By MIKE MONTFORT
NAVARRO FOOTBALL GAMEDAY
Week 6
OPPONENTS: Navarro (2-2/2-1) at Blinn (3-1/2-1)
VENUE: Cub Stadium, Brenham, Tx
GAMEDAY WEATHER: Temperature at kickoff will approach 79 degrees after a clear, sunny afternoon in the middle 80s. Slight north-northeast winds at 5 mph are forecast.
KICKOFF: 7 pm CDT
LIVESTREAM COVERAGE: The Southwest Junior College Football Conference game will be webcast live on the Blinn College Athletics YouTube Channel. The link will be made available before kickoff. Listen to the game live on KWHI-1280 AM and 101.7 FM and also on the internet at KWHI.com
HOMECOMING: Navarro tries to extend its two-game winning streak and top the .500 mark for the season as Blinn's homecoming opponent Saturday. Blinn will celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the 1972 Buccaneer football team – which went 12-0, finished third nationally and won a Wool Bowl championship at Roswell, NM.
RANKINGS: Navarro and Blinn are among five SWJCFC teams listed in the NJCAA Division I poll this week, Behind unbeaten, top-ranked NMMI (5-0), the league claims the final four spots in the Top 15. Navarro is 12th, actually one notch ahead of its preseason ranking. The 'Dogs displaced Blinn, which slipped to 13th after its loss to NMMI at the Wool Bowl in Roswell, NM. The other ranked SWJCFC clubs are TVCC (No. 14) and Kilgore (No.15), which dropped from No. 9 after its loss to NC.
THE SERIES: Saturday's meeting will be the 89th in a series that dates to 1948. Navarro leads the series, 53-34-1. Blinn has won three of the last four meetings, including last year's overtime game at Midlothian ISD Stadium (56-49). Navarro won the last game played at Cub Stadium in spring, 2021, 69-31. The lone tie in the series occurred in 1974, a 7-7 standoff at old Spencer Stadium on the Blinn campus.
THE COACHES: Ryan Taylor is in his third year of coaching (16-7), 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 its first undefeated conference championship in spring, 2021. Ryan Mahon (31-30) is in his sixth year as Blinn's head coach, The LaGrande, Ore., native spent 10 seasons at Tyler Junior College – eight as offensive coordinator and associate head coach.
LAST MEETING: Blinn outlasted Navarro – a late-season win that enabled the Buccaneers to seize an important tiebreaker and eventually pin down their first playoff appearance since 2017.
LAST WEEK: NAVARRO – Freshman DeAnthony Gatson gained 49 yards on 16 carries and scored twice as the Bulldogs held off Kilgore. Gatson's three-yard run with 0:28 remaining capped an arduous eight-minute drive for the winning score. Dane Jentsch accounted for 179 yards offense (10-16-156-1-0 passing and 3-23-0 rushing) to steer NC to its second consecutive league win and its first over three Top-10 opponents this season. Team-leading rusher TJ Snowden added a tough 80 yards on 24 carries. Navarro's defense yielded 291 yards on 60 offensive plays, intercepted two passes and recovered three forced fumbles to preserve the win. Linebackers C.J. Johnson, Caimyn Layne and Marcus Tillman spearheaded the effort. BLINN – NMMI fashioned another fourth-period rally tp qiash Blinn's upset hopes as quarterback Koby Muasau threw TD passes of 61 to Trevyion Beamon and six to Quardarius Harrison. Until the 8:56 mark, Blinn held 21-17 lead, as quarterback Brock Bolfing threw for 261 yardswith touchdown passes of 14 to Ma'jon Wright and 14 to Caleb Chapelle. Favorite target Tre Harden caught seven Bolfing passes for 94 yards. Running back J.J. Branham balanced Blinn's offense with 101 yards on 22 carries,
TEAM STATS: NAVARRO averages 25.3 points and a balanced 365 yards (180 rushing and 185 passing). NC's defense yields 27.5 points and 332 yards (132 rushing and 205 passing). BLINN averages 43.3 points and 464,3 yards (277 rushing and 186.8 passing
INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: NAVARRO – QB Dane Jentsch (49-75-644-4-3 passing and 25-160-1 rushing); RB T.J. Snowden (58-258-2 rushing and 86 all-purpose yards); WRs Brandon Hawkins (15-275-2 and 68.8 all-purpose yards); Jay Wilkerson (10-112-0) and Eli Martinez (7-94-1); LBs C.J. Johnson (30 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles); Caimyn Layne (23 tackles, 3 sacks, 5.5 TFLs); Marcus Tillman (15 tackles, 1 sack, 3 TFL, 2 forced fumbles, 1 recovery), BLINN – QB Brock Bolfing (48-72-643-5-1); RBs J.J. Branham (61-353-4), Willie Eldridge (38-281-3) and Roland Harvey (5-103-2); WRs Tre Harden (14-205-2) and Canen Adrian (12-162-2); KR-PR Tony Oliver (2 KR-34 + 4 PR 98-1); DB Ifeanyi Ohalete (27 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 INT); LB Chakka Garnett (20 tackles), LB Johnathan Bloom (19 tackles); DB Nate Dyman (19 tackles); DB Daniel Onwuachi (4 INTs).
AROUND THE LEAGUE: Only two other SWJCFC games are scheduled. Kilgore entertains Cisco on KC Ranger Hall of Fame Weekend at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium. Tyler travels to Miami, Ok., to face Northeastern Oklahoma A&M at Red Robertson Stadium on the Golden Norsemen's homecoming.
NEXT WEEK: Navarro hosts Rezolution Prep Academy (RPA) for a 3 pm non-conference game at CBN&T Stadium.
----------
NAVARRO'S TWO-DEEP VS BLINN
Offense
LT – (78) Lysander Moeolo, (74) Isaiah Maumalanga
LG – (70) Kamon Bradford, (54) Turner Hilburn
C – (52) Justin Rogers, (63) Tim Metevia
RG – (72) Donavan Ford, (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, (80) Jack Hecker
Z-WR – (17) Tarribean Ramirez, (4) Jay Wilkerson
A-WR – (9) Wesley Douglas, (81) Christian Romero
PK – (37) Axel Robertson, (81) Christian Romero
DEFENSE
DE – (92) Rico Grifin, (55) Travis Chatman
NG – (93) Nick Potts, (99) Jacory Brown
DE – (95) Viontay Robinson, (94) Kemazjay Deckard
ILB – (7) C.J. Johnson, (45) Jayden Hughes
OLB – (10) Caimyn Layne, (47) Kenneth Ellison
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, (31) Jeremy Sessions
FS – (21) B.J. Jones, (29) Daniel Oneal
