Boerne Champion Julian Navarrete shined in his first start as the Chargers starting quarterback.
The sophomore signal caller ran for the team’s first score of the season and then threw for three touchdowns to help the Chargers defeat Laredo United South Friday at Boerne ISD Stadium in their 2024 opener, 31-17.
Champion opens the year at 1-0 and hosts Medina Valley Friday.
Navarrete admitted to having a few butterflies in his stomach but he sure didn’t show it.
“I was a little nervous at first, but I knew what they were going to throw at us,” he said. “We had a good game plan and it went well.”
Navarrete busted loose for a 29-yard touchdown scamper on Champion’s opening drive. Nathan Bell booted the extra point and later kicked a 33-yard field goal.
The Panthers also tallied 10 points and it was 10-10 with eight seconds on the clock before halftime.
That’s when Navarrete changed the momentum of the game. He hit Brogan Dempsey on a 51-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass as time expired to put the Chargers up at the break, 17-10, after the Bell PAT.
Champion head coach Blane Ellis told offensive coordinator Kevin Brown to stay aggressive on that last play — and they did.
Navarrete scrambled and waited for his receivers to get open. When he saw Dempsey had a few steps on the defender, Navarrete let it fly and hit the receiver in stride.
“They were playing back and I started scrambling. My guy ran deep and I found him. He burned the defender and I just thought ‘give him a chance,’ so I threw it up there and gave him a shot,” the QB said. “That really got our momentum going and it took us into the half and I was excited. The team was pumped and we came out on fire.”
After forcing a punt on the Panthers’ first drive of the third quarter, Navarrete led the team to another score. This time he hit Micah Middleton on a short pass to cap a six-play drive and make it 24-10.
Laredo United South missed a 37-yard field goal on its next possession and Champion capitalized on the miss.
Navarrete led the Chargers on another six-play scoring drive. He hit Brady Lampkin on a 43-yard scoring strike and it was 31-10 and the game was basically over.
Those three passing touchdowns went to three different receivers and helped the Chargers score three times on 13 plays from scrimmage.
“When we got three-possessions ahead, it changed their mentality,” Ellis said.
The Chargers didn’t score in the fourth quarter, while the Panthers played with pride to the end and tallied a rushing touchdown late in the game on a drive that consumed 5:17 off the clock and covered 14 plays and 55 yards.
Ellis said there are a lot of things to work on but was pleased with the win.
“For a first game it was really good, we came and did what we needed to do. We won it and our kids played well,” he said.
“There are things we can work on, little things that are fixable and with a young team you expect some of that,” he said. “Overall, I was very proud of our offense and defense.”
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