NAVARRO 31, TVCC 20 - No. 1 Bulldogs overcome Cardinals

TVCC upset bid falls short with two Navarro TDs late in fourth quarter

By Benny Rogers Sports Editor

CORSICANA - The Trinity Valley Community College Cardinals� turnaround season almost took them to the championship game of the Southwest Junior College Football Conference playoffs.

Almost.

The No. 1-ranked and unbeaten Navarro Bulldogs scored a pair of touchdowns in the final 6:49 Saturday afternoon to keep their national title hopes alive with a hard-earned 31-20 win over the Cardinals.

Navarro (10-0) and Blinn (8-2) are scheduled to play in the title game Saturday at 3 p.m. in Corsicana. Like Navarro, Blinn did its share of sweating in the other semifinal before escaping with a 52-42 win over Kilgore.

With 8:30 left in the game, the Cardinals found themselves in a 20-17 lead after Nestor Varona kicked a 42-yard field goal.

Trailing in the fourth quarter for the first time on the season, the Bulldogs responded the way No. 1-ranked teams respond: driving 60 yards in five plays for a score: Andre Bevil passed 23 yards to Rodney Bradley for the score on third-and-eight.

Bradley was a thorn in the Cardinals� side. He caught five passes for 150 yards and three touchdowns.

The Navarro defense then did its part, forcing the Cardinals to a three-and-out. TVCC was penalized 15 yards for interference on the punt, giving Navarro the ball at its own 49.

Like on their previous possession, the Bulldogs needed just five plays to put the ball in the end zone. William Powell covered the final 31 yards.

Powell finished with 176 yards on 24 carries.

TVCC had two more possessions after the Powell touchdown. The first ended on a failed fourth-and-six at the Navarro 46 and the other when Anthony Brown intercepted Ryan Balentine in the end zone.

The Cardinals took a 7-0 lead with 6:16 left in the opening quarter on a one-yard Balentine run, which capped a 17-play, 89-yard drive.

TVCC led until Navarro struck for 10 points a span of eight seconds in the final two minutes of the half.

The Bulldogs closed an 11-play drive, highlighted by a 50-yard Powell run, with a 26-yard Gabriel Elizando field goal. On the ensuing kickoff, Dominick Maddox recovered a Malcolm Williams fumble on the TVCC 32.

Navarro needed just one play to score. Bevil went on top to Bradley for a 10-7 halftime lead.

The Bulldogs� lead defied football logic. They turned the ball over four times in the first half (three interceptions and a fumble) and botched a kickoff. TVCC had no points to show for the blunders.

Navarro finished with seven turnovers for the game.

Balentine, who took over for Pat Cook at quarter after the first series and played all but two series the rest of the game, completed 25-of-48 passes for 204 yards. Balentine and Cook combined to complete 27-of-55 for 247 yards.

Kirk Risby and Williams intercepted passes in the end zone for TVCC. Risby also intercepted another pass and recovered a fumble. Williams also had a fumble recovery. Colton Miller had the other interception.

The Cardinals were 6-4 after back-to-back 2-7 seasons.