Cuero Takes Down Navarro, Despite Comeback Attempt

SAN ANTONIO – Cuero scored its second-lowest total of the year and still came out on top after Navarro tried to come back late Friday night.

The 38-24 win was weird. Cuero scored only in the first and third quarters and allowed only four passing yards. Navarro (11-2) ran for 265 yards but completed more passes to the defense than to its own team.

The Gobblers (12-0) seemingly came out hot. After scoring twice in the first 12 minutes, they led 14-0. A 35-yard field goal attempt from Isaiah Mungia saved them from a scoreless second quarter before going into halftime with a 17-0 lead.

Although the offense was able to move, it did lose it’s starting running back in Kieran Grant. Grant took a hit to the lower body in the first half, and was not the same after. His next five carries netted negative-two yards and was held out in the second half.

Coach Reeve said they kept him out to be safe but thinks he’ll be okay. But just in case, backup Jared Love showed he was more than capable. The senior back took the ball 13 times for 92 yards and scored twice.

“It was a great experience for me, it was good,” Love said. “I was a little nervous at first, but it was really good.”

Although Navarro had held Cuero to just 17 first half points, they had trouble moving the ball at all. The first half goose egg was exactly what Reeve and his team wanted.

“I tell you what, that’s what we’ve been doing,” Cuero coach Travis Reeve said. “We felt like we had to get a big lead on them and certainly we did. We got tremendous respect, you see how they’re not going to quit. But getting that early lead, shutting them out, it was big. ”

The Gobblers came out in the second half smelling blood. It took its first drive down field to score in 53 seconds, off a Jordan Whittington 38-yard touchdown. Whittington would finished with 85 yards and three catches.

Navarro would finally score its first touchdown of the game late in the third quarter. It was almost too late, though, as it was already 31-8, with the two-point conversion. But they did not give up. Before anyone knew it, the Gobblers lead had been cut down to 38-16 with 10:36 left.

Whittington said it wasn’t that they were getting tired or beat by the Panther rush attack. Instead, he insisted it was the Gobblers own fault the Panthers had found their way back in.

“I don’t think it was fatigue, I think it was being satisfied,” Whittington said. “Just not knowing that they can come back like that. We’ve been playing teams not as good to come back. But they can, they have a lot of talent. It’s one thing we’ll work on.”

Panther running back Will Reyna scored with 3:59 left in the game, to cut the lead to 14. The Gobblers took the ball back but turned the ball over on downs. However, they were able to seal the win after a Cole Toller interception on the next Panther drive.

Next week, the Gobblers will get Wimberley at a undecided location. Love said he’s excited for the game, no matter who or where they play.

“I’ll be ready for them too, we’re ready for them,” Love said. “Everybody. We’re going to state this year, I’m ready. Everybody in our way.”

Stat Points

• Cuero has allowed -7 passing yards in the past two weeks. Albeit, against teams who don’t pass too much.
  • “It’s good, because last year I don’t think it was that good,” Whittington said. “But we practice hard, we do good on good. So I think we probably the best secondary in 4A.”
  • Whittington scored on two of his three catches.
• Drew Riemenschneider was 11/18 for 208 yards.
  • Deondre Lang led Cuero receivers with 89 yards. He nearly scored twice.
• Navarro running back Chris Gomez had 23 attempts for 186 yards.

 

 

 

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