32-AAA District Champs -PI Tarpons!

[footballgal]

Congratulations Tarpons on a well-deserved Championship!

Here it is PIs regular season in a nutshell;
Port Isabel
Tarpons
Port Isabel
District: 32 Region: IV Class: 3A
Colors: Royal Blue, White
Head Coach: Monty Stumbaugh
Overall: 8-2-0, 0.800
(Sub)Region: 4-0-0, 1.000
Power Rating: 101.99



Date Opponent Site Score
09/01/2006 @ Edcouch-Elsa (32-4A) lost: 7-49
09/08/2006 Raymondville (31-3A) lost: 34-42
09/15/2006 Corpus Christi West Oso (30-3A) won: 27-19
09/22/2006 @ Pharr Valley View (32-4A) won: 49-3
09/29/2006 Coahuila (MX) won: 41-6
10/06/2006 @ Zapata (31-3A) won: 24-0
10/13/2006 La Feria (32-3A) won: 21-12
10/20/2006 @ Progreso (32-3A) won: 30-8
10/27/2006 Hidalgo (32-3A) won: 43-16
11/03/2006 @ Rio Hondo (32-3A) won: 28-21

[footballgal]

CHAMPIONS

Tarpons show Bobcats that tradition runs deep


Joe Hermosa/Valley Morning Star
http://www.valleymorningstar.com/content/articles/2006/11/04/sports/sports1.jpg
http://epaper.valleystar.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=VMS/2006/11/04/17/Img/Pc0170800.jpg
Port Isabel running back Nolan Nunez runs the ball past a Rio Hondo defender in the first quarter Friday at Bobcat Stadium.
By ARMANDO GARZA
armandog@valleystar.com
956-421-9874

RIO HONDO - For the Port Isabel Tarpons, revenge is certainly sweet.

Tarpons' coach Monty Stumbaugh told his team if they wanted the District 32-3A championship back, they'd have to get it where they lost it last season.

Thanks to Friday's 28-21 win over Rio Hondo (2-1 district, 8-1 overall) at Bobcat Stadium, the Tarpons (4-0, 8-2) are indeed the champs once again.

"They were the champs and they played like champs," Stumbaugh said of Rio Hondo. "We had to beat them and we knew it was gonna be hard.


"It could've gone either way; It was a hard-fought football game," Stumbaugh continued. "They're a good football team. We beat a good football team."

After losing 21-20 to Rio Hondo last year, the Tarpons played good ol' fashioned PI football in dealing the Bobcats, ranked No. 3 by the Valley Morning Star this week, their first regular season loss since Week Two of last season.

PI rumbled for 274 yards rushing against Rio Hondo's top-ranked defense and totaled 360 hard-earned yards of offense. The 28 points was double the previous high-point total against Rio Hondo this season.

"We thought we could move the football on them," Stumbaugh said. "I didn't know if we could stop them (Rio Hondo), but we could move it."

"They (Port Isabel) did what they had to do and they came in here and beat us," said Rio Hondo coach Gus Cavazos. "Obviously, we're not gonna cry over spilled milk and we're not gonna make excuses.

"Just like they gave us respect last year when we won it, we're gonna give them respect."



The win did not come easy for Port Isabel, ranked No. 8 by the VMS, though it got off to a rousing start.

After Rio Hondo turned it over on downs after a 13-play drive to open the game, a drive that saw running back Robbie Mesa go down with an injury, the Tarps did not take long to score.

On the first play from scrimmage from their own 20, tailback Nolan Nuñez took a handoff and raced past the Bobcats for an 80-yard TD run. Fernando Galvez added the point after for a 7-0 lead.

"We didn't wrap up and we gave up that long run," Cavazos said.

A fumble by Rio Hondo's Joshua Rodriguez gave it right back to PI at point-blank range, however Tarpon QB David Alaniz was intercepted in the end zone by the Bobcats' Joseph Vela to thwart the scoring chance.

With momentum after the pick, the Bobcats tied the game on a 2-yard run by Aaron Garza. Eric Gantt's PAT tied it at 7 with 10:42 left in the second quarter.



The Cats took their only lead of the game on their next possession, a seven-play, 92-yard drive that ended on a 20-yard TD by Garza after a pretty fake.

However, down 14-7, Port Isabel did not falter.

Alaniz hit Nuñez on a 45-yard pass play, to set up the tying score, but Galvez missed the PAT to keep it 14-13 in favor of the Bobcats.

Right before half, the Tarpons made their move with another long pass play, this time a 24-yard pass to Jonathan Hernandez. Alaniz hit Ruben Lopez for the two-point conversion to make it 21-14 PI.

After intermission, Nuñez was at it again, finishing the half's opening drive with a 7-yard run to push it to 28-21 Tarpons.

Nuñez ended the night with 145 yards rushing and the two TDs on 10 carries plus the receiving score.

The Bobcats came right back, with a hobbled, determined Mesa dashing 47 yards to set up the Cats at the PI 7. However, Mesa aggravated the injury and came out of the game. He finished the night with 63 yards rushing on seven carries. Afterward, Cavazos did not know the severity of Mesa's injury and said he would be evaluated.

"With Mesa hurting his leg (and still playing), he's a gamer," Stumbaugh said.

Facing fourth-and-goal, Garza hit Joshua Perez from nine yards out to make it 28-21, the final margin.

Later in the fourth, Rio Hondo had a chance to tie the game. On fourth-and-22 from its own 38-yard line, Garza hit Vela (five catches, 92 yards) on a sideline route for 35 yards. That play set up Rio Hondo with a fresh set of downs on the PI 27. But the drive ended after Garza got three yards on a fourth-and-five to end the game.

"It just came up a little short," Cavazos said of the call. "In football, you're gonna have that. It's the last play of the game, and it's gonna be questioned, but I have trust in my kids and my staff."

"That was a big stop," Stumbaugh said. "The kids left it on the field."

Port Isabel is off next week and will get ready to meet Lyford in the bi-district round of the playoffs. Rio Hondo is also in the playoffs and will likely face Raymondville.

[FormerBellvilleBrahma]

Was rio hondo in the top 10?

[11TARPON]

#11 I think.

[SintonFan_inAustin]

didnt one of the Rio hondo rb jump over a PI defender while on the run, thought it went for a TD saw it on the Fox hs Scoreboard show.

[TarponFanInNorthTexas]

Originally posted by FormerBellvilleBrahma
Was rio hondo in the top 10?

They weren't in the Top 10, but they were first in the "others receiving votes", which I guess means they were #11 in the AP poll. :D

[footballgal]

Originally posted by SintonFan_inAustin
didnt one of the Rio hondo rb jump over a PI defender while on the run, thought it went for a TD saw it on the Fox hs Scoreboard show.
Nope, I saw that, I can't remember the school, but I know it was a 5A school.

[Old Tiger]

congrats