COLORADO SPRINGS – It takes Joe Naple a little bit to get the engine moving. But once its warmed up, he becomes a tough kid to stop.
The senior running back had himself a night, breaking for touchdown runs of six and 33 yards – just in the first half – to lead the Terrors to a 35-9 win over Mitchell at Garry Berry Stadium on Friday.
After a ribbon cutting ceremony at midfield before kickoff, the two District 11 teams faced off in the first battle of district rivals to be hosted on the field’s new turf. A blowout would’ve been no fun, but a game without exciting plays wouldn’t have been all that fun either. And that’s where Naple came into give Palmer a lot of positives moving forward.
“Joe’s put in the work this summer,” Palmer coach Nick Urbaniak said. “I hope the work ethic rubs off and the kids see what he’s done and learn that to be that player on this field, they need to put in that work.”
The Terrors (1-0 overall) figured that out first. Quarterback Braylon Joseph found Tim Garcia blazing down the sideline, hitting him in stride for a 52-yard touchdown pass, putting Palmer up 6-0 early.
After losing starting quarterback Edward Scott to an apparent injury, the Marauders (0-1) managed a little bit of offense of their own. Zephaniah Gurrola found Osbaldo Sanchez-Borunda for an 11-yard touchdown pass.
That’s when Naple took over, scoring the next four touchdowns for Palmer. He ran for three and added a punt return score to pull away from the district rival.
“We had a rough start,” Naple said. “Once the line got going and the holes started opening up; it’s varsity speed so when I see that hole open up, I’m going to take it.”
The game had its sloppy moments with more than a few penalty flags being thrown, but it hopefully marks a new era for both programs as they haven’t seen a lot of wins on the field in recent years.
For the Terrors, finding a rhythm resulted in some hectic, but memorable moments.
“We need to celebrate the good things and this win,” Urbaniak said. “I had a kid tell me this was the first time he’s seen so many extra points from us in one game. And he’s a senior.”
Although it was a 26-point loss for the Marauders, this was a team that wasn’t too far from making it a truly competitive battle. Untimely penalties halted drives, but they kept showing their knack for moving the ball in spots and maintaining a fighting attitude.
That was evident when Scott when down and Gurrola stepped in and played admirably the rest of the way.
“I knew he had the grit and I know he’s an athlete, but you can’t expect that type of toughness from the kid,” Mitchell coach Jason Cauley said. “He got banged up and he was hurt the entire game. He couldn’t feel his left hand. But he just kept battling.”
The Marauders head to Cheyenne Mountain next Friday while Palmer also takes the road as they travel to Mountain Range.