GRAVETTE — Gravette’s two-headed quarterback became a wrecking crew Friday night at Lions Stadium.
Colt Moorman ran for a game-high 88 yards and passed for another 127 and a touchdown as Gravette beat Huntsville 28-19 in a 1-4A Conference game.
Moorman, who usually splits time with Colton Davis, engineered scoring drives of 64, 79, 59 and 70 yards as Gravette ran its record to 6-9 overall and 3-0 in the conference. Huntsville, who played a strong second half, fell to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the conference.
Moorman and the Gravette offense set the tone on the cold night on the first possession of the game, going 64 yards in six plays capped by a perfectly executed 49-yard screen pass to Michael Croasdell.
Moorman, especially in the first half, kept the Huntsville defense off balance with a series of designed quarterback runs. Moorman had 56 yards rushing and 85 yards passing in the first half.
“We felt good about Colton Moorman running the ball,” Gravette coach Bill Harrelson said. “Wewere able to run the ball well.”
Moorman’s steady play was balanced by the allaround night of Croasdell, who had an impact on both offense and defense.
After his lost fumble in the end zone let Huntsville tie the game 7-7 late in the first quarter, Croasdell atoned for his mistake by scoring on runs of 1 and 21 yards in the first half. Croasdell’s second touchdown, a romp where he broke into the open field and ran over a tackler at the 10, make it 21-7 with just 55 seconds left in the half.
Huntsville only had one established drive in the first half, but it was Croasdell who once again came up with a huge play.
Facing a first-and-10 from the Gravette 19, Croasdell intercepted the ball at the Lions 2 on a badly underthrown pass by Cody Stevens.
“The first half was such a poor showing on our part,” Huntsville coach Ken Harriman said. “I just can’t get us to play two halves.”
Had Huntsville been able to do that, the game might have had a different outcome as the Eagles outplayed the Lions in the second half, but Gravette was working with a 28-7 cushion by that time after Moormanthrew a 26-yard scoring pass to David O’Brien.
Huntsville drove 80 yards in eight plays with a mix of runs and passes. Wilson Phillips barged in from 2 yards out but Javier Escobedo’s extra point clanged off the upright to make it 28-13. Following another lost Croasdell fumble, Huntsville took 13 plays to cover 70 yards. This time Phillips scored from the fun. But a twopoint pass attempt came up short.
“Had they made that two-point conversion, we might have been in a dogfight there,” Harrelson said. “I was disappointed in all the mistakes we made in the fourth quarter but give it up to Huntsville for the fight they showed.
Croasdell also had another interception with 1:07 to play that let Gravette run out the clock.
Quarterback Cody Stevens led Huntsville with a game-high 205 yards passing while receivers Sean Furr and Shannon Willcutt each had a game-high 106 yards receiving.
The Farmington Cardinals come to Lion Stadium this Friday night in a crucial contest before the Lions travel to Shiloh the following week. Coach Harrelson’s Lions are working on strategy to cage the Cardinals.
Sports, Pages 11 on 10/14/2009