GRAVETTE — With his running game going nowhere against Farmington, Gravette coach Bill Harrelson decided to switch tactics Friday night.

The move to the pass helped ignite a Gravette scoring burst and a 27-13 come-from-behind win in a key 1-4A Conference game at Lion Stadium.

Gravette is 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the conference. Farmington is 4-2-1 and 3-1.

Trailing 13-6 late in the third quarter, Gravette quarterback Colt Moorman dropped in a 30-yard pass to Nick Hendren, who made an over-theshoulder catch in the Farmington 23. Two plays later, Moorman threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Travis Eden to end a 77-yard drive. The point after made it 13-13 with1:57 left in the third.

Despite being tied, Harrelson thought his team had climbed a major hurdle against a Farmington defense that was dominant for the better part of three quarters. Harrelson admitted after the game his play-calling that favored the run was a big part of the Lions’ problems.

“It was the play-calling more than anything,” Harrelson said. “We finally started throwing the football.”

Moorman finished 6 of 9 passing for 148 yards - 85 of that on three second-half passes.

Tied 13-13, Farmington drove to the Gravette 26, but Chance Hyslip’s fourth-and-12 pass was just out of the reach ofLogan Boudrey’s outstretched hands in the end zone.

And with that chance, the game was essentially over for the Cardinals.

Gravette took the ball and rumbled 74 yards in eight plays, this time behind a running game that showed some life.

“I think we loosened them up with the pass (on the previous scoring drive) and then Colt and Michael (Croasdell) ran it like they have done all year long.”

Moorman had runs of 17 and 19 yards and Croasdell chipped in a 21-yard dash. Moorman’s 1-yard run with 4:32 to play made it 20-13. It was all over 41 seconds later when Nick Hendren intercepted a Hyslip pass and raced 27 yards for atouchdown.

“We lost tonight because we didn’t execute the fundamentals,” Farmington coach Mike Adams said. “We had a good game plan against them and we executed it for three quarters. In the fourth quarter, we didn’t.”

Adams felt the game began swaying from Farmington just before Gravette tied the game when the Cardinals lost a fumble at the Gravette 23 on first down. Gravette then took the ball and rolled down the field via the pass to tie the game.

“If we go in and score right there, we have a chance to win,” Adams of the lost fumble.

Heading into half-time, it seemed Farmington had more than a chance to get the victory.

Outside of a 54-yard scoring pass from Moorman to David O’Brien that gave Gravette a 6-0 lead with 3:42 to go in the first quarter, the Lions had almost no offense to speak of in the first half. The Lions finished with 29 yards in total offense through the first two quarters. Two bad center snaps led to a minus 36 yards. The second off-target snap was recovered by Boudrey at the Gravette 26.

Hyslip then led a drive that reached the Gravette 8. Facing a fourth-andgoal, Hyslip rolled left, but threw back right to Jared Martin, who had a blocking convoy in front of him and scored easily.After a missed extra point, Farmington led 13-6 with 4:24 left in the half.

Hyslip had given the Cardinals a 7-6 on their possession. After Farmington wasn’t fooled by a Gravette punt run that netted nothing, the Cardinals took over at the Gravette 40. Hyslip threw a 37-yard pass to Deon Clay to put the ball at the Lion 2. Two plays later, Hyslip, under a heavy Gravette rush, threw an underhand touchdown pass to Clay from 3 yards out.

Martin had a gamehigh 110 yards rushing on 27 carries. Gravette had 191 total yards, but survived nine fumbles by only losing one.

The Lions travel to Springdale this Friday night to meet the Shiloh Saints, ranked number one in 4-A division. The Saints topped Gentry at Gentry 35-14 last Friday night.

Sports, Pages 13 on 10/21/2009