bag-o-chips
10-16-2011, 12:31 AM
http://seguingazette.com/sports/article_2cbe776c-f784-11e0-9e6b-001cc4c03286.html
.Panthers top 500-yard mark, motor past Boerne
Anderson rushes for career-high 237 yards, runs back kick in 40-22 win
Incredible performance
..Posted: Sunday, October 16, 2011 12:00 am | Updated: 6:37 pm, Sat Oct 15, 2011.
Panthers top 500-yard mark, motor past Boerne Scot Kibbe Seguin Gazette | 0 comments
GERONIMO — L.J. Anderson ran the length of the field twice on Friday night, helping the Navarro Panthers (4-3, 1-1) grab a huge 40-22 district win over the Boerne Greyhounds (4-3, 1-1).
Anderson scored on a 100-yard kickoff return and a 99-yard run, both school records. The kickoff return was Navarro's first touchdown of the night and the long run was its last — and also the play that finally put the pesky Greyhounds away.
The win was a giant boost to the Panthers' playoff hopes. It places them in a four-way tie for second place in District 26-3A with three games remaining. The top three teams in the district qualify for the playoffs.
In addition to the return yards, Anderson finished the night with a career-high 237 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. It was part of the Panthers' 503-yard effort on the ground, which is a season high for the team.
Navarro head coach Les Goad said Anderson is "always a threat" and credited the rushing of his backfield mate, Zane Conlin, with opening things up for him.
"Boerne was taking away the plays we like to run with L.J. in the first half so we ran more plays for Zane," Goad said. "He had a big first half (70 yards on seven carries) so they adjusted at halftime by taking the plays to Zane away. That opened up the plays for L.J."
Though overshadowed this week, Panther running back Eric Schleier made his own history with his 136 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries. He became the fourth Panther to surpass the 3,000-yard career rushing mark, following Jacob Garcia, Ricky Barboza and Ellis Wright. Schleier also went over 1,000 rushing yards for the season — the second straight year he has done that.
Following the opening kickoff, the Greyhounds came racing out of the gate. Their standout quarterback, Wil Amick, went 8 of 8 on their opening series, leading Boerne on a 68-yard touchdown drive. The extra point failed, leaving the Greyhounds' lead at 6-0.
Fourteen seconds was all the Panthers required to erase that lead. That is how long it took Anderson to take the ball at his own goal line and speed down the right sideline to the Boerne end zone.
It was the first time any Navarro player had returned a kickoff for a touchdown since Randy Castillo did it against Comfort on an 85-yard return in 2006.
Anderson said a touchdown was on his mind all the way.
"Coach Goad had told us before the game that it had been several years since we had run a kick back for a touchdown," Anderson said. "I wanted to do it in this game and fortunately the hole was there and I was able to run through it."
Tyler Howard's extra point put the Panthers up 7-6 — a lead they would never relinquish.
The Navarro offense would add to that advantage in the first half. After a deep drive ended with a missed field goal, the Panthers found the end zone on their next two possessions. With Schleir and Conlin leading the way, Navarro churned out drives of 83 and 80 yards. Both ended with short touchdown runs from Schleier.
In the mean time, the Panther defense adjusted to the Greyhounds' explosive attack. They allowed Boerne just 15 yards on their four possessions following the opening touchdown drive.
Goad said the Greyhounds did show some different formations on their scoring drive but the Panthers' improvement was mainly due to execution.
"We started playing tighter coverage on their receivers and put a lot of pressure on their quarterback," he said.
But Navarro learned how quickly Amick and the Greyhounds could score at the end of the first half. Taking over at its own 31 with just 1:40 remaining, Boerne quickly moved down the field, scoring on a 2-yard run by Amick with just seven ticks left on the clock. That tightened the score to 21-13 as the half ended.
The Panther offense picked up in the second half where it left off in the first. On the opening drive of the third quarter, it methodically drove 82 yards in 13 plays, gaining every yard on the ground. Schleier again found the end zone on a 1-yard run — his third touchdown of the night and his 17th of the year.
Momentum would shift back to Boerne, however, on the extra point attempt. The Greyhounds blocked the kick and returned it to the Panthers end zone, which by rule gave them two points.
Boerne would build on the momentum, stopping the Panthers on defense on their next series.
The Greyhounds' offense then drove 80 yards, scoring when Amick ducked a defender to avoid a sack and ran 16 yards for the touchdown. With the extra point, Boerne had drawn to within a 27-22 score.
The Panthers desperately needed a score on their next series to turn the tide. They were able to do so because of two fourth-down conversions.
The first was an 8-yard run by Schleier on a fourth-and-2 at Navarro's 39-yard line. The second came on a fourth-and-2 at the Boerne 35. Anderson broke free on the play, getting not only the first down, but a crucial touchdown for Navarro.
Anderson said the play was known as the "8 hole reverse."
"Where the play was supposed to go was clogged up," he said. "But I looked to my right and saw no one was there so that's where I ran. They were probably expecting to see Eric run off guard so it was wide open."
The two point conversion pass fell incomplete, leaving the Panthers with a 33-22 lead with nine minutes left in the game.
Boerne seemed poised to answer after the ensuing kickoff. The Greyhounds took less than three minutes to get down to the Navarro 1-yard line, where they faced a fourth-and goal.
It was then that the Panthers' defense made a stand. Amick rolled out for a pass but Schleier put heavy pressure on him from his linebacker position. The quarterback still managed to complete his pass but only back to the line of scrimmage, giving the ball back to Navarro.
The Panthers took over barely outside of their own end zone with six minutes left and Boerne still owning all three of its timeouts. Needing breathing space and almost getting caught for a safety on their first run, the Panther coaching staff decided to roll the dice. They called a pitch out to Anderson deep in the end zone.
Anderson made them look like geniuses. He hit the left sideline and outraced the Boerne secondary, scoring for the third time on the night and putting the game on ice.
The junior running back was just as surprised by the play call as the Greyhounds were.
"When we got the call in the huddle, I wasn't so sure that was the best play for us to run down there," Anderson said. "But Zane (Conlin) made a great block to get me to the corner and I just ran as hard as I could."
Goad said the play call was necessary because of the Greyhounds' defensive scheme.
"They showed on the first play they were going to pin their ears back and take away everything inside," he said. "We needed a play that would get to the edge fast.
"We thought if we executed it well we could get a little room to operate. We didn't expect it would go 99 yards."
Boerne's attempt to make a furious late comeback ended on its next series when linebacker Austin Van Meter knocked down a fourth-down pass.
The victory, which Anderson called "a must win," was the Panthers' biggest of the year and their first in a game that was tight in the second half. All three of Navarro's losses were in games in which it either led in the second half or had an opportunity to go ahead late in the game.
"The difference tonight was we made the plays at the end that we had to make," Goad said. "The fans definitely got their money's worth tonight."
Navarro will now hit the road, traveling to Bandera for another district contest. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
.Panthers top 500-yard mark, motor past Boerne
Anderson rushes for career-high 237 yards, runs back kick in 40-22 win
Incredible performance
..Posted: Sunday, October 16, 2011 12:00 am | Updated: 6:37 pm, Sat Oct 15, 2011.
Panthers top 500-yard mark, motor past Boerne Scot Kibbe Seguin Gazette | 0 comments
GERONIMO — L.J. Anderson ran the length of the field twice on Friday night, helping the Navarro Panthers (4-3, 1-1) grab a huge 40-22 district win over the Boerne Greyhounds (4-3, 1-1).
Anderson scored on a 100-yard kickoff return and a 99-yard run, both school records. The kickoff return was Navarro's first touchdown of the night and the long run was its last — and also the play that finally put the pesky Greyhounds away.
The win was a giant boost to the Panthers' playoff hopes. It places them in a four-way tie for second place in District 26-3A with three games remaining. The top three teams in the district qualify for the playoffs.
In addition to the return yards, Anderson finished the night with a career-high 237 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. It was part of the Panthers' 503-yard effort on the ground, which is a season high for the team.
Navarro head coach Les Goad said Anderson is "always a threat" and credited the rushing of his backfield mate, Zane Conlin, with opening things up for him.
"Boerne was taking away the plays we like to run with L.J. in the first half so we ran more plays for Zane," Goad said. "He had a big first half (70 yards on seven carries) so they adjusted at halftime by taking the plays to Zane away. That opened up the plays for L.J."
Though overshadowed this week, Panther running back Eric Schleier made his own history with his 136 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries. He became the fourth Panther to surpass the 3,000-yard career rushing mark, following Jacob Garcia, Ricky Barboza and Ellis Wright. Schleier also went over 1,000 rushing yards for the season — the second straight year he has done that.
Following the opening kickoff, the Greyhounds came racing out of the gate. Their standout quarterback, Wil Amick, went 8 of 8 on their opening series, leading Boerne on a 68-yard touchdown drive. The extra point failed, leaving the Greyhounds' lead at 6-0.
Fourteen seconds was all the Panthers required to erase that lead. That is how long it took Anderson to take the ball at his own goal line and speed down the right sideline to the Boerne end zone.
It was the first time any Navarro player had returned a kickoff for a touchdown since Randy Castillo did it against Comfort on an 85-yard return in 2006.
Anderson said a touchdown was on his mind all the way.
"Coach Goad had told us before the game that it had been several years since we had run a kick back for a touchdown," Anderson said. "I wanted to do it in this game and fortunately the hole was there and I was able to run through it."
Tyler Howard's extra point put the Panthers up 7-6 — a lead they would never relinquish.
The Navarro offense would add to that advantage in the first half. After a deep drive ended with a missed field goal, the Panthers found the end zone on their next two possessions. With Schleir and Conlin leading the way, Navarro churned out drives of 83 and 80 yards. Both ended with short touchdown runs from Schleier.
In the mean time, the Panther defense adjusted to the Greyhounds' explosive attack. They allowed Boerne just 15 yards on their four possessions following the opening touchdown drive.
Goad said the Greyhounds did show some different formations on their scoring drive but the Panthers' improvement was mainly due to execution.
"We started playing tighter coverage on their receivers and put a lot of pressure on their quarterback," he said.
But Navarro learned how quickly Amick and the Greyhounds could score at the end of the first half. Taking over at its own 31 with just 1:40 remaining, Boerne quickly moved down the field, scoring on a 2-yard run by Amick with just seven ticks left on the clock. That tightened the score to 21-13 as the half ended.
The Panther offense picked up in the second half where it left off in the first. On the opening drive of the third quarter, it methodically drove 82 yards in 13 plays, gaining every yard on the ground. Schleier again found the end zone on a 1-yard run — his third touchdown of the night and his 17th of the year.
Momentum would shift back to Boerne, however, on the extra point attempt. The Greyhounds blocked the kick and returned it to the Panthers end zone, which by rule gave them two points.
Boerne would build on the momentum, stopping the Panthers on defense on their next series.
The Greyhounds' offense then drove 80 yards, scoring when Amick ducked a defender to avoid a sack and ran 16 yards for the touchdown. With the extra point, Boerne had drawn to within a 27-22 score.
The Panthers desperately needed a score on their next series to turn the tide. They were able to do so because of two fourth-down conversions.
The first was an 8-yard run by Schleier on a fourth-and-2 at Navarro's 39-yard line. The second came on a fourth-and-2 at the Boerne 35. Anderson broke free on the play, getting not only the first down, but a crucial touchdown for Navarro.
Anderson said the play was known as the "8 hole reverse."
"Where the play was supposed to go was clogged up," he said. "But I looked to my right and saw no one was there so that's where I ran. They were probably expecting to see Eric run off guard so it was wide open."
The two point conversion pass fell incomplete, leaving the Panthers with a 33-22 lead with nine minutes left in the game.
Boerne seemed poised to answer after the ensuing kickoff. The Greyhounds took less than three minutes to get down to the Navarro 1-yard line, where they faced a fourth-and goal.
It was then that the Panthers' defense made a stand. Amick rolled out for a pass but Schleier put heavy pressure on him from his linebacker position. The quarterback still managed to complete his pass but only back to the line of scrimmage, giving the ball back to Navarro.
The Panthers took over barely outside of their own end zone with six minutes left and Boerne still owning all three of its timeouts. Needing breathing space and almost getting caught for a safety on their first run, the Panther coaching staff decided to roll the dice. They called a pitch out to Anderson deep in the end zone.
Anderson made them look like geniuses. He hit the left sideline and outraced the Boerne secondary, scoring for the third time on the night and putting the game on ice.
The junior running back was just as surprised by the play call as the Greyhounds were.
"When we got the call in the huddle, I wasn't so sure that was the best play for us to run down there," Anderson said. "But Zane (Conlin) made a great block to get me to the corner and I just ran as hard as I could."
Goad said the play call was necessary because of the Greyhounds' defensive scheme.
"They showed on the first play they were going to pin their ears back and take away everything inside," he said. "We needed a play that would get to the edge fast.
"We thought if we executed it well we could get a little room to operate. We didn't expect it would go 99 yards."
Boerne's attempt to make a furious late comeback ended on its next series when linebacker Austin Van Meter knocked down a fourth-down pass.
The victory, which Anderson called "a must win," was the Panthers' biggest of the year and their first in a game that was tight in the second half. All three of Navarro's losses were in games in which it either led in the second half or had an opportunity to go ahead late in the game.
"The difference tonight was we made the plays at the end that we had to make," Goad said. "The fans definitely got their money's worth tonight."
Navarro will now hit the road, traveling to Bandera for another district contest. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.