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506 1st Ave SE, Gravette (479) 787-5258 arvest.com Member FDIC Arvest Bank is proud to support the Gravette Lions and the spirit of the team. We care about our community and are here to fill the needs of our customers in Gravette. Stop by and open an account today. WE LIONS FOOTBALL WE ARE MORE THAN JUST A DRUG STORE GO LIONS!!! Lindsey Watford, Pharm.D. Monday-Friday 8am-6pm Saturday 8am-1pm teasleydrug.com 205 Atlanta Street SE • Gravette, AR • 479-787-5966 2017 Football Preview Wednesday, August 23, 2017 n 11 The Herald-Leader/Westside Eagle Observer O'Brien will be lining up next to a new face at quarterback as junior Tajae White (5-9, 155) appears ready to take the full-time reins as the Lions signal caller. White, who started the second round playoff game on the road against Ham - burg, has developed well and, according to Harrelson, is ready to transition into be- ing trigger man in Gravette's spread attack. "Tajae's experience on varsity, as well as junior varsity, last year just gives him a head start," said Harrelson. "He is exactly the kind of leader you need at quarterback. He is a very vocal leader at times but he always leads by example on and off the field." With his quickness and overall speed, the dual-threat White should give Har - relson the opportunity to open up his playbook a bit more than in the past few seasons. "His ability to run and throw will be a strong point of our offense this year," said Harrelson. Taking some of the pressure off the first-time starting quarterback will be an offensive line that, despite several new faces, has shown potential that excites Harrelson. "Our offensive line is improving every practice," said Har - relson. "One big thing that has helped them is having to go against our defensive line in practice every day." Harrelson said senior center Justin Stelting (6-2, 277) has stepped up as the leader of the unit. Senior Seth Spencer (6-0, 245) brings the most experience to the offen - sive line, but also brings a lot of value to the defensive line. Harrelson hopes to keep Spencer as fresh as possible for both roles and Harrelson expects a few juniors to step into more prominent roles. Jarrod Barker (6-3, 230) and Aidan Patton (6-3, 230) appear ready to take over the tackle spots, while Beau Ham - ilton (6-0, 237) and Dakota Lemonds (6-0, 200) will be given plenty of oppor- tunities at the guard positions. "All of those guys have good size and can really move," said Harrelson. Senior Logan Rachel (5-9, 185) will work with Moorman and Childress at the receiver positions. Moorman caught 39 passes for 382 yards and five touch - downs in 2016. Grimes and Huntsman will be counted on to provide depth at fullback. Soulé entered the backfield during goal line sit - uations and scored eight touchdowns last season. Derek Cravens (5-7, 147) is someone Harrelson is looking at to provide production on both sides of the football. "Derek Cravens is a young man that has shown great improvement and will play a big role on the team both ways," said Harrelson. Childress, who Harrelson has called the best kicker in the state, provides the Lions with an advantage using his strong leg in both the kicking and punt - ing games. "Chris' leg is definitely a big weapon that we are going to have to take advan- tage of," said Harrelson. "Any time we get inside the other team's forty-yard line I think he will have a chance to put points on the board. He has also taken over the punting duties which is going to stress his leg even more, but we think he is up to the challenge." Childress drilled 11 of 12 field goals in 2016, including one from 45 yards. He was also 19 of 21 on extra point at - tempts. Facing a conference slate that contains three 4A semifinalists from a year ago, Har- relson feels his team's non-conference slate will help sharpen and prepare his Lions for what lies ahead in Weeks 3–10. Gravette goes on the road to Franklin County to face the Ozark Hillbillies, a team Gravette defeated 21-20 in over- time to start the 2016 season. GRAVETTE Continued from Page 10 Soulé Palmer Spencer Childress See GRAVETTE on Page 14