Leps and Navarro Battle to a 0-0 Deadlock Until Mother Nature Calls Game

Navarro High School is just not a good place on Friday nights – meteorologically.

Eight years after La Grange had a 2018 football contest at Navarro cancelled mid-game because of bad weather, it happened again Friday.

After a delay of 30 minutes because of lightning in the area, La Grange and Navarro did get in a quarter and half of action Friday before another storm arrived, Instead of blowing through, the storm just seemed to circle the stadium for over an hour with lightning strike after strike in the area before the game was ultimately cancelled with the score still 0-0.

“This game is tough, and to practice all week and grind and to not get an opportunity to finish it is no fun,” said La Grange head coach Kyle Cooper.

“It feels kind of empty,” said La Grange senior Koen Zbranek, who snagged an interception on the last play of the game before the weather delay. “You feel incomplete.”

But there were 18 minutes of action to analyze.

“Offensively we struggled a bit. I thought defensively we played well. Special teams I thought we did some good things,” Cooper said.

“Our defense was rocking, our special teams was rocking,” said La Grange senior offensive lineman Trey Brumley. “We just have to clean up some things on offense going into next week.”

Neither team was able to get much going offensively – combining for seven punts, allowing La Grange college prospect punter Colt Jobb to really showed off his leg.

After a bunch of those traded punts, Navarro (2-0) finally got a little something going in the second quarter, marching down to the Leps’ eight yard line before Zbranek intercepted a pass in the endzone.

“It was sour and sweet,” Zbranek said. “You get something nice like a pick and then you hear the thunder and everyone’s running off.”

Friday was Zbranek’s first game at safety. He’s also a starting receiver for the Leps.

“He did a great job,” Cooper said. “He’s a ball hawk and confident back there.”

Before La Grange (0-2) could try to capitalize on the momentum of the Zbranek interception, officials cleared the field and stands because of lightning and the game was never resumed.

Cooper said he tried to talk Navarro into resuming the game on Saturday but they were not interested in doing so.

Friday’s game was the final one at Navarro’s Erwin-Lee Field, which was the Panthers’ home stadium for more than 50 years. Navarro debuts a brand new stadium, just down the road, in two weeks.

Now the Leps turn their attention to historic rival Smithville. The Tigers (1-2) come to Leopard Stadium this Friday for a 7 p.m. game.

The Tigers started the season with a 48-0 win over Austin Achieve, but have since lost twice.

Smithville is coming off a strange weekend of its own. Their game against Giddings Friday was postponed a day because of damage from a lightning strike at Tiger Stadium. The game was played Saturday morning on the road with Giddings winning 38-14.