GRAVETTE — Gravette coach Bill Harrelson might want to start keeping track of how many tackles his players break.

Tailback Cody Robinson and quarterback Chase Brody combined for 339 yards rushing on 47 carries, and Gravette scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns to defeat Lamar 27-6 in the season opener for both teams.

Robinson broke tackle after tackle in rushing 24 times for 208 yards and one touchdown.

Brody was just as effective in rushing 23 times for 131 yards and three touchdowns.

Robinson had 108 yards and a touchdown in the first half to help give the Lions a 6-0 lead at halftime.

Robinson’s 43-yard runwith a little more than 4 minutes left in the game set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Brody that gave the Lions a 20-6 lead.

“We broke a lot of tackles, but our offensive line did an outstanding job,” Harrelson said. “When we got to the second level, we made yards after contact. I was proud of that. We have a lot of guys that can run the ball, and we can spread it around.”

Robinson gave the Lions a 6-0 lead with a 44-yard touchdown run on the Lions’ first possession.

He was nearly tackled after getting an early block on the line of scrimmage, then broke several more tackles before finding the end zone.

“It was more of a stumble than a run,” Robinson said. “I thought I was going to get tackled. Then I thoughtI was going to get tackled. And then I thought I was going to get tackled. But I couldn’t have got through the line without the offensive line.”

Lamar tied the score on a 55-yard pass from Jordan Has to Jalen Chenault with 6:46 left in the third quarter.

But the momentum turned after the Warriors failed to convert a fake punt deep in their own territory early in the fourth quarter.

Gravette then drove 17 yards in two plays and scored when Brody went in from the one.

The Lions then tacked on two more touchdowns over the final 4:35 to pull away for the win.

“The defense played lights out all night,” Harrelson said. “We gave up the one big play. Our guys stepped up and did a great job.”

Gravette will host Booneville Friday at Lions Stadium. Booneville faced Ozark on Friday, and the Bearcats are picked to finish second in the Class 4A-4 Conference.

Sports, Pages 9 on 09/05/2012