footballgal
10-09-2003, 08:19 AM
Defense the name of the game last week
By MIKE GONZALEZ
Valley Morning Star
Defense was the name of the game in District 32-3A last week.
Raymondville, Port Isabel, Lyford and La Feria all shut out their opponents last Friday. Sure enough, all four teams sit on top of the district race.
The Bearkats were able to shut down the Rio Hondo Bobcats’ offense, and held star running back Jimmie Heath to only 30 yards and forced three turnovers. Afterward, it was all smiles by the Bearkats coaching staff, especially defensive coordinator Zenaido Perez.
"Give credit to the kids, we knew they had a lot of weapons," Perez said.
The Tarpons hammered Hidalgo 45-0 and rushed for 550 yards led by Misael "The Missile" Iracheta, who finished with 266 yards and three scores.
But I’m sure what head coach Monty Stumbaugh is most happy about is the fact that his defense has come to life. In their last two games, the Tarpon defense has only given up an average of 111 yards rushing, an improvement from 180 in their first three contests.
After coming off a tough one-point loss to Raymondville (26-25), Lyford took its frustrations out on Progreso 44-0, and picked up its first district win with the help of the defense.
The Bulldogs’ D surrendered only 140 total yards, a big improvement from the 453 given up to the Bearkats a week earlier. Running back Eren Kirksey did the rest, rushing for 102 yards and three touchdowns.
La Feria held Brownsville St. Joseph to a season low 179 total yards and forced three turnovers in the Lions’ 42-0 win. The only bright spot for St. Joseph was running back Daniel Guillen, who rushed for 91 yards on 21 carries.
Tarpon terror
The Tarpons may have found themselves another weapon in an already fast and quick backfield. Iracheta hasn’t carried the ball a lot during the season, but does take advantage of it when called upon. The Missile leads the team in rushing (428 yards) and scoring (7 TDs), and has done it in only 20 carries on the season.
I wonder if Stumbaugh has considered giving the speedster that many carries in one game? The Missile’s performance on Friday may have given Stumbaugh something to think about for the rest of the season.
Still, Johnny Nieto (10-119) and Gabe Alvarez (6-110) put their two cents in the Tarpon rushing attack.
The Bulldogs’ other man
Lyford has its featured back in Kirksey, but it doesn’t hurt to have another player step up once in a while. Aaron Infante was that man for the Bulldogs last Friday night. Infante led the team with 147 yards and scored on a 46-yard run to put the game away in the win over Progreso.
Crunch time
We’re now headed for the heart of the district schedule, with some teams in the driver’s seat while others must step up now.
For Rio Hondo and Hidalgo, another loss could put a heavy blow to their playoff chances. Both will square off on Friday with each looking for its first district win.
The Progreso Red Ants are still winless on the season. They have a tough road, facing La Feria, who hasn’t lost yet. The Lions are heavy favorites and took a 51-0 win in last year’s game.
The Tarpons take their fearsome foursome in the backfield to Lyford to take on Eren Kirksey and the Bulldogs. The Tarps (2-0) look to take sole possession of first while Lyford attempts to stay in the playoff hunt.
Mike Gonzalez is a sports writer for the Valley Morning Star. He can be reached at mikeg@valleystar.com or at 956-421-9874.
<small>[ October 09, 2003, 08:21 AM: Message edited by: footballgal ]</small>
By MIKE GONZALEZ
Valley Morning Star
Defense was the name of the game in District 32-3A last week.
Raymondville, Port Isabel, Lyford and La Feria all shut out their opponents last Friday. Sure enough, all four teams sit on top of the district race.
The Bearkats were able to shut down the Rio Hondo Bobcats’ offense, and held star running back Jimmie Heath to only 30 yards and forced three turnovers. Afterward, it was all smiles by the Bearkats coaching staff, especially defensive coordinator Zenaido Perez.
"Give credit to the kids, we knew they had a lot of weapons," Perez said.
The Tarpons hammered Hidalgo 45-0 and rushed for 550 yards led by Misael "The Missile" Iracheta, who finished with 266 yards and three scores.
But I’m sure what head coach Monty Stumbaugh is most happy about is the fact that his defense has come to life. In their last two games, the Tarpon defense has only given up an average of 111 yards rushing, an improvement from 180 in their first three contests.
After coming off a tough one-point loss to Raymondville (26-25), Lyford took its frustrations out on Progreso 44-0, and picked up its first district win with the help of the defense.
The Bulldogs’ D surrendered only 140 total yards, a big improvement from the 453 given up to the Bearkats a week earlier. Running back Eren Kirksey did the rest, rushing for 102 yards and three touchdowns.
La Feria held Brownsville St. Joseph to a season low 179 total yards and forced three turnovers in the Lions’ 42-0 win. The only bright spot for St. Joseph was running back Daniel Guillen, who rushed for 91 yards on 21 carries.
Tarpon terror
The Tarpons may have found themselves another weapon in an already fast and quick backfield. Iracheta hasn’t carried the ball a lot during the season, but does take advantage of it when called upon. The Missile leads the team in rushing (428 yards) and scoring (7 TDs), and has done it in only 20 carries on the season.
I wonder if Stumbaugh has considered giving the speedster that many carries in one game? The Missile’s performance on Friday may have given Stumbaugh something to think about for the rest of the season.
Still, Johnny Nieto (10-119) and Gabe Alvarez (6-110) put their two cents in the Tarpon rushing attack.
The Bulldogs’ other man
Lyford has its featured back in Kirksey, but it doesn’t hurt to have another player step up once in a while. Aaron Infante was that man for the Bulldogs last Friday night. Infante led the team with 147 yards and scored on a 46-yard run to put the game away in the win over Progreso.
Crunch time
We’re now headed for the heart of the district schedule, with some teams in the driver’s seat while others must step up now.
For Rio Hondo and Hidalgo, another loss could put a heavy blow to their playoff chances. Both will square off on Friday with each looking for its first district win.
The Progreso Red Ants are still winless on the season. They have a tough road, facing La Feria, who hasn’t lost yet. The Lions are heavy favorites and took a 51-0 win in last year’s game.
The Tarpons take their fearsome foursome in the backfield to Lyford to take on Eren Kirksey and the Bulldogs. The Tarps (2-0) look to take sole possession of first while Lyford attempts to stay in the playoff hunt.
Mike Gonzalez is a sports writer for the Valley Morning Star. He can be reached at mikeg@valleystar.com or at 956-421-9874.
<small>[ October 09, 2003, 08:21 AM: Message edited by: footballgal ]</small>