GRAVETTE — Entering his seventh season at Gravette, head coach Bill Harrelson admits this preseason has been a bit out of the ordinary.

That’s not unusual, considering his football team must replace 18 starters.

“It’s different than it has been in the past as far as we’ve got so many unknowns,” he said. “We just don’t have that many players who have been out on that field on Friday nights.”

That’s a 180-degree turn from a year ago, when Gravette entered the season as the most experienced team in the 1-4A Conference.

Anchored by 16 returning starters and an experienced senior class of almost 30, the Lions finished 8-2 in the regular season withlosses by a combined nine points, then won road playoff games at Pocahontas and Warren before losing 20-13 at home to Pine Bluff Dollarway in the Class 4A state quarterfinals.

It was the school’s fifth straight season with at least nine victories.

Two seniors, running back Darrick Strzelecki (1,856 rushing yards, 29 touchdowns) and lineman Jeremy McGarrah, earned All-State recognition.

League coaches chose another 10 GHS seniors to the 1-4A All-Conference team.

Replacing all that experience has, at times, made for some difficult days during preseason practices. But Harrelson says the talent available on this year’s46-man roster has upside of its own.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” he said.

“We’ve got fewer numbers this year because we (graduated) so many, but I feel good about the group we’ve got and how hard they’ve been working.”

A key returnee this year is junior running back Cody Robinson. He played in every game last season, finishing with 466 rushing yards on 76 carries, an average of 6.1 yards per carry.

He also had 20 .

Robinson follows in a line of Gravette backs who have enjoyed success recently. Teddy Selby, Michael Croasdell and Strzelecki have followed eachother with All-State accolades and 1,000-yard seasons. Strzelecki totaled 3,361 yards and 48 touchdowns combined the last two years.

Robinson,one of the team’s strongest players, will be an important part of the offense, Harrelson said.

“He did what we asked him to do last year and did a great job,” he said. “He’s gotten a lot stronger and he’s just a hard worker.”

Senior back Brenton Ogle and junior Sam Riester will provide depth, Harrelson said.

The two-man competition to succeed Clayton Alexander (2,326 passing yards, 21 TDs, 60.3 completion percentage) at quarterback is between senior Chase Brody and junior Tristen Kahanek, though Harrelson said Brody has separated himself through the summer and preseason.

Neither of the two has attempted a pass in a varsity game.

“If we started tomorrow,(Brody) is the starter,” Harrelson said.

Seniors T.J. Holt and Marcus Adams, right guard and left guard, respectively, have plenty of varsity experience and are team leaders, Harrelson said.

They anchor a unit that also has some experience at center with senior Gunner Fancher, who started a handful of games last year.

Junior wideout Shay Shimer led the receiving corps during summer 7-on-7 competitions and gives the Lions a deep threat, Harrelson said. Seniors Peyton Rose and Zach Deatherage and sophomore Cedric Duarte fill out the rest of the unit, along with junior Aaron Means, who Harrelson said has the best hands on the team.

“He is a good route-runnerand knows how to get open,” he added.

Rose is also expected to be a playmaker on defense. The middle linebacker missed the first half oflast season with a torn labrum and is the only returning starter on defense. Junior Tyler Kerley and sophomore Michael Olvera are also penciled in as starters atGRAVETTEContinued from Page 18linebacker, and Harrelson said that unit is solid.

“We feel really good about those three guys,” he said. “They can make tackles.”

Braton Coffelt, a senior, gives the defensive line some strength and size, Harrelson said, at either nose guard or defensive end. Others like senior Koletun Hamilton, junior Austin Kennedy and junior Ryan Bolduc will lend some pass-rushing quickness.

“We’ve always had some small, quick defensive ends, and we’ve had success with that,” Harrelson said.

The rotation in the secondarywill begin with Duarte, Deatherage, Means and Kahanek.

Harrelson also said Duarte and Rose have solidified their roles as kicker and punter, respectively.

The Lions have three new opponents this year in the nonconference portion of the schedule, hosting Lamar, Booneville and Siloam Springs, which moves up to the 6A/7A-West Conference this season.

A home game against one of Benton County’s “big” schools should generate some added excitement, Harrelson said.

In a quirk of the schedule, three of Gravette’s first four conference games are on the road. The Lions’ home conference games this year are against Gentry, Lincoln and Berryville.

And for the first time since hisarrival in 2006, Harrelson won’t get a crack at private-school power Shiloh Christian, one of Gravette’s more contentious rivals oflate. The Saints move out of the 1-4A and up to Class 5A this year.

Lincoln, coming off a 7-4 season and a rare playoff berth, is the new member of the 1-4A.

“We’ve played (Shiloh Christian) every year either in nonconference or in conference and never beat them, so I’m glad to get them off the schedule,” Harrelson joked.

The Lions fumbled twice at the 1-yard line and were nipped by the Saints in Springdale lastyear 16-14.

“I felt like we were better than them last year, but we missed our opportunity there.

But as far as this year, they’llbe competitive at the 5A level and Lincoln has a good football team. They’ve really improved.”

Harrelson agreed Prairie Grove is the preseason favorite to win its first conference title since 2005. The Lions visit the Tigers in Week 10.

Ozark is the defending league champion. Gravette makes that road trip in Week 6.

NOTES: Lions defensive coordinator Duke Mobley is beginning his 21st season atGravette. … Harrelson is 51-20 in six seasons as Gravette head coach, with five straight trips to the playoffs. His Gravette teams have been shutout only once, 17-0 against Newport in the second round of the 2008 state playoffs. … Gravette graduated its leading rusher (Strzelecki), passer (Alexander), receiver (Tyler Greenhaw, 37-677-10) and tackler (Kelton McDougal 110 tackles). … Cody Robinson, who power cleans 275 pounds, was given the nickname “Dr.

Delts” by the coaching staff because of the size and definition of his shoulders. … Robinson also performs in productions at the Rogers Little Theater. … Tyler Kerley, a junior, wears No.

34, the same number worn by his brother Dallas Kerley, who graduated in 2012.

Sports, Pages 33 on 08/29/2012