MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
PHARR — Having been in this situation before, Roma entered Week 11 cautious.
Cautious that its playoff hopes might be shattered once again. Cautious that it might take a step backward in what other has otherwise been an upward trajectory the past seven years.
“We just can’t get overconfident,” strong safety Diego Cantu warned in the days leading up to their Friday match against Valley View. “We just have to play our hearts out.”
The Gladiators accomplished that on both sides of the ball, playing spirited defense once again and getting enough of a spark with Aldo Ramirez lined up at wide receiver to put the Tigers away 28-0 en route to their first playoff berth in program history.
In the final week of the regular season, Roma (5-4-1, 3-3) did not need to depend on other outcomes to get into the playoffs. The Gladiators controlled their own destiny, needing only a win over Valley View to secure the fourth seed in District 31-5A.
“It’s unbelievable,” Roma quarterback R.J. Garza said. “Everything we worked for came down to this game. We did what we had to do and we’re in now.
“It’s overwhelming. A bunch of joy. These guys here, we’ve worked so hard for this. I can’t explain how it feels. I’m just so excited.”
Roma won Friday with workhorse running back Peter Rodriguez again leading the way. He collected 220 yards on 33 carries, scoring once. Garza operated with renewed confidence with Ramirez in his second game back at wideout. The two connected on a 13-yard touchdown with 8:04 left in the third quarter.
Ramon Espinoza, the team’s second-leading rusher on the year, scored the second of his two TDs later in the fourth quarter.
The defense did its part, as well, holding Valley View to 133 yards while intercepting QB Daniel Lince three times in the second half. Alexis Escoto had the first pick, igniting a seven-play, 74-yard drive, capped by Rodriguez’s 5-yard run.
Juan J. Peña picked off the next two, the latter leading to the game’s final TD — a 21-yard run by Espinoza.
“The defense stepped up huge,” Roma coach Max Habecker Jr. said. “We knew coming in that we had to be physical and that we had to play 48 minutes and I think we did that.
LOOKING AHEAD
After going a combined 3-17 the past two seasons, Valley View coach Baldo Peña said he will take his time determining his future with the program.
“There’s a lot of completion to go on,” he said. “Two years of not being able to build a program, not being able to impact positively weighs on a man.
“I’ve been hired different places for basically the same thing and we’ve turned it around. I haven’t been able to do it here. I need to sit down and consult with my family, my wife and determine our next step.”
Asked what he told his players after the game, Peña said, “Basically, I failed them. I failed to motivate them. It’s my fault.”
UP NEXT
By winning, Roma earned the No. 2 seed in Division II behind top-ranked Sharyland High. The Gladiators will take on the first seed in the division in Mercedes (9-1, 7-0), which won the District 32-5A title outright Friday, at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at La Joya.
“Mercedes is a real good team,” Habecker said. “I just know our kids, we’re not just happy to be here. We wanted to get in the playoffs because we want to start winning playoff games now. That’s what the goal is. We’re not going to just be happy, sit back and relax. Mercedes is going to be a very tough task and we have to be ready for it.”