ROY HESS | Staff Writer
PORT ISABEL — One year after his hiring, the Jason Strunk era is firmly in place at Port Isabel and the Tarpons are eagerly moving forward into the 2019 football season with a lot of determination.
The Tarpons have been practicing weekdays at 6:30 a.m. since Aug. 5 with approximately 100 players routinely showing up for workouts before the sun rises.
It’s been one year since Strunk arrived in the Rio Grande Valley from the Lubbock area. The players now are familiar with the coaches, and vice versa. Everyone is on the same page, and that’s a blessing for everyone involved.
“It was a whirlwind (last year) because I got here late in July,” Strunk said. “I remember the first day of practice. The players didn’t know my name, and I didn’t know about 95 percent of their names. It was tough, but it taught me a lot. If you’re a life-long learner, you embrace those kinds of things (challenges), and I did.
“I learned a lot from the situation, the timing and everything,” Strunk added. “I’m pleased with the results we got and the effort the players showed (considering the circumstances). I’m not happy we went 4-6, but we were one-point away from possibly going two rounds deep (having lost to West Oso 57-56 in the bi-district playoffs), so we’ll take it. It’s a credit to this coaching staff. All the credit goes to those guys.”
After going 1-3 to start the 2018 season, the Tarpons won three in a row against St. Joseph Academy (37-0), Grulla (48-21) and Progreso (46-9).
This time around, things are going smoother and expectations are higher.
“No matter where I’m at, the expectations every year are to win a district title and to qualify for the state playoffs,” Strunk said. “I want us to go one round deeper each week, and overall, I want to win a state title. That’s what you go in to coaching for. I want to win, and I want to help these athletes build character and get them ready for the real world. We want to have a winning mentality.”
The prospects look promising for the Tarpons with seven starters back on offense and eight returning on defense.
The key position to replace is quarterback, where the talented Cesar Aguilera has graduated.
Tabbed to replace Aguilera is junior Joey Krieghbaum, who is a 6-foot-1, 170-pounder. The new QB is working with a number of fast receivers on the team, including Mac Strunk, son of the coach.
“As a whole team, I believe we’re doing really well,” said Mac Strunk, who missed pretty much the entire football season last year with an injury. “The communication is there, and we have speed everywhere, so I’m really excited for this season.
“I played the first scrimmage last year, then I got hurt and missed the rest of the season,” he added. “It sucked, honestly. I’m really excited now for my senior year. I get to play with these guys one last time.”
Zaid Calderon, a senior inside linebacker, said the Tarpon “Sea Wall” defense is playing well thus far along with with the offense.
“Our linebackers are looking good and we’re looking to stop the run,” said Calderon, a three-year member of the varsity who is starting now for the first time. “Our secondary may be a little young, but those guys are still looking solid and fast.
“This year we’re looking to go deep in the playoffs and get that District (16-4A Division II) title.”
The Tarpons begin scrimmaging at 6 p.m. Friday at home against Pace. Port Isabel’s second scrimmage will be at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 22 at Santa Rosa.
Port Isabel opens the regular season against Porter at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 30 at Brownsville’s Sams Memorial Stadium.