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GOOD LUCK GOBLINS! www.equitybank.com 29 PreP rally: Class 4A Thursday, augusT 31, 2017 Pea Ridge players milled around on the War Memorial Stadium turf last De- cember for a long time after the conclu- sion of the Class 4A state championship game. There were a few tears, mostly the seniors on the team who were coming to grips that they'd just played their final high school football game. That it came at the end of an historic season made the 54-37 loss to Warren a little easier to accept. The prevailing mood on the field that chilly December night was not disap- pointment. Quite the contrary. The pre- dominantly junior-led Blackhawks exud- ed a sense of confidence that, yes, this was a season unlike any other in school history, but it wasn't a one-time thing. Quarterback Jakota Sainsbury was very matter-of-fact when he said after the game, "We want to come back here next year and finish this." That time starts now, and the Black- hawks are poised to fulfill that promise with a team that appears to have few weaknesses, especially when it comes to skill position players. Yet even with a 2,000-yard passer, a 1,300-yard rush- er and an 1,100-yard receiver back, 4A-1 Conference coaches pegged Pea Ridge as the No. 2 team in the conference be- hind Prairie Grove. That's how stacked this league is. Pea Ridge ready to take next step arkansas democrat-gazette/MITChELL PE MasILuN Hayden Holtgrewe (23) of Pea ridge is tackled by Warren's Carrington gilbert on dec. 9 during the Class 4a state championship game in War Memorial stadium in Little rock. holtgrewe is one of a number of returning starters for Pea ridge this season. holtgrewe caught 73 passes for 1,153 yards and 10 Tds, had 50 tackles as a safety, and averaged 16.6 yards on punt returns and 26 yards on kickoff returns last season. Blackhawks aim to return to state championship game, get win CHIP SOUZA NWA DeMOCRAT-GAZeTTe see 4a, Page 31