The News
Weekend, December 23-24, 2023
STATE CHAMPS
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Port Neches-Groves High School football players celebrate with the state championship trophy following their victory over South Oak Cliff in AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
PATH TO GLORY: Indians run through gauntlet of opponents to capture crown
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Sophomore Connor Bailey gets ready to drill a pass during state championship play.
ations l u t ra g on to the PNG Indians 2023 Class 5A DII State Champs!!!
The game-winning scoring drive started in Bears territory at the 48 yard line after the Indians secured an onside kick that saw Maxwell Scroggs make the recovery with 7:37 left in the game. Scroggs was later named Defensive MVP of the game. Gio Oceguera was named offensive MVP after connecting on four field goals. “I wish we didn’t have to kick so many field goals,” head coach Jeff Joseph said after the game. “The fact that we were able to go out there and snap the ball consistently with Kale Cropper, Kade Schexnaider holding, and Gio (Oceguera) being able to knock down those field goals is huge. It means everything.” SEMIFINALS Port Neches-Groves faced Liberty Hill for the second straight year in the Class 5A-Division 2 state semifinals and for the second straight year it was the Indians who punched their ticket to the state championship game. The Indians used a balanced offensive attack to turn aside the Pansee PATH page C16
Indians are our champions!!!
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he Port Neches-Groves High School football team put the bow on an amazing 2023 season with a come-from-behind 20-17 victory over the South Oak Cliff Bears at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. In securing the win Dec. 16, the 15-1 Indians capped an amazing stretch of playoff football where PNG defeated and often dominated the state’s best 5A Division 2 competition. The championship game was sealed when the Bears’ hook-and-lateral attempt was snuffed out on a fourth-and-26 prayer with just 36 seconds remaining. That was all set up after a huge third down sack from Andres Fuentes. It was with only 3:32 left in the fourth quarter that PNG took its first lead of the second half. Shea Adams delivered the winning play from 2 yards out on a quarterback keeper on third down. Isaiah Nguyen (19 rushes for 111 yards in the game) added a twopoint conversion run to put the Indians up 20-17.
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Education leaders commend Coach Joseph By Stephen Hemelt Stephen.hemelt@panews.com
PORT NECHES — Way back on Feb. 14, 2022, Jeff Joseph stepped to the front of the room and addressed a packed house of Port Neches-Groves Independent School District officials, employers and supporters. It was a Monday, and the board of trustees had just voted to name him the new head football coach and athletic director for Port Neches-Groves High School. His public remarks were less than a minute. Joseph joked that he already knew he was in the right place because he was offered a slice of crawfish cornbread. He thanked Deputy Superintendent Julie Gauthier, Superintendent Dr. Mike Gonzales and the school board. He also shouted out his parents, Gary and Sheila, for making the trip and supporting him in person. He told those in attendance to never hesitate in telling him hello. “I am so excited about this opportunity. I am excited about being an Indian and really just ready to get to work,” Joseph said. It wasn’t flashy. It certainly wasn’t long-winded but it set a standard for determination that seems to define today’s football team at Port Neches-Groves High School. Gauthier describes Joseph’s leadership style as quiet and humble that makes people want to follow him. “That is always the key of a good leader,” she said. “Watch those around them and see if they want to follow. I think that comes through with the coaches and the kids. Coaching football is so much more than coaching the 11 players on the field. There are many more than that on the team. Building that team approach with everybody playing a role all week during practice and all week during offseason. I think Jeff really has a great plan for pulling that together. The kids
TOP: Indians head coach Jeff Joseph is all hugs and smiles after leading his team to a state championship victory over South Oak Cliff. Brian Quijada/Special to The News
LEFT: Jeff Joseph speaks at a February 2022 meeting of the Port Neches-Groves Independent School District school board. Chris Moore/The News
see EDUCATION page C4
C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S
PNG INDIANS STATE CHAMPIONS
WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU AND ALL YOU GUYS HAVE ACCOMPLISHED THIS SEASON!
THE NEWS / C4
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EDUCATION from C3
Brian Quijada/Special to The News
An ecstatic Port Neches-Groves High School principal Scott Ryan embraces coach Jeff Joseph with the trophy following an Indians victory in the state championship game.
are all part of a team and all working for the same goal. The coaches feel that, as well. We have a phenomenal group of coaches that are coaching our boys.” Gauthier was born and raised locally and joked she was not alive for the 1975 PNG state championship but has heard about it all of her life. To actually see what she witnessed at the state championship game and, “more importantly, what I saw back in the community on Monday (for the parade and celebration) is something I will never forget and literally cannot quit thinking about.” She called the sense of honor, pride and tradition on display from Port Neches and Groves something future generations are assured to experience for years to come. High school principal Scott Ryan said the tone all starts with Joseph and filters down to his staff. “They are the greatest guys, great family guys, just good Christian guys, great influences on our kids,” Ryan said. “They are hard workers. They put in so many hours. You would not believe the amount of hours watching film. As much prepared as you can be, they had us that way every week.” A 1995 graduate of Port Neches-Groves High himself, Ryan admitted that he wondered if he would experience a football state championship for himself. “I am so humbled right now and thrilled for our fans and our community and our boys,” he said. Gauthier echoed those comments, adding “it is a dream for all of us. We could tell in the interview the quality of the person Jeff (Joseph) was and his care for kids and coaching. To see that come to this fruition for him has been quite a joy.”
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Championship glory has plenty to celebrate
All photos on page by Brian Quijada
CONGRATULATIONS!
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SEALED IT WITH A KISS
Brian Quijada/Special to The News
Senior Port Neches-Groves playmaker Shea Adams blows a kiss to the crowd during the fourth quarter of the state championship game after scoring the Indians’ only touchdown in their victory over South Oak Cliff at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Shea Adams talks inspiration behind gesture By Stephen Hemelt Stephen.hemelt@panews.com
ARLINGTON — The story behind the most famous kiss in Port Neches-Groves football history started with a conversation between a high school senior and his girlfriend. But before we get there, let’s set the football scene. The Indians were trailing South
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Oak Cliff 17-12 with less than four minutes remaining in their football season. Senior offensive playmaker Shea Adams was in shotgun as the PNG wildcat quarterback. It was third down, and the Indians were on the 2 yard line. A wedge play was called from the sideline. Adams anticipated the Bears
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“South Oak Cliff was doing a great job with their defensive linemen cutting our center and not letting our center get any movement,” Adams told Port Arthur Newsmedia. “I was planning on just jumping to get in the endzone, but I saw from the outside that there was nobody
defensive line going low and cutting the PNG offensive linemen, which meant if he wanted to get into the endzone, he would have to jump over them. Luckily for Adams, a similar play had been called earlier in the state championship game, and he converted that 4th-and-short assignment by diving over the South Oak Cliff defensive line.
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THE NEWS / C7
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Brian Quijada/Special to The News
Running from the wildcat quarterback position, PNG’s Shea Adams zeros in on an Indians touchdown in the state championship game.
GESTURE from C6 out there, so I took the ball outside and just walked in the endzone.” The six-point score immediately gave the Indians an 18-17 advantage with 3:32 remaining in the 4th quarter. It was PNG’s first lead of the second half and put a state championship within grasp. AT&T Stadium in Arlington was rocking, so Adams knew just what to do. Tens of thousands inside the home of the Dallas Cowboys and so many more at home in front of television screens watched as Adams casually looked to the endzone crowd and blew a kiss
to the fans. Port Neches-Groves High School was about to win its first state title in nearly half a century, satisfying generations of Southeast Texas sports fans, but this celebratory moment took on a personal meaning for Adams. “Oh, god, so (the day before the game) my girlfriend told me if I scored I had to blow her a kiss,” Adams joked hours after the victory. “She definitely gave me the idea.” He did admit that his girlfriend was at the other end of the stadium, but it doesn’t take away from one of the coolest moments of a championship season.
Congratulations Brian Quijada/Special to The News
Following the only Indians touchdown of the game, Shea Adams, No. 19, celebrates with his teammates, including Layden Williams, No. 44.
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Poise Under Fire
Brian Quijada/Special to The News
Sophomore Connor Bailey, No. 9, lines up to receive the snap during the semifinals Dec. 8 against Liberty Hill in Cypress. Lined up at running back, far left, is senior Blair Chatagnier and Shea Adams, No. 19, left and forefront. Bailey completed 13 of 20 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns.
Connor Bailey excels when thrust into spotlight By Stephen Hemelt Stephen.hemelt@panews.com
PORT NECHES — Connor Bailey was a 15-year-old backup quarterback with negligible experience on varsity when the 2023 football season started for the Port Neches-Groves Indians. Less than four months later, the newly minted 16-year-old is a varsi-
ty starting veteran who calmly and effectively led his PNG teammates to state championship glory. In fact, he finished the finale against South Oak Cliff by completing 14 of 24 passes for 179 yards and zero turnovers while quarterbacking five scoring drives and helping lead the Indians to a crucial advantage in time of possession.
Bailey said he was focused on keeping the offense moving despite having to settle for four field goals throughout the game. “The one thing you can’t do is get frustrated out there,” Bailey said. “You have to stay with the guys and keep uplifting everyone. South Oak Cliff has a great red zone defense. Gio Oceguera, our kicker, did an amazing job out there knocking
down all those field goals. You just have to stay positive, and we got the touchdown when it mattered.” According to Bailey, the postgame celebration and subsequent community parade is an experience he is going to remember for the rest of his life, especially because he enjoyed it with his best friends. see BAILEY page C9
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Wide receiver and defensive back Reid Richard runs under a Connor Bailey pass during the Indians game Dec. 8 against Liberty Hill in Cypress.
BAILEY from C8 FOOTBALL BEGINNINGS Bailey said his football career actually began as a receiver in pee wee competition. One of his coaches — Coach Todd — was warming up with him and encouraged him to start playing quarterback. During his junior year of Port Neches-Groves Youth Football Association competition, Bailey remembers starting to play quarterback like a quarterback, instead of just running from under center. “I always loved it, going out and playing football with my friends,” Bailey said. “At quarterback you are always in control of the game. Everything is on your pace.” Early in the 2023 season, the sophomore was thrust into the starting lineup following a serious injury to senior and team leader Shea Adams. Bailey has no problem admitting
how nervous he was at first, but actually credited the speed of the game for helping calm him down. “It happens so fast,” he said. “You say, ‘hut’ on the first play and all the nerves are gone and you are just out there playing football.” Indians coaches Charlie Feller, Collin Gizzi and Jeff Joseph kept his hopes up, Bailey said, by always staying on him to become a better quarterback. Bailey also credits Adams for staying in his ear and trying to make him a better quarterback by giving tips “and just be an amazing teammate by doing what he could. He was awesome. Then, he comes back first round (of the playoffs) and is great. I love Shea.” STATE TITLE THROW South Oak Cliff ended the first quarter with a 7-3 advantage over PNG. see THROW page C10
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Wide receiver Reid Richard hauls in Connor Bailey pass on Dec. 8 against Liberty Hill.
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THROW from C9 The Indians were determined and methodical on their next scoring drive, holding possession for eight-plus minutes and converting two fourth down attempts. One included an Adams dive over the top and the other was a slick conversion pass from Bailey to Adams that gave the Indians a first down on the Bears’ 12 yard line. Bailey actually said he remembers no one being open on the play. “And who else to go to, to make a play on fourth down, then Shea Adams in that position,” Bailey said. “I really, honestly, didn’t lead him (on the pass) because there was a defender in front of him. I really just threw it on him, he stopped in his steps and we were on the same page. You know what happened after that.” Bailey said he is blessed to be put in a position of trust by coaches. Making things easier on the first-time starter was the play of his offensive linemen, who Bailey describes as the best in the State of Texas. “I hardly got sacked this year,” he said. “I can’t even remember in which games I got sacked.” He describes the huddle as a time when all his teammates lock in, with everyone trying to find a way to get to the endzone. “Everyone is completely different people in the huddle than they are outside of it,” Bailey said. “It is straight business in the huddle.”
Brian Quijada/Special to The News
Quarterback Connor Bailey, No. 9, scans the field while wide receiver Reid Richard, No. 28, works to get open.
GAME WINNER Following the Indians’ fourth quarter touchdown with under four minutes remaining in the game that put PNG up 20-17, it was up to the Port Neches-Groves defense to finish off the title. Bailey said he had faith in his teammates getting the job done because he watched them practice all year. “I know they want it more than anyone else out there,” he said. “I knew they would go out there, do their very best to stop (the Bears) and bring home the state championship.” Following the win at the pep rally Monday night, Bailey said the enormous magnitude of victory finally sunk in to how much this means to the whole community. “It’s awesome for everybody,” he said. “I knew our team had it in us, but I thought about it week-by-week and just tried to focus on each week.”
Brian Quijada/Special to The News
Quarterback Connor Bailey protects the football while trying to allude a tackle during the state championship game.
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Dominant defense stifles Bears in finale
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Brian Quijada/Special to The News
Chase Johnson, No. 6, joins a host of Indians teammates in collapsing the pocket and creating a sack on South Oak Cliff.
Brian Quijada/Special to The News
An overwhelming Indians defense held the Bears to 108 rushing yards and 54 passing yards to championship game play.
ort Neches-Groves High School defensive coordinator Matt McDaniel helped gameplan numerous dominant performances by the Indians. McDaniel actually told Port Arthur Newsmedia earlier this week he can sometimes be overly critical of his unit while always looking for ways to improve. This can mean not taking enough time to focus on the positives. He said his fellow assistant coaches do a great job of balancing the critiques with pats on the back for the players. With the season over, the defensive coordinator is finally able look at the unit as a whole and call them elite. “I think I can say that now,” he said laughing. “You look at some of these guys we had that have been solid all year. A guy like Andres Fuentes, who had three sacks in the game. He started every game for us. He didn’t have his first sack until the playoffs. He had three sacks in the state championship game and two on the last drive. We had a bunch of guys like that. Max Scroggs, Reid Richard and Kameron Droddy — those guys were so fun to coach. You talk about buying in, that was a fun group and a very good defense.” A coach at heart, McDaniel said he is enjoying the title but admitted to already starting to look ahead at how coaches are going to piece together some of next season’s defensive strategies. — Reported by Chris Moore
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2023 STATE CHAMPS INDIANS Brian Quijada/Special to The News
Shea Adams, No. 19, turns upfield after making a catch against the South Oak Cliff Bears in the state championship game in Arlington at AT&T Stadium.
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Shea Adams comes back from injury to score championship-winning touchdown By Stephen Hemelt Stephen.hemelt@panews.com
PORT NECHES — Shea Adams describes the 2023 football season as an emotional roller coaster, which lasted right through the final seconds of the championship game. In fact, for the senior who began the year as the Indians starting quarterback, he ended things up in the finale as one of his team’s leading receivers (5 receptions, 43 yards), its wildcat quarterback (scoring his team’s lone touchdown) and close out safety. Adams was inserted on PNG’s last defensive play to serve as a defensive back in case South Oak Cliff attempted a long pass. Although things certainly ended well for the state champion, they didn’t exactly start that way. THE REHAB Following an early season injury, Adams said the doctor told him it was just a sprain based on the x-ray. Then an MRI was done to make sure everything was fine. “All of a sudden I go from missing one or two weeks to them telling me I broke a couple of bones and tore all the ligaments in my foot and I was not going to be able to walk for two months,” Adams recalls. “That was really devastating.” The doctors told him there was no way he was going to be able to come back for the 2023 football season. The initial diagnosis said it would
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be ten weeks before he could be walking. “Me and my dad were immediately saying, ‘No, that is not what we are going to do,’” Adams said about his response. “The whole way through the (rehab) process, we would skip a little phase or just some of the rules so I could, for sure, come back the most speedy way. I had to be in the training room every morning doing rehab. The goal was to get back for the playoffs, so we were looking at that.” Throughout the process, Adams had no idea what his coaches would do as far as installing him back at quarterback or asking him to play another position. Yet, he said it was obvious Connor Bailey was doing a superb job filling in as the Indians quarterback. “I wasn’t exactly sure what to do,” Adams said. “The first game back I was just kind of out there, and they just had me running the wildcat from quarterback. As a couple of weeks went by, I definitely felt better and better. Really Lake Creek (third round of the playoffs) was the first game I was able to do stuff. I was able to get about six catches with a touchdown. I knew I would be a good receiver for the rest of the year.” Yet, when his team needed a big play the most, Adams was called on to make it happen. see WON’T page C13
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WON’T from C12 The Indians were trailing 17-12 in the closing minutes of the state championship and having the hardest time getting a touchdown. So on third-and-goal, Adams took a shotgun snap at quarterback, ran to his right and found plenty of daylight for the goahead touchdown. “After that touchdown, there were so many emotions going through my head,” he said. “We still had to go play defense. We were all celebrating and really excited, but at the same time we still had to stop them. The coaches quit our celebration real quick. They saw us on the sideline and told us to shut the hell up. Pretty much right away the coaches got us straight.” Game change Adams’ game-winning touchdown was ultimately set up by a surprise onside kick that secured the Indians possession midway through the fourth quarter. It was a surprise effort to even some of the players, themselves. “I saw (our special teams) doing this in practice the whole week and thought, ‘they are crazy,’” Adams said. “I was like ‘oh my god.’ I was hoping it did not come down to this. Leading up to it, we had to settle for a field goal and were all kind of upset. I had no idea that was coming. Seeing them kick the onside, seeing us recover it, definitely, 100 percent the whole
mood changed.” Now is the time to celebrate as all the hard work led to the ultimate success on the playing field. It’s also a time to reflect for seniors like Adams, who watched many tremendous PNG student-athletes come before them. “Growing up my whole life, when I was young, I would always look up to Roschon (Johnson) and I remember Blake Bost,” Adams said. “Roschon, from a young age, my sister was friends with him, so being able to see him was just a crazy feeling. The whole time knowing about the state championship as a kid, it just seemed like it was impossible to do. To be able to get here, do that and have a name is a really nice thing to have.”
Brian Quijada/Special to The News
Shea Adams gets upended by a Bears defender during the state championship game in Arlington.
Brian Quijada/Special to The News
Shea Adams, No. 19, cruises into the endzone for a touchdown during the semifinals Dec. 8 against Liberty Hill in Cypress.
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PATH from C1 thers for the second straight year Dec. 8 at Cy-Fair FCU Stadium in Cypress. The one-two punch of running backs Blair Chatagnier and Nguyen was too much for the Panthers. Chatagnier rushed for 132 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns. Nguyen carried the ball 17 times for 105 yards and one touchdown. Connor Bailey completed 13 of 20 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns. London Nunley had eight catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns. PNG amassed 473 yards of total offense, 261 rushing and 212 passing. PNG ended up winning the game 42-35; however, two touchdowns in the final minute by Liberty Hill made the final score closer then the game play actually was. “I made a bad call and tried to be more aggressive and go after one, and they went 92 yards on a fake punt for a touchdown,” Joseph said. “If that play doesn’t happen it looks completely different going into halftime. Our defense made stops.”
Brian Quijada/Special to The News
Senior running back Isaiah Nguyen, No. 33, parties in the endzone after scoring a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter of the Indians’ championship game. PNG linemen Jackson Christian, No. 74, and Aaron Wolford, 52, come over to celebrate.
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QUARTERFINALS The Port Neches-Groves Indians topped the Huntsville Hornets Dec. 1 in the 5A-II State Quarterfinal matchup. The Indians advanced under the bright lights of Houston’s NRG stadium. The offense totaled 304 yards, and the defense came up with crucial turnovers when it mattered most. “This was hard,” Joseph said after the game. “Huntsville has a really good defense and a really good defensive front. They did a good job of trying to slow down our run game, but we made the plays we had to make to win the game.” The Indians’ all-around offensive weapon, Shea Adams, caught a pass from Bailey and took it 16 yards for the first touchdown of the game. The PAT was booted through the uprights, and Port Neches-Groves claimed an early 7-0 lead with just under four minutes to go in the opening quarter. see FINAL page C18
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Blair Chatagnier, No. 15, gallops down the AT&T Stadium field. The senior finished the state championship game with three carries and one reception. This comes off a semifinal showing where Chatagnier rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
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The Port Neches-Groves Indians take the field just before 11 a.m. Dec. 16 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington just before the state championship game was set to begin.
FINAL from C16 The Indians later came out of the gate swinging in the second half. They took the kickoff to their own 37 and began the drive with great field position. PNG’s play-caller dialed up a beautiful fake pitch, which Adams executed to perfection for a gain of 32. Nguyen finished the drive with a seven-yard rush across the goal line to push further ahead, 24-6. Port Neches-Groves finished the game with 304 total yards of offense — 146 on the ground and 158 through the air. The defense allowed just 253.
MONTGOMERY LAKE CREEK Shea Adams continued to provide a spark for Port Neches-Groves as the senior scored three touchdowns, and the Indians defense staved off a late rally to post a 30-27 win over No. 1-ranked Montgomery Lake Creek Nov. 24 in Region III Class 5A-Div. II semifinal playoff action at C.E. King’s Panther Stadium. It wasn’t one of the more aesthetically pleasing games of the year for PNG, but at this time of year, all that matters is getting the win. “Pretty is overrated. There is only one thing that matters at the end of the day and that’s getting a win and we found a way and that’s what it’s all about,” Joseph said after the
game. “We didn’t tackle very well, we didn’t cover very well, but we played with effort. That’s going to be our MO. You can cover a lot of mistakes by playing harder than the other guys.” Adams did a little bit of everything for the Indians, rushing 13 times for 25 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. He continues to line up at quarterback for any short yardage situation and is successful. “It’s just him (Adams) getting more and more comfortable with his foot,” said Joseph. “The more comfortable he gets, the more he’s going to be able to do for us. He’s
one of the best football players on our team, so I hope he continues to get healthy.” Sophomore quarterback Connor Bailey completed 8 of 14 passes for 144 yards and one touchdown. PNG’s Blair Chatagnier rushed four times for 46 yards and scored one touchdown. Noah Washington had three catches for 60 yards and Reid Richard had one catch for 14 yards. The Indians had 304 yards of total offense, 160 rushing and 144 passing. — Port Arthur News team members Daucy Crizer, Keagan Smith and Stephen Hemelt contributed to this report.
Congratulations
State Defensive MVP
Champs PORT NECHES GROVES INDIANS
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PROUD OUR
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