Marlon Courtney (1) and Jaden Rivera (15) looking to the sideline for the play call. Photo by Jay Phillips
Navarre hosted Chiles on Friday night and lost to the Timberwolves 49-31 on Navarre’s homecoming night.
Chiles (4-3) came into the game with the tools to beat Navarre (4-4) already on display, considering the Timberwolves’ quarterback (Garrett Greene) and running back (Chase Gillespie) have both received a good amount of college attention, with Greene even being a West Virginia University commit.
“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves, because it’s been this way all year long,” head coach Jay Walls said. “We’re right there, we just have to get over the hump somehow.”
Chiles put that offensive firepower to use early and often, as Gillespie took a handoff for 50 yards and a touchdown on their first drive.
Navarre had an answer thanks to junior running back Jaden Rivera.
Rivera scored Navarre’s first touchdown after catching a screen pass from senior quarterback Marlon Courtney behind the line of scrimmage and taking it 30 yards to the end zone.
Rivera finished the first half with 115 totals yards and one touchdown on 12 touches, and he would go on to finish the game with 187 total yards and two touchdowns, despite Navarre having to throw the ball for a majority of the fourth quarter.
“We ran the ball with some success and threw the ball with some success, but we had some turnovers that hurt us,” Walls said. “We haven’t won the turnover battle all year long.”
Both teams found success on offense in the first half, with Chiles taking a 21-17 lead into halftime.
That trend continued in the second half, with Greene scoring a touchdown for Chiles on the second half’s opening possession.
Chiles scored that touchdown, their fifth touchdown of the night, on third and nine. That gave the Timberwolves three touchdowns on third down at the end of the night.
“Chiles had a bunch of big plays tonight,” Navarre’s head coach Jay Walls said. “We had opportunities as well, but we came up short here or there.”
The play that sealed the deal for Chiles was an interception at their own one yard line after Navarre had driven the ball the length of the field. Chiles intercepted that pass and took it 99 yards for a touchdown, turning their 11 point lead into an 18 point lead.
Navarre’s tough schedule continues next week with the Raiders traveling to Tallahassee for the second time this season.
This time Navarre will be taking on Leon (3-4) in Tallahassee. Leon is coming off of a 55-0 loss at the hands of Lincoln.
“We have to find that magic, that fire,” Walls said. “We have to find it and we have to finish.”
Navarre and Leon are scheduled to kickoff at 7:00 PM EST in Tallahassee this coming Friday.
