Apaches blown out for first loss

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GERONIMO — Taking on a state-ranked team was a tough task for the Apaches and Friday night proved it as Gonzales traveled to Geronimo, losing to the Navarro Panthers 55-11.

Gonzales didn’t get into the end zone until late in the fourth quarter as the offense was shut down throughout most of the night against the Panthers.

“We couldn’t get much going [offensively],” Apaches’ head coach Kodi Crane noted. “We got to be able to get down field with our vertical game whenever [opposing defenses] pack them in that tight.”

The Apaches didn’t get a first down until late in the third quarter as Josh Calvin broke through tackles for a 13-yard gain.

Before that big gain, Calvin returned a kickoff for 87 yards, getting the Apaches to the six-yard line. With just a few seconds remaining and no timeouts, the Apaches were unable to punch it in and instead opted for a 21-yard field goal that was made by kicker Rogelio Sanchez.

Calvin’s longest run of the night was a 14-yarder late in the game and although the offense wasn’t rolling, the senior back fought hard for the yards he gained Friday.

“I thought he did some good things,” Crane said. “As far as running the ball, he did a great job.”

Defensively, the game plan was to disrupt the Panthers’ usual flow of gaining three yards at a time. Gonzales did just that, forcing long down-and-distance situations. However, Navarro was still able to convert first downs as they scored touchdowns in six of their seven drives in the first half.

“We couldn’t get them off the field on third downs,” Crane said. “We get them in long down-and-distance situations and we couldn’t get them off the field.”

Navarro never saw a fourth down all game, scoring on eight of their 12 offensive drives.

In the Panthers’ second offensive series, quarterback Will Eveld threw off a play action pass but was picked off by senior defensive back Alex Ortiz. The Apaches also forced a fumble midway through the fourth quarter. They would score a touchdown, a 13-yard run by quarterback Garrett Rickman, after that turnover. The other two non-scoring drives were plays at the end of each half to kill the clock.

The Apaches move to 2-1 while Navarro moves up to 3-0. Gonzales takes on Cuero this Friday at home.

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