Chargers kick off district play with road game at Smithson Valley

Boerne Champion begins district play Friday with a tough one right out of the gate.

The Chargers visit last year’s state finalist Smithson Valley for a 7 p.m. tilt to kick off 13-5A DI action.

Champion rolls into Friday’s showdown with a 3-0 mark, the best they can be record-wise at this point of the season.

Despite the perfect record through non-district that included wins over Laredo United South, Medina Valley and Laredo Alexander, Chargers coach Blane Ellis said his team still hasn’t played a complete game.

“We like being 3-0 and it sounds nice, but we feel like we have our best ball still to play, we haven’t put it all together,” he said. “Some of it are things that most people don’t see. We’re our own worst enemy at times.”

One example of that is a late Chargers touchdown that was called back in last week’s game in Laredo because of a penalty.

“We have to finish drives, we’re driving well and line up wrong or have false starts,” Ellis said. “Those are drive killers.”

Ellis said they can’t afford a lot of mistakes against the Rangers. Smithson Valley graduated a lot from last year’s state runner- up team, but they are always tough.

The Rangers have beat up Roosevelt and Madison by a combined score of 110-0 (45-0, 65-0) and suffered their only loss to Brennan, 24-13.

“They’ll be the best opponent we’ve faced so far this year, they have a lot of talent,” Ellis said. “They come out and say, ‘this is who we are and we’re going to establish the run, play a 4-3 on defense and control the game.”

The Rangers are using two different quarterbacks, something the Chargers do at times.

Champion starting QB Julian Navarrete tossed touchdown passes to Lucas Benavides and Brogan Dempsey, while the Chargers’ other quarterback Garland Whitehead ran in the game-clinching score late in last Friday’s game.

The Navarrete touchdown passes came at the start of each half, while Nathan Bell kicked a field goal and a couple of extra points and the Chargers also converted a two-point try on a botched extra point.

Ellis said it was a tough road trip to Laredo, but added that an experience like that will help his team because there are life lessons involved.

“One of our buses broke down and an 18-wheeler caught on fire on (highway) 35,” he said. “We got delayed and made some adjustments. They found a way and just bucked down. They adjusted and rolled with the punches.”