footballgal
09-08-2007, 01:37 AM
I nominate Nolan Nunez
Tarps deny Leal milestone victory
By PAUL CONATZER/Valley Morning Star
http://admin.onset.freedom.com/pictures/rgvsports/1189231235-raymondvillevstarpons2.jpg
Sep 8, 2007 12:56 am
RAYMONDVILLE — With all the focus on Alex Leal and his chance for the 200th win of his career, nobody talked too much about the Port Isabel offensive line.
Then again, nobody talks too much about offensive lines.
So, the Tarpons’ O-line made a statement as PI made Leal wait another week for his milestone by turning in 357 rushing yards in a 37-13 romp over Raymondville in a non-district game on Friday night at Burnett Stadium in Raymondville.
“They’re offensive line is great,” said Leal. “They are big and strong and got off the ball quickly."
PI tailback Nolan Nunez took full advantage of the big holes by rushing for 184 yards and two touchdowns (34, 25) on 16 carries in three quarters of action.
Port Isabel head coach Monty Stumbaugh was full of praise for his offensive line: Ryan Garcia (center); Alex Betancourt and Josue Medina (guards); tackles Jonathan Bodden and Danny Cisneros and tight end Derick Schrank.
“We came off the ball really well,” he said. “Everybody knows what we are going to do, we are going to run the ball and our offensive line dominated and we were able to do that.”
PI (1-1) took the opening kickoff and did the very thing Leal was afraid of — put together a clock-eating, ground-pounding scoring drive to open the game. After a touchback on the opening kickoff gave the Tarpons the ball on their own 20, PI did what everybody knew they were going to do — run the ball.
Eleven plays and 6:05 later, Diego Garcia slammed in from the two to give PI a 7-0 lead with 5:55 left in the first quarter after the conversion.
Garcia finished with 63 yards and two scores on seven carries. He added a 17-yard jaunt in the third quarter. The Tarpons opening drive set the tone for the game as PI the ball on 10 of the drive’s 11 plays.
“That’s something we just didn’t want to happen,” said Leal.
Raymondville did answer PI’s opening score with a quick score of its own as Raul Salinas threw a six-yard touchdown pass to TE Mark Birkelbach to even the score at 7-7 with 1:58 left in the first quarter. The score was set up by a 56-yard pass from Salinas to Raul Pena. Salinas finished the night 4-of-6 for 66 yards with the one touchdown and no interceptions.
The Tarpons answered quickly as David Alaniz hit 45-yard scoring pass to Dustin Maddox with 9:22 left in the first half. Maddox made a good adjustment to come back and get the ball and then was able to turn quickly and beat the Raymondville secondary into the end zone.
Alaniz, who finished the game 5-of-8 for 95 yards and the one score, completed all three passes he threw in the drive for 75 yards to give PI the lead for good at 14-7.
The PI defense stepped up, holding Raymondville to a three-and-out and taking over at the Raymondville 35 after a short punt.
Nunez then put the game on ice as he took the handoff on first down and went 35 yards for the score and it was 21-7 with 7:11 left in the first half and that’s how the half finished.
“That Nunez keeps going and going,” Leal said. “He’s fast and a good back.”
Stumbaugh said that Nunez is running harder this season then he did last season.
“Nolan and all the backs are getting extra yards after they are getting hit,” he said.
It was more of the same in the second half as the Tarpons’ pounded the ball and Raymondville had trouble moving the ball.
“Our defense did a pretty good job,” said Stumbaugh. Raymondville finished with 144 yards total offense with 78 yards on the ground and 66 in the air.
If Raymondville had any chance of getting back in the game it ended when it lost a fumble on its own 24 and Nunez scored his second touchdown on the ensuing play to make it 27-7 with 7:56 left in the third quarter.
PI rounded out the scoring with Garcia’s second run and an 18-yard field goal from Gustavo Reyna.
The Bearkats (1-1) added a late touchdown from Orly Mesa (six carries for 74 yards) on a 27-yard run.
Raymondville will travel to Brownsville to play St. Joseph next week; Port Isabel will travel to Corpus Christi West Oso.
http://www.rgvsports.com/articles/yards_432___article.xml/raymondville_ball.html
Tarps deny Leal milestone victory
By PAUL CONATZER/Valley Morning Star
http://admin.onset.freedom.com/pictures/rgvsports/1189231235-raymondvillevstarpons2.jpg
Sep 8, 2007 12:56 am
RAYMONDVILLE — With all the focus on Alex Leal and his chance for the 200th win of his career, nobody talked too much about the Port Isabel offensive line.
Then again, nobody talks too much about offensive lines.
So, the Tarpons’ O-line made a statement as PI made Leal wait another week for his milestone by turning in 357 rushing yards in a 37-13 romp over Raymondville in a non-district game on Friday night at Burnett Stadium in Raymondville.
“They’re offensive line is great,” said Leal. “They are big and strong and got off the ball quickly."
PI tailback Nolan Nunez took full advantage of the big holes by rushing for 184 yards and two touchdowns (34, 25) on 16 carries in three quarters of action.
Port Isabel head coach Monty Stumbaugh was full of praise for his offensive line: Ryan Garcia (center); Alex Betancourt and Josue Medina (guards); tackles Jonathan Bodden and Danny Cisneros and tight end Derick Schrank.
“We came off the ball really well,” he said. “Everybody knows what we are going to do, we are going to run the ball and our offensive line dominated and we were able to do that.”
PI (1-1) took the opening kickoff and did the very thing Leal was afraid of — put together a clock-eating, ground-pounding scoring drive to open the game. After a touchback on the opening kickoff gave the Tarpons the ball on their own 20, PI did what everybody knew they were going to do — run the ball.
Eleven plays and 6:05 later, Diego Garcia slammed in from the two to give PI a 7-0 lead with 5:55 left in the first quarter after the conversion.
Garcia finished with 63 yards and two scores on seven carries. He added a 17-yard jaunt in the third quarter. The Tarpons opening drive set the tone for the game as PI the ball on 10 of the drive’s 11 plays.
“That’s something we just didn’t want to happen,” said Leal.
Raymondville did answer PI’s opening score with a quick score of its own as Raul Salinas threw a six-yard touchdown pass to TE Mark Birkelbach to even the score at 7-7 with 1:58 left in the first quarter. The score was set up by a 56-yard pass from Salinas to Raul Pena. Salinas finished the night 4-of-6 for 66 yards with the one touchdown and no interceptions.
The Tarpons answered quickly as David Alaniz hit 45-yard scoring pass to Dustin Maddox with 9:22 left in the first half. Maddox made a good adjustment to come back and get the ball and then was able to turn quickly and beat the Raymondville secondary into the end zone.
Alaniz, who finished the game 5-of-8 for 95 yards and the one score, completed all three passes he threw in the drive for 75 yards to give PI the lead for good at 14-7.
The PI defense stepped up, holding Raymondville to a three-and-out and taking over at the Raymondville 35 after a short punt.
Nunez then put the game on ice as he took the handoff on first down and went 35 yards for the score and it was 21-7 with 7:11 left in the first half and that’s how the half finished.
“That Nunez keeps going and going,” Leal said. “He’s fast and a good back.”
Stumbaugh said that Nunez is running harder this season then he did last season.
“Nolan and all the backs are getting extra yards after they are getting hit,” he said.
It was more of the same in the second half as the Tarpons’ pounded the ball and Raymondville had trouble moving the ball.
“Our defense did a pretty good job,” said Stumbaugh. Raymondville finished with 144 yards total offense with 78 yards on the ground and 66 in the air.
If Raymondville had any chance of getting back in the game it ended when it lost a fumble on its own 24 and Nunez scored his second touchdown on the ensuing play to make it 27-7 with 7:56 left in the third quarter.
PI rounded out the scoring with Garcia’s second run and an 18-yard field goal from Gustavo Reyna.
The Bearkats (1-1) added a late touchdown from Orly Mesa (six carries for 74 yards) on a 27-yard run.
Raymondville will travel to Brownsville to play St. Joseph next week; Port Isabel will travel to Corpus Christi West Oso.
http://www.rgvsports.com/articles/yards_432___article.xml/raymondville_ball.html