Seminole beats Andrews, throws wrench into 3-3A picture

SEMINOLE Senior Michael Navarro went down before the season began, but returned at his team’s most crucial moment.

Navarro, a leading candidate for Seminole’s starting quarterback job before he broke a bone in his left foot in the first preseason scrimmage, had come back two weeks ago, attempted just three passes last week and was expected to start at receiver Friday night against visiting Andrews with playoff survival on the line.

With the Indians ahead by three points at halftime and needing to win this game by at least 14 because of the District 3-3A tiebreaker, the coaches approached him in the locker room.

They needed him.

Navarro delivered, jumpstarting the Seminole offense in the 31-13 victory over the Mustangs at Wig Wam Stadium, passing for one score and rushing for another.

“I was hurt, and I wish I hadn’t gotten hurt, but I had been waiting for this,” Navarro said. “I waited all season to hear my name called.”

Now, if Seminole (6-3 overall, 2-2 district) and Andrews (3-6, 2-2) win next week in favorable district matchups and Greenwood (6-3, 3-1) loses to undefeated Monahans, it will comedown to a tiebreaker, most likely a coin toss, though it hasn’t been officially decided.

Indians head coach Chris Burtch thought it appropriate his team’s seniors came through in a game that would not only be their last at their home stadium but would also decide whether they even get a chance for the postseason.

“We said at halftime: Seniors, we’re putting this on your backs,” Burtch said.

Senior running back Tevyn Reed rushed for a game-high 89 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries; senior all-state defensive lineman Daniel Allen exited late in the second quarter with an injury but returned.

Behind 3-0, Andrews fumbled on a handoff exchange with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter and Seminole recovered on its own 46. The drive went into the second quarter, and Reed took a 4-yard dive into the end zone for a 10-0 lead at the 10:26 mark.

Following Seminole sophomore quarterback Tanner Moore’s interception — he was 1-of-5 passing for 16 yards in his lone half — Andrews’ Ozzie Bueno received a pitch and found tight end Victor Prieto streaking for a 19-yard touchdown to make it 10-7 at the 3:53 mark in the second.

Burtch said the move to go with Navarro had more do to with the senior than Moore’s performance.

“We felt like at halftime we needed a quarterback that was more elusive, with more speed,” Burtch said of Navarro.

Andrews ended its first second-half possession with a missed field goal, and from there Navarro provided the spark.

In his first drive, he tallied runs of 31 and 25 yards, completed a 31-yard pass to Caleb Koedyker, and led the team to Andrews’ 2-yard line, where Reed scored on a run to make it 16-7.

The Indians defense, consistent all season, held its own on the ensuing drive and forced Andrews to punt from its own 14. Indians sophomore Jarod Adams returned it from the 50-yard line to the 14. Three plays later, Navarro connected with Keithen Hughes for a 9-yard score.

The Indians went for two points and Navarro took a shotgun keeper up the middle for the conversion to give Seminole a 24-7 lead late in the third quarter.

An Andrews fumble stopped another drive, and with a little less than two minutes remaining in the game Navarro took a shotgun keeper on fourth-and-goal from the Andrews 4-yard line for a touchdown to give Seminole a 31-7 lead.

Navarro finished with 49 rushing yards on seven carries and 3-of-5 passing for 50 yards and no interceptions.

“We just didn’t play,” said Andrews head coach Jeff Cordell, whose team was coming off an upset win over district foe Greenwood. “They wanted it more than we did. We had a chance to guarantee us a playoff game with a win tonight.”

The three teams involved for the two remaining playoff spots — Monahans already clinched a playoff berth and plays Greenwood on Friday — will probably have their fates sealed by that coin flip.

Considering the possibility of his team being left out of the postseason, Reed reminded himself of the week’s theme leading up to Friday: Burtch put the magic number, 14, in perspective.

“The coaches said we get what we deserve,” Reed said.

On Friday, the Indians got what they deserved — a chance at the playoffs.

Seminole 31, Andrews 13

Andrews                              0 7                                            0 6 —                                      13

Seminole                             3 7                                          14 7 —                                      31

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter

Seminole: Reid Layton 24 field goal, 2:14.

Second Quarter

Seminole: Tevyn Reed 4 run (Layton kick), 10:26.

Andrews: Victor Prieto 19 pass from Ozzie Bueno (Jake Higgs kick), 3:13.

Third Quarter

Seminole: Reed 2 run (run failed), 3:25

Seminole: Keithen Hughes 9 pass from Michael Navarro (Navarro run), :15.

Fourth Quarter

Seminole: Navarro 4 run (Layton kick), 1:44.

Andrews: Jordan Estrada 15 pass from Hunter Hicks (pass failed), :31.

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TEAM STATISTICS

                                  Andrews                                 Seminole

First Downs                           9                                            13

Total Yards                          90                                          313

Rushes-Yards             28-103                                     33-247

Passing Yards                   100                                            66

Passing                      10-18-0                                     4-10-1

Fumbles-Lost                    2-2                                          1-1

1. Punts-Avg                     3-35.2                                     1-54.0

Penalties-Yards               5-40                                        2-10

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INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing

Andrews: Jordan Estrada 5-21; Marquis Huey 2-19; Cameron Comer 1-6; Ozzie Bueno 9-3; Hunter Hicks 11-54.

Seminole: Tevyn Reed 11-89; Tanner Moore 4-21; Chris Villanueva 1-0; Ricky Gillespie 3-46; Chago Gomez 7-42; Michael Navarro 7-49.

Passing

Andrews: Hicks 9-17-0—81; Bueno 1-1-0— 19.

Seminole: Tanner Moore 1-5-1—16; Michael Navarro 3-5-0—50.

Receiving

Andrews: Victor Prieto 1-16; Raul Valenzuela 3-38; Estrada 2-17; Nick Cruz 1-5; Victor Prieto 1-8; Efren Pando 1-3; Bueno 1-9.

Seminole: Villanueva 1-16; Caleb Koedyker 1-31; Keithen Hughes 1-9; Jarod Adams 1-10.