GRAVETTE — Bill Harrelson thrust an index finger into the air as he congratulated his Gravette Lions after their season-opener victory over Jay, Okla..
Gravette (1-0) forced five Jay turnovers Friday night at Lion stadium and held the Bulldogs to just 60 rushing yards on 30 attempts.
“Great shutout,” a smiling Harrelson said to his team after the 28-0 win.
“That’s hopefully not our last one this year but that’s one.”
Jay (1-0) threatened to score several times but the Gravette defense came through with several big plays at the right time.
The Bulldogs drove 65 yards on the game’s opening drive before Lion senior Trey Tyner broke up a fourthdown pass. It was his first of five for the night.
Another shutout preserving play came from junior Tyler Greenhaw in the third quarter. With the Lions leading 14-0 Greenhaw intercepted a pass by Jay quarterback Brandon Edge in the end zone after the Bulldogs had reached the Gravette 1.
Greenhaw also recovered two fumbles during the Friday night game.
“I knew they’d probably throw my way because their best receiver was on that side of the field,” Greenhaw said. “I just made a play on the ball.”
Greenhaw said he wasn’t surprised by the Lions’ defensive success. He said theteam had worked tirelessly during preseason practices to improve.
Harrelson agreed with Greenhaw’s assessment, complimenting the quick chemistry the defense had attained.
“You can see the defense has really gelled,” the coach said. “We’ve got a bunch of guys who are excited to get to the ball, and they all love to hit.”
Even though the Lions’ offense sputtered a bit early on, they eventually broke through to take the lead near the end of the first quarter, a lead they never relinquished.
Senior Quarterback Colton Davis connected with senior Cody Bullock for a 45-yard touchdown pass on thirdand-ten with 2 minutes, 59 seconds left in the first play period.
It was the first of three TD passes for Davis, who also had three interceptions.
“That play (TD) really got us going,” Harrelson said. “It ignited the sideline.”
Greenhaw helped the Lions increase their halftime lead to 14-0 when he pounced on a fumble during a Jay punt return at the Bulldog 45 yard line.
Six plays later, he iced the cake by slipping into an open part of the end zone and caught a 5-yard pass from Davis on third and goal.
Jay appeared to score early in the third quarter but Greenhaw’s interception halted the Bulldog drive.
The Lions then capitalized and went up 21-0 on a 10-play, 80-yard scoring march capped by a one-yard TD run by junior Darrick Strzelecki.
Strzelecki had 57 yards on that drive and finished the night with 121 rushing yards on 23 carries.
He added 58 yards through the air including a 16-yard TD reception off a Davisscreen pass, the Lions’ final score of the night.
Junior Clayton Alexander had set up the TD with an interception and a 32-yard return.
“Darrick had a great night with the football in his hands,” Harrelson said. “He’s going to get a lot of carries for us this year and hopefully our offensive line can block the way it did tonight.”
The Lions scored in every quarter and Cody Montee capped the night’s efforts with a perfect score hitting between the uprights for extra points.
The Lions travel to Mc-Donald County (Mo.) this Friday to tangle with the Mustangs and return to Lion Stadium the following Friday in the annual homecoming game when Poteau, Okla., will come to town.
Sports, Pages 11 on 09/08/2010