Posted by
Jay Tope on February 23, 2010 at 6:58 am
Photos by Antonio Morano
SAsports.com Senior Photographer
www.moranomemories.photoreflect.com
amorano@satx.rr.com
The Cole Cougars led from start to finish in their 52-42 win Monday night over Navarro at Seguin High School.
Cole advances to take on Jarrell in the area round, at a date, time, and place to be determined.
More pictures are available for viewing:
www.moranomemories.photoreflect.com
amorano@satx.rr.com
Posted by
Mark Kusenberger on January 13, 2010 at 9:03 am
Panthers maul Pearsall 65-22 in last non-district game
by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer
A.K. Williams’ combination of height and quickness was too much for the Pearsall Mavericks as he led his team to a 65-22 victory Tuesday night at Pearsall High School.
Navarro (13-7), sporting a frontcourt of 6’3 Williams and 6’5 Todd Nicholson, used a 15-0 run to take a 24-6 lead. Williams and Nicholson scored six points apiece. Chris Arce came off the bench to add lethal quickness; late in the first, he scored seven straight points, four when he converted steals into layups on back-to-back possessions.
Pearsall (1-15) played a competitive first quarter, outscoring Navarro 11-10. Jeff Viesca came off the bench for four points to lead Pearsall as they took advantage of Nicholson going to the bench with foul trouble.
Then came the second half. Once again, Navarro used size and quickness to dominate the proceedings. Nicholson, Williams, and Travis Delany provided a powerful frontcourt, and Williams further frustrated Pearsall with his quickness; twice in the third quarter, Pearsall had to use timeouts to avoid backcourt violations. Delany delivered seven points, with Williams and Arce adding six apiece. At about the 5:00 minute mark of the third quarter, Navarro began a 21-0 run which last until there were 20 seconds left, at which point Marcos Hernandez drove the baseline after receiving an inbound pass and scored a layup.
The odd play of the night occurred with about three minutes left in the third. After Pearsall defenders knocked the ball away from a Navarro player, one of the officials caught it – before it went out of bounds. The official sheepishly blew his whistle, awarded the ball to Navarro, and play continued.
Navarro opens district 27-2A play Friday against Kenedy; Pearsall begins 29-3A play at Devine on Friday.
Quarters
NAVARRO 24 10 23 8 - 65
PEARSALL 6 11 3 2 - 22
NAVARRO SCORING: A.K. Williams 19, Chris Arce 10, Dillon Rangnow 10, Travis Delany 8, Kolby Pacheco 7, Todd Nicholson 6, Wesley Schtieben 2, Obed Rodriguez 2, Tate Johnson 1, Cody Janolt
PEARSALL SCORING: Jeff Viesca 7, Marcos Hernandez 4, Reyes Leal 3, Austin Embris 3, Paul Gandara 2, Juan Martinez 2, Julian Hernandez 1, Mark Perez, Sam Gonzales, Joe Hernandez
Posted by
Jay Tope on November 12, 2009 at 7:35 am
Panthers earn third berth in region tournament in four years
by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer
After a battle from behind in the first set, the Navarro Panthers coasted to a 28-26, 25-18, 25-21 sweep of the Blanco Panthers Tuesday night at Wimberley High School.
Navarro will play #10 Freer Friday afternoon at Littleton Gym in the Class 2A Region IV semifinals.
Blanco, ranked #20 in the state and champions of District 25-2A, led 23-17 in the first set, in front of 4 kills each from Lacee Hunter and Alyssa Warner, but also aided largely by 12 unforced Navarro errors. On the services of Hayley Franzen and Noelle Kubenka, Navarro took over the set, closing with an 11-3 run to win it – and two of the three points Navarro lost were more unforced errors. Sydawnie Douglass led Navarro with seven kills, followed by Hannah Bonds with five.
Navarro’s run continued into the second set as they took an 8-2 lead. Blanco did battle back to 10-9, thanks to several kills from Warner, but could never take the lead. After Blanco closed within 19-17, Navarro closed on a 6-1 run, earning four points from Franzen’s serve along the way. Kubenka scored three straight points with a kill and two blocks to start the run. Warner contributed six kills and two blocks to the Blanco cause.
Navarro started strong again for the third set, breaking out to a 12-5 lead. Once again, Blanco put together a run to make it interesting, this time a 7-1 run to make it 13-12 Navarro. Twice more, Blanco was within one point at 18-17 and 20-19, but Navarro shook them off each time.
Navarro’s passing game became stronger as the match progressed, with Kandace Newton, Casey Braun, and Sadie Bonds all tallying a number of assists for the night.
Blanco featured one junior, Tara Tredaway, and five sophomores. Tredaway and four of the sophomores all saw significant playing time throughout the match. Hunter and Warner, who dominated the kills for Blanco, are both seniors.
Posted by
Mark Kusenberger on November 6, 2009 at 1:55 am
Panthers, trailing 6-10 in fifth set, rally to victory
by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer
At several points, it looked bleak for the Navarro Panthers.
The #15 Salado Eagles led 14-5 in the first set. Navarro rallied to make the set close, then won the next two.
Navarro led 20-10 in the fourth set, then Salado put together a 10-0 run to tie the set, going on to win the set and tie the match.
Navarro trailed the final set 10-6, took the lead three times, then trailed 16-15. Then Samantha Nichols got a tying block, and Noelle Kubenka nailed two finals kills.
And Navarro had rallied to upset Salado 21-25, 25-22, 25-19, 24-26, and 18-16 in their area round match Thursday night at Bastrop High School.
Salado, champions of District 25-2A, fielded a team with no seniors. Not a dominant team in terms of size, Salado used quickness and expert spacing to cover the floor, make points difficult to achieve and produce long, entertaining rallies throughout the match.
The Eagles built a 14-5 lead in the first set, and led 17-9 before Navarro won 5 straight points on Hannah Bonds’ serve to cut the deficit to 17-15. The Panthers got no closer than two, but did establish they could compete with the state-ranked Eagles. Hadley Joiner led the Eagles with five kills.
Navarro trailed 13-9 in the second set, then rallied to win while never scoring more than three straight points. Sydwanie Douglass led the team with six kills, followed by Casey Braun and Samantha Nichols with 3 apiece. The Panthers did score five straight points, including four on Douglass’s serve, in building a 7-5 lead which they eventually lost and regained.
Salado scored the first four points of the third set, including two aces by Kelsey Luna, before Navarro 20-13 lead on their way to a 25-19 victory. Douglass and Nichols each had five kills, and Kandace Newton scored five straight points on her serve, including an ace.
By now, Navarro was on a roll, eventually building a 20-10 lead in the fourth set, five points away from advancing. Then Navarro lost service, and Brennan Boydstun served her team to nine points, rallying Salado to tie the game. A Bonds kill ended the rally, but Salado rode their momentum to a 26-24 win, forcing a fifth set.
And what a set it was. Salado built a 10-6 lead, then Navarro went on a 6-1 run to take a 12-11 lead. There were ties at 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 during the set. When a Nichols kill put Navarro ahead 14-13 at match point, Jenna Sebek responded with a kill to tie the game. When a Joiner ace gave Salado a 15-14 lead, a Kubenka kill tied the game once again. Another Sebek kill put Salado ahead 16-15 before Navarro’s final rally gave Navarro a hard-fought victory.
Navarro awaits the winner between #20 Blanco and #23 Schulenburg, who play Friday night in Luling.
Posted by
Mark Kusenberger on November 3, 2009 at 4:44 pm
After defeating Johnson City, Navarro will face Salado
by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Senior Writer
The Navarro Panthers opened the 2009 playoffs in dominating fashion, sweeping the Johnson City Eagles 25-14, 25-7, and 25-7 Monday night at Canyon Lake High School.
Navarro, runners-up in District 28-2A, took an early 10-2 lead in the first set before Johnson City, third in District 27-2A, rallied to pull within 12-10. From that point on, the Panthers were dominant, outscoring Johnson City 63-18 for the remainder of the match.
Navarro took a 6-0 lead in the first set on Noelle Kubenka’s serve, which included two aces. With the score 10-2, Adrienne Pabon, a junior and easily Johnson City’s tallest player, won five straight points on her serve, including two aces, to rally the Eagles within 10-8. Once the score was 20-14, Navarro pulled away for good, scoring the final five points of the set on Sydawnie Douglass’s service; Douglass’s last three serves were aces.
Of Johnson City’s 14 points in the first set, six came on kills by Pabon and two more came on her aces. Douglass and Hannah Bonds each made three kills during the set.
Kubenka opened the second set with 10 straight points, helped by three kills each from Douglass and Bonds. Toward the end of the set, Navarro coach Jackie Moore was substituting freely; the Panthers won four of their last five points on the serves of Nicole Pollok, a junior off the bench.
Douglass scored 8 kills during the second set, including five of Navarro’s last eight points. Bonds added six kills. Johnson City did not win a single point on their own service during the second set.
Johnson City’s Bailey Zoeller won a point on her serve to start the third set thanks to a Pabon kill; it provided the Eagles’ only lead of the night at 1-0. Another Douglass kill gave Navarro back the serve and tied the game; then Kubenka served the next six points to give the Panthers a secure 7-1 lead. More bench players got involved for Navarro, as sophomore Dani Schmidt served five points and senior Marissa Gutierrez served 4 on the way to building Navarro’s lead to 18-3. When Johnson City won back the serve to pull within 18-4, Pabon served three more aces to make it 18-7. A Casey Braun kill ended the Eagle run, then sophomore Kristian Barry served out the set; five of her six serves, including the last four, were aces.
Kubenka scored 21 points on her serve for the match. Douglass and Bonds led the Panthers with 14 and 12 kills respectively.
Navarro enjoyed advantages in size and experience over Johnson City. While Navarro fielded 8 seniors on their team, Johnson City had just two, only one of whom started (Zoeller.)
Navarro, having defeated the Johnson City Eagles, will take on the Salado Eagles in the second round; the match is set for Thursday night in Bastrop. Salado, champions of District 25-2A, are ranked #14 in the state.
Posted by
Jay Tope on September 6, 2009 at 9:12 am
Photos by Antonio Morano
www.moranomemories.photoreflect.com
amorano@satx.rr.com
The San Marcos Lady Rattlers hosted the Ragin’ Rattler Tourney, and found themselves in a battle with the Navarro Panthers.
And it was a fight, with the Rattlers winning two out of three from Navarro, enabling them to eventually win the Silver Bracket Championship.
More picture are available for viewing:
www.moranomemories.photoreflect.com
amorano@satx.rr.com
Posted by
Jay Tope on August 26, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Cardinals use size and power in 25-22, 25-10, 23-25, 25-13 victory
by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Staff Writer
It stands to reason that a team called the Cardinals would enjoy a match for the birds.
For Columbus, make that the Byrds.
Whitlee Byrd led a dominant front line, and Brittany Byrd served a match-high seven straight points during the clinching fourth set as the Columbus Cardinals defeated the Navarro Panthers 25-22, 25-10, 23-25, 25-13 Tuesday night at the Navarro High School practice gym.
The first set was tied eight different times. After Columbus took a 13-12 lead, Navarro rode serves from Noelle Kubenka and Haley Franzen to a 7-1 run to take a 19-14 lead. But after an exchange of points made the score 21-16, Columbus with a 9-1 run to win the set. Columbus’s Brandy Huskie, employing a jump-serve which she started by tossing the ball 14 feet into the air, won 5 straight serves during the rally, and Karlie Wilburn the last two for the victory. Kimberly Smidovec provided 3 kills during the rally and 5 during the set; Whitlee Byrd led her team with 6 kills.
The second set was never truly in doubt after, with Columbus starting with a 3-0 run and closing with an 18-5 run. Whitlee Byrd won 4 straight points on her service, building a 12-7 lead to 16-7. Navarro only won two points on their own service the entire set.
Navarro had to battle from behind to avoid a sweep in the third set. A 4-0 run, closed by 3 points on Kubenka’s service, tied the set at 14, and a service winner from Sydawnie Douglas gave Navarro their first lead since the first set at 18-17. Columbus did retake the lead at 20-19, but a Samantha Nichols kill tied the game and three straight service points from Casey Braun put Navarro ahead for good at 23-20. Although Columbus closed with 24-23 on kills by Whitlee Byrd and Kimberly Smidovec, Navarro won when a Columbus return went into the net. One of the sets highlights was a Hannah Bonds kill off an assist from her sister Sadie.
Unfortunately for Navarro, the fourth set went like the second. A Smidovec kill broke Navarro’s initial serve, then Brittany Byrd won seven straight points on her serve, including three aces. Brittany Byrd won two more services points later in the set. After the 8-0 Columbus run to start the set, Navarro was never closer than 6.
The match was played before a standing-room-only crowd at Navarro’s practice gym; their regular gym was being renovated with new bleachers being installed.
Posted by
Mark Kusenberger on August 12, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Panthers lose first set, rally to win match
by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Staff Writer
A shorthanded Navarro Panther team overcame a first set loss to defeat the Floresville Jaguars 16-25, 25-14, 25-22, 25-18 Tuesday afternoon in Floresville.
Navarro, #2 in the SASports.com 2A poll, overcame the loss of senior Hannah Bonds, who was a late scratch due to illness. The Panthers appeared to be adjusting to her absence in the first set. Floresville took advantage by building a 17-4 lead; the Jaguars scored on 7 consecutive services by Vanessa Orzabal in building their lead on their way to a 25-16 set victory.
After the 17-4 deficit, however, the Panthers took control. Although their rally fell short in the first set, closing on a 12-8 run foreshadowed the rest of the match. Winning 4 straight services by Stephanie Moeller sent the Panthers to a 7-3 lead in the second set. When Sydawnie Douglas scored three of her services, including two aces, Navarro built an 11-5 lead, from which they would coast to victory. Noelle Kubenka provided several kills during the set, and Moeller won four consecutive serves to close the set, a 25-14 win which evened the match at 1 set apiece.
The third set was the best contested of the match. Floresville built a 14-9 lead, which Navarro chipped away at, closing to 18-17 without having won consecutive serves to that point in the set. And with the score Floresville 19, Navarro 17, Floresville made a critical mistake. After an ace appeared to increase the Jaguars lead to 20-17, Floresville was ruled to have used their libero to serve from the 3rd and 6th spot in their rotation. The illegal rotation forced Floresville to forfeit the point to Navarro, making the score Floresville 19 Navarro 18. Haley Frangen then won two serves, first with an ace and then with a kill by Douglas, to put Navarro ahead 20-19. Although Floresville would tie the game at 20, they would never again lead. Another Douglas kill clinched the set, giving Navarro a 25-22 win.
The final set was tied at 7-7 before Navarro broke Floresville’s serve, then scored on three straight serves from Casey Braun – the only junior on the team - to build a 11-7 lead. Braun began with consecutive aces. Sadie Bonds – Hannah’s sister and the only sophomore on the team – set up kills for Braun, Kubenka and Moeller in the match-clinching victory.
Sadie Bonds also celebrated her birthday the day of the match.
Posted by
Mark Kusenberger on at 1:58 pm
La Vernia earns decisive 25-17, 25-21, 25-18 victory over Navarro
by Mark Kusenberger
SAsports.com Staff Writer
The La Vernia Bears used a strong return game to sweep the Navarro Panthers 25-17, 25-21, 25-17 Tuesday afternoon in Floresville.
Paige Blackman provided most of the kills to led the way for the Bears, #4 in the SASports.com 3A volleyball poll, and got ample help from Natalie Baker, Kayla Markgraf, and Kristin Gorzell.
So strong was the La Vernia return game that Navarro scored only four times on their own serve the entire first set. Sophomore Kayla Markgraf scored on six straight serves herself to lead her team to their 25-17 victory.
Navarro, #2 in the SASports.com 2A volleyball poll, made a stronger showing in the second set before succumbing. After a Casey Braun kill let Navarro tie the game at 5, the game featured 10 consecutive services break, leaving the teams tied at 10. Navarro broke the trend to take a 11-10 lead, but La Vernia broke serve to tie the game again, then Alex Cruz served La Vernia to 4 straight points, staking them to a 15-11 lead. The Bears built the lead to 24-17, sending loose ball into the stands and spilling a spectator’s drink in the process, before Navarro staved off match point on four straight serves by Haley Frangen, but La Vernia finally broke her serve and claimed a 25-21 second set victory.
La Vernia closed the third set strong, but had to battle early. Led by Blackman’s serves and kills, the Bears built a 7-3. Navarro responded with a break and 3 service scored by Casey Braun to tie the game at 7. Kelsey Markgraf’s serves helped La Vernia take an 11-8 lead, but a Samantha Nichols kill gave Navarro a point and their serve back. Haley Frangen scored on five straight serves, including consecutive aces, putting Navarro in the lead at 14-11 along the way.
Then the La Vernia return game rose to their set one levels; Navarro could not score on their serve the rest of the match.
Kayla Markgraf served five straight points to put La Vernia back in the lead at 16-14, then the Bears closed the on a 7-2 run.
Posted by
Jay Tope on May 5, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City School district, along with many others, will be reopening this week, sooner than originally planned.
Other districts opening Thursday May 8th incude Marion ISD, Seguin ISD, Navarro ISD, New Braunfels ISD, and Comal ISD.
For more information, contact your school district directly.
|
