GRAVETTE — The Gravette defense, nicknamed the Lion Destruction Crew, wasn’t that destructive Friday night in a 44-17 home loss to Prairie Grove.
“That really was the first game our defense hasn’t come through for us this year,” Gravette coach Bill Harrelson said. “We’re definitely looking to bounce back and get the LDC working again and play like we normally play on defense.”
Luckily, the Lions (8-2) likely won’t see Prairie Grove’s Wing-T again this year.
The Tigers racked up 215 yards rushing and another 166 yards through the air in Friday’s 4A-1 Conference finale.
“We just see that Wing-T once a year, and it wasn’treally anything special they were doing, they just did a good job executing it,” Harrelson said. “And we didn’t do a good job flying to the football like we have to do to be successful.”
The LDC will need to be solid Friday as Gravette hosts Valley View in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs. The Blazers (6-4) run the Spread and are averaging 25 points per game.
“That’ll be a challenge for our defense to come back,” Harrelson said. “It’s nothing we haven’t seen, I don’t think, but they execute it real well.” - TOM GLAVE
New Faces Boost Tigers
Prairie Grove has been known for its fumbles and bumblesthroughout the season, but the Tigers changed their tune Friday with the help of some new faces.
Like many squads in the state, freshmen were added to the Tigers’ roster, and it paid off in their 44-17 win over Gravette.
Cornerback John Halburt, fresh from the junior high squad, came up with an interception and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown against the Lions as part of the Tigers’ playoff-clinching victory. Prairie Grove plays at Dumas in the first round Friday.
But it also helps having some seniority at the skill positions, coach Danny Abshier said. The Tigers (4-6, 4-3) did not commit a turnover and stars like Thomas Soehner continued to impress.
Soehner, who has rushedfor 1,379 yards and is averaging 7.2 yards per carry this season, scored on fourthdown plays twice against Gravette.
Abshier isn’t shy about relating Soehner to the Tigers’ impressive lineage of running backs he has coached in the last two decades at Prairie Grove.
“Honestly, he’s probably the best we’ve had,” Abshier said. “When you’ve got them, you’re biased and I’ve got him now and I love him, so that makes it easy to say he’s the best.”
Sports, Pages 8 on 11/11/2009
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