ATHENS —
Big game? You can say that again.
The Trinity Valley Community College Cardinals will be putting a lot more than bragging rights on the line when they head to Corsicana to face the No. 3 Navarro Bulldogs Saturday afternoon at Tiger Stadium.
Sure, the rivalry carries a lot of weight, but with the conference playoff picture still murky heading into the final week of the regular season, all the Cardinals know is that a win will put them in and a loss could leave them in limbo.
“We know that every game day in this conference, you must show up ready to play,” TVCC Head Coach Brad Smiley said, “and there’s no difference with Navarro. The game will come down to who has the best execution in all three phases and who does the best job taking care of the football.”
The Cardinals (5-3, 3-2 in Southwest Junior College Football Conference play) are coming off a 31-27 win over Cisco last week — a bizarre Homecoming game that started in Athens at Bruce Field but ended at The Boneyard in Eustace due to severe weather.
TVCC trailed, 27-14, in that game when the storms forced a delay in the third quarter. Once the game resumed — three hours later — the Cardials outscored the Wranglers 17-0 and held them to just 64 yards of offense the rest of the way.
All that was achieved without sophomore running back Josh Johnson, the conference’s leading rusher who missed the game due to what the college termed “academic issues.”
College officials said Johnson was re-instated to classes and to the team on Monday pending an appeal, but whether he’ll play Saturday is still unknown, at least to those outside the TVCC Field House.
Despite missing the game, Johnson still leads the conference with 934 yards on 154 attempts. He is now tied with Blinn’s Marion Grice for rushing touchdowns at 13.
Much of the credit for the strong play in the running game is due to the team’s offensive line — where 11 different linemen have played, nine of which who have started at some point or another.
“Offensively, we go as they go,” Smiley said.
2010 SWJCFC Standings
Season Conference
Team Rec. PF PA Rec. PF PA
*Navarro 7-1 274 79 5-0 177 43
Blinn 6-2 335 173 3-2 148 104
TVCC 5-3 262 202 3-2 170 142
Cisco 5-3 210 219 2-3 111 151
Kilgore 3-5 204 204 2-3 116 126
Tyler 3-4 238 188 2-3 77 155
NEO 1-7 145 265 1-5 102 212
* clinched playoff spot
This week’s games: NEO at Arkansas Baptist (non-conference); TVCC at Navarro; Tyler at Kilgore; Cisco at Blinn
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