N AVA R R E
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013
Football
P R E S S
Pace 0 13 6 Navarre 14 7 7
/ 1C
0 – 19 0 – 28
SPORTS
Photos by Dickie Williams
Gatlin Casey outraces the Patriot defense to the endzone for the fourth Raider touchdown of the game.
Balanced attack leads Navarre to first win
Alex Wattley takes the handoff and runs 63 yards for the Raiders’ first touchdown of the game.
Derrick Smith (22) does exactly what teammate Wattley did — rushes 62 yards for the Raiders’ second score.
Dylan Main (25) is all alone in the endzone as he catches this Matt Webb pass for touchdown number three.
By Ken Garner news@navarrepress.com It’s a football truism: it’s hard to play catch-up without a passing game. Navarre beat Pace 28-19 Friday at Bennett C. Russell Stadium with a balanced, big-play offense and a defense that slowed the Patriots’ trademark rushing game and stifled Pace’s nearly non-existent passing attack. The victory was the Raiders’ first of 2013. The Patriots fell to 0-3. The Maroon and Black attack struck twice from long range in the first quarter, when Alex Wattley and Derrick Smith scored on runs of 63 and 62 yards, respectively, on Navarre’s first and seventh plays from scrimmage. “We jumped on them early with the two big runs,” second-year Navarre coach Jay Walls said after the game.“I thought that was huge to get out to the early lead because we knew Pace was going to be tough, and they weren’t going to go away.” Despite the deficit, the Patriots kept pounding away at the Navarre defense. Junior tailback Quaide Weimerskirch rushed for 274 yards and three touchdowns and fullback Jon Jon Martin added 109 yards rushing. The persistence seemed ready to pay off in the third quarter. After a 44-yard touchdown pass from Raider quarterback Matthew Webb to Gatlin Casey increased Navarre’s lead to 15 points, Weimerskirch returned the ensuing kickoff 34 yards
Jacob Kendall (61) sacks Pace quarterback Daniel Smyers and forces a fumble.
Nick Gill (40) and Kyle Arrasmith (11) tackle Pace’s runningback Quaide Weimerskirch in the backfield for a loss.
and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Navarre gave the Patriots the ball at the Raiders’ 37. Seven plays later, Weimerskirch barreled into the end zone from two yards out. The Patriots couldn’t convert the two-point pass play, but kicker Noah Green recovered an onside kick that glanced off a Navarre player and, trailing by nine, Pace had the ball at its own 44 with 5:26 left in the third quarter. Weimerskirch and Martin marched the ball to the Navarre 4-yard-line, but on third-and-goal Weimerskirch fumbled the ball into the end zone. Navarre took over possession on its own 20, and neither team threatened to score the remainder of the game. While Weimerskirch and Martin combined for almost 400 yards rushing, the Patriots completed just three of 12 passes for 29 yards. Navarre, meanwhile, showcased a diverse array of offensive weapons. Seven Raiders combined to rush for more than 200 yards, led by Derrick Smith’s 104 yards on the ground. Webb completed passes to nine receivers en route to compiling 247 yards through the air. Blake Malter had six catches for 69 yards. Dylan Main caught a 13-yard pass after it was tipped in the end zone for the Raiders’ third touchdown. Navarre will host Crestview at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bennett C. Russell Stadium. See page 3C for game stats