(Bastrop) – Cuero receiver LeBron Johnson pulled in a 44-yard touchdown pass from Jerry Rossett with just 23 seconds left to lift the Gobblers over Navarro 35-28 in the 4A Division II Region IV finals on Friday at Bastrop Memorial Stadium.
The Panthers tied the game at 28 with 2:06 remaining on a 40-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion by Colton Chambers, but Cuero marched 84 yards in nine plays on the ensuing drive.
Navarro’s season ends in the fourth round of the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.
“Our kids went and laid it all on the line,” Navarro head coach Rod Blount said. “They battled and played their hearts out. I’m super proud of them. We came up on the short end, but that takes nothing away from what they’ve done this year, what they’ve done over their careers. Nick (Billings), Brody (Whitson) – three-year starters and in the quarterfinals every single year, that’s something to super be proud of. I love them, and I’m proud of the kids.”
Sophomore running-back Antoine Mebane punctuated an impressive late-season surge and gave Navarro fans a glimpse of the program’s bright future with a team-high 251 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries, including a 78-yard score on the Panthers’ first snap from scrimmage less than two minutes into the game.
Mebane ran for 624 yards in four playoff games alone as a first-year varsity player.
“Antoine’s been great for us this year,” Blount said. “Big plays all night tonight. When we needed some, he went and got it. He’s got a ton of talent – we knew that. We just need him to get to work and come back even better next year.”
Cuero responded to Mebane’s early score with a 38-yard touchdown pass from Rossett to Johnson and a five-yard scamper to the end zone by Zyler Jones take a 14-6 lead early in the second quarter.
Mebane’s eight-yard touchdown run and a Chambers two-point conversion capped a 71-yard drive with 7:20 left in the half and produced a 14-all tie that lasted through halftime.
Navarro took its final lead of the game with 2:02 to play in the third quarter when Mebane broke loose for a 23-yard touchdown on a 4th-and-6 play to finish a 65-yard drive. Cuero’s Sean Burks blocked the PAT kick, and the Panthers settled for a 20-14 cushion.
The Gobblers recovered a fumble late in the quarter and only needed one snap to convert the turnover into points. As time expired to end the period, Jones hauled in a 52-yard touchdown pass from Rossett, and Harrison Crain’s kick put Cuero in front 21-20 heading into the fourth quarter.
Tycen Williams put Cuero up 28-20 with a seven-yard run at the end of a five-play, 85-yard drive with 3:49 remaining.
The Navarro crowd sniffed a second straight overtime game when Chambers tied it up less than two minutes later, but as it turned out, the Panthers left too much time on the clock for the Rossett and the explosive Cuero offense.
Chambers finished with 82 yards on seven carries. Senior quarterback Nick Billings completed passes of 39 yards to Landary Blackburn and 28 to Seth Rodriguez.
Billings went 9-3 as a starting quarterback in 12 career playoff games over the course of three varsity seasons.
Friday marked the final game in the careers of seniors Billings, Jacob Frederick, Ian Osborne, Jaxen Monkerud, Cole Mouser, Manny Martinez, Ryatt Kluckman, Casey Palmer, Seth Rodriguez, Brody Whitson, Izacc Zamora, Diego Campos, Tonie Cole, Tim Sanders, and Evan Gaustad.
Triston Brashears was also a senior member of the team, but had his season cut short by a cancer diagnosis. The team dedicated the remainder of its season to Brashears from that point, and the community has adoped the slogan “T-Strong” as he continues to go through treatment.
Cuero (13-1) avenged a 29-27 regular season loss to Navarro with Friday’s win and will face Region III champion China Spring in the 4A Division II state semifinals.
After finishing second in District 14 and advancing four playoff rounds, Navarro’s final record in Blount’s fourth season as head coach is 10-3.