No. 4 Navarro runs by No. 7 MGCCC 37-26 at C.H.A.M.P.S Heart of Texas Bowl

MGCCC running back Eric Mills scores on a 29-yard TD run against Navarro Dec. 5.

COPPERAS COVE, Tx.---Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College head football coach Steve Campbell told everyone that the ninth annual C.H.A.M.P.S Heart of Texas Bowl would come down to which team could win the turnover battle.

The bad news is that team was No. 4 Navarro. The Bulldogs from Corsicana, Tx. ran for 336 yards and capitalized on three Gulf Coast turnovers to win 37-26 and finish their season at 11-1.

“They’re a very good football team,” said Campbell, who’s now 2-2 in bowl games at Gulf Coast. “I knew it would come down to turnovers and it did. I’m still very proud of our guys’ effort against a quality opponent.”

Navarro jumped out to a 27-10 halftime lead on two touchdowns by HOT Bowl MVP Derrick Hall. The Navarro running back paced his team’s offense with an 18 carry, 199 yard, three touchdown performance.

Gulf Coast scored 10 unanswered points in the third quarter to cut the Navarro lead to 27-20 and threatened to tie the game. But on the second play of the fourth quarter, Bulldog quarterback Greg Jenkins hit wide receiver Kelvin Bolden on a slant and the sophomore from Ocean Springs appeared headed to the end zone for a 77 yard touchdown. However, Navarro linebacker Alfred Dupree stripped the ball out of Bolden’s hands at the 10 yard line and the ball was recovered by Navarro in the end zone for a touchback.

“That was a huge shift in momentum,” Campbell added.

From there, Navarro scored 10 points to seal the victory.

Navarro opened the game with a 66-yard TD run by Hall on their first offensive play of the game. Gulf Coast answered with a 58-yard TD pass from Jenkins to Bolden to tie the game at 7-7. Jenkins, a university of Troy commitment, was 8-19 for 207 yards with a TD and an interception in the contest while Bolden, and Miss. State commitment, had 3 catches for 160 yards and a TD.

Kicker Bo Bryan nails a 44-yard field goal against Navarro Dec. 5.

The two teams traded field goals to make it 10-10 heading into the second quarter. That’s when Navarro ran off 17 unanswered points thanks to a one-yard TD run by Hall, a Jueventino Sanchez 26-yard field goal, and a 16-yard TD pass from Roddy Green to J.K. Hayes.

Gulf Coast came out the locker room at halftime and embarked on a seven play, 72 yard drive capped off by a 29-yard TD run by Eric Wills. Most of that drive featured Bulldog running back Vick Ballard, who rushed for 119 yards on 26 carries. Then Bo Bryan’s 44-yard field cut the Navarro lead to 27-20.

The last Gulf Coast score came on a 1-yard run by Mark Seymour making the final 37-26.