Region IV Game of the Week (4): Rio Hondo @ Raymondville

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by Ray_BearKat
For Region IV I nominate Raymondville (3-1) vs Rio Hondo (4-0)...we don't get much attention down here but of the Valley 3A games this one is definitely on everyones radar.


Raymondville is a very young team that has found a lot of success using their passing game...Rio Hondo is the team to beat in the 32-3A, but many say they haven't been tested yet. I'm hoping my boys are team to do just that.

I can speak only for my team but our new coach has definitely lit a spark under these kids...
:kiss:

Valley folks - please share any info about these 2006 teams. :)

[big daddy russ]

I've been saying Rio Hondo would be good since last year. They gave us (Ingleside) all we wanted and more in the second round of last year's playoffs, then returned most of their studs. The score in that game didn't represent how close it really was.

I don't know much about Raymondville, but they seem to be making some noise down in the Valley. May be one of the surprise teams come November.

Still, from what I've heard the Bearcats are young. I think this'll be one of those games that prepares them for the playoffs, but I'm going with RH's experience in this one.

[big daddy russ]

Here's (http://bbs.3adownlow.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37834&highlight=ingleside+hondo) the RH/Ingleside game thread from last year. It'll give you a basic idea of the way RH plays the game.

[Old Tiger]

Raymondville as the upset special of the week.

[Bull Butter]

Rio Hondo is too strong for the Bearkats

[footballgal]

This will be a very interesting game to keep an eye on, with possible bi-district rematch implications. Rio Hondo right now is the team to beat in 32-AAA and like Big Daddy Russ mentioned, they have almost everybody coming back and are poised to repeat, unless my beloved Tarpons have something to say about it, as do the Hidalgo Pirates and the always-defensive strong team the La Feria Lions. Rio Hondo currently #3 in the RGV polls (all classifications) this will hopefully, be a good test for both teams, but I don’t know that Raymondville is ready for Rio Hondo this early in the season. I for one I am glad the Tarpons don’ t play them until week 9, the final regular & final district game of the season, for the Tarpons.

[11TARPON]

The Bobcats are better on paper and should win. RH 28 Ray 14

[Cats Fan]

well, as opposed to last years team, Rio Hondo has a well balanced attack. Although they will go at you through the ground, they have a QB that can air it out in Aaron Garza and some good receivers that can pull the ball down.

Of course, the defense will be key in all games, and Rio Hondo has one of the top defenses in the valley. They have allowed what, 14 points in their first four games...i think 3 shut outs if Im not mistaken.

While some may say that Rio Hondo has not played anyone yet, they did beat Weslaco East (4A) 28-14, Lyford (31-3A) by over 40, Valley View (4A) by over 50 and Roma (4A) by 40.

Just so you all can compare with some other teams that have played 4A Roma, Fal barely beat them by a few points, Zapata lost to them in a good game, I think in both of those games the margin of victory was just one possession, and even then the score was under 20 points.

Dont know much about Raymondville right now except that they should contend for the district title with Zapata, they've played a scrappy Progreso team, beat up on Port Isabel, beat up on Brownsville St. Joseph and lost on a trick play to Premont in the final seconds.

This game should be very interesting, and will tell where these two teams stand. A victory by Rio Hondo could boost their confidence as they get geared up for district and it can be used as a good measuring stick to see where they need improvement.

This should be a good game between two old district rivals, lets just hope for a good game and that the best cat wins.....I'll take Rio Hondo by no less than 21.

[Cats Fan]

here are some links of interest for y'all:


Rio Hondo 40, Roma 0 (http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/sports_comments.php?id=72878_0_9_0_C)

Rio Hondo 55, Valley View 0 (http://www.valleystar.com/sports//7_saturday/)

Bearkats vs Port Isabel (http://www.valleystar.com/articles/2006/09/25/sports/7_saturday/sports5.txt)


just some info so you all can catch up on these two teams

[Ray_BearKat]

I have to agree Rio Hondo is better on paper...I hope my boys are up for the challenge...i mean very few people gave us a chance against PI earlier this season and the boys stepped it up.

Good luck to both teams....

[TarponFanInNorthTexas]

I will admit, that loss to Premont was a bit deceiving. Did Raymondville just have a REALLY bad game that night?

[Ray_BearKat]

Originally posted by TarponFanInNorthTexas
I will admit, that loss to Premont was a bit deceiving. Did Raymondville just have a REALLY bad game that night?

Yeah, they just couldn't get things going the whole game, night and day really from that game to the PI game...and they lost it in the last second of the game.

[Ray_BearKat]

The Battle at Burnett
Former district foes geared up for Cat/Kat Fight
by: Armando Garza

Raymondville - When the schedule for the 2006 season were released in the spring, the matchup featuring Rio Hondo and Raymondville may not have jumped up at anyone. After all, the Bearkats were 1-8 last season and Rio Hondo, ranked third in this weeks Valley Morning Star Top 10 poll, went 8-1, won the 32-3A district title and ventured into the Area round of the state playoffs.

Fast foward to the present.

Veteran coach Alex Leal took the helm at Raymondville, and the Bearkats have played solid football, starting out 3-1 in non-district. The Bearkats moved over to District 31-3A in the offseason and Leal said his team is getting better each week. "Were starting to walk," Leal said. "We started crawling, and we went to a walk and we're a long ways from startin to run. But we're progressing."

Rio Hondo is 4-0 and has blown out Lyford (48-7), Valley View (55-0) and Roma (40-0) after getting by Weslaco East 28-14 in Week Zero. Bobcats coach Gus Cavazos said tonight's game with Raymondville will be a big one for both teams. "I think it's gonna ba a playoff atmosphere game," Cavazos said. "It's going to be a good game and it's going to be a great test for both of us."

Leal said facing a Rio Hondo team on such a roll will challenge his club. "They've been running rough-shod over everybody," Leal said. "Definitely, it's a big test for us." The Bearkats pulled away from Progreso last week 29-6 on the road, and are lookin for their fourth consecutive win. For the game against Progreso, Raymondville allowed 177 total yards, zero through the air. The Bearkats finished with 237 total yards and big plays secured their win over the Red Ants. After allowing a touchdown to Progreso's Norberto Ontiveros, Raymondville's Dustin Alejo answered right back with a 94-yard kickoff return to tie the game 6-6. Quarterback Carlo Dominguez accounted for two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) and totaled 134 yards. His 39-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter iced the game for the Bearkats. Dominguez is a dual threat out of the backfield, evident by his 498 yards passing on the year along with 261 on the ground. According to Cavazos, the numbers speak for themselves.

"He's a good kid, a good athelete," Cavazos said. "He's a track star, so we know he's got a lot of speed." "He's not gonna be shy," Cavazos continued. " He's not real fancy, but he's real good at what he does and we need to respect that." Rio Hondo has some threats of its own in running back Robbie Mesa and quarterback Aaron Garza. Mesa, 32-3A's leading rusher, has tallied 650 yards in four games. He also leads the conference in scoring, notching 12 TDs to date. He had four last week against Roma. Garza, meanwhile, does a lot more than just hand the ball to Mesa. The senior QB has 383 yards of his own on the ground, with seven touchdowns. Through the air, Garza adds anouther 341 yards and two scores.

Leal said slowing down the Bobcat running attack will be key for Raymondville. "We've got to do a great job of slowing them down; I don't think we can stop them," Leal said. "If we can slow them down, that wouldbe a big victory for us."

The Bobcats are solid on defense as well. Through four games, they boast 32-3A's top unit at 203 yards per game. Because of the big wins for the Bobcats, Cavazos said its tough to gauge how prepared his team is for district play, which starts in two weeks. The tilt with Raymondville will help that process. " I think after this game, we'll have a great idea of where we're at," Cavazos said.

Meanwhile, Leal said while every game is important, preparing for district play in two weeks is the biggest concern. "We're looking forward to thee challenge," Leal said. "I just want for our kids to get out there and perform and do well."

Game time is set for 7:30 in Raymondville

[gobbler grad]

Rio Hondo wins this hands down...:)

[Ray_BearKat]

Originally posted by gobbler grad
Rio Hondo wins this hands down...:)

Well at least we have a shot...seven people seem to think we can pull through:(

[KingRob]

Don't know much about Rio, but they are winning, and that's a good thing...

[Ray_BearKat]

just got back from the game...Rio Hondo 47 - Raymondville 7.

this was actually a close game till the 4th quarter when the Bobcats really capitalized on Raymondville's mistakes. The boys really let those mistakes get under their skin...almost half of RH's points were scored in the last bit of the 3rd and the 4th quarters.

[footballgal]

Congrat Ozzy for a good game, Bearkats just have to build on this game and work on the mistakes.


BTW, I nominate as of now, PI vs La Feria as Region IV game of the week; first district game on Oct. 13, 2006. La Feria will come in at (4-0) and PI (3-2) on a three game winning streak 29-17 vs West Oso, 49-3 against Pharr Valley View and 41-3 vs Coahuila MX. Right off the bat, this will be a Big, BIG game, to start district play. Next week La Feria is Open and PI plays Zapata in Zapata.

[SintonFan]

Originally posted by footballgal
Congrat Ozzy for a good game, Bearkats just have to build on this game and work on the mistakes.


BTW, I nominate as of now, PI vs La Feria as Region IV game of the week; first district game on Oct. 13, 2006. La Feria will come in at 4-0 and PI on a two game winning streak 49-3 against Pharr Valley View and 41-3 vs Coahuila MX. Right off the bat, this will be a Big, BIG game, to start district play. Next week La Feria is Open and PI plays Zapata in Zapata.
.
Zapata was killed by Ingleside tonight 53-14. You guys shouldn't have any problem with them.:)

[footballgal]

Originally posted by SintonFan
.
Zapata was killed by Ingleside tonight 53-14. You guys shouldn't have any problem with them.:)
Yeah it appears the Hawks are a little down this year.

[footballgal]

I just noticed on the schedule that Raymondville plays Hidalgo Pirates next week. That should be another interesting game to watch Bearkat.

[SintonFan]

Originally posted by footballgal
Yeah it appears the Hawks are a little down this year.
.
I think the Mustangs are more up than anything. I still see you guys taking it to the Hawks by 20+
or so.:)

[footballgal]

Originally posted by SintonFan
.
I think the Mustangs are more up than anything. I still see you guys taking it to the Hawks by 20+
or so.:)

Yeah that's for sure, Mustangs are rolling.

[Ray_BearKat]

yeah we're at Hidalgo next week...here's what the VMS had to say about last nights game.

Passing the test

Bobcats continue their dominating ways

Lynn Hermosa/Valley Morning Star

By JOE PRITCHETT
Star correspondent

RAYMONDVILLE - After three straight blowout wins and four consecutive victories to start the 2006 season, the Rio Hondo Bobcats were expecting a test from the Raymondville Bearkats Friday night.

And while the final score may not indicate it, the Bobcats took control of a close game in the second half and finished with a resounding 42-7 victory at Burnett Stadium.

"I was real pleased with our performance in the second half," said Rio Hondo coach Gus Cavazos. "We made some adjustments at halftime and just wore them down. It was a good test for us."

The Bobcats (5-0) led 14-7 at halftime, and only 21-7 late in the third quarter as the Bearkats were driving inside the Rio Hondo 20. That's when the Bobcats recovered a fumble by Joel Reta at their own 15.


From there, the Bobcats broke the game open with three touchdowns and a safety to close out the victory. Quarterback Aaron Garza finished with 15 carries for 147 yards and three touchdowns, and star running back Robbie Mesa countered with 17 carries for 179 yards and three touchdowns.

Most of Mesa's yards came on three big plays - a 25-yard scamper in the first half followed by a 64-yard scoring romp and a 58-yard run in the second half.

"We played the way we were supposed to in the first half," said Bearkats coach Alex Leal. "In the second half we were against the wind, and Rio Hondo is a good football team. You can't make mistakes against them."

Four Bearkat turnovers were critical in the final outcome, including two fumbles and two interceptions. The Bobcats did not commit a turnover.

"We'll regroup," Leal continued. "Today we stumbled on a rock in the road and we learned some lessons. These guys have no quit and we'll come back. We're a learning football team."

Rio Hondo finished with 390 total yards, 387 coming on the ground on 40 carries. Raymondville was held to 214 total yards, with almost an even split between rushing (105) and passing (109).



The Bobcats' defense took control of the game in the second half, limiting the Bearkats to 97 total yards while forcing three turnovers. Raymondville quarterback Carlo Dominguez, who finished 11-of-18 passing for 109 yards and two interceptions, was constantly harassed all night long. Rio Hondo registered four sacks for 30 yards, two coming by linebacker Eric Gantt.

In the first half, Rio Hondo scored first on a 15-yard run by Garza, but Raymondville followed with a 1-yard run by Dominguez to go up 7-6 after a 10-play, 58-yard drive. The Bobcats took the lead at halftime on a 2-yard run by Mesa to cap a six-play, 67-yard drive. Mesa added a two-point conversion run.

In the second half, Garza had scoring runs of 45 yards and one yard, and Mesa added scoring runs of 64 yards and two yards. The Bobcats had 236 total yards in the second half. Garza finished 2-of-3 passing for three yards.

Andrew Hernandez led the Bearkats with 56 yards rushing on 10 carries, 42 coming on his final carry in the second half. Dominguez finished with 43 yards rushing on 16 carries.