La Joya, Tx. – At times it wasn’t pretty, but Port Isabel made big plays when they counted most and escaped PACK Stadium with a 36-21 victory over the Palmview Lobos Thursday night.
Safety Logan Bennett had a game for the ages and inspired teammates with his unforgettable performance, recording three interceptions and a crucial pass breakup to help lead the Tarpon defense on the road.
The entire seawall looked dialed-in as they forced Palmview into four three-and-outs while allowing only 202 total yards throughout the contest. D-linemen Jahi Vasquez (7 tackles, 1 sack) and Jerry Troncoso (6 tackles, 1 sack) looked virtually unblockable as they disrupted plays at the line of scrimmage all night.
Grayson Estes showed no fear in his first full game as the Tarpons’ quarterback. The senior rushed for 69 yards and two scores, while sophomore running back Ivan Medina added 76 yards and a long TD run of his own late in the contest to help put the game on ice.
First Half
Port Isabel (1-0) wasted no time introducing their helmets to the chests of Lobo ball carriers as Vasquez, Michael Finona, and Miles Moore collided with Palmview running back Adrian Rivas in the backfield on the first play from scrimmage for a two-yard loss.
On the same series, Bennett would swoop in for his first-career interception off of Quarterback Edgar Villalpando to give P.I. the ball with great starting field position at La Joya’s 34-yard line.
Following a pair of nice cut-back runs by Angel Dominguez to set up P.I. at the goal line, Bryan Ramirez finished off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown burst up the middle.
After a successful PAT – also by Ramirez – the Tarpons led 7-0 just minutes into the matchup.
PI’s defense would make quick work of the Lobos again on their next series. Following a big tackle for loss by Ryan Cienfuegos, and a vicious sack by Vasquez on 3rd-&-long, Palmview was forced to punt before they could cross the 50-yard line.
However, in an attempt to field the line drive kick, a Tarpon muffed the return, allowing a Palmview defender to hop on the ball and give their offense a fresh set of downs in Port Isabel territory.
The very next play, Villalpando would connect with his receiver on a 37-yard heave right over the Tarpon defender for a Lobo touchdown. Their point-after attempt bounced off the crossbar and back into the field of play, leaving the score 7-6 Port Isabel as the first quarter was winding down.
Following a couple of sloppy series by both offenses, the Tarpons would find their rhythm and put together a 7-play, 61-yard drive underscored by a couple of bootleg scrambles from Estes, as well as a 15-yard run up the gut by Jesus Ramos, where he bounced off defenders like a human pinball to get inside the redzone.
A few plays later, Alvaro Rocha would fight his way across the endzone from 11 yards out to extend the Tarpons lead, 14-6.
The Lobos harnessed some momentum on their next drive as they picked up three quick first downs to get out near mid-field. A nice pass from Villalpando to wideout Kevin Solis appeared to get hauled in near the sideline for another first down, but Bennett delivered a big hit at the last second to knock the ball out and prevent Solis from converting.
After a beautiful punt by the Lobos was downed inside the 1-yard line, the Tarpons gave up a safety when Domiguez was gobbled up behind enemy lines on a first down run play. Their lead had now decreased to 14-8.
Following a huge return by Palmview on the ensuing punt, Rivas made the seawall defense temporarily lose its sea legs as he juked out everyone in sight on his way to a 27-yard touchdown run. A successful PAT gave La Joya their first lead of the night, 15-14, with 4:38 to go in the half.
In need of an answer, Rocha would field the kickoff and make a valiant 52-yard dash down the left sideline to set Port Isabel up near the redzone for their next possession.
On a 3rd-&-10 from about the 15, QB Estes rolled out once again behind a SWAT team of blockers and found his way across the pylon for a score. A successful 2-point attempt put the Tarpons back on top, 22-15 before intermission.
LB Denzel Garza, DT Hazzaiah Perdomo, and LB Eli Alvarez would combine for key tackles on the ensuing La Joya possession to force another three-&-out as the first half came to a close.
Second Half
The third quarter saw both defenses tighten up as the teams exchanged nothing but slobber knockers and punts for most of the period, until a well-timed screen pass from Villalpando to Solis put Palmview back inside the redzone with about 5:02 to go in the quarter.
Facing a 3rd-&-8 from the 17-yard line, Villalpando dropped back and rifled a pass towards the back of the endzone. That’s when the Tarpons’ man of the hour, Bennett, stretched out and made a diving interception while staying in bounds to earn his second pick of the night and put the Lobos scoring threat to rest.
But P.I. wouldn’t do much with the opportunity, being forced to punt again before a miscue on the deep snap left Ramirez, the punter, out to dry. He would get pummeled by several defenders deep inside Tarpon territory.
The Lobos finally capitalized on P.I.’s Special Teams errors when RB Ayden Ramirez found his way into the endzone from two yards out a couple of plays later. This gave Palmview a chance to potentially tie the game, pending a point-after attempt.
But the Tarpons’ defensive unit would rise to the occasion and block the PAT. Jerry Troncoso made an athletic play by scooping up the loose ball and hustling all the way down to about the 10-yard line, before a last-ditch effort by a Lobo defender ended his scoring dreams.
Troncoso would follow that up on the next defensive series with an impressive backside pursuit of Villalpando as the QB rolled out on a pivotal third down pass play, forcing him into an errant throw and another Lobos’ punt.
With 5:24 to go in the game, Port Isabel’s Medina took a first down handoff and patiently waited for an opening. Once he saw the hole, the speedy sophomore cut it upfield and weaved his way through the Lobo defense for a 51-yard touchdown run. After a gutsy two-point conversion attempt proved successful, the Tarpons took a comfortable two-possession lead over the home team, 30-21.
Bennett continued making his presence known to quarterbacks everywhere after hauling in an unprecedented third interception on the Lobos’ next series, this time showing off his wheels and making it all the way down to the 9-yard line after an exciting 47-yard return.
Estes would put the cherry on top two plays later with a 7-yard sprint out keeper for a touchdown that put Port Isabel ahead for good. Final score, 36-21.
After the game, I asked Bennett what was going through his head as he started racking up the interceptions. He gave me a small glimpse of the team’s relentless mentality.
“After I got the first one, my mindset was just ‘Let’s go get another one,” he continued. “[Then] after I got the second one, Let’s go get another one.”
Among the school of Tarpon defenders who contributed to the win were Garza (4 tackles, 2 TFL), Perdomo (4 tackles), Finona (4 tackles, 1 TFL), Tristan Green (4 tackles), Eli Alvarez (3 tackles), and many others who recorded at least 1 tackle.
The offense finished the contest with 270 rushing yards on 5.5 yards per carry, split amongst the efforts of seven different backs. They were slowed down by three false starts and a delay of game, along with a tidal wave of fumbles – areas that will need to be cleaned up before district play.
But first things first.
The Tarpons were able to take care of business on the road in Week 0, and they’ll be looking to build on that momentum headed into their home opener at Tarpon Stadium next week.
“We had heart and we played as a team [tonight],” Bennet told me. “Now, we’ve got to get ready for Rio Hondo.”
Kickoff is set for 7 P.M. next Friday, September 4th.
Go Big Blue.
All stats reported are unofficial. Any questions or corrections are welcomed. Please email us at JohnslawnsTX@gmail.com..
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