The tidal wave offense may be in a drought.
For the second straight week, Port Isabel (2-4) was held to single digits as they fell to Roma on Friday night, 14-7.
The Gladiators (4-2) were led by a two-headed rushing attack that combined for nearly 250 yards on the ground. RB Ruben Garcia ran the ball 23 times for 122 yards, while QB Jorge Tamayo (1/6 passing, 41 yards, 124 rushing yards, 1 TD) carried the Gladiators’ offense on his back in the second half, tucking the ball himself and picking up crucial gains down the stretch to put the game on ice and spoil the Tarpons’ Homecoming night.
P.I. did start the game on a positive note, scoring on the second play from scrimmage when Luis Ramos (9 att., 81 yards, 1 TD) took a toss and ran towards the right sideline, bobbing and weaving his way to the endzone for a 61-yard touchdown.
Kicker Luis Uolla tacked on the extra point, putting the Tarpons up 7-0 just seconds into the contest.
Following a short kickoff, Roma’s offense took the field and drove down to the Tarpons’ 9-yard line. After a pair of false starts, Roma attempted a pass play, but QB Tamayo was swallowed up and sacked by LB Pedro Gomez and DE Jerry Troncoso, putting an end to the Gladiators scoring threat.
Port Isabel took over on downs, but they were forced into a quick three-and-out. After both offenses took turns meandering for a few possessions, P.I. would get the ball at their own 1-yard line following a booming punt by Roma.
With their backs to the opposing endzone, the Tarpons handed the ball off to RB Michael Finona (1 att., 40 yards). He bulldozed his way through the heart of Roma’s defense for a 40-yard gain, giving P.I. some breathing room and a big shift in momentum.
It wouldn’t last long, though. The Tarpons only generated six more yards on the drive. They attempted to convert on 4th-&-four, but the snap was fumbled and QB Bryan Martinez (1/7 passing, 6 total yards, 1 int.) was tackled for a loss, giving the ball back to Roma near midfield.
The Tarpon defense would help Roma out by committing two personal fouls on the drive, helping set up the Gladiators with a 1st-and-goal from the 8-yard line. Two plays later QB Tamayo followed behind blockers on a 6-yard QB sneak for a touchdown, making the score 7-6 in favor of P.I.
After an unsuccessful 2-pt conversion attempt, the Tarpons maintained their lead as the first half came to a close.
Following homecoming ceremonies – congratulations to the 2025 Royal Court – The Gladiators opened up the second half with a commanding, 13-play scoring drive, ending in a 1-yard touchdown by RB Garcia. The score put Roma ahead for the first time in the contest.
The Gladiators’ offense strutted out again to attempt another two-point conversion. This time QB Tamayo found husky TE Manuel Alanis (1 reception, 41 yards) wide open in the endzone, extending Roma’s lead to 14-7. The drive ate up almost half of the third quarter.
Despite noticeable effort, including stout D-line play from Troncoso, DE Miles Moore, and DT’s Jamil Vasquez & Jahi Vasquez, P.I.’s defense was simply on the field too much to keep up with Roma’s rushing attack. On the night, The Gladiators offense ran 53 plays compared to 35 for the Tarpons.
Port Isabel had three offensive possessions in the second half, which ended in a punt, an interception, and a turnover on downs, respectively. They mustered together a 10-play drive with time winding down in the fourth quarter, getting two big-time second effort runs from Ramos and QB Grayson Estes (2 att., 7 yards) to extend the drive and get P.I. all the way down to the Gladiators’ 23-yard line.
But the mistake-bug would bite the Tarpons once again. After a false start moved them back five yards, Ramos received a handoff to the left side on first & 15. He was initially stuffed for a loss, but would reverse field and dash 28-yards in the opposite direction for a potential game-tying touchdown run, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
But the Tarpons had committed an illegal block in the back during the play, negating Ramos’ “miracle in the monte” and sending the Tarpons back ten yards.
Facing a 2nd-and-30 with 2:30 to go, QB Martinez heaved up a pass over the middle of the field but was intercepted by Roma DB Daniel Barrera to preserve the Gladiators’ 14-7 victory.
The Tarpons were flagged seven times for 75 yards on the evening, including three personal fouls. They have also committed twelve fumbles on the season.
Aside from Ramos 61-yard touchdown run on P.I.’s first drive, the Tarpons were held to only 95 yards of total offense for the remainder of the evening. The defense gave up 299 yards rushing to an offense that came in averaging 361 per contest.
Next week, Port Isabel looks to get things right vs. St. Joseph Academy. It’s the last game before P.I. begins district play. Last night, The Bloodhounds (2-4) defeated the Tarpons’ 16-4a rival, La Feria, 66-42. Kickoff is set for Thursday at 7:00pm at Tarpon Stadium.
*All Stats reported are unofficial. Please feel free to email Jonathan Delgado at JohnsLawnsTX@gmail.com with any comments, questions, or corrections.
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