Pharr, Tx. – The Port Isabel Tarpons discovered the win column in dominant fashion Friday evening, routing the Valley View Tigers 63-6 on the road. From the opening kickoff, Port Isabel (1-2) controlled all phases of the ballgame and the line of scrimmage, positive signs for the young team as it continues to find its footing.
A handful of solid performances allowed the Tarpons to pull away early and never look back. PI’s offense totaled over 550 yards, with 500 coming on the ground and six different players scoring touchdowns. It was a total team effort by the Tarpons as they looked to put a sour tasting 0-2 record behind them.
After quickly forcing the Tigers (0-3) to punt on its first drive, the Tarpons took the ball over at midfield. On the second play from scrimmage, running back Luis Ramos took a handoff to the right side and sprinted past the defense untouched for a 46-yard touchdown. Kicker Luis Ulloa (9-9 PAT’s) sent his first of nine Point After Attempts sailing through the uprights to put the Tarpons ahead 7-0 early.
On Valley View’s ensuing offensive snap, DB Grayson Estes read an underthrown pass to make a diving interception at the 39-yard line and put the ball back in PI’s hands. The Tarpons would come out in shotgun formation on it’s next possession, treading water on two runs up the middle before an explosive 26-yard pass and catch from QB Bryan Martinez to sophomore WR Angel Dominguez down the left sideline. Two plays later, QB Martinez would find himself keeping the ball on a run play to the left, resulting in a 13-yard race to the endzone and another PI touchdown.
Valley View was held to a three-and-out on four of its’ next five possessions, thanks to a suffocating PI front seven, including multiple tackles for loss by defenders Michael Finona, Elijah Alvarez, Edward Garza, Jahi Vasquez, Miles Moore, Jerry Troncoso, & David Garza, among others.
Meanwhile, the Tarpons would finish the opening half by scoring on its first snap for four consecutive possessions. This stretch included PI Touchdown runs of 76 yards (Dominguez), 42 yards (Alvarez), 49 yards (Jesus Ramos), and 59 yards (L. Ramos), respectively. The Tarpons would go into halftime ahead 49-0.
Not resting on its comfortable lead, the PI offense opened up the third quarter by returning to the shotgun formation. This drive saw a mix of quarterback scrambles, handoffs, and pass attempts, something that has not been seen in recent memory from Port Isabel. After driving to the Tigers’ 33-yard line, the drive was stalled after a failed fourth down conversion attempt. The possession did not result in points, but signs of progression were noticeable . While in shotgun sets The Tarpons averaged 5.3 yards per carry and completed 2 out of 3 passes for 34 yards
Defensively, the Tarpons played a near-perfect game until midway through the third quarter when Valley View WR Kevin Ramirez broke through the seawall after catching a screen pass and scampered 64-yards to the endzone for the Tigers only points of the night. The Tigers failed the PAT in what appeared to be a partially blocked kick by Port Isabel’s Bryan Ramirez (returning from an injury suffered week 0), leaving the score at 49-6. Prior to that play, PI had stifled any momentum Valley View attempted to muster, holding the Tigers to 33 yards of offense in the first half, and under 125 total for the game.
Coming up with a big defensive play for the Tarpons was DT Hazzaiah Perdomo, who recorded a sack in the first half. LB Pedro Gomez, DE Alvaro Rocha, and WR Logan Bennett also brought noticeable energy to the field in their roles all evening. In the special teams unit, Ivan Callejas was a consistent presence, hustling to make tackles on multiple kickoffs. Tristian Green also dazzled those in attendance with a 35-yard kickoff return mid-way through the third quarter.
Third-year signal caller Martinez finished the night 2-3 passing for 32 yards and added 29 yards rushing plus a TD on the ground. Luis Ramos ran for over 150 yards and two touchdowns, while Dominguez and J. Ramos each contributed two rushing touchdowns and 100+ yards (Dominguez combined for over 100 total yards receiving and rushing).
The Tarpons look to carry the momentum into its Home opener next Friday, September 19th vs. Hidalgo. The Pirates (0-3) were defeated by the Rio Hondo Bobcats last night, 49-10. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm.
*All stats reported are unofficial. Please feel free to contact Jonathan Delgado at JohnsLawnsTX@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or corrections.
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