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After watching Dodgeville take the lead in the first quarter and scratching their way to go into halftime with a 7-7 tie, River Valley coach Tim Eastlick knew the Blackhawks had to make some adjustments.
"I made a couple minor adjustments at the half and reminded the team that they the first half wasn't good enough and they needed to come out and play a better second half," Eastlick said. "We talked about making sure our tackling was more sound and that we needed to do a better job blocking and we would be in good shape."
For sure, senior quarterback Elijah Alt got the message.  He took the ball to the house on the first River Valley possession of the third quarter, completing a drive with a 12 yard run then followed that with a 45 yard scamper. After that the lead stayed with the Blackhawks until they took a 35-14 scoring difference for their first SWC win of the season.
In all, Alt had quite a night with four touchdowns, 141 yards on 18 carries and was seven for eight throwing the football.
Eastlick said Alt's first touchdown may have changed the complexion of the game.
"I think getting a score on our opening possession of the third quarter was a key for us," Eastlick said. "Elijah had a very good night for us. He sees the field pretty well and has athletes around in Ryan Wickman, Derek Wedige and our offensive line that make it a solid offense for us."
The Dodgers were not ready to give in and supported quarterback Houston Stanek's score in the first half and Tanner Bockhop's extra point that went for a 7-0 lead with a comeback attempt.
Zack Weber pounded the ball in from the one but was forced to leave the game with a back injury. Weber's loss could be costly for the Dodgers.
"Zack is one of the toughest and most multi dimensional kids that we have," said Dodgeville coach Ryan Bohnsack. "Losing him for any amount of time will prove to be challenging however we also believe we have a solid group of kids looking forward to the opportunity to keep our progress going forward."
Bockhop again kicked the extra point and got the Dodgers within a touchdown at 21-14.
But the Blackhawks controlled the fourth quarter as Alt and Wickman both finished drives with one yard plunges to make it 35-14 at the end.
The Blackhawks also talked at halftime about some defensive work that Eastlick felt needed attention.
"We reminded the kids at halftime that they needed to do a better job gang tackling and executing the game plan," Eastlick said. "If they do that then they would be helping the team get a win."
With the defense stepping up the Blackhawks also had a couple picks that gave them the ball as Ryan Wickman and Caleb Radtke both grabbed Dodgeville pass attempts.
"Any time you can create a take away it is a positive for our defensive unit," Eastlick said.
The Dodgers played well against one of the SWC's premier teams they played hard and refused to give in.
"We really felt that attitude carried over from last year," said Bohnsack. "Our kids believe in the program and understand what needs to happen in order to keep our goals in the conference and post season."
It was a learning experience for the Dodgers who are now 1-1 and need two more wins to make the playoffs.
"We had a couple of points in the second half where we lost focus on our team goals and we missed some assignments that led to two scores for River Valley," Bohnsack said. "We also have to expect that the teams we are playing are talented and when they don't make mistakes and we do then we will suffer a loss."
Bohnsack credits River Valley with having the edge in playing a complete game.
"We would like to commend River Valley for their consistent plan of attack and forcing us to make mistakes," said Bohnsack. "They are a quality football program and when playing teams like this we need to make fewer mistakes. Congratulations to them for sustaining their performance for the entire game."
It was a must-win game for the Blackhawks after losing to Lancaster 21-15 last week in their SWC opener.
"It definitely was a must win game for SWC play and also the playoff picture," Eastlick said. "We feel that every game is kind of like a playoff game in our league and winning is how you keep your goals alive."
The Hawks are at Richland Center for the Hornets' homecoming Friday.
"I think Richland Center will come out, compete and force us to execute well on both sides of the ball," Eastlick said.
The Dodgers are working on getting back on the win track as they face Platteville at Pioneer Stadium Friday.
"Platteville has always given us a challenge and our kids always enjoy going to Platteville and playing in their stadium," Bohnsack said. "Platteville is a powerful football team and they are very disciplined. They have changed their offense slightly from year's past but still have some of the hardest hitters in the conference."
"We are looking forward to the challenge and hope our fans will make the short trip to enjoy the game as well," Bohnsack said.
Game Notes: Stanek was 11 for 29 passing for 174 yards. Michael Mikrut caught three of them for 80 yards. Stanek also ran for 80 yards on 16 tries.
Alt was seven for eight for 107 yards and ran for 141 on 18 attempts. Derek Wedige caught three passes for 55 yards.
The Dodgers generated 225 yards in total offense to 249 for River Valley.