1-5, 0-3) and didn’t score until 2 minutes, 46 seconds remained in the first half. The Pioneers did score two touchdowns before halftime, however, and led 13-0 before Little’s fiery talk.
The stout effort by the Blackhawks impressed Pea Ridge coach Tony Travis, despite the final score.
“Our guys are down about the scoreboard, but we took some big steps (Friday) as far as physical play,” Travis said. “I thought we played their tails off. We had great effort out there. We’re still just making too many mistakes that are hurting us.”
Both teams struggled to move the football during the opening quarter.
Gentry ran 10 plays on its opening possession but turned the ball over on downs deep in Blackhawks territory. The Pioneers finished with 15 first-quarter yards, while Pea Ridge had 32 of its 34 opening-quarter yards on a leaping reception by Michael Maddox.
The Pioneers finally opened up the scoring on Tre’ Ascencio-Porter’s five-yard touchdown run late in the first half. Porter broke three tackles on a 19-yarder earlier in the drive, and he shed four tacklers on his short scoring run.
Austin Millsap then went 4-for-4 for 31 yards on Gentry’s next drive. Millsap’s three-yard touchdown pass to Justin Stewart with 31 seconds left in the half let Gentry take a 13-0 lead into halftime. Still, Little wasn’t too pleased with the overall offensive performance.
“We were way too inconsistent,” Little said.
Gentry’s defensive production thrilled Little, however. The Blackhawks gained only 51 rushing yards on 29 carries and finished with just 99 yards of total offense.
Porter and Kevin Scherer each had two sacks for the Pioneers, and Ethan Ramsey intercepted a pass. Ramsey also scored Gentry’s final touchdown on a 1-yard run.
“I’m so proud of our defense,” Little said. “I’ve got to praise them a lot. There’s going to be times when your defense has to carry you, when your offense isn’t working, and that’s what it was like tonight.”Prep Football 4A-1 Conference
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GENTRY 26, PEA RIDGE 0
Pea Ridge 0 0 0 0 - 0
Gentry 0 13 6 7 - 26
Second Quarter
Gentry - Porter 5 run (Coy kick), 2:46
Gentry - Stewart 3 pass from Millsap (kick failed), 0:31
Third Quarter
Gentry - Coy 81 kickoff return (run failed), 11:48
Fourth Quarter
Gentry - Ramsey 1 run (Coy kick), 3:10
Sports, Pages 11 on 10/13/2010