Lions fall to Wildcats in playoff opener

Gravette stopped and unable to move the ball across the Trumann goal line on a cold and rainy night

Gravette's quarterback, Clayton Alexander, finds himself with no room to run during Friday's playoff loss to Trumann on a cold and rainy night in Gravette.
Gravette's quarterback, Clayton Alexander, finds himself with no room to run during Friday's playoff loss to Trumann on a cold and rainy night in Gravette.

— The rain was cold and wet and perhaps that was a foretaste of things to come for the Gravette Lions as they hosted the Trumann Wildcats in the opening round of state playoffs Friday night.

Gravette dropped the 16-3 game as the season ended for Coach Bill Harrelson’s Lions.

GRAVETTE - Trumann used a dominating defensive Friday night at Lion Stadium to keep Gravette out of the end zone and end the Lions season.

The Wildcats held Gravette running back Darrick Strzelecki to 63 yards on 20 carries in their 16-3 victory in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs. Trumann (7-4) also limited the Lions (9-2) to 40 yards through the air on 6-of-17 passing.

“They just beat us all over the field,” Gravette coach Bill Harrelson said. “It was a rough night. They covered our receivers, stopped the run and they kept the ball from us all night.”

Trumann used a moment of good luck to sparka tone-setting, game-opening scoring drive.

The 16-play, 58-yard march was almost halted after one play. Gravette linebacker Glenn Overturf darted into the backfield and deflected a pitch intended for Wildcats running back Quentin Buchanan.

The ball caromed hard toward the Trumann end zone but struck the referee and bounced back into the hands of Wildcats quarterback Jimmy Creecy. The unfortunate deflection altered a play that likely would have resulted in a Gravette touchdown.

“It happened so fast,” Trumann coach Greg White said. “I thought to myself that it had to be some kind of omen, that it might just be our night.”

The Wildcats responded by moving the ball through a driving wind and rain and scoring on Luis Guiterrez’s 30-yard field goal. Gravette nearly tied the game early in the second quarter but Trumann recovered a fumbled handoff at its own 13.

The Lions notched their lone score after a 12-yard Trumann punt set Gravette up at the Wildcats 32. The Lions offense stalled after earning two first downs and Cody Montee booted a 24-yard field goal to tie the game at 3 with 6 seconds left in the half.

Tied at the Half

“We really felt good about coming out of halftime tied and getting the ball to start (the second half),” Harrelson said. “Obviously, we just didn’t get it done.”

The Wildcats dominated play on both sides of the ball in the third quarter.Gravette gained only 26 total yards and earned only one first down during the quarter.

Meanwhile the Trumann offense drove down the field tallying touchdowns on scoring drives of three and four plays. The Wildcats took a 10-3 lead when a 57-yard completion from Creecy to Dustin Miller set up Creecy’s 23-yard touchdown scamper.

Gravette went three-andout on its next possession.Four plays later Cameron Wright darted 59 yards for a touchdown and a 16-3 Trumann advantage.

Creecy rushed for 83 yards on 19 carries to lead the Wildcats, who had to win the last two weeks of the regular season just to make the playoffs.

Will Miss 15 Seniors

Fifteen seniors played in their last game for Gravette (9-2) as a result of the defeat, a fact that saddenedLions coach Bill Harrelson. He said the tight-knit group contributed in various ways throughout their Gravette careers.

The seniors Gravette will miss most on the field next season include Colton Davis, Trey Tyner, Cody Bullock, Brian Hendren, Jarret Lowe, T. J. Chevallier, Josh Graham, Josh Vanderpool and Cody Montee.

Carlos Ortiz, Stanley Heyward-Brown, Jesse Slate, Tyler Glenn and Kahlief Steelealso suited for the last time Friday night. Also missed is the late Casey Russell, who has been a source of inspiration for the team.

“Our seniors have all had a great impact on the program,” Harrelson said. “They helped us have three nine-win seasons. It’s tough for it to end the way it did for them, but that’s life. The seniors contributed so much, whether it was in games, in practice or just for moral support.”

Sports, Pages 11 on 11/17/2010