Gators shake off early miscues, top Coronado

The only pretty things on the field in Friday night’s game between Southeast conference foes Green Valley and Coronado, were the members of the homecoming court honored at halftime.

Green Valley committed seven turnovers, including five in the first quarter, but managed to hold off the Cougars 21-15.

“I’ve been associated with coaching football for 15 years now and I don’t think I’ve ever been associated with a team that had seven turnovers ... and won,” said a shocked Gators coach Matt Gerber.

The Cougars (2-3) took advantage of Green Valley’s (3-2) fumble of the opening kickoff, and raced to an early 8-0 lead when Kenny Lawrence scored on a 15-yard TD run with less than two minutes gone in the game.

On Green Valley’s first offensive drive, Lawrence intercepted Gator quarterback Nick Libonati’s first pass of the game, but the Cougars failed to capitalize. The drive ended on a missed 34 yard field goal attempt by Dane Cooper. Lawrence added his second interception later in the first quarter but this opportunity was squandered as well, when Coronado tailback Marcus Garcia fumbled on the Gators 18 yard line on the first play of the second quarter.

Libonati rebounded from his early miscues and scored on a 5-yard TD run midway through the second quarter. He tied the game 8-8 when he busted through the defensive line on the two-point conversion.

After narrowly missing on a 52-yard field goal attempt earlier in the quarter, Green Valley junior kicker Nolan Kohorst connected on a 51 yard field goal as time expired in the first half, giving the Gators an 11-8 lead.

Green Valley’s defense repeatedly stopped Coronado’s attempts to capitalize on their offense’s mistakes.

“Our defense kept us in it. I’ve got to give them credit,” Gerber said. “Most teams when you have seven (turnovers), it’s all over. For all intents and purposes they shut them (Coronado) out tonight.”

Senior running back Quincy Bagsby extended Green Valley’s lead to ten points, scampering 76 yards on the Gators’ first play from scrimmage in the second half.

Late in the third quarter another Green Valley mistake let Coronado back in the game. Forced to kick from deep in their own territory, Bagsby kneeled down to pick up a low snap. Before he had a chance to kick the ball, referees ruled that his knee had touched the ground.

The Cougars took over on the Green Valley 1-yard line and took just one play to score on a Garcia run, cutting the lead to 18-15.
Kohorst wowed the crowd with his second long field goal of the game, a 53-yarder that easily cleared the uprights with 1:27 to go in the game.

The late Green Valley field goal forced Coronado to go the length of the field to score a touchdown with just over a minute to go. Cooper, who finished with a dismal 59 passing yards, led the Cougars down the field, but his final pass attempt was batted away inside the Green Valley 5-yard line as time expired.