Port Isabel was firing on all cylinders last night as they took down Brownsville St. Joseph, 34-32, in an offensive shootout.
Running back Luis Ramos (209 total yards, 3 TDs) made a handful of highlight-reel plays throughout the evening as he continued to build on a memorable senior season. The Tarpons also got a big performance from QB Bryan Martinez (4/4 passing, 106 total yards, 1 TD) who went perfect through the air and looked poised all night in the playoff-like atmosphere.
P.I. received the opening kickoff and proceeded to run the ball nine straight times, with RB Bryan Ramirez (112 total yards, 1 TD) seeing a majority of the workload. Fittingly, he scored the game’s first points with a hard-fought, 12-yard run down the middle and into the endzone for a touchdown.
After a successful PAT by K Luis Uolla, the Tarpons were up early, 7-0.
St. Joe’s high-octane offense would hit the field and respond with a scoring series of their own. Led by senior Quarterback Gavin Cisneros (17/31 passing, 344 total yards, 2 TDs), they moved the ball at will before he found WR Luis Zolezzi open for a 16-yard touchdown on the seventh play of the drive.
The Bloodhounds attempted to take the lead with a two-point conversion attempt, but the pass play was sniffed out and intercepted by sophomore DB Jesus Ramos in the back of the endzone, leaving the score 7-6 in favor of P.I. halfway through the first quarter.
After a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, The Tarpons’ offense continued to pound the ball, eventually setting up a first-and-10 at the Bloodhounds 23-yard line. That’s when QB Martinez faked the handoff, rolled out to his right side, planted his feet and found Luis Ramos in a tight window around the 10-yard line. After securing the catch, Ramos shook off defenders and raced past the goal line for another P.I. touchdown, increasing their lead, 14-6.
After holding St. Joe to a three-&-out on its next possession, an exciting first quarter had come to a close.
The Bloodhounds offense came back out and attempted a fourth-&-one to begin the second quarter. St. Joe would line up in the pro formation and run a toss play to RB Mauricio Vega (121 total yards, 3 TDs). He gashed the Tarpons’ defense for 46 yards to extend their drive and set up the “pups from private school” with a first-&-goal at the 10-yard line. Vega received another handoff two plays later and made his way into the endzone for his first score of the evening.
A run attempt on the two-point conversion was stuffed by Tarpon defenders behind the line of scrimmage. P.I. remained ahead, 14-12 with 10:00 to go in the first half.
The seawall defense tightened up and held Cisneros to only 46 yards passing and a 38% completion percentage in the second quarter, thanks to a daunting pass rush and some crucial deflected balls by P.I.’s secondary, led by Jesus Ramos, Tristan Green, Grayson Estes, and Angel Dominguez. The Bloodhounds would go scoreless for the remainder of the half.
Meanwhile, Port Isabel added some cushion to their lead with 1:11 to go in the 2nd quarter when Luis Ramos turned on the jets again, making the St. Joseph defense look silly on his way to a 51-yard touchdown run that saw him switch directions and outlast defenders in classic Ramos-fashion.
The halftime break was filled with more stellar performances as the “Seawall of Sound” practiced their marching band routine, while the Silver Belles invited their fathers down to the field for a heart-warming dance to the 1964 hit-single, “My Girl” (on another positive note, it was reported no backs were thrown out during the routine).
Strapped with piping-hot fajita tacos, Tarpon fans settled back into their seats hoping for another half of great football.
They would not be disappointed.
QB Cisneros proved to be worth the price of admission as he began to rack up big gains on the ground. After P.I. forced St. Joe into a fourth-&-18 on their opening drive of the third quarter, the confident Bloodhounds opted to stay on the field for an improbable conversion attempt. Cisneros rolled out to his right and surveyed the field before tucking the ball and picking up first-down yardage, getting tackled inside the Tarpons’ redzone.
RB Vega finished off the job with a 2-yard toss play for a touchdown, making the score 21-19 in favor of P.I.. The drive took up four minutes to start the half.
The Tarpons defensive unit created an opportunity on St. Joe’s next drive when a gang of Tarpon defenders stymied Vega after a short run, forcing him to fumble. DT Jose Alonso pounced on the loose pigskin, giving the ball back to Port Isabel at their own 36-yard line.
P.I. would capitalize on the turnover and convert it into six points a few plays later when RB Dominguez (3 att., 21 yards, 1 TD) scooted his way into the endzone from four yards out for a rushing touchdown. A botched snap on the PAT would keep the Bloodhounds within one score heading into the fourth quarter, Tarpons ahead 27-19.
St. Joe answered back with a scoring drive of their own and had a chance to tie up the game pending a two-point conversion attempt. Cisneros found WR Tunde Siyambade (2 rec., 20 yards, 1 TD) in the endzone, but the pass was dropped, keeping the Tarpons on top, 27-25.
Port Isabel, determined to make a statement win, wasted no time on their next drive, putting the game out of reach with a 38-yard toss play to Ramos for his third touchdown of the evening. Uolla booted his final PAT through the uprights to put the Tarpons up by two possessions with 7:17 to go in the game.
The Tarpons held off a late surge by Cisneros and company to escape with a convincing 34-32 home victory.
P.I. racked up 429 total yards on the evening, with 336 coming on the ground. QB Martinez added 93 yards and a touchdown through the air in a solid outing.
St. Joe totaled over 450 yards of offense, but the seawall defense came up big when it needed to, forcing turnovers and keeping Cisneros from taking over the game at any point. It was a well-executed game plan by the entire unit.
P.I. hopes to use this win as motivation following a roller coaster start to the season. The young team has had to overcome injuries and inexperience on both sides of the ball, but Thursday night’s performance was the most complete Port Isabel has played up to this point. Tarpon fans should expect the team to make a run for their fourth straight share of the district championship as they begin conference play next week.
First up on the district slate is Kingsville King. The Brahmas (5-2) defeated San Antonio Memorial last night by a final score of 47-0. Kickoff is set for Thursday, October 16 at 7:00pm in Kingsville.
For those not able to attend, check out www.PortIsabelTimes.com next week for your free, in-depth game report.
*All stats reported are unofficial. Please feel free to email Jonathan Delgado at JohnsLawnsTX@gmail.com with any comments, questions, or corrections.
Leave a Reply