Gravette hasn't had a problem earning a state playoff berth because it has reached the football postseason in 11 of its 12 years under coach Bill Harrelson.
The Lions, however, haven't enjoyed many playoff games on their home turf lately. Gravette hasn't opened the playoffs at home since 2010 against Trumann, and its last home playoff game was a quarterfinal match against Pine Bluff Dollarway in 2011.
7A-West Conference
^Conf.^Overall
^W-L^PF^PA^Pts^W-L-T^PF^PA
Bentonville West^6-0^257^138^75^9-0-0^397^200
Bentonville High^6-0^276^94^60^7-2-0^347^192
Fayetteville^4-2^228^140^45^5-4-0^320^229
Springdale Har-Ber^3-3^207^109^39^6-3-0^322^144
Rogers High^2-4^113^249^17^5-4-0^248^280
Springdale High^2-4^164^216^26^5-4-0^248^280
Rogers Heritage^1-5^104^279^1^1-8-0^153^402
Van Buren^0-6^86^210^0^0-9-0^149^307
Friday’s Games
Bentonville High vs. Bentonville West
Springdale Har-Ber at Rogers Heritage
Rogers High at Springdale High
Fayetteville at Van Buren
6A-West Conference
^Conf.^Overall
^W-L^PF^PA^Pts^W-L-T^PF^PA
Greenwood^6-0^253^68^78^9-0-0^390^103
El Dorado^5-1^204^113^59^8-1-0^312^172
Benton^3-3^186^142^39^5-4-0^309^232
Russellville^3-3^131^184^21^4-5-0^222^256
Texarkana^3-3^142^129^31^5-4-0^258^239
Lake Hamilton^3-3^160^149^29^5-4-0^258^239
Siloam Springs^1-5^79^219^7^2-7-0^159^322
Sheridan^0-6^86^237^0-9-0^112^393
Friday’s Games
Sheridan at Benton
Greenwood at Lake Hamilton
Siloam Springs at Russellville
Texarkana at El Dorado
5A-West Conference
^Conf.^Overall
^W-L^PF^PA^Pts^W-L-T^PF^PA
Alma^5-1^237^140^53^6-3-0^305^242
Greenbrier^4-2^193^162^41^5-4-0^261^251
Harrison^4-2^230^122^40^6-3-0^346^189
Morrilton^4-2^232^156^42^6-3-0^321^240
Farmington^3-3^193^223^23^4-5-0^261^301
Maumelle^3-3^166^173^29^4-5-0^224^274
Vilonia^1-5^102^228^13^1-8-0^172^328
Clarksville^0-6^165^314^0^1-8-0^244^411
Friday’s Games
Maumelle at Alma
Greenbrier at Vilonia
Farmington at Harrison
Clarksville at Morrilton
4A-1 Conference
^Conf.^Overall
^W-L^PF^PA^Pts^W-L-T^PF^PA
Pea Ridge^6-0^254^127^70^9-0-0^357^183
Prairie Grove^5-1^194^81^65^8-1-0^311^121
Gravette^4-2^198^134^44^5-4-0^268^202
Shiloh Christian^4-2^224^91^52^6-3-0^343^149
Gentry^3-3^128^159^39^5-4-0^305^242
Lincoln^2-4^133^205^20^3-6-0^203^285
Berryville^0-6^13^201^0^1-8-0^94^258
Huntsville^0-6^146^292^0^1-8-0^224^381
Friday’s Games
Berryville at Huntsville
Lincoln at Prairie Grove
Pea Ridge at Shiloh Christian
Gravette at Gentry
3A-1 Conference
^Conf.^Overall
^W-L^PF^PA^Pts^W-L-T^PF^PA
Clinton^6-0^256^67^78^9-0-0^353^84
Elkins^5-1^268^124^65^7-2-0^366^213
Melbourne^4-2^215^151^52^7-2-0^347^205
Yellville-Summit^3-3^157^209^34^3-6-0^180^305
Mountain View^3-3^148^157^27&3-6-0^180^305
Greenland^2-4^157^183^26^5-4-0^300^261
Green Forest^1-5^89^196^8^2-7-0^122^278
Marshall^0-6^68^271^0-9-0^138^394
Friday’s Games
Mountain View at Clinton
Melbourne at Greenland
Green Forest at Elkins
Marshall at Yellville-Sumit
2A-4 Conference
^Conf.^Overall
^W-L^PF^PA^Pts^W-L-T^PF^PA
Danville^7-0^243^81^91^8-1-0^300^116
Mountainburg^6-1^217^117^68^8-1-0^290^147
Hackett^4-2^190^75^52^5-3-0^248^122
Lavaca^3-3^127^145^39^3-6-0^161^286
Western Yell Co.^2-4^101^128^16^3-5-0^122^152
Magazine^2-4^102^165^26^2-5-0^108^206
Johnson Co. Westside^1-5^123^179^13^3-5-0^165^192
Decatur^0-6^13^226^0^0-8-0^20^343
Today’s Game
Johnson Co. Westside at Hackett
Friday’s Games
Danville open
Mountainburg open
Western Yell Co. at Magazine
Decatur at Lavaca*
- — Decatur has forfeited game
Prep football playoff scenarios
CLASS 7A
WEST
BENTONVILLE WEST (9-0, 6-0), BENTONVILLE HIGH (7-2, 6-0) Clinched first-round byes. Winner of Friday’s game between Bentonville and Bentonville West will be the No. 1 seed while the loser is the No. 2 seed.
FAYETTEVILLE (5-4, 4-2) Clinched No. 3 seed.
SPRINGDALE HAR-BER (6-3, 3-3) Clinched No. 4 seed
ROGERS (5-4, 2-4) VS. SPRINGDALE (5-4, 2-4) Winner will be the No. 5 seed. Loser is No. 6 seed.
CENTRAL
NORTH LITTLE ROCK (9-0, 6-0) Has clinched No. 1 seed and first-round bye.
BRYANT (8-1, 5-1) VS. CONWAY (7-2, 5-1) Winner will be the No. 2 seed and will earn a first-round bye. Loser is No. 3 seed.
CABOT (5-4, 3-3) Clinched No. 4 seed.
FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE (3-6, 2-4, 26 tiebreaker points) Has clinched playoff spot and will be either No. 5 or No. 6 seed. The Mavericks will be the No. 5 seed with a victory over Fort Smith Northside. They will be the No. 6 seed with a loss to Fort Smith Northside and a Little Rock Central victory over Little Rock Catholic.
FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE (2-7, 1-5, 13 tiebreaker points) Clinches No. 5 seed with a victory over Fort Smith Southside and a Little Rock Central victory over Little Rock Catholic. If Northside has more points than Catholic (if Catholic defeats Central), then the Grizzlies will be the No. 5 seed and Southside (since it defeated Catholic) would be the No. 6 seed.
LITTLE ROCK CATHOLIC (3-6, 1-5, 6 tiebreaker points) Clinches No. 6 seed with a victory over Little Rock Central and a Fort Smith Southside victory over Fort Smith Northside. If Catholic defeats Central and Northside defeats Southside and has more tiebreaker points than Northside, then the Rockets will be the No. 6 seed.
LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL (2-7, 1-5, 2 tiebreaker points) Clinches No. 6 seed with a victory over Little Rock Catholic and a Fort Smith Southside victory over Fort Smith Northside.
CLASS 6A
WEST
GREENWOOD (9-0, 6-0) Clinched No. 1 seed and first-round bye.
EL DORADO (8-1, 5-1) Clinched No. 2 seed and first-round bye.
BENTON (5-4, 3-3) Clinched playoff spot. Clinches No. 3 seed with a victory over Sheridan. A loss to Sheridan will drop Benton to the No. 4 seed.
RUSSELLVILLE (4-5, 3-3) Clinched playoff spot. Clinches No. 3 seed with a victory over Siloam Springs and a Benton loss to Sheridan. Clinches No. 4 seed with a victory over Siloam Springs and a Benton victory over Sheridan.
TEXARKANA (5-4, 3-3) Clinched playoff spot. Clinches No. 3 seed with a victory over El Dorado and losses by Benton and Russellville. Clinches No. 4 seed with a victory and a loss by either Benton or Russellville. Clinches No. 5 seed with a victory and victories by both Benton and Russellville.
LAKE HAMILTON (5-4, 3-3) Clinched playoff spot. Clinches No. 3 seed with a victory over Greenwood and a victory by Benton and losses by Russellville and Texarkana. Will be No. 6 seed with loss and a Benton victory.
CLASS 5A
WEST
ALMA (6-3, 5-1) Clinches No. 1 seed with a victory over Maumelle.
GREENBRIER (5-4, 4-2, 41 tiebreaker points), HARRISON (6-3, 4-2, 40), MORRILTON (6-3, 4-2, 42) Greenbrier travels to Vilonia, Harrison hosts Farmington and Morrilton takes on Clarksville at home. If Greenbrier, Harrison and Morrilton all win Friday night along with Alma, they will clinch playoff spots, but a three-way tie will exist between Greenbrier, Harrison and Morrilton. A four-way tie for the conference championship exists if Greenbrier, Harrison and Morrilton win and Alma loses.
FARMINGTON Could jump into the No. 4 spot with a win over Harrison
CLASS 4A
4A-1
PEA RIDGE (9-0, 6-0) Clinched No. 1 seed.
PRAIRIE GROVE (8-1, 5-1) Clinched No. 2 seed.
GRAVETTE (5-4, 4-2) Clinches No. 3 seed with a victory over Gentry. A loss and a Shiloh Christian victory over Pea Ridge send Gravette to the No. 5 seed.
SHILOH CHRISTIAN (6-3, 4-2) Clinches No. 3 seed with a victory over Pea Ridge and a Gravette loss to Gentry. Will be the No. 4 seed if Gravette wins.
GENTRY (5-4, 3-3) Clinches No. 4 seed with a victory over Gravette and a Shiloh Christian victory over Pea Ridge. Will be the No. 5 seed with a loss to Gravette.
4-4A
BOONEVILLE (8-1, 6-0) Clinched No. 1 seed and first-round bye.
OZARK (7-2, 5-1) Clinched No. 2 seed.
DARDANELLE (6-3, 4-2) Clinched No. 3 seed.
POTTSVILLE (5-4, 3-3) Clinches No. 4 seed with a victory over West Fork. A loss and a Waldron victory over Dardanelle will give Pottsville the No. 5 seed.
WALDRON (5-4, 3-3) Clinches No. 4 seed with a victory over Dardanelle and a loss by Pottsville. Will be the No. 5 seed with a loss or Pottsville victory.
CLASS 3A
3A-1
CLINTON (9-0, 6-0) Clinched No. 1 seed.
ELKINS (7-2, 5-1) Clinched No. 2 seed.
MELBOURNE (7-2, 4-2) Clinched No. 3 seed.
YELLVILLE-SUMMIT (3-6, 3-3) Clinches No. 4 seed with a victory over Marshall or a Mountain View loss to Clinton. Will be the No. 5 seed with a loss and a Mountain View victory.
MOUNTAIN VIEW (3-6, 3-3) Clinches No. 4 seed with a victory over Clinton and a Yellville-Summit loss to Marshall. Will be the No. 5 seed with a loss or a Yellville-Summit victory.
3A-4
CHARLESTON (9-0, 6-0) Clinched No. 1 seed.
PERRYVILLE (7-2, 5-1) VS. ATKINS (7-2, 5-1) Winner will be the No. 2 seed while the loser is the No. 3 seed.
LAMAR (4-5, 3-3) VS. PARIS (4-5, 3-3) Winner will be the No. 4 seed while the loser is the No. 5 seed.
CLASS 2A
2A-4
DANVILLE (8-1, 7-0) Clinched No. 1 seed.
MOUNTAINBURG (8-1, 6-1) Clinched No. 2 seed.
HACKETT (5-3, 4-2) Clinched No. 3 seed.
LAVACA (4-6, 4-3) Clinched No. 4 seed.
MAGAZINE (2-5, 2-4) VS. WESTERN YELL COUNTY (3-5, 2-4) Winner will be the No. 5 seed and the loser will be eliminated from playoff contention.
The Lions could change that this week since they control their destiny heading into Friday's regular-season finale against 4A-1 Conference and Benton County rival Gentry.
"We haven't been getting the seeds we need to get to host a playoff game," Harrelson said. "We still don't have one yet. We still have a lot of work to do this week against Gentry."
A win Friday gives Gravette (5-4, 4-2) the league's third seed and a first-round home playoff game next week. The situation was set up by the Lions' 24-19 victory on Senior Night last week against Shiloh Christian -- the first win over the Saints in 15 years.
Gentry (5-4, 3-3) can send Gravette back on the road for the playoffs if the Pioneers win by five or more points, and Pea Ridge defeats Shiloh Christian. A Shiloh Christian (6-3, 4-2) win at home against Pea Ridge, coupled with a Gravette loss would also mean a long bus ride for the Lions. If either of these scenarios happen, Shiloh Christian takes the third seed and the home game, while Gentry and Gravette hit the road again as the fourth and fifth seeds, respectively.
Pea Ridge (9-0, 6-0) has already locked down the No. 1 seed in the 4A-1, and Prairie Grove is the No. 2 regardless of Friday's games.
"We played it up as much as we could about the seniors getting one more home game," Harrelson said. "We tried to push that all last week, building it up that it's Senior Night and laying all on the line. We're a senior-laden team, and a lot of it was for coach (Duke) Mobley because it was his last home game, too."
Most Northwest Arkansas teams already know whether they will begin the playoffs at home or on the road next week, or if they have been eliminated. Four teams -- Bentonville High, Bentonville West, Booneville and Greenwood -- will enjoy open dates next week since they have secured first-round byes.
Bentonville and West will tangle Friday night to determine the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the 7A-West. Both already have locked up home games for the second round of the playoffs. The winner of Friday's game also holds a "Friday advantage" on home playoff games since the two schools share one stadium with the other playing either on Thursday or Saturday.
The No. 3 and No., 4 seeds in the 7A-West have been decided by Fayetteville and Springdale Har-Ber respectively. The final two seeds will be decided when Rogers High visits Springdale High on Friday. The winner earns the No. 5 seed and the losing team is the No. 6 seed for the 7A-West.
Three teams find themselves in a must-win situation Friday night in order to earn a playoff berth. Farmington (4-5, 3-3) needs a victory at Harrison (6-3, 4-2) in order to earn a spot in the Class 5A state playoffs -- something the Cardinals haven't done in the four years they've been in the classification.
"That adds some significance to our situation," Farmington coach Mike Adams said. "We feel like the playoffs have already started because we have to win or we're out. Not only did we get in a tougher league, but it's harder to get into the playoffs because we have to get in the top four.
"It's unfortunate scheduling on our part that we have to play our last two games on the road. But this game has no more pressure on us than what we have faced the last three weeks. We have to win this week. That's pretty cut and dried."
In the River Valley, Fort Smith Northside (2-7, 1-5 7A-Central) travels to cross-town rival Fort Smith Southside (3-6, 2-4) in the renewal of the Battle of Rogers Ave. Northside must win to earn a playoff berth, then the Grizzlies' playoff seeding will be determined by the outcome of the Little Rock Central-Little Rock Catholic game. Southside has already clinched a playoff berth.
In the 2A-4 Conference, it's a winner-take-all game for the final seeds as Magazine (4-5, 2-4) travels to Western Yell County (3-5, 2-4) for the right to the league's No. 5 playoff seed. Danville has wrapped up the No. 1 seed, followed by Mountainburg, Hackett and Lavaca.
In the 4A-4 Conference, where Booneville is the No. 1 seed, Waldron (5-5, 3-3), has an opportunity to improve its playoff situation after clinching a postseason berth last with a win against Dover. If the Bulldogs defeat Dardanelle (6-3, 4-2) by at least three points, they will be the league's third seed and host a first-round game.
Sports on 11/02/2017