footballgal
11-12-2005, 01:56 AM
Tarpons keep tradition alive.
By MIKE GONZALEZ
The Brownsville Herald
KINGSVILLE, November 12, 2005 — It’s funny what tradition can do.
Coming in as the third team out of District 32-3A with an under .500 record overall, a playoff run seemed bleak.
On Friday night, Port Isabel proved its tradition is still standing and will be around for a while as the Tarpons crushed Corpus Christi West Oso 41-14 in the Class 3A Division II bi-district round at Javelina Stadium in Kingsville.
With the victory, Port Isabel has now captured its fifth straight bi-district victory. Earlier in the season, the Tarpons found themselves 0-5, but all that is now a distant memory.
“Everybody doubted us and now look where we’re at,” said running back Marky Villarreal.
The Tarpons (5-6 overall) now face Devine at a time, date and place to be determined.
Other than that, it was all PI right from the get go.
The 1-2 punch of Villarreal (11 carries, 110 yards, TD) and Ralph Valdez (seven carries, 98 yards and TD) carried the load on the ground.
The traditional ‘Seawall Defense’ was brutal as it forced two turnovers, which both led to touchdowns and sacked West Oso (6-4) quarterbacks P.J. Lopez, Oscar Torres and Dominique Whitehead a combined total of five times.
Port Isabel head coach Monty Stumbaugh preached turning it on in the postseason, and the message was heard loud and clear.
“We came ready to play,” Stumbaugh said. “The kids played hard, and that’s that we had to do.”
The Tarpons set the tempo in the first drive of the game. Port Isabel went 70 yards on nine plays culminated by Carr Grienier’s 13-yard play action pass to Villarreal in the flat for a quick 7-0 lead.
On the drive, Grienier (5-of-7, 124 yards, 2 TDs) was a perfect 3-of-3 and the Tarpons even had a successful fourth-and-two play from the Bears 41-yard line.
“We had nothing to lose,” Stumbaugh said. “I felt like we could get (the fourth-and-two), and the kids did a good job of getting it.”
The call may have perhaps set the tempo for the rest of the way as the Tarpons never looked back. On the second drive, Valdez put the Tarpons up 14-0 on an 84-yard touchdown run on a draw play up the middle. One defender had a crack at him at the West Oso 30 but Valdez was able to escape.
Then, the Seawall went to work. Still in the first quarter, on a third and 17 play, linebacker Frankie Espinosa stepped up as he hammered Lopez from the blind side forcing him to lose the ball.
The ball was then picked up by defensive end Raul Villarreal for a 49-yard touchdown to give PI a 20-0 lead with 1:21 left in the period.
Espinosa later scored on a 14-yard interception in the third quarter to put the game out of reach. In the second quarter, Port Isabel added one more score as Grienier connected with wide receiver Manuel Gonzales for a 76-yard touchdown to give the Tarpons a 28-0 lead with Grienier’s two-point conversion.
West Oso was led by tight end Jose Lopez, who ended the game with five receptions, 93 yards in both Bears’ touchdowns.
Espinosa felt the playoff atmosphere brought the best out of his team on Friday.
“The outlook in the game was totally different,” Espinosa said. “The focus was there.”
By MIKE GONZALEZ
The Brownsville Herald
KINGSVILLE, November 12, 2005 — It’s funny what tradition can do.
Coming in as the third team out of District 32-3A with an under .500 record overall, a playoff run seemed bleak.
On Friday night, Port Isabel proved its tradition is still standing and will be around for a while as the Tarpons crushed Corpus Christi West Oso 41-14 in the Class 3A Division II bi-district round at Javelina Stadium in Kingsville.
With the victory, Port Isabel has now captured its fifth straight bi-district victory. Earlier in the season, the Tarpons found themselves 0-5, but all that is now a distant memory.
“Everybody doubted us and now look where we’re at,” said running back Marky Villarreal.
The Tarpons (5-6 overall) now face Devine at a time, date and place to be determined.
Other than that, it was all PI right from the get go.
The 1-2 punch of Villarreal (11 carries, 110 yards, TD) and Ralph Valdez (seven carries, 98 yards and TD) carried the load on the ground.
The traditional ‘Seawall Defense’ was brutal as it forced two turnovers, which both led to touchdowns and sacked West Oso (6-4) quarterbacks P.J. Lopez, Oscar Torres and Dominique Whitehead a combined total of five times.
Port Isabel head coach Monty Stumbaugh preached turning it on in the postseason, and the message was heard loud and clear.
“We came ready to play,” Stumbaugh said. “The kids played hard, and that’s that we had to do.”
The Tarpons set the tempo in the first drive of the game. Port Isabel went 70 yards on nine plays culminated by Carr Grienier’s 13-yard play action pass to Villarreal in the flat for a quick 7-0 lead.
On the drive, Grienier (5-of-7, 124 yards, 2 TDs) was a perfect 3-of-3 and the Tarpons even had a successful fourth-and-two play from the Bears 41-yard line.
“We had nothing to lose,” Stumbaugh said. “I felt like we could get (the fourth-and-two), and the kids did a good job of getting it.”
The call may have perhaps set the tempo for the rest of the way as the Tarpons never looked back. On the second drive, Valdez put the Tarpons up 14-0 on an 84-yard touchdown run on a draw play up the middle. One defender had a crack at him at the West Oso 30 but Valdez was able to escape.
Then, the Seawall went to work. Still in the first quarter, on a third and 17 play, linebacker Frankie Espinosa stepped up as he hammered Lopez from the blind side forcing him to lose the ball.
The ball was then picked up by defensive end Raul Villarreal for a 49-yard touchdown to give PI a 20-0 lead with 1:21 left in the period.
Espinosa later scored on a 14-yard interception in the third quarter to put the game out of reach. In the second quarter, Port Isabel added one more score as Grienier connected with wide receiver Manuel Gonzales for a 76-yard touchdown to give the Tarpons a 28-0 lead with Grienier’s two-point conversion.
West Oso was led by tight end Jose Lopez, who ended the game with five receptions, 93 yards in both Bears’ touchdowns.
Espinosa felt the playoff atmosphere brought the best out of his team on Friday.
“The outlook in the game was totally different,” Espinosa said. “The focus was there.”