Navarro College has won the NJCAA championship with a thrilling 13-12 victory over No. 1 Butler Community College in the Citizens Bank Bowl today in Pittsburg.
Juventino Sanchez hit a 28-yard fielg goal with 1:11 left to give Navarro the lead. The Bulldogs intercepted a pass to seal the deal on Butler's next play.
Below is a in-game blog of all the action starting with the last part of the game. In a few minutes I'll have posted a full game story. Congrats to Navarro College!
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4th quarter highlights
Navarro will win.
Butler begins the drive at its own 23 with 1:05 left. Mettenberger’s pass is intercepted by Chazz Edmond-Paris. Since Butler has only one timeout left, the Bulldogs can run out the clock.
* Navarro finishes the drive with a field goal to retake the lead.
On 3rd and 11 from the Butler 14, Palmer rushes for 3 yards. The Grizzles use its second timeout. Sanchez hits the 28-yard field goal to put Navarro ahead 13-12 with 1:11 left. Butler has one timeout left.
*Navarro is driving.
Navarro is feeding the ball to Garrett and Palmer. Garrett gets 17 to start the drive and later gains 7 to get to the Butler 15. On third and 1, Palmer is stopped for no gain with 2:32 left. After a timeout, Nelson runs for 2 yards and a first down. Navarro is out of timeouts.
From the Butler 13, Palmer runs for no gain. Palmer loses one on second down as Dennell Wesley makes the tackle. Butler uses a timeout with 1:19 left.
* We left off with Navaro driving on the last update. The Bulldogs eventually faced an fourth and 3 at the Butler 30 with 8:19 left. They did not get the first down as Nelson was tackled at the line of scrimmage.
Butler took over on downs but it goes nowhere. Mettenberger is sacked and fumbles on third down but he gets it back. The punt goes to the Bulldogs 48. First down Navarro.
* Navarro’s Nelson's throw is picked off by Zach Miller on the second play of the fourth quarter. However, Butler can’t take advantage. Navarro forces the 3 and out as Jackson sacks Mettenberger on third down.
Navarro start its next drive at its 20 and Garrett just ripped off a 16-yard gain so first and 10 at their own 36.
3rd quarter highlights
*Navarro goes 3 and out in its final third quarter drive. Butler does the same. So we enter the fourth quarter with Navarro getting the ball back down 12-10.
* Touchdown Butler.
The Grizzles overcome a first and 25 to score the go ahead touchdown with 2:28 left in the third quarter.
The Grizzles Lamar Mady was whistled for a personal foul flag giving Butler first and 25 from its own 48. Axon gains five on first down and Jasper Sanders gains 11 yards on second and third down runs to give Butler a first down.
Mettenberger hit Craig Rosenstengle for 12 to get the ball to the Bulldogs 1. Cody Mills takes to the house from there. The two-point conversion fails.
Mettenberger is now 16 of 25 for 164 yards. He has completed passes to 8 different receivers.
*Field goal Navarro.
Garrett takes off for a 27-yard run to get the ball to the Butler 29. A holding penalty gives the Bulldogs another first down. But the Grizzles defense digs in and gets a big stop on a third down incompletion.
Juventino Sanchez adds a 26-yard field goal with 7:55 left to make it 10-6 Navarro.
* Butler answers with its own touchdown, but missed the 2-point conversion.
Kendall Wrenn starts Butler off with great field position following a 46-yard kickoff return. Mettenberger hits Axon for 11 and then Wrenn for 23 to put the ball into the redzone.
On second and goal from the 11, Mettenberger connects with Conner Combes for the touchdown pass. It’s the fourth TD reception of the season for Combes.
Butler goes for two and the lead, but Mettenberger’s pass fails.
* Navarro takes the opening second-half kickoff and marches down the field on a 7-play, 57 yard touchdown drive that takes just 2:02.
Two big completions moved the ball 37 yards. Nelson hit Chris Harper on a 20-yard pass to bring the ball into Butler territory. His pass to Marquez Clark went for 17-yards. Clark fumbled the ball after the catch but recovered it himself at the Butler 2. Garrett took the ball in from there to score the first points of the game.
Halftime
Butler has 126 total yards of offense. Zach Mettenberger is 10 of 18 for 85 yards. Ben Axon has 39 yards on 16 carries. Butler has 3 penalties, and is 4 of 9 on third downs (0 or 1 on fourth down).
Navarro has 87 total yards of offense. Adrian Nelson is 5 for 11 for 59 yards. Depauldrick Garret has 24 yards on five carries. Navarro has 3 penalties and 1 turnover
2nd quarter highlights
* The Bulldogs are having its best drive. Depauldrick Garrett and Daniel Palmer have started to get going on the ground. Garrett’s 11 yard gain plus a Butler personal foul helps get the ball into Grizzles territory. But quarterback Adrian Nelson is sacked on second down and then picks up only four yards on a third down run. Navarro punts, pinning Butler inside its 10.
* After a Butler 3 and out, Navarro goes back to work. Nelson hits Marquez Clark on a 40-yard pass play to the Grizzles 20.
Two plays later, Nelson’s third-down pass bounced off the a Bulldog receiver and Butler’s Teyon Reese snatches the ball before it hit’s the ground for a beautiful interception.
Butler takes a knee, and we go into halftime scoreless.
* A huge second quarter stop for the Navarro defense.
Butler was using short passes mixed with a few runs to gradually move down the field. The key play was a third and nine from the Navarro 44. Mettenberger scrambled away from the rush and threw on the run to Kendall Wrenn for a 16-yard gain.
Later on a third down incompletion, Navarro’s Toby Jackson was whistled for roughing the passer, giving Butler first and goal. But the Grizzles threw four straight incompletions giving the ball back to the Bulldogs.
1st quarter highlights
* Butler’s opening drive stalls at the Navarro 43. Ben Axon gains 3 on third and four. Rather than go for it on fourth and one, Butler punts. Navarro takes over at its 20. Zach Mettenberger was 3 for 3 on the opening drive passing the ball for 23 yards.
* Navarro goes 3 and out on its first drive. Butler gets ball back at own 44 with 8:13 left in first quarter.
* Butler again made it into Navarro territory but has nothing to show for it. Marcus Kennard dropped a third down pass at the Bulldogs 25. Butler elected to put the ball away rather than try a long field goal or go for it on 4th and 13 from the Bulldog 31.
* Navarro picked up two first downs on its second drive but eventually had to punt.
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