32-AAA District Update

[footballgal]

Don’t overlook Lyford-Rio Hondo Match-up

By BUDDY GREEN

While most of the focus in District 32-3A will be on the La Feria at Port Isabel game this week, a lot will be riding on the matchup between Lyford and Rio Hondo.

"It’s a critical game for both teams," said Lyford head coach Jaime Infante. "A win Friday night would do us good."

On the other hand, a Rio Hondo loss would put the Bobcats in big trouble as far as making the playoffs.

La Feria and PI (both 3-0) will battle for first place Friday. Both teams wil most likely make the playoffs, regardless of Friday’s outcome.

Although, La Feria head coach Roberto Valdez is taking nothing for granted.

"No matter what happens here (PI), I still got two games left," said Valdez. "My season doesn’t end with PI."

The Lions close out with Lyford and Raymondville.

Lyford has just one loss, that a 37-0 beating against PI. A win against Rio Hondo would put the Bulldogs at 3-1 and in great shape for a playoff berth.

"This is the healthiest we’ve been in a while," said Infante. "We get four kids back from grades."

Infante’s son, Aaron, has been battling a muscle strain but the coach said he’ll be ready Friday. Aaron has rushed for 471 yards, averaging 8.1 a carry.

Lyford has the league’s second best rushing attack. Omar Cavazos leads the way with 687 yards.

That high-powered running game was shut down by PI, thus the 37-point loss.

Rio Hondo also features the run but La Feria held the Bobcats to 11 yards on the ground in a 30-15 Lions’ win.

The Bobcats, forced to throw, got a season-best performance from Caleb Flores. Flores, who had just 109 passing yards in Rio Hondo’s six previous games, completed nine of 18 for 140 yards and two touchdowns.

"Rio Hondo fell behind and had to open it up," said Infante. "We were impressed with their passing. They were in a must-pass situation and they threw the ball well."

Down the road

For those who like to look ahead and work on possible scenarios:

Raymondville (2-2) is off this week and finish against Hidalgo and La Feria. The Bearkats could make it with two wins and the right combinations.

Lyford has La Feria and Hidalgo.

Rio Hondo plays PI in Week 9, the Bobcats last game of the regular season. That’s why, it appears, Rio Hondo needs to beat Lyford this week.

After Rio Hondo, PI closes against Progreso. Without going too far out on a limb, go ahead and chalk up the Tarpons to make the playoffs.

Game balls

PI’s Orlando Ochoa ran for 155 yards on 12 carries and scored one touchdown. Ochoa also threw two TD passes to Butch Martinez in the Tarpons 30-7 win over Raymondville.

Progreso’s Norberto Ontiveros rushed for 176 yards on 22 carries and scored both Red Ant TDs in a 27-14 loss to Lyford.

La Feria’s Manny Perez broke the 100-yard barrier for the fifth straight week as the junior rushed for 121 yards on 24 attempts in the Lions’ 30-15 win over Rio Hondo.

Stat corner

Ontiveros continues to lead the district in rushing with 853 yards on 149 carries. Perez has 779 yards, despite playing two less games than Ontiveros.

District 32-3A continues to be a league dominated by rushing. Ochoa leads the league in passing with 480 yards. Six players have more rushing yardage, including Ochoa.

After Ochoa, Lyford’s Adrian Roma is second in passing yardage with 367, followed by Raymondville’s Tommy Wolfe with 357.

Buddy Green can be reached at buddyg@valleystar.com or at 956-430-6284http://www.valleystar.com/images/uploads/buddy_green.gif

[footballgal]

Make way for PI’s big, blue, inflatable helmet

Oct 20, 2004 — A welcomed addition to the pre-game festivities at Port Isabel football games this season is a large, inflatable PI helmet placed in the end zone for the Tarpons to run through as they charge onto the field before kickoff.

PI booster club president Gualberto Gonzalez said the booster club came up with the idea of purchasing the big, blue helmet last year during the playoffs when PI fans noticed a Tarpon opponent using one.

"I think Marlin had one and that’s where we got the idea," said Gonzalez, a 1971 PI graduate who doubles as the Tarpons’ announcer and has been behind the mic for 28 seasons for home games. "The kids seem to love it and that’s what it’s all about."

Gonzalez said the booster club through donations raised money for the helmet. He said that to his knowledge, Port Isabel and San Benito are the only teams in the Valley with inflatable helmets.

There possibly could be another team or two in the Upper Valley with a similar-type helmet, but if not, I predict that before long, they’ll start showing up in the end zones for a lot of South Texas teams.

The PI helmet made its debut in the Tarpons’ 42-7 home victory over Lyford on Oct. 8. Its second appearance came last Friday in Weslaco as the Tarpons downed Raymondville 30-7.

Look for the helmet to be in position at 7:30 p.m. Friday when the Tarpons play host to La Feria in what figures to be the game of the year in District 32-3A this season. PI (6-1 overall) and La Feria (4-1 overall) are tied for the district lead with 3-0 records.

"Since I’ve been in the Valley, La Feria has always had a good defense and it looks like their offense this year is better than it’s been before," PI coach Monty Stumbaugh said. "We know La Feria has a good football team, so it should be a heck of a game.

"For our players, it means doing what they’ve been taught to do and stay focused," he added. "We can’t have a slow start."

PORT ISABEL REPORT

The Tarpons’ 30-7 win over Raymondville was highlighted by senior quarterback Lando Ochoa and senior wide receiver Jose "Butch" Martinez. Ochoa rushed for 151 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown scamper, and threw for two TDs. Martinez caught scoring passes of 8 and 14 yards from Ochoa and returned a punt 69 yards for another score.

Defensive Standouts — Linebackers Frankie Espinosa, Frankie Herrera and Ralph Valdez had 11, 9 and 7 tackles, respectively, against Raymondville. Free safety Sergio "Chino" Lopez also had nine stops. Espinosa had a sack and caused a fumble, while Valdez had also had a sack. Cornerback P.J. Ramos made an interception.

Injury Situation — Running back Johnny "Nitro" Nieto remains "week-to-week" with a calf bruise, Stumbaugh said. Also, running back-cornerback Mark Villarreal suffered a sprained foot against Raymondville and is "week-to-week," the PI coach said. It may be a game-time decision as to whether either of the two play this week, Stumbaugh said.

Next Up — A showdown with La Feria for the district championship or at least a spot in the playoffs has become almost an annual event in 32-3A. It took a 28-14 victory on the road over La Feria last year for the Tarpons to eventually gain a district co-championship with Lyford. La Feria is coming off Friday’s 30-15 win over Rio Hondo.

St Joseph's Report....

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[footballgal]

Tarpons’ O-Line getting the job done

By ROY HESS
The Brownsville Herald
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PORT ISABEL, Oct 20, 2004 — Some football teams have offensive lines with catchy nicknames like "The Hogs," but that’s not the case at Port Isabel.

"The O-Line — that’s all we need to go by," said Abel Woods, a senior tight end for the Tarpons.

Added senior guard Kenny Perez: "We go by O-Line in practice and that’s good enough for us."

The lack of a fancy nickname hasn’t prevented the Tarpon offensive line from coming of age and logging some impressive statistics as the season has progressed.

The Tarpons rank as one of the most productive offenses in the Valley, averaging 360.1 yards per game (291.5 yards rushing and 68.6 yards passing), according to the PI coaching staff’s statistics.

The Tarpons are currently 6-1 on the season and co-leaders in the District 32-3A race with La Feria at 3-0.

PI began the year with only two returning starters in the offensive line — Perez (sr., 5-8, 200), a three-year starter at guard, and Billy Zimmerman (sr., 5-7, 165), a two-year starter at center.

"I think Kenny and I have taken care of the responsibility of getting the O-Line together," Zimmerman said. "We’re doing really well this year, a lot better than most people expected."

Newcomers to starting roles in the line are guard Aaron Garcia (sr., 5-8, 180), tackles Rolando Reyes (sr., 6-2, 240) and Isaiah Garza (sr., 6-0, 212), and tight ends Esteban Delgadillo (jr., 5-11, 225), Frankie Espinosa (jr., 5-8, 180) and Woods (sr., 5-11, 220). Reyes, Garza and Garcia each have some experience in the offensive line from last year.

PI head coach Monty Stumbaugh said he is pleased with the progress his players up front have made.

"Our new starters (in the line) have stepped in and done a good job for us," Stumbaugh said. "We know we’ve got to get better, but we’re happy with the direction we’re headed."

The Tarpons are especially deep at the tight end position, where Delgadillo, Woods and Espinosa take turns in the lineup. Martin Guzman also plays there.

Garcia said the players in the line are comfortable with each now and have an effective communication between one another.

"This year’s line is all seniors except for the tight ends and we’ve all grown up together, so that makes it better," Garcia said.

"We can have anybody in the offensive backfield and we’ll still do our job," he added. "We’ll still get them some yards and make them look good."

The offensive backs appreciate the work done up front. Senior quarterback Lando Ochoa has come up with big plays a number of times so far this season, including an 80-yard touchdown run early in the second half last week that broke the game open and sparked PI to a 30-7 victory over Raymondville.

"The line is really coming around," Ochoa said. "They’re starting to drive off the ball and make some big holes. Once we get through those holes, that’s when we go (for big gainers)."

Added Espinosa: "Our district better watch out because the O-Line’s pretty good."

Perez said the current offensive line compares favorably to the Tarpons’ lines of previous seasons.

"I think we’ve got some guys who are fast, strong and smart as far as knowing all the plays and what to do," he said.

"We’ve got a great offensive line coach in Jake Hofstetter," Perez added. "He stands up for us and he knows how to keep us from letting our heads get too big and things like that."

Zimmerman summed up the feelings of his senior teammates by saying he would like to make this a season to remember.

"It’s been an honor to play for Port Isabel," Zimmerman said. "It’s something you want to do when you grow up as a kid here. Now that it’s my final year, I want to do the best we can and go out on top."

rhess@brownsvilleherald.com