(Taylor) – Navarro scored the final 13 points on a pair of Diego Chapa touchdown runs in a game that featured seven lead changes to outlast Smithville 45-35 in the bi-district round of the 4A Division II football playoffs on Friday at Taylor Stadium.
The Tigers took a 35-32 lead on Derrick Roberson’s nine-yard touchdown run less than a minute into fourth quarter, and the Panthers took control from that point.
Chapa broke loose for a 23-yard score to punctuate a 61-yard drive with 9:12 to play, and after a blocked PAT kick by Smithville’s Dustin Armstrong, Navarro led 38-35.
Nick Billings recovered a Roberson fumble on the next Smithville possession to give the Panthers a short field at the Tigers’ 31-yard line. Four plays later, Chapa scored from three yards out, Jaxen Monkerud nailed the extra point, and the Panthers led by 10.
Smithville drove into Navarro territory on the ensuing possession, but Seth Rodriguez tackled a scrambling Roberson on a fourth down play to end the threat.
Navarro head coach Rod Blount credited his team for finishing with a crisply executed fourth quarter after a somewhat disjointed first half.
“We just talked about at halftime protecting the football, quit hurting ourselves,” Blount said. “We’ve got to eliminate penalties, and we’ve got to protect the football. The guys did a great job of getting out there and executing.”
The Panthers used a 34-yard touchdown pass from Billings to Colton Chambers and a pair of touchdown runs by Cole Mouser to build a 19-7 lead by the mid-point of the second quarter. The third of those scores was set up by an Owen Gonzales fumble recovery.
Smithville responded with a five-yard scoring run by Roberson to cap a 10-play 82-yard drive and a fumble return for a touchdown by Armstrong with just 25 seconds left in the half to take a 21-19 lead into halftime.
Navarro opened the third quarter with an onside kick, and the gamble paid off with a recovery at the Smithville 32-yard line.
“It was something we saw watching film,” Blount said. “We know their deep guys are dangerous. Any time they touch the ball, they have a chance to score. The kids have been doing that great all year. They made a big play. Case Monroe got in there, put his hand on it, knocked it down field, and got down there and recovered it. Huge part of the game.”
The Panthers and Tigers traded touchdowns until Navarro took control in the fourth quarter. Mouser produced both Navarro scores in the third period on a one-yard run and a 27-yard sprint.
Sophomore halfback Antoine Mebane led Navarro in rushing with 146 yards on 15 carries in his first career playoff start.
Mouser added 113 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries, and Billings produced 101 yards on eight attempts to go with his TD pass to Chambers. Chapa ran for 91 yards and two scores on seven carries.
The Panthers piled up 496 rushing yards and 530 total yards.
Navarro advances to face Port Isabel in the area found of the 4A Division II Region IV bracket. The Panthers and Tarpons square off at Veterans Memorial Stadium on the campus of Jones High School in Beeville this Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The Navarro – Port Isabel game will air live on KWED 1580-AM and Seguintoday.com. Pre-game coverage starts at 6:45 with the season wrap-up editions of the Seguin and Marion coaches’ shows.