NWADG Prep Rally Football Playoff

PREP RALLY PLAYOFF: 21 4 7 9 - 84 6 - 4 3 3 3 ere have been other changes like the tremendous upgrade in facilities at Gravette over the past decade. Mobley tells a hum0rus story about a fiery halime speech against Huntsville one fall night in the old dressing rooms at McAbee Field. e teams were separated by only a brick wall with Gravette on one side and the Eagles on the other. Mobley said he tore into the defense the entire halime, about 12 minutes. "When I was done it was quiet, and I hear (Ken) Harriman on the other side tell his kids, 'that goes for you, too!' ey'd heard everything I said," Mobley said. For many years, he coached the seventh grade and junior high teams in addition to his duties as the varsity team's defensive coordinator. at gave him a chance to lay the foundation for the future Lions players. Seth McKenzie recalled his first game as a seventh grader playing for Mobley. McKenzie threw an interception on his first pass that season, and came to the sideline in tears, Mobley said. e gruff coach pulled McKenzie aside and told him to get it together. A few years later, Seth's younger brother Ethan McKenzie met the same fate on his first pass, and he also teared- up, Mobley said. "I pulled him over and asked him, 'is this a family thing?'" Mobley said. Seth McKenzie, who later coached alongside Mobley from 2008-12, said among the many things Mobley did well, the strongest was not letting players get down on themselves aer a mistake. "I clearly remember that game, and him calling me over and saying 'even the great ones throw an interception ever now and then,'" Seth McKenzie said. "I was in the stands when Ethan threw his and I'm sure he told him the same thing. He probably also told him, 'Seth threw a lot of them.'" Mobley said one of the moments he will remember long aer he hangs up his whistle at the end of this season also occurred at the old stadium where fans were no more than 8 to 10 feet away from the field and oen stood 5-6 deep against the fence. He said the Lions were in a tight game one Friday night and he was coaching hard when he felt something hit his shoulder. He looked down and saw a hot dog wiener on the ground, the projectile that hit him. "I reached down and picked it up and turned and looked in the stands to see if I could see who threw it," Mobley recalled. "en I put it in my mouth and ate it. "Looking back, I probably should not have done that, there's no telling where that thing had been. But I didn't get sick, so I guess it was OK." AT A GLANCE DUKE MOBLEY SCHOOL Gravette POSITION Defensive coordinator NOTABLE Born in Decatur, Ga., and later moved to Winston-Salem, N.C., where he graduated from high school. … Was a junior high coach at Rogers Elmwood before taking a coaching job in Gravette in 1991. … Has spent 27 seasons at Gravette and coached under four head coaches, including the last 12 under Bill Harrelson. … Has announced his retirement after the season. Gravette Lions (6-4) DATE .............OPPONENT ............ RESULT Sept. 1 ...............at Ozark ......................... L 33-30 Sept. 8 ...............Booneville .................... L 28-13 Sept. 15 ............Jay, Okla. ....................... W 27-7 Sept. 22 ............Lincoln* ......................... W 40-7 Sept. 29 ............at Prairie Grove* ......... L 31-7 Oct. 6 .................at Pea Ridge* ............... L 42-28 Oct. 13 ..............Berryville* ..................... W 37-7 Oct. 20 ..............at Huntsville* .............. W 62-28 Oct. 27 ..............Shiloh Christian* ........ W 24-19 Nov. 3 ................at Gentry* ..................... W 38-9 Nov. 10 .............Heber Springs ..................... 7pm * — Denotes 4A-1 Conference game SUBMITTED PHOTO Gravette football coach Duke Mobley (right) was guest speaker for the March Rise and Shine assembly at Glenn Duffy Elementary School. Mobley is noted for his success in getting team members to work together. He talked to the students about the importance of teamwork and illustrated it by having them, individually and by groups, try to pull him out of his chair. CLASS 4A THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2017 www.equitybank.com GOOD LUCK BLACKHAWKS!

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