BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
Hidalgo coach Monty Stumbaugh has become synonymous with his power running offense.
The unique scheme that worked so well for Stumbaugh for years at Port Isabel had to be tweaked when disaster struck in Week 1.
Hidalgo (0-4) played rival Valley View to open the season, and senior running back Bryan Aleman was off to a strong start as the workhorse back, carrying the ball 15 times for 54 yards through the third quarter. Suddenly, Aleman was down, and the team discovered he had dislocated his elbow.
“Bryan is a big part of our football team,” Stumbaugh said. “He is a great kid. … Everything came out good. He is just now able to run again. Maybe by Zapata (Week 7, Aleman could return). The swelling has gone down. They were worried about any damage to the ligaments, but all that was good.”
In the meantime, the Pirates had to find other ways to spark their offense.
Junior running back and kicker Jose Figueroa has stepped up to take the lion’s share of the carries, and through four weeks, he has rushed for 298 yards and a touchdown with a 5.1 yards-per-carry average.
Even Stumbaugh, who has always been a ground-first coach, could see he needed to add an element to the offense this year with Aleman out for a big chunk of the season.
That is where junior quarterback Angel Lopez came into the picture.
“Angel has gotten better every game,” Stumbaugh said. “He’s starting to understand. He is starting to see things now. He has been throwing the ball well.”
Lopez has completed 15 of 45 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns.
“He was hurt last year in the PI game (Week 3). That hurt, not being able to play,” Stumbaugh said. “But he is starting to take charge. The quarterback has to be the leader in the huddle, and he is starting to do that.
“He is making the progress we want to see as a quarterback. I have been really happy with Angel’s play. He has helped us a lot.”
While the Pirates are down, they are not out.
“I am proud of our kids,” Stumbaugh said. “We are making progress. We have had a few games where we beat ourselves. We have two weeks here against Progreso and (Brownsville) St. Joseph. We need to get things fixed and get everything ironed out, so we are ready for district.
“All our goals are still there. We still have a shot at winning a district championship. We still have a shot at making the playoffs. Now, we just have to start believing we can do those things, and the first step is having two good weeks to set us up for district.”