Gravette defense shuts out Lincoln

LINCOLN — Gravette’s defense held Lincoln to fewer than 100 yards on offense to pave the way to its 33-0 win Friday night in the 4A-1 Conference opener.

The Lions’ defense held Lincoln to just 42 total yards in the first half and forced two turnovers with strong safety Brady Moorman’s interception and defensive tackle Jarrod Barker’s fumble recovery. In the second half, Gravette held Lincoln to only 42 yards again.

“Our defense gained some confidence,” Gravette coach Bill Harrelson said. “Lincoln’s got a pretty good offensive football team and we were able to shut them down. I’m really proud of the way the defense played and how hard they played the whole night.”

The way Gravette’s defense played gave its offense some breathing room.

Gravette dominated the first half, shutting out Lincoln and scoring 20 of its 33 points. The second half mirrored the first with the Lions scoring two quick touchdowns because of the legs of running back Austin O’Brien.

On the first play of the second half, O’Brien broke through the Lincoln secondary for a 65-yard run to set up a quarterback sneak from Kilby Roberts. O’Brien then ran for 17 yards on the ensuing drive to get the offense rolling to another score.

“That was a big run,” Harrelson said. “I think that broke their spirit a little bit. He just did a great job and had a great night.”

O’Brien finished the game with a team-high 136 yards on 12 attempts and added 109 yards on six receptions and a touchdown.

Roberts had an impressive night of his own, throwing for a touchdown and rushing for two more.

Lincoln’s offensive began clicking towards the end of the game, but a couple of miscues killed promising drives.

Lincoln’s running back Caleb Lloyd and full back Christian Crittendon combined for 39 yards on 18 attempts to lead the way for the Wolves on offense.

“Again we started off slow and got to a sluggish start,” Lincoln coach Don Harrison said. “They came out and they were firing on all cylinders. We got to learn to come out faster.”

Gravette will host Prairie Grove next week, while Lincoln will travel to Pea Ridge.