Defense leads Raiders 28-7

Black Attack? Tropical Swarm? If it plays as well as it did Friday, Navarre’s defense needs a nickname.

Except for a 99-yard touchdown run by Pensacola Washington quarterback Dejon Funderburk, the Raiders’ defense dominated the Wildcat attack in Navarre’s 28-7 win at Washington’s Sherman Robinson Field. Unofficially, the Raiders allowed 165 total yards on 40 plays and picked two ‘Cat passes. Minus Funderburk’s dash, the Wildcats managed just 66 yards on 39 plays – an average of less than 1.7 yards per snap.

“Our guys did a good job of battling, competing on every play,” fourth-year Navarre head coach Chad Lashley said after the game. “Defensively, we were able to get momentum, people were making plays.”

Junior strong safety Jay Warren led the charge with 12 tackles, including six solo stops, and also had a sack, an interception and a tackle-for-loss. Sophomore defensive tackle Christian Gill had eight total tackles, including one for lost yardage, and senior Virgilio Hunter had six stops, five of them by himself, with two tackles for loss.

For more on this story, see the September 8 issue of the Navarre Press or subscribe online.