By MIKE MONTFORT
Kilgore's repeat championship with Saturday's 48-39 win prevented Navarro from two victories at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium, a perfect road record and a Southwest Junior College Football Conference title.
Nevertheless, coach Ryan Taylor's Bulldogs (6-4) appeared in line to represent the SWJCFC as the host team for the TIPS-C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart Of Texas Bowl on December 2 at Memorial Stadium in Commerce. When bowl pairings formally are announced Tuesday, Navarro likely gets the nod while third-ranked Kilgore appears poised to participate in the NJCAA Final Four Playoff.
The 'Dawgs, appearing in their 12th conference title game in 28 seasons, fought uphill Saturday afternoon. Coach Willie Gooden's Rangers always responded with a countering score that defused Navarro's every hopeful comeback appearance. The loss snapped Navarro's three-game winning streak in the all-time series.
While winning its sixth straight game, Kilgore (9-1) avenged a 24-20 regular-season conference loss here to the Bulldogs behind the 100-yard rushing, two-touchdown effort of Longview's Kaden Meredith and clutch game management by backup quarterback Tyler Webb.
Meredith. KC's season-leading rusher, scored on runs of 52 and 8 yards to highlight the Rangers' grinding 47-carry attack.
Webb, a University of Idaho transfer from Waco, threw two touchdown passes during a modest 16-for-29, 170-yard passing game in a turnover-free performance. Webb replaced season-long starter Cameron Peters, who suffered a wrist injury in the overtime semifinal against NMMI and did not suit out Saturday.
Meredith's running effort was balanced by Dominique Webb, who added 81 yards on 12 totes, and Trae Epps with 50 yards on six tries.
Navarro got 142 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Waxahachie freshman D'Tyrian McCoy. Dane Jentsch became the fifth Navarro quarterback in history to surpass 4,000 career passing yards. The Grandview sophomore completed 16 of 28 passes for 236 yards and two scores, but was picked off twice. Braylon Finney caught six passes for 96 yards and two TDs – one, a 13-yarder from reserve Mason Shorb on the game's final play.
KC kept the Bulldogs at arm's length all day.
It marched 75 yards in 12 plays with the opening drive and burned 4:43 off the game clock. Webb's 21-yard TD pass to Michael Phoenix and Chris Baldazo's extra point gave KC a 7-0 lead.
Phoenix finished with four catches for 73 yards.
Navarro countered with field goals of 45 and 40 yards by Crandall freshman Brandon Perez to make it a 7-6 contest early in the second quarter, but after the second field goal Zeek Freeman returned the kickoff 91 for a 14-6 Kilgore lead.
Two minutes later, Jentsch connected with Bryan Spotwood on a 40-yard TD to trim Navarro's deficit to a point (14-13), but again the Rangers responded with a 14-play, 70-yard drive that ate up more than eight minutes. Webb found Dequavius Bowens for the TD and a 21-13 lead that KC took into the break.
Baldazo's 23-yard field goal early in the third stretched the KC lead to 24-13, but Navarro wasn't done. Jentsch hit Finney with a 39-yard scoring pass at the 9:21 mark to make it a 24-19 contest after a try for two failed.
Kilgore got one more score in the third when Meredith rambled 52 yards and Baldazo's conversion at the 7:25 mark put the Rangers on top 31-19.
On the fourth quarter's first play, McCoy's 5-yard scoring run with Perez' conversion made it a 31-26 game.
Meredith extended the lead to 38-26 with an 8-yard TD run at the 12:40 mark of the fourth, and then Baldazo hit a 46-yard field goal that bounced off the crossbar and fell on the good side to push the Ranger lead to 41-26.
McCoy kept Navarro in the game with a 4-yard run at the 3:07 mark to pull the Bulldogs to within eight points (41-33), but the KC defense wrapped it up when Damion Dunn picked off a Jentsch pass – returning it 24 yards for the touchdown.
Linebacker Vincent Paige picked off two passes for KC, including one on an attempted 2-point conversion try.
