Navarre falls to Mosley

By PAT McCANN

Florida Freedom Newspapers
747-5068 | pmccann@pcnh.com

PANAMA CITY - Mosley quarterback Chase Graves has handed off to a fleet of running backs who have received most of the credit during his year as the Dolphins' starting quarterback when he was a sophomore, and this year, his senior season.

In Thursday's 42-7 win over Navarre at Tommy Oliver Stadium, it was his turn to share their spotlight.

Graves' 80-yard run on a play put the Raiders away for good 45 seconds before halftime, and he added his sixth touchdown pass of the season as Mosley improved to 4-0.

Navarre, which defeated Mosley last year on its home field, fell to 2-3.

"I was really tired," Graves said. "I was worried I was going to get hauled down."

It followed the Raiders' lone touchdown, and when Tristen McCathern scored his third touchdown of the game in the third quarter, a running clock shortened the second half at the onset of the fourth quarter.

Graves, who has completed eight passes this season, but has seen six of them produce touchdowns, has adeptly guided Mosley's offense while running back such as Enrique Davis and Tommie Rogers, currently playing college football, and this season McCathern and Justin Broxton have received most of the accolades.

"I think I've improved a lot," said Graves, who played wide receiver his junior year. "When I was younger I was more nervous and really didn't know the guys. It's still been fun because I'm still the leader out there."

Graves also had a key first-down run on fourth-and-1 on the same play. That led to Mosley's second touchdown, a 4-yard run by McCathern. It was designed this week by Defensive Coordinator Danny Nagy, who noticed that Navarre's linebackers were reading Mosley's guards.

"We pulled both guards in opposite directions and they followed them," Nagy said. "Their safety didn't do what we saw on film, but center Max Gibbens just turned back on him."

Graves did the rest, charging up the middle untouched. His performance added to Mosley's most complete effort of the season in all three phases, the defense producing five turnovers and allowing just one touchdown, and special teams adding a blocked punt by J.T. Smith and solid kick coverage.

Navarre quickly changed tactics once Broxton had scored from the 1 and McCathern strolled into the end zone on the first play of the second quarter. Andrew Velazquez replaced Michael Pettus at quarterback and the Raiders amassed 207 yards in the first half, most of them on Velazquez's passing.

Despite five plays that gained 21 or more yards, they were only able to score on a 34-yard pass from Velazquez to Noel Cook with 1:02 before intermission.

Velazquez for 11 of 22 passing for 152 yards, but suffered four interceptions. Two of them were by linebacker Micah Miller, and Eddie

Williams and Jarod Lee each stopped potential scoring drives with interceptions.

Williams also caught Graves' TD toss, a 17-yarder, and McCathern added a 58-yard scoring run and set up his first score with a 50-yard punt return.