By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
PORT ISABEL — For the first time this season, St. Joseph Academy put together a complete game and Port Isabel couldn’t do much to slow it down.
The Bloodhounds exploded on offense with 660 yards, including 460 on the ground, and their defense did its part as well in a 62-20 rout of the Tarpons on Friday night in Week 5 at Tarpon Stadium.
St. Joseph senior quarterback Kai Money hooked up with junior receiver Pablo Zolezzi for three touchdowns and senior running back Anthony Cantu also found the end zone three times as St. Joseph (2-3) got back on track. The Bloodhounds defense forced a fumble, had three sacks, blocked a punt and held the Tarpons (1-3) to 257 yards of offense.
“Considering we had three losses this was a game that picked up our souls … I think we can really build off this,” Zolezzi said. “I feel great. Kai is doing well and I’m grateful to have him as a quarterback.
“It’s very satisfying considering how much work we’ve put in.”
Money finished with 187 yards and four touchdowns through the air, ran for 192 yards and another score and added a 55-yard punt return for another TD. Zolezzi caught four passes for 164 yards and three scores and Cantu finished with 148 yards on the ground and three touchdowns for St. Joseph in its offensive explosion.
“I’m very proud of the guys. I feel like we pieced together the best of four quarters that we’ve had this year,” St. Joseph coach Tino Villarreal said. “We used our three losses to remind us we can’t turn over the ball, we can’t come out (after halftime) and ease up if we get a lead, and I think we really played well. Our defense came out and gave away a couple of big plays, but other than that they’re starting to come together.
“A win heals a lot of things and I think this could be a start for us to keep building off of it.”
Port Isabel got three touchdowns on the ground — two in the first half from Bryan Medina, who finished with 133 yards on nine carries — and the other from Travis Camacho, who finished with 73 yards rushing on 14 carries. But the Tarpons’ offense couldn’t do much else and at times struggled much like they did last week against La Feria.
“The bottom line is we need to do some soul searching and show our character and come back fighting,” Port Isabel coach Jaime Infante said. “We’ve had some setbacks … I’m sure it’s hurt us mentally. I’ll take the blame for the poor performance … I told the kids all we can do is keep working hard and keep plugging away.”
SJA scored early and often in the first half. The Bloodhounds got a 53-yard touchdown run from Cantu on their first drive to take a 6-0 lead with 7:04 left in the opening quarter.
Port Isabel punted on its first drive and Money returned it for a touchdown to give St. Joseph a 14-0 lead with 4:59 remaining in the first.
The Tarpons regrouped and answered quickly as Medina found a lane and scampered 71 yards for a score just 24 seconds later to cut the deficit to 14-7.
St. Joseph extended the lead with a 63-yard strike to Zolezzi from Money and a 21-7 edge with 2:31 left in the first.
The Tarpons fumbled on their next possession and the Bloodhounds took advantage. Money capped the ensuing 57-yard drive with a 5-yard run for a touchdown to push the advantage to 28-7 with 11:02 left in the second quarter.
Port Isabel then punted again and St. Joseph continued to capitalize. Money hit Zolezzi on another 63-yard pass for a 35-7 advantage with 6:07 to play in the first half.
The Tarpons got back on track on their next series when Medina finished it with a 35-yard run for a touchdown. The Tarpons trailed 35-13 with 3:08 left in the half.
SJA wasn’t done as Cantu found pay dirt after a 3-yard run to put the visitors ahead 42-13 at the half.
In the third quarter, St. Joseph put the game out of reach when Money connected with Zolezzi for a 9-yard touchdown pass and senior receiver Xavier Montemayor from 5 yards out for another score. Later in the third, Cantu ran for a 29-yard touchdown as the Bloodhounds’ edge swelled to 62-13.
Camacho scored his touchdown with 11 minutes left in the game, but Port Isabel would get no closer.
Infante saw mistakes on both sides of the ball, but feels the team is showing some signs of improvement, especially offensively.
“We were our own worst enemy at times,” he said. “We stopped a few drives with penalties and dropped passes, but I saw improvement and I expect it to be better in two weeks. We have to come out fighting … the Tarpons are known for their fight and I’ve challenged these kids to come out fighting two weeks from now and I believe that they will.”
For St. Joseph, the win helped build some confidence and possibly some momentum going forward.
“Regardless of records, the Port Isabel Tarpons are the Port Isabel Tarpons,” Villarreal said. “They’re a tough team to beat at home. Coming into this type of environment and keeping our composure and playing the way we played (Friday), it solidifies we’re definitely taking some major strides in the right direction.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter, he’s @andrewmcrum.