Raider varsity nips Milton, 6-0

The “Dolly Parton connection” – 9-to-5 – contributed the only points in Navarre’s 6-0 high school football “Kickoff Classic” win Friday at Milton.

Senior quarterback Dusty Jones, No. 9, completed five passes to classmate Brad Leggett, No. 5, for 62 yards and a 16-yard touchdown in the preseason scrimmage. The score came with 2:01 minutes left to play, one play after the dynamic duo converted a third-and-13 from Milton’s 30-yard line. Unofficially, Jones completed nine of 13 passes for 93 yards.

But the Raiders’ offense isn’t one dimensional; standout running back Dwayne Carter, who rushed for more than 1,300 yards as a junior last year, unofficially gained 47 yards on eight carries and caught a pass for 12 more.

The Panthers’ offense, playing without starting quarterback Paul Young, never seriously threatened the Navarre defense and Raider miscues – several bad snaps and costly penalties – did more to stop Navarre’s attack than Milton’s defenders.

“Both teams were a little ragged tonight,” fourth-year Navarre head coach Chad Lashley said after the game, “and that’s to be expected.  You're playing an opponent for the first time, and your adrenaline is going.  You're going to have those nervous-type mistakes.

"But our kids played hard; I'm proud of that."

For more on this story, see the September 1 issue of the Navarre Press or subscribe online.