Port Isabel, Tx. – The Port Isabel Tarpons meant business on Friday.
While the Lions hooped and hollered during pre-game ceremonies, P.I. waited to let their shoulder pads do the talking as they dominated La Feria 37-14 on Senior Night.
L.F. had trouble getting anything going vs. the Seawall Defense, accumulating just 249 yards on the windy evening. Lions’ QB Jaden Martinez (13/26 passing, 120 total yards, 1 TD, 1 int) had a rough outing, getting sacked by Jerry Troncoso and picked off by Jesus Ramos in the first half. The dual-threat senior was held to only 15 rushing yards. His lone touchdown pass came on the last snap of the contest.
P.I. also continued its streak of shutting down star running backs, holding RB Noah LeFleur (12 rush, 84 yards, 1 TD) well under his season averages and making him an afterthought in the Valley’s game of the week.
Offensively, the Tarpons continued to play inspired team football. Blockers delivered chops, pancakes, and truck sticks on Lion defenders as they led the way for P.I. ball-carriers all night. Port Isabel racked up 424 yards on the ground and were only forced to punt once the whole evening.
First Half
The Lions offense came out hot on its first drive. RB LeFleur gashed the Tarpons for a gain of 27 on their first play from scrimmage. After picking up another first down on a quick screen to WR Joe Garza, LeFleur took a handoff up the middle but bobbled the exchange, allowing LB Edward Garza to recover the ball and giving P.I. a big break early in the game.
The Tarpons offense hit the field with one goal in mind – run the pigskin. Six different backs touched the ball on the first drive as P.I. kept La Feria guessing where the next punch would come from. The Tarpons drove all the way to the Lions’ 11-yard line before being held to a field goal. K Luis Uolla (1/2 FG) showed off his leg as he nailed the 28-yard kick to give P.I. a 3-0 lead in the first quarter.
On the Lions’ next drive, they were forced to bring out their punt unit on fourth-&-eight. That’s when La Feria attempted to expose a P.I. punt return team that’s been giving out first downs like candy this season. L.F. faked the punt and ran a direct snap to Joe Garza, but he was stopped just short of the chains to give P.I. the ball back at their own 35-yard line – a sign of improvement for the vulnerable special teams unit.
On the Tarpons next drive RB Luis Ramos would receive a handoff to the right side on first-&-10. He bounced around the line of scrimmage before finding a hole and turning it up the middle of the field, slicing through the Lions defense for a 57-yard touchdown run, putting the Tarpons up 10-0.
The second quarter saw P.I. running backs begin to lower their shoulders and run through Lion defenders with a purpose. They went on a 14-play drive that showcased big runs by Ramos, Garza, Alvaro Rocha, Michael Finona, and Elijah Alvarez. Even QB Bryan Martinez got in on the action, running a couple bootlegs for first downs to keep the defense at bay.
RB Garza capped off the drive with a six-yard TD run that saw him shed tacklers at the line of scrimmage, spin, and stumble his way across the goal line for the score. K Uolla’s successful PAT put the Tarpons up 17-0.
The Lions hit the panic button and attempted a deep pass on their next offensive snap. The route was read perfectly by sophomore CB Jesus Ramos, who recorded an interception and ran the ball back 32 yards down to the Tarpons’ 25-yard line.
Starting with great field position, P.I. had a chance to put the game out of reach going into halftime, but a deep heave into the endzone by Martinez on 2nd & 11 from the 15-yard line was intercepted by La Feria with :53 seconds to go into the half.
La Feria quickly drove down to the Tarpons’ 25-yard line with time expiring, but a botched snap on a last-second field goal attempt would leave them scoreless headed into intermission.
Second Half
As it turns out, the Seawall Defense was just getting started.
After RB Lefleur was tackled for a loss by Finona, the Lions faced a crucial third-&-long to start the second half. QB Martinez tried to evade Tarpon pass rushers but was eaten up by DE Troncoso for a sack on the play, ending L.F.’s drive.
P.I. continued to wear down the La Feria defense with big run after big run. On second-&-five from the 14-yard line, RB Garza took a handoff towards the left side of the field. A linebacker came screaming into the running lane but got absolutely crunched by Rocha, who was lead-blocking on the play. Garza got the ball down to the 1-yard line and would end up scoring two plays later to extend P.I.’s lead to 23-0 with 5:21 to go in the third quarter.
P.I.’s defense kept the pressure on La Feria throughout the second half, forcing them into consecutive three-&-outs and throwing their entire gameplan out the window. Things were looking bleak for L.F. towards the end of the third quarter, until an unlikely Tarpon came to La Feria’s aid.
On first-&-10 from around midfield, Lions’ QB Martinez took a shotgun snap and opened up to his right side. He launched a backwards lateral pass towards RB LeFleur that was thrown way off the mark. As Tarpon defenders ran towards the loose football, an overzealous Coach Tony Villarreal, as if reliving his Brownsville Hannah playing days, took a step on to the field and caught the ball himself after it hopped off the turf. This caused the sideline judge to call the play dead, resulting in an unorthodox 15-yard penalty against the legendary coach.
The play moved the ball up to the Tarpons’ 30-yard line. After a facemask against P.I. two plays later, the Lions would get on the scoreboard for the first time with a 14-yard run by LeFleur with :09 seconds to go in the third quarter.
But it was too little, too late for the Lions. P.I. responded with a quick, 55-yard drive that saw Ramos score his third touchdown of the evening from 28 yards out. He caught a head full of steam and ran straight through a Lion defender on the play, sending their helmet across the field. The score put the tarpons ahead 37-8 with 11:51 to go in the game.
La Feria scored a passing touching with no time left for a final score of 37-14.
Senior captains Ramos (202 yards, 3 TDs), Garza (70 yards, 2 TDs), and Martinez (0/3 passing, 1 int., 36 rush yards) combined for over 300 yards in their farewell to Tarpon Stadium.
Other tarpon running backs who contributed on the night were Rocha (60 yards), Finona (32 yards), and Alvarez (17 yards).
With the victory, Port Isabel (5-4 overall, 2-0 District) clinched at least a share of the district 16-4a division ll championship. The Tarpons also secured the #1 seed for their district heading into the post-season.
A win next week vs. Grulla (1-7) would give P.I. the district title outright. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm in Rio Grande City on Halloween Night, Friday, October 31.
*All stats reported are unofficial. Please feel free to email Jonathan Delgado at johnslawnstx@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or corrections.
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