Rattlers bite pounce out of Panthers

BY MATTHEW YBARRA

Managing editor

Any hopes the 10th ranked Navarro Panthers were going to pounce into Rattler Stadium without being bitten were quickly erased as Navasota injected them with a 41-14 loss.

Navasota (1-0) made a quick statement defensively forcing the run-heavy Panther offense to a three-andout. The Rattlers struck fast on the first offensive-play, a reverse to Deontray Scott, who took it 73-yards to the house. Juan Vargas completed the point-after to give Navasota a 7-0 lead Scott said the original plan was to have him start on defense, but about mid-week they told him to get reps at running back because they might need him. “I put my trust in my offensive-line. They did their job, so I did mine,” he explained. Scott said his line opened up huge holes and gave him opportunities. “It was like giving candy to a baby, once you give it to them, you can’t take it away.”

The Panthers answered on a Diego Chapa 12-yard run and kick by Caleb Garcia, but the Rattlers followed that with a trio of scores. Zy’Merick Taylor escaped for a 16-yard run followed by Scott’s second score, good for 38 yards. Taylor matched Scott with a 49-yard run, for his second score to give the boys in blue a 28-7 lead in the second quarter. Taylor finished with 7 carries for 93 yards.

Chambers helped Navarro pull within 14 on a 6-yard run, but Scott found paydirt for his third time in the half on a 5-yard run to carry a 34-14 advantage into the locker room.

Scott completed the scoring with a 38-yard run in the third quarter. He scored four times on 9 carries for 223 yards.

Coming into a season- opener against a stateranked team could make any head coach nervous, so you have to have your team prepared. “You talk about it during the offseason and tell them if we don’t bring some physicality to match Navarro, then it is going to be a long night in front of the home folks,” explained Navasota Head Coach Casey Dacus. “I was very proud and very pleased with the effort. I was extremely pleased that we matched physicality, to me that was a big deal. Especially when you play a slot-t team, the mentality is that they are going to come out here and go foot-to-foot and knock you off the ball. You have to respond and match that physicality, and I think we did a really good job of that.”

Dacus said he thinks his offense also ran with physicality, “and I think part of that is because we showed the slot-t stuff to our defense, and I think we got in the habit of flat back, get downhill.” He said the game was a really good start, but it is only one game and they have a long way to go.

Chapa finished with 14 carries for 85 yards.

Navasota hits the road Friday, Sept. 2, to take on the rival Madisonville Mustangs (1-0). Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.