Editor's Note: Gravette finished its season at Warren on Friday, losing 45 to 7. The Lions were unable to score until the fourth quarter, when Gravette quarterback Bryce Moorman connected with Michael Fowler for a 9-yard touchdown. Cedric Duarte kicked the point after.
GRAVETTE -- Michael Olvera couldn't have picked a better time to be in the wrong place. The Gravette senior was actually out of his position -- in more ways than one -- when Gentry elected to throw a pass during the second quarter of the 4A-1 Conference game between the Benton County rivals. However, it was pretty hard for the Lions' coaching staff to fault Olvera for his wrongdoing because he made his second interception of the year.
"He makes an interception on their sideline from a defensive end position," Gravette coach Bill Harrelson said. "It was a pretty amazing play, in my book.
"He's made a whole lot of amazing plays in the three years he's played for us. When we get plays like that out of him, we know we're going to be all right defensively."
Olvera (5-foot-10, 205 pounds) has played all three linebacker spots during his three years at Gravette, although he admits he would rather remain in his normal middle linebacker position. However, the Lions elected to move him over to strong side linebacker when teammate Jackson Soule went down with an ankle injury earlier in the game.
On the play Olvera made his interception, the call Gravette defensive coordinator Duke Mobley made called for Olvera to actually drop down into a defensive end spot and rush the quarterback. That wasn't the case this time as his linebacker mentality took over.
"Honestly, I had been watching a lot of film, especially on Gentry," Olvera said. "I was supposed to rush and get in there, and big ol' number 78 -- he's a big boy, and I couldn't get around him. But when I saw the quarterback roll out, I knew what was coming.
"The No. 2 receiver was coming about 10 yards deep, so I just dropped into coverage. I read the play perfectly. I had to jump a little bit to get it. If I hadn't got that interception, I probably would have been yelled at."
Those times have probably been few and far between since Olvera leads Gravette's defense with 126 tackles this season, including seven for loss of yardage. He sparked the Lions' win in their final non-conference game at Jay, Okla., when he intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown.
That's not bad results from a young man who has felt he's had to make up for lost time. Olvera missed half of his junior season when he was involved in an all-terrain vehicle accident just before preseason practices began last year.
"It's really amazing, the comeback he made from a broken neck, basically," Harrelson said. "I'm really proud of what he has done. He had a big stop in his first game back, when he stopped a potentially game-winning gain against Ozark.
"Michael has always been one of those players that is determined, and we could count on him for being in a lot of tackles. He's done a great job of leading the defense."
However, Olvera admitted he has reached a part of this season that he has dreaded for quite some time. When the Lions were to take the field Friday night at Warren in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs, he fully knew that it could be his last game.
"It's all or nothing," he said. "During my sophomore and junior years, I couldn't wait for my senior year to get here. Now I know this could be that last game, and it's beating me down right now. I don't want to believe it.
"I don't want today to end, and I don't want tomorrow to end because I know I'll be one day closer to my last high school football game. I don't know what I'll do without it. I've had football ever since I was in fourth grade."
Sports on 11/19/2014