By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR.
Special to the PRESS
2017 Port Isabel High School alumnus, Joseph Torres, just finished up his first season playing semi-pro football for the Tomball Bobcats. During his time at PIHS, Torres participated and competed in Band, Football, and Track & Field.
He was also a member of the National Honor Society and student council.
Playing the bass drum for the Silver Tarpon Band, Torres helped the group reach the UIL state Marching Contest for the ninth consecutive season, a RGV record at the time.
As a senior offensive tackle for the 2016 PI Tarpons, Torres helped the team finish with a 9-2 overall record and clinch a share of the district championship. A key lineman for the team, he was part of a formidable offensive line that helped produce a 2,000-yard rusher in QB, Omar Silva- a feat which only occurred once in the prior 67 years of PI football.
Current Defensive Coordinator, Barbarena III, remembers Torres fondly, “Ian was a very committed kid that would always set his goals and worked hard to accomplish them in football and in track,” said Barbarena III.
Torres is said to have also been a helpful individual when the coaches needed feedback: “He was a very smart kid on the football field and helped out a lot, giving feedback from the field to the coaches while making adjustments.”
In his last season of HS track, Torres finished 7th in the 4A State Meet with a Shot Put throw of 49-11.75”.
After graduating from PIHS, Torres went on to study at the University of Houston via a Track & Field Scholarship. He went on to graduate in May 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Power Engineering Technology and is currently employed with Powell Industries in Houston as a Senior Electrical Engineer.
After college, Torres wanted to remain active and “thought to myself that I got a good amount left in the tank”, so he started looking into intramural sports to participate in. He ended up contacting some local semi-pro football teams.
The Tomball Bobcats, an amateur football club, offered him a tryout, and they liked what they saw and gave him a contract.
The 2025 Bobcats made the Minor League Owner’s Football Alliance (MOFA) playoffs, where they soundly defeated their round one playoff opponent, the “H-Town Panthers” 34-6, but fell in the second round via a 13-12 loss to the “713 Cardinals”.
“I only played half a season due to joining late. But I felt like I was seen as a valuable rotational piece in the Tomball Bobcats’ defense. If you know anything about me, you know that football was one of my favorite sports to play coming out of Port Isabel High School.” Said Torres.
Living the bachelor’s life, Torres spends his time working out, exploring Houston, and, when time permits, going fishing in Galveston during his time off from work.
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