bag-o-chips
10-20-2013, 06:55 AM
Panthers take down Texans 24-14
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A win in Wimberley
Dan Kinsey
A win in Wimberley
Navarro sophomore Anthony Grant weaves his way through a maze of red-clad defenders Friday night at Texan Stadium in Wimberley. Grant ran for a career-high 156 yards and added a TD in his team’s 10-point victory. The win snapped Wimberley’s 18-game district win streak.
Posted: Sunday, October 20, 2013 12:00 am
Scot Kibbe | 0 comments
WIMBERLEY — The Navarro Panthers (7-0, 2-0) took out three years of frustration on the Wimberley Texans (3-4, 1-1) Friday night as they raced to an early lead and held on for a 24-14 victory.
Wimberley had defeated the Panthers four times in the last three years, including a state quarterfinal contest in 2010. The Texans had won 18 district games in a row and all 16 since Navarro joined District 27-3A.
The Panthers finished second behind the Texans in each of those seasons.
On Friday, however, Wimberley’s homecoming crowd could only reminisce about its former dominance of Navarro.
Navarro’s offense rolled up the yardage as usual, with 431 total yards — 368 on the ground and 63 in the air.
But it was the defense that was the big story on this night. It held the Texans to minus-2 yards rushing while forcing two turnovers and getting one crucial stop after another.
Middle linebacker Justin Harless credited defensive coordinator Jeff Jones and the Panther defensive coaching staff.
“We have the best defensive coaches,” he said. “They told us every play Wimberley had run in the last three games so we had those plays sniffed out very well.”
The win leaves the Panthers undefeated seven games into the season, matching the best start in school history. They are now tied for the District 27-3A lead with next week’s opponent, Fredericksburg.
A light rain started to fall as the game kicked off but it did little to slow a fast start by the Panthers. Their first score came on a 12-play, 74-yard drive in which every play was a run. Fullback Anthony Grant capped the drive with a 1-yard TD run with two minutes left in the first quarter.
The game would feature a breakout performance from Grant, who rushed 23 times for a career-high 156 yards and a touchdown.
Navarro head coach Les Goad said his sophomore back helped the team take advantage of what the Texans’ defense gave them.
“They were so intent on the edges that we had to do something on the inside,” he said. “Anthony has been working hard and doing what we’ve asked him to do, but tonight he came out with a little bit more vengeance. He and the offensive line made them pay on the inside.”
Because of the rain and wet conditions, Goad chose to follow the touchdown with a two-point conversion attempt. It failed, as did all four two-point conversion attempts for Navarro on the night.
The Panthers’ next series also resulted in a touchdown, this time on an 11-yard carry by running back Jay Leal.
After holding the Texans to a three-and-out on the next drive, Navarro would face its first adversity of the night as it turned the ball over on the ensuing punt at its own 25-yard line.
But the defense rose up. Following a questionable interference call in the end zone, the Panthers forced and recovered a Wimberley fumble at the Navarro 11-yard line.
The defense again would respond on the next series after a failed fourth-and-1 attempt gave the Texans the ball at the Navarro 43. The Panthers ended that threat with their own fourth-down stop, giving their offense the ball back at the Navarro 32-yard line.
Goad called the next drive “tremendously important.” Taking over with 2:31 left in the half and just one timeout, the Panthers quickly moved down the field. They converted two fourth downs, including a fourth-and-14 at the Wimberley 25. That conversion was made when quarterback Ty Durham found receiver Desmond Smith on a pass to the Texans’ 4-yard line.
Following a spike to stop the clock, Durham again found Smith open for the touchdown. Just eight seconds remained as the Panthers celebrated an 18-0 lead that they took into the locker room.
The first down count showed just how one-sided the first half had been. Navarro had 16 first downs at the break while Wimberley had just two.
But the Texans did not become one of the dominant programs in the region by quitting, and they put great pressure on the Panthers in the second half.
Wimberley’s cause was helped by costly Navarro turnovers. The first was an interception early in the third quarter that the Texans quickly turned into points, narrowing the lead to 18-7.
The second turnover came when the ball squirted out after a long pass and run at the Texans’ 19, ending a scoring threat.
But the Panther defense continued its strong performance and the offense finally extended the lead two and a half minutes into the fourth quarter. Navarro went 62-yards in four plays, much of it on a 39-yard scamper from running back Luke Jaroszewski. The senior, who rushed for 104 yards on 18 carries in the game, added the score two plays later on a 4-yard run.
Wimberley would keep Panther fans on the edge of their seats, however, by answering that score in just over a minute. The score came on a 33-yard pass from quarterback Colton Cerday to receiver Brock McDorman.
The Texans added to that tension on the ensuing kickoff as they recovered an onside kick. A holding penalty, however, wiped out the recovery and Wimberley did not try the onside kick again.
The Texans threatened to tighten the score on their next series as they reached the Navarro 5-yard line. But that was shut down abruptly when defensive end Eric Hinklemann picked off a pass at the 7-yard line with 3:02 left in the game.
Trying to run time off the clock, the Panthers soon found themselves facing a fourth-and-1 at their own 16. That left Goad with a tough decision to make.
“The smart thing to do probably would have been to punt the ball,” he said. “But I always have confidence that we can get 1 yard and our defense was playing great. I’m sure if I took a poll it might not have been the No. 1 call.”
Grant and the offense justified his confidence, as the running back gained the first down by the length of the football, allowing the Panthers to run out the final two minutes of the game.
Harless, who is one of the team’s vocal leaders, said the team was ready for the challenge of Wimberley.
“We had been waiting for this game,” he said. “We knew they were a great team. But we were fearless and we came out on fire.”
The Panthers will try to take another big step toward a district championship next week when they host the Fredericksburg Billies. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Erwin-Lee Field.
Previous Next
A win in Wimberley
Dan Kinsey
A win in Wimberley
Navarro sophomore Anthony Grant weaves his way through a maze of red-clad defenders Friday night at Texan Stadium in Wimberley. Grant ran for a career-high 156 yards and added a TD in his team’s 10-point victory. The win snapped Wimberley’s 18-game district win streak.
Posted: Sunday, October 20, 2013 12:00 am
Scot Kibbe | 0 comments
WIMBERLEY — The Navarro Panthers (7-0, 2-0) took out three years of frustration on the Wimberley Texans (3-4, 1-1) Friday night as they raced to an early lead and held on for a 24-14 victory.
Wimberley had defeated the Panthers four times in the last three years, including a state quarterfinal contest in 2010. The Texans had won 18 district games in a row and all 16 since Navarro joined District 27-3A.
The Panthers finished second behind the Texans in each of those seasons.
On Friday, however, Wimberley’s homecoming crowd could only reminisce about its former dominance of Navarro.
Navarro’s offense rolled up the yardage as usual, with 431 total yards — 368 on the ground and 63 in the air.
But it was the defense that was the big story on this night. It held the Texans to minus-2 yards rushing while forcing two turnovers and getting one crucial stop after another.
Middle linebacker Justin Harless credited defensive coordinator Jeff Jones and the Panther defensive coaching staff.
“We have the best defensive coaches,” he said. “They told us every play Wimberley had run in the last three games so we had those plays sniffed out very well.”
The win leaves the Panthers undefeated seven games into the season, matching the best start in school history. They are now tied for the District 27-3A lead with next week’s opponent, Fredericksburg.
A light rain started to fall as the game kicked off but it did little to slow a fast start by the Panthers. Their first score came on a 12-play, 74-yard drive in which every play was a run. Fullback Anthony Grant capped the drive with a 1-yard TD run with two minutes left in the first quarter.
The game would feature a breakout performance from Grant, who rushed 23 times for a career-high 156 yards and a touchdown.
Navarro head coach Les Goad said his sophomore back helped the team take advantage of what the Texans’ defense gave them.
“They were so intent on the edges that we had to do something on the inside,” he said. “Anthony has been working hard and doing what we’ve asked him to do, but tonight he came out with a little bit more vengeance. He and the offensive line made them pay on the inside.”
Because of the rain and wet conditions, Goad chose to follow the touchdown with a two-point conversion attempt. It failed, as did all four two-point conversion attempts for Navarro on the night.
The Panthers’ next series also resulted in a touchdown, this time on an 11-yard carry by running back Jay Leal.
After holding the Texans to a three-and-out on the next drive, Navarro would face its first adversity of the night as it turned the ball over on the ensuing punt at its own 25-yard line.
But the defense rose up. Following a questionable interference call in the end zone, the Panthers forced and recovered a Wimberley fumble at the Navarro 11-yard line.
The defense again would respond on the next series after a failed fourth-and-1 attempt gave the Texans the ball at the Navarro 43. The Panthers ended that threat with their own fourth-down stop, giving their offense the ball back at the Navarro 32-yard line.
Goad called the next drive “tremendously important.” Taking over with 2:31 left in the half and just one timeout, the Panthers quickly moved down the field. They converted two fourth downs, including a fourth-and-14 at the Wimberley 25. That conversion was made when quarterback Ty Durham found receiver Desmond Smith on a pass to the Texans’ 4-yard line.
Following a spike to stop the clock, Durham again found Smith open for the touchdown. Just eight seconds remained as the Panthers celebrated an 18-0 lead that they took into the locker room.
The first down count showed just how one-sided the first half had been. Navarro had 16 first downs at the break while Wimberley had just two.
But the Texans did not become one of the dominant programs in the region by quitting, and they put great pressure on the Panthers in the second half.
Wimberley’s cause was helped by costly Navarro turnovers. The first was an interception early in the third quarter that the Texans quickly turned into points, narrowing the lead to 18-7.
The second turnover came when the ball squirted out after a long pass and run at the Texans’ 19, ending a scoring threat.
But the Panther defense continued its strong performance and the offense finally extended the lead two and a half minutes into the fourth quarter. Navarro went 62-yards in four plays, much of it on a 39-yard scamper from running back Luke Jaroszewski. The senior, who rushed for 104 yards on 18 carries in the game, added the score two plays later on a 4-yard run.
Wimberley would keep Panther fans on the edge of their seats, however, by answering that score in just over a minute. The score came on a 33-yard pass from quarterback Colton Cerday to receiver Brock McDorman.
The Texans added to that tension on the ensuing kickoff as they recovered an onside kick. A holding penalty, however, wiped out the recovery and Wimberley did not try the onside kick again.
The Texans threatened to tighten the score on their next series as they reached the Navarro 5-yard line. But that was shut down abruptly when defensive end Eric Hinklemann picked off a pass at the 7-yard line with 3:02 left in the game.
Trying to run time off the clock, the Panthers soon found themselves facing a fourth-and-1 at their own 16. That left Goad with a tough decision to make.
“The smart thing to do probably would have been to punt the ball,” he said. “But I always have confidence that we can get 1 yard and our defense was playing great. I’m sure if I took a poll it might not have been the No. 1 call.”
Grant and the offense justified his confidence, as the running back gained the first down by the length of the football, allowing the Panthers to run out the final two minutes of the game.
Harless, who is one of the team’s vocal leaders, said the team was ready for the challenge of Wimberley.
“We had been waiting for this game,” he said. “We knew they were a great team. But we were fearless and we came out on fire.”
The Panthers will try to take another big step toward a district championship next week when they host the Fredericksburg Billies. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Erwin-Lee Field.