Broncbusters drop home opener to Navarro
Image courtesy of Garden City Community College Athletics
Garden City, KS (Western Kansas News) – Garden City Community College (0-1, 0-0) dropped their home opener on the football season to Navarro, 34-20 on Saturday.
After an electric start from starting quarterback Tyler Nelson which resulted in a host of designed quarterback run plays and a touchdown, the Broncbuster offense stalled and failed to put up any more points until the fourth quarter. Navarro quickly rallied to tie the game at 7-7 in the first quarter, before pulling away with explosive passing plays which burned the defense.
The Bulldogs proceeded to put up 34 unanswered points, leading the Broncbusters 34-7 entering the half-way point of the fourth quarter. With just under 7 minutes remaining in the game, head coach Kiyoshi Harris decided to pull Nelson at quarterback and replace him with Canadian freshman Liam Oczkowski. The resulting QB change provided an instant jolt for the sagging offense, which marched down the field and scored a touchdown on an Eagles-esque quarterback “tush-push” from the two-yard line to cut the deficit to 34-14.
Garden City would then hold Navarro to a punt, fail to convert on third down, and Coach Harris would elect to punt the ball rather than go for it on 4th-and-long with time running thin. His instincts were correct, and the resulting punt generated a fumble which was recovered by the Broncbusters in Navarro territory. Liam Oczkowski would then pilot the offense to a goal-line opportunity. From 3rd and goal on the far-side hash, offensive coordinator Zach Sallee would dial up a near side, back corner endzone fade from Oczkowski to Elijah Griffin, which would be knocked incomplete by the Navarro defense. Coach Sallee, a previous offensive quality control analyst and quarterbacks coach at Oklahoma State, would take a leaf out of Mike Gundy’s book and run the exact same play on 4th and goal, this time with Griffin climbing the ladder to come down with the acrobatic touchdown in the same corner of the endzone. The deficit would then shrink to 34-20.
From there, bad luck on special teams with a blocked PAT which was almost returned by Garden City for points, and a well-executed onside kick from kicker Tanner Rinker which bounced off the hands of a Navarro Bulldog and into the waiting arms of a Broncbuster who couldn’t wrangle the pigskin, bit the Broncbusters to close the game with a final score of 34-20.
Liam Oczkowski would be named the A&A Body Shop Player of the Game for his two touchdown drives late in the 4th quarter.
Garden City Community College takes on Dodge City Community College to kick of Jayhawk Conference play for both teams next Saturday. The American Implement Countdown to Kickoff Show will begin at 6:30pm with kickoff at 7pm on 99.9 The Rock, KWKR.
