By CONSTANCIO
MARTINEZ, JR.
Special to the PRESS
This past Friday night the Port Isabel Tarpons were on the road again as they took on the Raymondville Bearkats. The matchup was the first district game for both teams and it was a high-competitive matchup. With only four teams in the district, each of the three district games played by the Tarpons is a crucial one. Well at least for playoff seeding purposes, since all four district teams will automatically qualify for the State Playoffs.
The Bearkats opened the game with a kickoff return to their 19-yard line. From there the Kats worked on their ground game as they started to march downfield. Upon approaching midfield, they ran a sweep play, but the runner received a big hit hard causing a fumble. PI’s LB/RB, Jose “Jojo” Ochoa recovered the ball which gave the Tarpons a good field position at the Kats’ 42-yard line.
The Tarpons went on their drive, utilizing six different runners. The Tarpons got to the 1-yard line where they faced a 4th and goal situation. The Tarpons elected to go for it, but their linebacker hit the runner in the backfield for no gain.
From their 1-yard line, the Bearkats’ QB/RB, Hunter Posas, who lined up at the QB spot, broke free for a 38-yard gain. Posas will go on to be a thorn in the Tarpons’ side all night long on both sides of the ball. Then Kats QB Diego Gutierrez had his big gain as he scrambled for 17 yards. The Kats’ drive came to an abrupt stop two plays later as PI’s DB, Anthony Garcia, intercepted the ball.
On the Tarpons’ ensuing drive, PI QB Rudy Barrera led the team down to the Kats’ 5-yard line. PI settled for the field goal and now led 3-0 with 9:01 showing in the second quarter. The drive was highlighted by Barrera running as he picked up 30 yards on three carries.
The Kats started their next drive with a 19-yard run by RB Posas. A personal foul tacked by PI on the play moved the Kats to the Tarpons’ 33-yard line. Posas stayed at QB for most of the drive, making plays on the ground and through the air. Posas eventually plunged in from two yards out for the Kats’ first touchdown. A missed extra point kick made it 6-3 in favor of Raymondville.
PI’s return man, Luis Ramos, had a big 41-yard return to the Kats’ 47-yard line. The Tarpons then started to build momentum off an 11-yard keeper by Barrera and a 12-yard run by RB Cross Martinez. A few plays later, RB Ramos got into the endzone on a sweep play with just 47 seconds left in the first half as the Tarpons headed into the locker room with a 10-6 lead.
Second-half defensive adjustments were paying off as each team was forced to punt. From their 48-yard line, the Bearkats elected to go for it on a 4th and 1, but they were stopped by the “Seawall Defense”. With a good field position, the Tarpons started to move the ball. Facing a 3rd and 2, the Tarpons got called for a false start penalty. The PI head coach got into a heated discussion with an official and was penalized for an unsportsmanlike penalty which put the Tarpons in a 3rd and 22 situation. The Tarpons then tried a halfback pass, but it was incomplete.
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