Chicks edge crosstown rival Pirates 16-14

In their first regular season matchup in school history, the edge went to the Blytheville Chickasaws (2-5, 2-2), 16-14, in a matchup with the Gosnell Pirates (1-5 , 1-3) at J.W.Rea Field.

The highly anticipated contest provided a thrill as the came down to its final moments. “I knew it would come down to this,” Blytheville head coach Greg Ruffin said. “I think both teams are pretty much equal on talent. We just gutted it out.”

“We did a good job in just not beating ourselves. That’s the biggest thing; we’ve started to eliminate mistakes and make some big plays ourselves. We’ve also been a little more disciplined on defense."

Both sides imposed their will defensively early in the game. Gosnell used an onside kick to steal away the opening possession and provide a spark for the Pirates crowd.

However, the Chickasaws provided a strong answer on the game’s first drive as Jontavion Bruin forced a Pirate fumble. This was the first of two fumbles forced by Blytheville in the first half, with the second giving the Chicks possession on the Gosnell 33 yard line.

Still, the Pirates defense stood tall on both occasions, keeping the Chicks from capitalizing.

After a scoreless first half, the Pirates struck first on their opening drive after halftime. Consecutive first downs from Floyd Williams moved Gosnell into Chickasaw territory.

From there, Cam Williams carried the ball for 25 yards, pushing the Pirates near the 10 yard line. Floyd went on to score the game's first touchdown on a four-yard run. A failed two-point conversion left the score at 6-0.

Blytheville responded with a score of their own on the ensuing possession. A 48-yard run from Tyquon Love tied the contest.

The Blytheville defense came up big on the next drive, forcing a turnover on downs and returning the ball to their offense on the Gosnell 34 yard line. As the third quarter wound down, a pair of penalties against the Pirates helped Blytheville keep the drive alive.

A field goal from Tyler Laundry gave the Chicks a 9-6 lead to open the fourth quarter.

“My whole thing was to keep the ball in the middle of the field with the way the wind was blowing,” Ruffin said. “[I wanted] to flip the field and see if we could get three points out of it. We did and then we came back and played great defense.”

That great defense was manifested with a blocked punt that gave Blytheville the ball back deep in Gosnell terrority. The Chicks’ offense later capitalized with a 8 yard touchdown run from Tru Walker to jump ahead 16-6 with six minutes left in the game.

The Pirates cut the deficit down to two with just 1:55 left after another touchdown from Williams and a successful two point conversion. However, a failed onside kick and a couple of first downs from Blytheville sealed the game.

“I know this was the first one in what should be a rivalry now,” Ruffin said. ‘They have a good football team, I’m just glad we were up for the challenge. But they’ll be back next year, they have some good talent over there.”

Blytheville will go for their third consecutive win next week as they host the Trumann Wildcats on Oct. 22. For the Pirates, their season continues with another county rival with Rivercrest.