By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Could this season mark the arrival of the “Air Tarpons” offense?
Long known as a football team that prefers to wear down opponents by keeping the ball on the ground, the Port Isabel Tarpons have been working since preseason drills began earlier this month to develop a stronger passing attack.
It may be a stretch to think Port Isabel would commit to an all-out “Air Tarpons” passing attack, but the team appears ready to put the ball in the air a little bit more. At least that’s what Port Isabel has been concentrating on as the Tarpons prepare to open the season at home at 7:30 p.m. Friday against the Grulla Gators.
“We’re going to try (to throw it more),” said Tarpons coach Monty Stumbaugh, now entering his 15th season at Port Isabel. “You always want to try.
“We know we have to be able to throw the ball, and we’ve been working on that,” he added. “In fact, we threw 23 passes the other day (in our scrimmage with Donna North). That may be a record for me in one game. We want to be more balanced. We’re trying to get there.”
Port Isabel and Grulla used to be in the same district, but now the Tarpons are in District 16-4A Division II and the Gators are in District 16-4A Division I.
The Tarpons defeated the Gators 29-9 in last year’s season opener at Rio Grande City en route to a 7-4 playoff campaign. Grulla went on to finish 1-9 and also still made it to the playoffs in 2014. The Gators’ lone win last season was a 19-7 district triumph against Hidalgo on Oct. 24.
With seven starters back on offense, including junior quarterback Fabian Anzaldua, and five starters returning on defense, the Gators are looking for a far better record than 1-9 and are expecting to contend for a district championship as well.
“We feel we have a good nucleus of players back from last year,” said Grulla coach Abel Gonzalez III, a former standout QB at Rio Grande City and at Texas A&M-Kingsville. “We have a good mix of (upperclassman and younger) players. A big key to our season is staying healthy. Injuries hurt us a lot last year.”
Concerning his team’s rematch on the road against Port Isabel, Gonzalez said, “It’s a good early season test for us against a team that we know will be contending for a district title and probably will be in the playoffs. Port Isabel is a physical team, and they’re returning some key players who are good athletes, so yes, it’s going to be a tough test for us.”
Seeing the Tarpons passing more wouldn’t surprise the Gators, Gonzalez said.
“Every year Port Isabel makes an effort to throw the ball a little more, and I don’t see that changing,” he said. “At the same time, they rely on that ground-and-pound running attack because they always seem to have a stable of good running backs. Running the ball is what they like to do.”
The Tarpons are returning five regular starters on each side of the ball. There are three candidates to become the starting QB, and Stumbaugh said it may be a few games before the starter among the three is determined. They are senior Michael Green and juniors Carlos Orduna and Omar Silva.
The Tarpons return a solid two-way performer in the line in center/defensive tackle Peter Garcia (sr., 5-foot-11, 240).
“It’s going to be tough every Friday night,” Stumbaugh said. “You have to be ready to play, and we know that.”
Another returning two-way starter for the Tarpons is senior wide receiver/cornerback Javier Hernandez. He said the team is ready to open the season with a win, just like last year.
“We have a lot of seniors on this team, and it would mean a lot to see us do well this year,” he said.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.