Navarre's offense is talented.
With one of the area's top running backs in Jay Warren and two standout receivers in Jordan Leggett and Gatlin Casey, the Raiders can put points on the board quickly.
But if you want to know what makes the Raiders go, just ask quarterback and offensive leader Andrew Rieves.
"The defense is the backbone of the Navarre Raiders," Rieves said after topping Milton 20-12 on Friday.
Facing a potent Panthers offense during the Region 1-6A semifinals next Friday night, the Raiders' defense played lights out.
Milton do-it-all running back Andre Flakes was limited to 99 total yards in the game. Division-I bound wideouts Isaiah Jones (Florida State) and Dejon Funderburk (South Alabama) combined for less than 100 yards receiving.
"We came out and played our game and had a great night," Navarre head coach Jay Walls said of his defense. "I thought pressure on the quarterback was key, and we did get to him quite a bit. Our defense in the second half, really the whole game, played well."
Navarre limited the big play, while making big plays of their own. Defensive back Elijah Appel pulled down a pair of interceptions, the Raiders stopped the Panthers on fourth-and-inches and forced a fumble to seal the game.
Add in a blocked punt to set up a touchdown and a blocked extra point, and it's what the Raiders did without the ball that has Navarre in the Region 1-6A final against Lake City Columbia on Friday.
"We feel like like we've got a good defense, we've got a good offense, we're very strong in the kicking game," Walls said. "We played good (Friday), I'm proud of our kids."
It wasn't just the secondary -- the strength of the Navarre defense -- that played big. Playing without linebacker Devin Colonel, the front seven stepped up as well.
Mason Mikul had the game of his life, constantly flying to the ball. The undersized senior made big play after big play, including a sack fo Milton quarterback Cody Lowe, recovering a blocked punt at the Milton 10 and falling on a fumble to seal the Raiders win in the closing moments.
It's that kind of effort that makes the Navarre defense so tough to beat.
"They know each other and mesh well," Rieves said of the defense. "We didn't have Devin Colonel, so a junior Monte Thompson stepped in and did great.
"They give (the offense) a great look at practice, and we give them a great look. We compete, there's fights and stuff because we love competing against them. We know if we can compete against our defense, we can compete against anyone."
