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Deerfield set for regional battle
Published 11/7/2008 in None : Area High Schools
By JASON ELMQUIST
Randy Richter knows what's its like for Joe Garcia, Jose Rincon and Steven Shafer. If you do your job, somebody else gets the credit. If you don't do your job, well, you get the blame.
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Brad Nading/Telegram — Deerfield running back Jesus Navarette cuts up field for more yardage against Spearville on Tuesday in their Eight-man Division I bi-district.
But for the Deerfield High School football coach, having those three guys -- Garcia, Rincon and Shafer -- on the offensive line -- has been making it easier for Richter to rely on his main threats -- Jesus Navarrete and David Gonzales -- as the Spartans head into the second round of the 8-man Division I regional playoffs at Clifton-Clyde on Saturday. Gametime is 3 p.m. at Clyde.
"As an 'O' lineman myself, I tell them all the time, 'It's the dirtiest job in the business. Because you have to do your job every time, because one time you don't do it our backfield gets to look stupid and everybody blames you,'" Richter said. "If the running back takes it to the house that's because he's a good running back, if he gets tackled in the backfield its the line's fault. So I tell them, 'You get all the blame and none of the glory.' And they understand that. But they've done a great job for us."
Richter also recognizes the efforts of one of the "smaller" blockers for the two-headed monster of Navarrete and Gonzales.
"Devin Nolde also does a fabulous job of leading for Jesus when we run the iso (isolation)," the Deerfield coach said. "There's a lot of times where Jesus is quite a ways down the field before he's touched."
And what is it about Navarrete and Gonzales that makes it so difficult for defenses to prepare for the duo?
"They're fast and hit holes quick, but I think it's kind of deceptive," Richter said. "You just look at them when they walk on the field. I don't think that they 'scare anybody'. But then when we get them to the edge then all of the sudden their quickness just shows up and they (opposing defenses) have a hard time adjusting to that."
The offense Richter is used to, but his defense this year is far more superior than in years past. Since giving up 104 points in the first three games of the season, the Spartans have outscored their opponents 400-80 over the last seven games -- giving up just 11 points per game.
"In the past, we've always been able to score, it seems like -- notorious for putting up 40 or 50 points," Richter said. "But in the games we got beat, that's what was getting us beat -- our defense wasn't stepping up to their part of the bargain. And that's what we really pushed with kids hard this year, 'We need the same effort when we have the ball and when we don't have the ball.'"
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Deerfield Projected Starters
David Gonzales QB/S
Jesus Navarrete RB/CB
Devin Nolde RB/DE
Joe Garcia G/DT
Luis Martinez TE/LB
Jose Rincon G/DT
Adam Chavez WR
Steven Shafer C
Cris Martinez CB
Drake Freburg DE
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Clifton-Clyde (9-1)
League: Twin Valley
Blue Valley W 38-20
Axtell W 34-24
Hanover L 8-54
Linn W 42-0
South Cloud W 66-20
Lakeside W 50-0
Lincoln W 58-8
Pike Valley W 42-6
Rock Hills W 60-0
Thunder Ridge W 56-14*
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Deerfield (10-0)
League: Santa Fe Trail
Bucklin W 76-48
Sharon Springs W 30-24
Argonia W 34-32
Moscow W 50-8
Ingalls W 58-8
Minneola W 60-30
Rolla W 58-18
South Gray W 58-8
Greeley Co. W 64-8
Spearville W 52-0*
*-First round of playoffs
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