BY MIKE MONTFORT
NAVARRO FOOTBALL GAMEDAY
Week 5
OPPONENTS: (9) Kilgore (2-1/1-1) at Navarro (1-2/1-1)
VENUE: Tiger Field at CNB&T Stadium, Corsicana, Tx
GAMEDAY WEATHER: Forecast for the second day of autumn -- clear skies with a 94-degree temperature are expected at kickoff. Temperature will be dropping from a daytime high of 98 into the lower 70s overnight. South-to-southwest wind at 12 mph may gust as high as 22. Humidity will be about 25 percent.
KICKOFF: 7 pm CDT
LIVESTREAM COVERAGE: The Southwest Junior College Football Conference game will be webcast on Navarro Sports YouTube Channel. The only free link to watch: (20) Football - Navarro vs Kilgore - YouTube
HOME! The Bulldogs look for a second straight conference victory at CNB&T Stadium where they are 59-17 in their 17th season. NC has winning home records in each of the last 16 seasons here.
THE SERIES: Saturday's contest marks the 92nd in the series . Navarro regained a 44-43-4 lead in this long-standing battle last fall with a wild 47-43 comeback victory at R.E. St Johns Memorial Stadium. The 1-3 Bulldogs rallied from a 35-13 third-quarter deficit with 34 unanswered points to knock off an unbeaten Kilgore club that had been promoted earlier in the week to the No. 2 ranking by the NJCAA. NC's win snapped Kilgore's three-game winning streak in the series. KC last won in Corsicana in spring, 2021 – a 52-38 verdict when the Rangers tallied their single-game high point total in the series. The teams have met twice in SWJCFC Championship games with road teams winning. In 2007, Navarro won 54-28 at Kilgore; in 2015, Kilgore, 42-28, at Corsicana. The last tie in the series was a scoreless 1971 season opener.
THE COACHES: Willie Gooden is in his fourth season as the Kilgore Rangers' 16th head coach. The Hempstead, Tx, native walked on at Kilgore in 2000 and became an all-conference player for the undefeated Rangers in 2001. He spent 2006-18 as a KC assistant. Ryan Taylor is in his third year of coaching (15-7), his first as Navarro's 16th head coach. The Denison, Tx, native played offensive line for the Yellow Jackets, Tyler Junior College and UCLA. He has 10 years of coaching experience in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference highlighted by leading Cisco to first undefeated conference championship in spring, 2021.
LAST MEETING: Qua Gray completed 28-of-52 passes for 376 yards and three touchdowns to trigger Navarro's rally, spraying touchdown passes to Jeremiah Aaron (8-107), Louis Moore (4-105), and Quentin Lee (7-99). Backfield mates Elijah Hines (8-88) and Isaiah Robinson (30-87) each added rushing touchdowns and placekicker Alexis Lopez contributed field goals of 21, 38, 40 and 23 yards.
LAST WEEK: NAVARRO – Dane Jentsch accounted for 147 yards, ran for one score and passed to Eli Martinez for another in Navarro's decisive 38-7 win over Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. The Bulldogs got defensive and special-teams touchdowns during a 21-point third period that expanded their 17-7 halftime edge. Noseguard Clifton Mosley smothered a fumble in the end zone, and Tyrecus Davis returned a blocked punt eight yards for another tally. Running back TJ Snowden contributed a game-high 129 yards from 20 carries and accounted for the game's first score on a 27-yard run. KILGORE – Turnovers killed Kilgore's chances of an upset as NMMI erased a 14-point deficit and scored 28 second-half points to overcome the Rangers, 31-24, at Longview's Lobo Stadium. The Broncos parlayed two interceptions and four fumble recoveries with critical special-teams plays to remain unbeaten. Top receiver Malik Phillips (8-165) caught a 61-yard touchdown pass from Koby Muasau (16-40-208) for NMMI's go-ahead score on a third-down play with 1:48 left. KC, however, marched to the NMMI 24 before time expired. Kilgore's conference rushing leader, Donerio Davenport, gained 122 yards on 19 carries and caught passes totaling 43 yards. During the first half, KC's defense shut down NMMI on 50 yards and a 43-yard William Testa field goal. The Rangers got defensive scores (Vincent Page's 50-yard interception and defensive lineman Tiaro Sumbo's 80-yard fumble return). Page's big-play score was his third in as many games for KC.
TEAM STATS: NAVARRO averages 23 points and a balanced 385 yards (190 rushing and 195 passing). NC's defense yields 25.7 points and 340 yards (134 rushing and 206 passing). KILGORE averages 35.3 points and 391 yards (217 rushing and 174 passing). The Rangers' defense gives up 13.7 points and a stingy 171 yards (30 rushing and 141 passing).
INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: NAVARRO – QB Dane Jentsch (39-59-518-3-2); RBs TJ Snowden (34-178-1) and Tim Carter (38-177-3); WRs Brandon Hawkins (10-192-2) and Jay Wilkerson (7-100-0); LB C.J. Johmson (15 tackles, 2.5 TFLs); LB Caimyn Layne (13 tackles); CB Marcus Cakdwell (9 tackles). KILGORE – QB La'Ravien Elia (18-33-411-2-2); RB Donerio Davenport (54-336-4); WR/KR Willie McCoy (8-184-0 receiving + 6-165 KOR); PK Colby King (20 points , 3-3 FG, 11-12 XP).
KILGORE KEYS: Kilgore's all-purpose yardage leaders are McCoy (146.3 per game) and Davenport (128.0). Big-play linebacker Vincent Page not only leads in tackles (7 per game) but is third in team scoring behind Davenport with 18 points thanks to returns (1 interception and 2 fumbles). Defensive end Derek Burns has 3 sacks and 2 TFLs for 27 yards in losses . Defensive back Oscar Moore has 2.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 7 breakups. Offensive lineman Wallace Unamba is a big reason KC averages 6.2 yards per carry and 11.6 per pass.
AROUND THE LEAGUE: Only two other 7 pm SWJCFC games are scheduled. Top-ranked NMMI (4-0/2-0) entertains coach Ryan Mahon's 12th ranked Blinn Buccaneers (3-0/1-0) at the Wool Bowl in Roswell, NM. Sherrard Poteete's Trinity Valley Cardinals (2-1/1-0) journey to Cisco and face coach John O'Mera's Wranglers (2-1/0-1) at Chesley Field.
NEXT WEEK: Navarro travels to Brenham as a homecoming opponent for Blinn at Cub Stadium, Kilgore welcomes Cisco as the Rangers re-open R.E. St John Memorial Stadium and celebrate Hall of Fame Weekend. In the season's first 3 pm conference game, Tyler plays Northeastern Oklahoma A&M at Miami, Ok.
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NAVARRO'S TWO-DEEP Vs KILGORE
Offense
LT – (78) Lysander Moeolo, (74) Isaiah Maumalanga
LG – (70) Kamon Bradford, (64) Lennard Medrano
C – (52) Justin Rogers, (63) Tim Metevia
RG – (54) Turner Hilburn, (53) Anthony Drumgoole
RT -- (71) Welson Lual, (73) Michael Eneh
QB – (8) Dane Jentsch, (12) Brenden Cyr
RB – (23) T.J. Snowden, (26) DeAnthony Gatson
TE – (16) Allen Horace, (14) Jacoby Hunt
X-WR – (1) Brandon Hawkins, (85) Quavon Matthews
H-WR – (3) Eli Martinez, (17) Tarribean Ramirez
Z-WR – (4) Jay Wilkerson, (80) Jack Hecker
A-WR – (9) Wesley Douglas, (81) Christian Romero
PK – (37) Axel Robertson, (81) Christian Romero
DEFENSE
DE – (93) Nick Potts, (92) Rico Griffin, (55) Travis Chatman
NG – (96) Clifton Mosley, (99) Jacory Brown
DE – (95) Viontay Robinson, (94) Kemazjay Deckard
ILB – (7) C.J. Johnson, (45) Jayden Hughes
OLB – (10) Caimyn Layne, (44) Vince Sheffield
OLB – (13) Marcus Tillman, (33) Eddie Toussom
CB – (6) Gabriel Bryan, (24) Donavann Collins
L-SAF – (35) Jordan Smith, (27) Michael Boudoin
R-SAF – (5) Ty Wilson, (20) Dominique Horton
FS – (21) B.J. Jones, (29) Daniel Oneal
CB – (2) Tyrecus Davis, (30) J.K. Moore
P – (39) Anthony Schembri
