Lions Hope To Be Road Warriors
Posted: November 13, 2009 at 5:44 a.m.
Gravette’s Michael Croasdell breaks a tackle during a touchdown run Oct. 9 against Huntsville.
GRAVETTE — Bill Harrelson is happy to be at home again but sure wouldn’t mind leaving Lions Stadium later this postseason.
“That’s a huge deal to have a home playoff game,” Harrelson, the Gravette football coach, said. “Hopefully we’ll get to go on the road this year because that means we’ll win some more.”
Second-seeded Gravette hosts Valley View tonight in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs — the Lions’ sixth home playoff game under Harrelson. The Lions (8-2) are making a school-record third straight postseason appearance.
“It’s a big advantage playing at home,” Harrelson said. “That’s a long bus ride from Jonesboro and that’s got to be some kind of advantage.”
The Blazers (6-4) were fourth in the tough 4A-3 and finished the regular season on a four-game win streak after losing consecutive games to the league’s top three teams.
Second-year coach Shannon Sherman’s team lost to conference champ Osceola and runner-up Gosnell by a combined eight points.
“It was frustrating,” Sherman said. “Our kids know that we’re a better ballclub than our record indicates.”
Harrelson said surviving that league is an indication of the talent level at Valley View.
“I think there’s a lot of teams in the state that are very capable of ending up in Little Rock (for the state championship game) and they’re definitely one of them,” he said.
The Blazers, led by senior running back Ron Hubbard (5-foot-9, 193 pounds) and junior quarterback Taylor Lindley (6-2, 182), have outscored teams 128-34 during the win streak.
Hubbard has rushed for 629 yards and seven touchdowns while Lindley has passed for 1,180 yards and 14 touchdowns — including six each to seniors Jordon Howard and Daniel Martin.
While the Gravette defense will have its hands full, the Lions offense will try to get on track behind senior running back Michael Croasdell — who has 938 yards rushing this season — and quarterbacks Colton Davis and Colt Moorman.
Today’s Class 4A Playoff Ticket
Valley View at Gravette
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Gravette Lions, 8-2. Valley View Blazers, 6-4.
HOOTEN’S RANKINGS: Gravette is No. 15 in Class 4A; Valley View is No. 24.
HOOTEN’S LINE: Gravette by 6.
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