(Geronimo) — The Navarro Panthers are looking to replace a number of all-district players lost to graduation and keep the Panther tradition of deep playoff runs going in a tough new district.
Navarro head coach Rod Blount returns to Geronimo for his seventh season. The Panthers have advanced at least three rounds in the UIL playoffs every year of Blount’s tenure. Last year, Navarro took down San Antonio Young Men’s Leadership Academy and Port Isabel in the postseason, before falling to Sinton in the UIL Class 4A Division-II Region IV semifinals.
When the district season rolls around this year, the Panthers will have three new opponents thanks to UIL realignment. The Smithville Tigers, Gonzales Apaches and Salado Eagles are replacing two teams, Manor New Tech and Austin Achieve in the new District 13-4A. The Wimberley Texans were the district champions in 2023 , finishing a game ahead of second place Navarro. The Texans along with district holdovers Lago Vista and Jarrell return to the district schedule for the Panthers.
“It’s gonna be a tough district and a tough schedule all the way through,” Blount says. “10 straight games with not really one where you have a week off, which is great. If you make it through that district and stay healthy, you’re gonna be prepared for the playoffs.
“But we gotta be smart, making sure that our kids stay healthy and make sure we’re doing things right. It’s 10 winnable ball games but it’s also 10 losable ball games if we don’t show up every week.”
Navarro graduated a number of all-district players from last season. 12 Panther seniors earned first and second team selections following the 2023 campaign. Incoming senior offensive linemen Kade Pugh and Craig Heiman return to man the offensive line for the vaunted Navarro Slot-T attack. Both were second team all-district selections last year.
“We expect big things out of Craig and Kade and the rest of our seniors. Ethan Borchardt has had a great summer and a great off season. Montgomery Elder has stepped up big and J.J Waz got some starts last year as well.
“For our junior class, Braddock Gallini had a great year for us last year. He had to start the last three playoff games and did a great job for us. Kohen Blount is coming back. Dylan Trotti had a great off season. We expect big things from him at tailback and in the secondary.”
Heiman and Pugh are the lone remaining starters from the 2023 Panther offense. There will be a new quarterback this season to lead the Slot-T after starting signal caller Colton Schuelke was lost to graduation. Sophomore Payton Helford earned the nod in the preseason to replace Schuelke.
On defense, the Panthers will need to replace all 11 regular starters from last year. Blount says they have some returning lettermen to fill those positions.
“J.J Waz had some starts for us. Like I said, Braddock Gallini started some at the end of the year. He and Mason Harvey got a lot of playing time on the defensive line. Kohen (Blount) started some games when he was a freshman on the D-line. Grayson Carlisle is battling for a spot on the defensive and offensive lines. Ian Garcia has completely changed his body and how he works, so it’s exciting.
“We’re expecting big things out of (Colton) Breitenkamp and Craig Heiman at linebacker. Mason Berry works his tail off, we’re trying to see if he can step up at linebacker.”
The Panthers have only 17 returning lettermen from a squad that went 9-4 in 2023 and finished second in District 13-4A at 4-1. Wimberley, Lago Vista and Jarrell joined Navarro as the district’s playoff representatives the last two seasons. Wimberley reached the Class 4A Division II state championship in 2022.
Navarro hopes to make another long postseason run with some new faces in the starting lineup in 2024 but first the Panthers will have to traverse through another tough District 13-4A.
Navarro Panthers
2023 record: 9-4 (4-1 in district) Class 4A Division II regional semifinals
Coach: Rod Blount (7th season)
District: 13-4A
Schedule
Aug. 30 – 7:30 PM vs. Floresville
Sept. 6 – 7 PM at Antonian
Sept. 13 – 7:30 PM vs. Canyon Lake Broadcast on KWED and SeguinToday.com
Sept. 20 – 7:30 PM at La Vernia
Sept. 27 – 7:30 PM vs. Wimberley *
Oct. 4 – 7:30 PM at Salado *
Oct. 11 – 7:30 PM vs. Jarrell *
Oct. 18 – 7:30 PM at Gonzales *
Oct. 25 – 7:30 PM vs. Smithville *
Nov. 1 – 7:30 PM at Lago Vista *
Nov. 8 OPEN
* District