KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
RAYMONDVILLE—The junior, senior combo of Justin Cantu and ZaRaivion Armendarez is described as explosive and fun to watch, while helping provide a spark for the Raymondville offense this season.
Both Armendarez and Cantu can play both sides of the ball, but on offense is where they make their money.
For Armendarez, a junior, and Cantu, a senior, their success is something they saw coming early in their high school career.
“Together we have come a long way,” Cantu said. “We have been wanting to play together and when we got the chance we balled out as brothers.”
During their junior high days, Armendarez remembers watching Cantu when he played on the eighth-grade team and figured one day he and Cantu would play a major role for the BearKats.
“We knew once we got to high school, we were going to have a chance,” Armendarez said. “We had guys graduate last year on offense, so we both knew this would be our year to help lead the way.”
The two have not disappointed.
Armandarez, who provides an all around game, has rushed for a team-high 1,011 yards and 15 touchdowns on 84 carries. Through the air, he has 14 catches with 369 yards and five more scores.
Armandarez has even thrown for a touchdown and has accounted for 21 total his season.
Cantu, meanwhile, has been a force on the ground, rushing for 683 yards and nine touchdowns on 72 carries.
Raymondville coach Frank Cantu, who has spent 26 years in Raymondvill, sees how special the duo is.
“Having those two guys makes us better,” Frank Cantu said. “We want them to touch the ball as much as possible and we want to move them around.”
The 2009 trio of Skylar James, Dustin Alejo and BJ Flores is one core that reminds Frank Cantu of this year’s duo.
“They are fun to watch; you catch yourself watching from the sideline,” Frank Cantu said.
Last week the ’Kats picked up a win at Rio Hondo and are in a position to win their second straight district title.
“We both work a lot in the weight room and we went through the 7on7 season over the summer. We used that to help build chemistry,” Armendarez said. “We have all worked hard. The last few years, we have put in the work.”
The ’Kats are shooting for a 2-0 start when they travel to Port Isabel this Friday. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.