(Geronimo) — The Navarro Panthers showed off a new offense in their scrimmage with the Fredericksburg Battlin’ Billies on Friday night in Geronimo.
New Panther head coach Glenn Hill, who spent the last four years as the offensive coordinator at Smithson Valley, opened things up a little for the Purple and Gold in their first action against competition. For nearly the last 20 years, Navarro has run the Slot-T offense, but on Friday fans got their first glimpse of the Panthers in a new offense that will still feature the run but will spread the ball around.
One of the beneficiaries of the new offense on Friday was Evan Rodriguez. The senior scored on a dazzling 70-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Austin Davidson. Head coach Glenn Hill raved about his wide receiver following the scrimmage.
“Evan is a great player, great kid too,” Hill said. “He’s kind of a leader in the locker room, kind of a quiet kid, but he leads by example. His work ethic is amazing. I don’t think he missed a single day of summer skills. He didn’t miss a single spring morning workout. He was obviously a good player in the past, but with the growth that he has shown over the summer, I’m happy to see him go out there and perform.”
A two-way player, Rodriguez also came up with an interception on defense. Davidson also found receiver Hudson Jenner for another score during the scrimmage.
Navarro will play at Devine for their second scrimmage this Thursday. The Panthers open the regular season at Floresville on August 29.
Also on Thursday, the Marion Bulldogs will host Poth at Veterans Stadium at Marion High School for a scrimmage. Meanwhile, the Seguin Matadors will play their first and only scrimmage this season on Thursday when they travel to Kerrville Tivy.