KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
RAYMONDVILLE — As we enter the middle of October, most teams have already gotten district play rolling.
As for Raymondville, district play is just getting under way and it will do so with a bang. Fans from both sides have circled the date, when Rio Hondo pays a visit to Raymondville.
With both teams coming in as favorites to win their district, the two will do battle Friday night at Burnett Stadium with the kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.
“We always try and win the first game of the season and we want to win the first game of district,” said Raymondville coach Frank Cantu. “This year we open up with Rio Hondo, last year we met them later in district play, but we just need to buckle down and stay focused and play good football.”
After dropping their season opener to La Feria, Raymondville has won five straight. In that streak, the Bearkats have scored forty points or more four different times and are averaging 44 points per game in those wins.
The offensive fire power with senior QB Jacob Posas, wide outs Xavier Ledesma, Justin Cantu and Zaraivion Armendarez along with running back Marcus Capetillo shined at this summers 7 on 7 state tournament in College Station.
The chemistry has carried over to the field where it matters. Posas who played linebacker last year and served as the backup QB has thrived and is in sync with his offense.
“Going through the summer leagues and playing in the state tournament gave us an opportunity to get better and we were able to build our chemistry and all of that work is paying off,” Ledesma said.
Ledesma has been Posas’s top target so far this season. Ledesma leads the team in receptions with 18 and in yards with 313.
“I worked on my route running,” Ledesma said. “That is one thing I worked on in the offseason and I’m willing and ready to do what it takes to help my team.”
The Bearkats defense will be put to the test against a potent Rio Hondo offense. One mainstay for the Bearkats has been their linebacker Noe Zombrano. The hard hitting linebacker is second in the team in tackles with 35 and is second in sacks with four.
“We are feeling good right now and we feel confident,” Zombrano said. “We are thankful that we have no injuries and we feel ready for Friday’s game. We have been preparing for this game and we have played in big games before. Defensively we just need to follow the game plan and I think we will be OK.”