GRAVETTE -- Two team harboring playoff aspirations spent the first half Friday dancing around the middle of the Lion Stadium field trading short jabs. Gravette's defense finally landed the knockout punches against Huntsville.
The Lions intercepted five passes and had a goal-line stop in the fourth quarter to escape with a 21-0 victory and improve their Class 4A playoff hopes.
HOW THEY SCORED
Gravette 21, Huntsville 0
Huntsville^0^0^0^0^—^0
Gravette^0^7^14^0^—^21
Second quarter
Grav — Pruitt 45 interception return (Duarte kick) , ^4:06
Third quarter
Grav — Burnett 1 run (Duarte kick) , ^7:53
Grav — Burnett 1 run (Duarte kick) , ^5:56
Gravette (5-3, 3-2 4A-1 Conference) made its first big punch with four minutes, six seconds left in the first half when Derek Pruitt intercepted a Drew Garrett pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown.
Brady Rolsma intercepted a pass in the end zone with one second remaining in the half to keep the Eagles (3-5, 1-4) off the scoreboard.
Gravette then opened the second half with its best offensive series, driving 73 yards in 10 plays with Jordan Burnett getting the final yard for the touchdown.
The first of two Jacob Glover interceptions, this one off a tipped pass by Michael Olvera, set up another Burnett one-yard run with 5:56 left in the third quarter for the final score.
"Our defense came through for a score, but the big thing was the first drive of the second half," Gravette Coach Bill Harrelson said. "Our offensive line and Jordan Burnett really stepped up.
"Our defense played really unbelievable the whole night. Coach (Duke) Mobley had a great plan for the defense and they just executed it."
The Lions intercepted three passes in the end zone, but the Eagles' best scoring chance came early in the fourth quarter after Huntsville drove to the one. But Glover led the defensive charge that stopped Christian Cain short of the end zone on fourth down.
"They came out playing in the second half," Huntsville Coach Tom Tice said. "They got it across theirs (goal line) and I didn't get it across ours. It was poor coaching on my part."
EXTRA POINTS
• Gravette senior running back Cedric Duarte, one of the state's leading rushers with more than 1,100 yards, had only six yards on five carries. Harrelson said he has been nursing leg injuries and wasn't full speed. He did kick all three extra points.
• Huntsville has not defeated Gravette since a 28-14 victory in 2000, losing six straight since 2001. The teams did not play during Huntsville's stints in Class 5A from 2002-05 and 2010-13.
UP NEXT: Both teams meet the 4A-1 Conference undefeated co-leaders next week with Gravette visiting Shiloh Christian and Huntsville hosting Pea Ridge.
Sports on 10/25/2014