Cardinal Comeback in Corsicana: TVCC Beats Navarro, 29-23
By Michael V. Hannigan
CORSICANA -- This was an ugly, sloppy, gritty, fun, wonderful win for the Cardinals.
The TL;DR version goes like this: TVCC overcame four turnovers and exploded offensively in the fourth quarter to beat Navarro in comeback fashion Saturday, 29-23.
"We talked about that as a unit, and as a group, and as a team," said Coach Sherard Poteete, "if we're there in the fourth quarter, it's ours. If we can get to the fourth quarter and still have a shot, it is going to be a very good outcome and we're going to come out on top because we believe."
The real story is about a defense that only gave up 14 points, refused to have a let down, and a team that never quit believing in each other.
The defense gave up just two touchdowns. The first on a busted coverage on the third play of the game and the second when Navarro started a drive on the TVCC 38. The other 9 points for Navarro came off a safety and an interception return for a touchdown.
The rest of the time, the defense not only stopped Navarro, they took the ball away. The Cardinals finished with three fumble recoveries, two interceptions, and a blocked field goal.
Navarro had the ball in TVCC territory on 12 possessions, including five times in the red zone, and only scored once.
"(The defense) just kept getting off the field," said Coach Poteete. "It was very similar to last week's game. When the offense couldn't put any points on the board in the first half, the defense just kept throwing shutouts."
That effort kept the game close until the Cardinal offense caught fire in the fourth quarter, scoring on three out of four drives.
The game-winner saw the Cardinals drive 60 yards on nine plays, most of it on the ground. The drive ended with a 20-yard touchdown run by De'Monte' Seymore.
The second half workhorse for the Cardinals was RB Hymond Drinkard, who wound up with 73 yards in the half on 14 carries.
The win improves the Cardinals to 4-0 in the SWJCFC where they remain in first place. TVCC will host Kilgore (2-2) next Saturday at Bruce Field. Kick off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
TURNOVERS
I really didn't want to miss any of these big plays by the defense, so here are the turnovers.
-- 1Q - Fumble recovery by Corey Kelley stops a Navarro drive on the TVCC 43.
-- 2Q - Interception by Donajz Dunn on a deep pass by Navarro.
-- 2Q - Fumble recovery by Zayteak McGhee in the end zone after a Navarro WR had gotten to the 1 yard line.
-- 2Q - Interception by Zayteak McGhee on the goal line on a hail mary pass on the final play of the half.
-- 3Q - Fumble recovery by Kobe Kendrick after Navarro had gotten to the TVCC 17.
SCORING SUMMARY
NAVARRO - 13:39, 1Q - Dane Jentsch 64-yard pass to Brandon Hawkins. Axel Robertson kick good. - 7-0
TVCC - 11:29, 2Q - Darion Peace 5-yard pass to Trent Hudson. Jake Gaster kick good. - 7-7
NAVARRO - 7:34, 2Q - Robbie Williams tackled in the end zone for a safety. - 9-7
NAVARRO - 6:41, 3Q - Brenden Cyr 7-yard run. Axel Robertson kick good. - 16-7
TVCC - 12:46, 4Q - Darion Peace 4-yard run. Jake Gaster kick good. - 16-14
NAVARRO - 9:58, 4Q - CJ Johnson 39-yard interception return. Axel Robertson kick good. - 23-14
TVCC - 7:07, 4Q - Matthew Duncan 1-yard run. Jake Gaster kick good. 23-21
TVCC - 1:16, 4Q - De'Monte' Seymore 20-yard run. Jake Gaster kick good. 29-23
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