(San Marcos) – Navarro is headed to the fourth round of the UIL football playoffs for the fourth straight season and the fifth time in six years after erasing a 14-0 halftime deficit to edge Sinton 29-28 in overtime Friday evening in the 4A Division II Region IV semifinals at Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos.
After Sinton took a 28-21 lead with a touchdown on its only overtime possession, Navarro’s Antoine Mebane answered with a one-yard score and the game-winning two-point conversion to give the Panthers their only lead of the night, and the only one they would need.
Pondering the choice to kick a tying PAT or go for the win, Navarro head coach Rod Blount trusted his offensive line and emerging sophomore running-back. Mebane found a crease on the left side and powered across the goal line to make Blount’s gamble pay off.
“That was our base play, 349, it’s what we do,” Blount said. “He’s doing a heck of a job, he’s making plays all night, and we knew if we put it in his hands we had an opportunity.”
Sinton used a 25-yard sprint to the end zone from quarterback Rene Galvan, a 44-yard touchdown pass from Galvan to J.R. Cruz, and a stout defensive effort to build a 14-0 lead before halftime.
The Pirates’ defense held Navarro to just 38 rushing yards on 17 carries and forced three punts in the first half.
The Panthers looked like a different team in the third quarter. Case Monroe returned the opening kickoff to the Sinton 42-yard line, and Colton Chambers broke up the shutout seven plays later with a four-yard touchdown run. Jaxen Monkerud’s PAT kick made it 14-7 with 8:47 left in the period.
The Pirates engineered a promising drive on the ensuing possession and threatened to go back in front by two scores, but Navarro safety Diego Chapa stripped the ball loose from Galvan, and linebacker Hayden Toliver recovered the fumble at the Panthers’ 32-yard line.
Navarro marched 68 yards in eight plays, and Mebane fought off multiple defenders for a 24-yard touchdown to tie the contest at 14-all going into the fourth quarter.
Sinton recovered the Panthers’ onside kick after the touchdown, and methodically drove 51 yards in 11 plays to reclaim the lead on a one-yard run by Galvan with 8:46 to play in regulation.
The Panthers moved the ball from their own 25 to the Sinton 37 on the next possession, but faced fourth-and-10 with the game and season hanging in the balance. Billings lofted a pass up the right sideline, and Brody Whitson ripped the ball away from Sinton’s Jaedin Howard for a leaping catch and a 22-yard gain at the Pirates’ 15.
“He’s an athlete, he can go up and get a ball, and we trusted his hands, and he made the play for us,” Blount said of Whitson’s game-saving catch.
Cole Mouser scampered into the end zone from 10 yards out to punctuate the 75-yard drive, and Monkerud’s kick tied the game at 21-all with 1:24 to play.
Sinton had a chance to win it in regulation, but those hopes ended when Billings intercepted a Galvan pass and returned it into Pirate territory with just 20 seconds to play. The Sinton defense kept Navarro out of the end zone in the waning seconds to preserve the tie and force overtime.
Navarro won the overtime coin toss and elected to play defense first. Galvan found the end zone from nine yards out on Sinton’s fourth play in the extra session, setting the stage for Mebane’s heroics when the Panthers took over possession.
Mouser ran for 96 yards on 18 carries, Mebane 86 on 15 attempts. The Panthers produced 217 of their 255 rushing yards in the second half and scored on every possession after halftime without punting.
Blount says his halftime message was simple.
“Just settle down and play ball,” the coach said. “We were missing assignments, we weren’t lining up right, not playing our style of football. They settled down, came out right in the second half, did exactly what they were supposed to.”
Sinton’s 28 points tied for its lowest total of the year. The Pirates came in averaging 50.5 points and 436 total yards per game. The Navarro defense held them to 282 yards on 52 plays.
“There’s something about these guys, man, they find ways to win,” Blount said. “They find ways to get it done, and I just hope it keeps rolling.”
Navarro advances to face Cuero in the 4A Division II Region IV finals, the state quarterfinal round, this Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Bastrop ISD Memorial Stadium. The Gobblers knocked off Wimberley 36-26 in their semifinal matchup.
The regional final will mark the eighth time in nine seasons Navarro and Cuero have faced each other in the playoffs. The Gobblers are 5-2 in the previous seven playoff meetings between the programs. Navarro owns a two-game winning streak over Cuero with a victory in last year’s bi-district playoffs and a 29-27 win in Week 4 of the current season.
Friday’s Navarro – Cuero clash will air live on KWED 1580-AM and Seguintoday.com. Pre-game coverage from Bastrop starts at 7 p.m.