By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

After a power outage Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium forced a postponement, it was the Lopez Lobos who came out electric and built a 17-point first-half lead only to see it disappear after the PSJA Southwest Javelinas put up 21 consecutive points.

It could have been another setback in what has been a long season, but the winless Lobos were not to be denied.

Down four with no timeouts and less than two minutes remaining, Lopez quarterback Jose Cruz led his team on an eight-play, 71-yard drive, culminating in a 25-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Jesus Serrata, lifting the Lobos to a 24-21 District 16-5A Division I win over the Javelinas on Saturday at Sams Stadium.

“We always go over our two-minute drill over and over for situations like this,” Lopez coach Armando Gutierrez said. “The kids didn’t bow down to adversity. We knew we still had a couple of minutes and we knew we could score, and we could go to the air on (PSJA Southwest). We were smart enough to do what we did, and at the end of the day, the execution was a big factor.”

The Javelinas (3-3 in district) took the lead with 10:43 left to play on an 8-yard run by Chris Sanchez and then halted a 12-play, 63-yard Lopez drive on the ensuing possession when defensive back Luis Banda intercepted a Cruz jump pass in the end zone with six minutes to play.

PSJA Southwest, however, failed to muster another stand with the game on the line, as Serrata found himself wide open in the middle of its defense to give Lopez (1-5 in district) its first win of the season.

“I made a bad call there on that last play,” Javelinas coach Mike Evans said. “Lopez made a great call. They outplayed us today, totally. Lopez’s coaching and those kids, they played hard. Their coaches coached them great, and they outcoached us and outplayed us.”

Cruz had a big day, passing for 201 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and rushing for 124 yards and one score to lead the Lobos’ offense.

After an opening kickoff Friday night, the Lobos started the game on its own 29 and drove 71 yards in nine plays to take a 7-0 lead on a 4-yard run by Cruz.

The good fortune continued after Lopez’s Santiago Garcia came up with a strip-sack to set the Lobos up at the Southwest 34, where Cruz hit Aaron Garcia on the next play for a touchdown pass to make it 14-0 with 8:36 left in the first quarter.

That was the story early for the Javelinas offense, which turned the ball over twice and gave the ball up on downs within their first four possessions.

“Our offense had too many mistakes, too many penalties and blown assignments,” Evans said. “We can’t beat anybody when we do that. We got in the red zone and didn’t score a couple of times, and you just can’t win games like that.”

A Lopez field goal made it a 17-0 early in the second quarter, but they were its final points until the final drive as the PSJA Southwest defense held Lopez scoreless for the better part of the final three quarters after weathering an early storm.

“Southwest began to bring people off the edge to slow us down a little bit,” Gutierrez said. “But we had to make sure we stayed on point with our blocking assignments. We adjusted, and everything came out pretty well from us.”

The Javelinas woke up and finally got on the board after a 13-yard run by quarterback Ramiro Ramirez with 4:02 left in the first half.

PSJA Southwest recovered an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff and took just five plays to punch in another score, this one a Cesar Bocanegra 7-yard score to make it 17-14, the score at the half.

Lopez will continue district play against Pace on Friday night, and PSJA Southwest will play host to Mission Veterans Memorial.

“(Getting our first win) is fantastic,” Gutierrez said. “We’re going to celebrate tonight, but forget it tomorrow and keep working. At the same time, these are very young kids, so just making them believe that at the end of the day, no matter what, they can overcome adversity — that’s a big step in this program.”

By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — The Brownsville Hanna cross country teams had no intention of relinquishing their spot atop the district ranks, and they didn’t have to.

For the second straight season, Hanna earned not one but two trophies after capturing the District 32-6A boys and girls team titles Friday morning at the Harlingen Sports Complex.

While the Lady Eagles scored 47 points to barely edge Harlingen High’s 51, the Eagles cruised to a dominating win with a score of 29, besting the Harlingen High score of 48.

“ That was awesome,” Hanna coach Olaya Teran said. “I was seeing the race the opposite way. I thought our girls would have a chance to win it by a larger margin, but our boys did it instead. It was a tough race in the beginning. I’m very proud of all of them, and now we have our next goal, which is regionals. We have a few boys that can be up there, and that’s what we’re working towards. They ran well, but we still have to obviously continue to work hard and be ready for that one.”

The San Benito boys placed third with 57 points, followed by Los Fresnos (81) and Rivera (110). On the girls side, Harlingen South finished third with 55 points, followed by Los Fresnos (71) and Rivera (108).

Leading the Hanna boys was sophomore John Abrego, who placed first overall with a time of 16 minutes, 3.6 seconds, and spent a majority of the first mile with San Benito’s Jaoquin Medina, who finished the race with a 16:16.1.

Abrego said shaking off the prerace butterflies was one hurdle, but having Medina close was both a challenge and a motivating factor.

“ It was all, for me, a test,” Abrego said. “Last year, (Medina) was the runner who would come in first. From then until now, my goal was to pass Medina or stay with Medina. Having him was a great feeling. He was my challenge, and I just wanted to do my best to come in first. He pushed me and was my drive.

“ I also wanted to credit our seniors for pushing us and giving us wise words of experience,” Abrego added. “Our team was on the same page and with the right mindset. That’s why we finished first as a team.”

Hanna had three runners finish in the top five of the boys race.

Hanna’s Felipe Parra placed third (16:33.7), followed by teammate Marcos Tellez (16:40.2) and Los Fresnos’ Michael Paredes (16:43.5).

Winning the girls race was Harlingen High freshman Victoria Scarberry with a 19:36.1, easily ousting Los Fresnos’ Jasmine Ponce, who placed second with a 20:43.4.

Scarberry’s time was not only the best of the race but marked the second personal best in as many races. She set a PR at the Meet of Champions in Donna with a 19:48.5.

“ At the start I was really nervous, so to actually win is pretty good,” Scarberry said. “I didn’t expect this, but my coaches teach me to go after it and go after it, and I did. This really boosted my confidence. In middle school I always came in first, and I wasn’t expecting that this year because these girls are fast and these girls bring their all. I haven’t placed first any of these races, but that’s why I feel good about this one.”

Hanna’s Magali Osowski placed third with a 20:51.0, followed by Harlingen South’s Alex Perez (20:56.9) and Madison Meyers (20:59.9).

The Lady Eagles had three runners finish in the top 10 of the girls race.

By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

Despite a blowout loss to Amarillo Tascosa and a 2-3 record to end the non-district season, Hanna quarterback Victor Campos believes his team is still among the area’s elite.

The senior signal-caller also believes he and the team will have to take a good long look in the mirror if they are going to prove it and hoist another gold ball this season.

“We’re one of the best teams in the Rio Grande Valley,” Campos said. “We’ve just had a lot of mistakes, a lot of mental mistakes that have slowed us down a lot. As for myself, I feel like I need to make smarter and quicker decisions and after that, we’ll be all right.”

Campos is in his third season as the Hanna starting quarterback, but unlike his first two seasons, the Golden Eagles’ offense starts with him.

The senior QB has passed for 971 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions on 48 of 72 passing, and has racked up 260 yards and eight touchdowns on 60 rushing attempts this season.

Even with a lot of the offensive load on his shoulders, Campos didn’t change his approach to his final year.

“I kept the same mindset,” he said. “It’s always going to be about the team. I always put them before myself. I think that works out for us, because the better we work together, the better we are going to be.”

Hanna coach Mark Guess said Campos stepping up as the offense’s top playmaker was almost a must as the days of handing the ball off to Cesar Mancias and Aaron Frausto or throwing long to receiver Miguel Payan ended last season.

“(Campos) doesn’t have the same targets that he had last year,” Guess said. “Not to take anything away from the guys this year, but they’re different. We haven’t been coming up with the big catch or sometimes simple catches because we’re dropping too many balls. Some of that is on the receivers, some of that is on the quarterback and some of that is on the offensive line. There’s plenty of places to put the blame. The ultimate deal is that we haven’t gotten it done.”

Campos will admit being a leader of young, new players has been trying at times, but through that he has grown up a lot.

“I feel that this year, I have to be a lot more patient,” the senior QB said. “We have a lot of young guys. You tell them something and sometimes they might break down or something, but after that, we just come out and work — that’s what’s good about this team. Our offense loves to work. We all have the same mindset of wanting to get better each and every day.”

Handling that role as the top option and as a leader was a bumpy road early on, but it’s something Campos has grown into, specifically after coming off the blowout loss to Tascosa before the bye week.

“Once we got past the Amarillo game, that kind of opened Victor’s eyes as far as leadership goes.” Guess said. “He’s turned the corner as far as that aspect of his job goes. He has to be a leader. The quarterback position demands it and the biggest guy on the team demands it — he should demand it. Hopefully, that has occurred, and he’s going to take these guys to their next level.”

With District 32-6A play set to begin Thursday night at Sams Memorial Stadium, Campos is relishing what will be the final five regular-season games of his high school football career.

“It’s (possibly) my last five games,” he said. “I have to just take them as I can. I just have to be smart with whatever I do, and just have fun with it and put God in everything I do. We’re on a mission, and we’re going to get that gold ball. Whoever comes in our way, I feel bad for them because we have a good team here.”

By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers and Porter Cowboys came into their matchup with urgency, eager to get back in the win column.

The Chargers were the ones to stand tall and deliver as they rolled to a 34-17 District 16-5A Division I win Friday night at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville.

Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu said all week he wanted to get wide receivers Mauricio Garza and Damian Maldonado more in the mix and did just that, as they combined for three of the Chargers’ five touchdowns on the night.

“ We felt like everything was sound,” Cantu said. “We had a vision over the weekend of Mau (Garza) and Damian (Maldonado) doing some things, and that’s what transpired. For that to happen, the line has to do their job, the quarterback has to do their job, everyone has to do their job. For the most part, that happened tonight.”

Garza moved back to the running back position and rushed for more than 100 yards and two third-quarter touchdowns, including a 58-yard scamper.

Maldonado hauled in just four passes but was effective, racking up 57 yards and a 29-yard touchdown pass from Liam Longoria early in the second quarter.

The Chargers improved to 3-2 in district play and stayed in the thick of the playoff race heading into next week’s bye.

“ Going into the bye with a win feels great,” Cantu said. “I said earlier in the week that it feels like a rebirth for our team. We had a gut check (last week) and looked in the mirror, all of us coaches and kids included. Then we came out here and played Charger football tonight.”

Meanwhile, the Cowboys head into their break 1-4 in district play and on a two-game skid with four games to play.

“ Even now, we still have a chance at the playoffs,” Porter coach Carlos Uresti said. “We were telling the kids, that’s the reality of it. We’re mathematically not out of it, so we’re going to still continue to work hard and try to finish up the season strong.”

Porter was led by quarterback Kevin Garcia, who rushed for 119 yards and Porter’s only two touchdowns of the game.

It was another rough night for the Cowboys’ offense, which turned the ball over just once. But it was costly as Garcia put the ball on the ground on a botched exchange at the Porter 29, where Chargers defensive lineman Alex Villarreal recovered.

The Chargers got on the board soon after on a 16-yard touchdown run by Longoria to make it 6-0 after a missed extra point at the 6:44 mark of the first quarter.

“ It was a tough game for us, and we struggled moving the ball,” Uresti said. “We got put in third-and-long situations. Overall, credit to Veterans, their defense played well for them today. We moved the ball, but not as consistent as we wanted to. That turnover the first half gave Veterans a short field, and that’s been our Achilles’ heel the whole year.”

After the Chargers went up 13-0 on a 4-yard touchdown run by Angel Ramirez, Porter answered on a 66-yard run by Garcia to make it 13-7 with 1:19 left in the first quarter.

After Longoria hit Maldonado, Porter tacked on a field goal and headed into the break trailing 20-10 before Garza found paydirt twice in the third period to put the game away.

By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

Since starting on the varsity as a freshman, Porter senior guard Adam Gonzalez knew he was headed for unsung hero territory when he was used as a pure blocking tight end during his first season before moving to guard as a sophomore.

The agile Gonzalez learned to love his blocking duties and felt right at home, making the transition to the offensive line seamless.

“It was pretty fun, but I wasn’t a main tight end that was going to catch passes or anything and I accepted that,” he said. “I like the whole blocking scheme of protecting the quarterback, so when I moved to guard it was much more fun. Now, I’m being pulled here and there and utilized a lot more. It’s really fun getting to be a lot more agile.”

Gonzalez is now the anchor for a Cowboys offensive line behind which dual-threat quarterback in junior Kevin Garcia has rushed for 511 yards and nine touchdowns.

Having a shifty quarterback keeps the line on its toes, but Gonzalez wouldn’t have it any other way as he relishes the opportunity to get out on the run, even if it means getting none of the recognition.

That’s the message the Porter guard hopes to drive home to his linemates.

“I tell my offensive linemen, we’re the ones in the trenches,” Gonzalez said. “We don’t get the attention, but at the end of the day, our coaches know that this team goes as we go, and we’re as good as our weakest linemen. The holes are there, and they’re there because of us. The quarterbacks and running backs get all the glory and headlines in the paper, but at the end of the day we know they appreciate us.”

Porter coach Carlos Uresti said Gonzalez is a model player both on the field and in the locker room, and is a major cornerstone for the Cowboys.

“He’s one of those kids that you want to have in your program,” Uresti said. “Just like a quarterback, he’s the anchor to our offensive line. He’s a four-year starter for me, and he knows what the system’s about and is always leading by example. He’s not real vocal, but he leads by action.”

Getting vocal and wanting to hold players accountable are signs of leadership in most locker rooms, but just not Gonzalez’s M.O.

Instead, the veteran guard pulls his weight by helping keep the team unity solid by any means necessary.

“We started creating that bond like friendship and family,” Gonzalez said. “We have barbecues on the weekend. We go to Golden Corral buffets or IHOP late at night. One night I even took them all out to eat. I’m not trying to be the main one telling everyone to do this or that right. It’s just all about keeping a family bond.”

Said Uresti, “He’s always involved with the offensive line. He’s the anchor. He always tries to get the guys going and always tries to get them together somehow, some way. He’s just trying to forge that bond by being around each other.”

Above all, Gonzalez said forging a bond is the foundation of a mature mindset and strong mentality.

Through that, Gonzalez believes the Cowboys can keep their focus and keep moving forward despite a 1-3 start in District 16-5A Division I play.

“We’re all one unit, and it’s about the amount of work we put in,” he said. “It’ll make us be successful. We just have to keep going. We don’t have the numbers or anything, but we do have the heart.”

By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

RIO GRANDE CITY — What was expected to be a high-scoring affair for the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers and the Rio Grande City Rattlers turned into a one-possession defensive struggle at the half.

After the break, the Brownsville Veterans offense stayed stuck in neutral and the Rattlers blew the game open with 29 second-half points on their way to a 36-13 District 16-5A Division I win.

The Chargers fell to 2-2 in district play, and the Rattlers improved to 3-1.

While the Rattlers’ offense exploded during the second half, it was the defense that never let up, pressuring Chargers quarterback Liam Longoria throughout the night, forcing the senior signal-caller into three turnovers.

“Coach (David) Cantu does a great job (at Brownsville Veterans) and I have total respect for him, so I knew he was going to bring a good team,” Rio Grande City coach Leo Mireles said. “We did really well today, and one team had to do better. Tonight was our night. Our defense played lights out and gave us the ball back enough times to capitalize on it, and that’s what happened.”

The Rattlers recorded four sacks and forced three turnovers to keep the Chargers’ offense in check and out of rhythm, allowing just two scores on Longoria runs of 50 and 66 yards.

“Rio Grande City had a great plan, and they executed it,” Cantu said. “All the credit to them. Coach Mireles has come in, and the culture is different over there … kudos to them. At times during the game, our offense was able to get momentum, and then something would happen and we’d lose it pretty quick. When the turnover ratio is minus-three or minus-four, then you don’t give yourself a very good chance to win. We’re going to regroup and learn from this, and be a lot better for it.”

All the turnovers were the result of pressure, as Longoria was forced into two first-quarter interceptions in Rattlers territory, including one to defender Marc Perez at the RGC 8.

Longoria also fumbled on the RGC 25 during the fourth quarter after being swarmed by defenders following a scramble, but despite a rough night under center, Cantu said his confidence in his senior QB never wavered.

“I wouldn’t trade Liam Longoria for any quarterback in the state of Texas,” Cantu said. “That’s how I feel about Liam, but it wasn’t all him. There were protection issues and the pressure that Rio Grande City provided. (Longoria) knows that I trust him, and he knows I wouldn’t trade him for any quarterback in the whole state.”

The Chargers played well defensively early and made those early interceptions irrelevant, holding the Rattlers scoreless until QB Mario Garza notched a 2-yard score with 10 seconds to play in the first half.

“Our defense in the first half played extremely well,” Cantu said. “Rio Grande City is an explosive offense that has put up a lot of points on the board. That definitely provided us offensively with numerous opportunities.”

Garza added two more scores through the air and one more on the ground to lead a second-half charge in which the Rattlers outscored the Chargers 29-13.

Backup QB Kevin Guerra also got in on the action with a 76-yard touchdown pass to Allan Garcia midway through the fourth.

“Our offense played awesome tonight,” Mireles said. “We started off slow in the first half, but we got it going in the second half. We were able to put points on the board, and put pressure on (the Chargers’) offense and force them to become one-dimensional.”

By MARK MOLINA | STAFF WRITER

Week 4 was a rough one for both the Port Isabel Tarpons and the St. Joseph Academy Bloodhounds, losing in blowouts to La Feria and Raymondville, respectively.

Now, the two squads will look to bounce back when Port Isabel hosts St. Joseph in The Brownsville Herald’s Game of the Week, which is slated for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff tonight at Tarpon Stadium.

For the Tarpons (1-3), this week — like most weeks — has been about getting up and dusting off after being lit up by the Lions 47-7 last week.

“ We come out, get our work done and we get after it. We immediately start picking (the players) up, win or lose, after a game.” Jason Strunk said. They’ve come out great to practice all week and they understand that La Feria beat us and mistakes bit us. You can’t do that against them and it was a learning experience for us.”

Head SJA coach Tino Villarreal believes this week’s game will have some fire to it as he expects a “Red vs. Blue” rivalry atmosphere, but said this week will say a lot about the Bloodhounds (2-2) as they try to recover from their 69-14 thrashing at Raymondville.

“ Nobody likes to give up a big loss like that because it’s not good for morale or the program,” Villarreal said. “I don’t think Raymondville was that good or we were that bad. The circumstances and situations made the score what it was. This is definitely a wake-up call week for us and I think it’s going to define our season.

“ I can tell you I will expect a dog fight,” Villarreal added. “I do not expect us to have an outing like we did last Friday.”

Tonight’s battle will feature a battle of explosive running backs putting up big numbers.

St. Joseph’s Melik Kauachi has racked up 718 yards and six touchdowns this season and has rushed for more than 100 yards in every game this season, including a pair of performances where he went for more than 200 yards.

Port Isabel, Meanwhile, brings top rusher Brayan Medina to the table, who missed the season opener but rushed for 301 yards and two scores in Week 2 during a 37-16 win at Valley View.

The Tarpons racked up 454 yards in that win, which also featured a 109-yard, one-touchdown rushing performance from Mac Strunk.

“ Our running game is solid with Medina back; he’s a s solid as they come,” Strunk said. “And Mac Strunk had a 100-yard game and he’s been explosive back there. Overall, I like our run game and Joey Krieghbaum has been running the ball well for us at quarterback while running our option stuff.”

Strunk also said he will look to open up the passing game a bit this week. Krieghbaum has passed for just 256 yards this season, but has also thrown for five touchdowns.

The Bloodhounds’ quarterback situation has been up in the air as Villarreal said starter Luigi Cristiano is day-to-day after suffering a hip injury on a strip sack in the first quarter last Friday.

Cristiano came back in for a series soon after but was hit again and sidelined in favor of John Martinez.

Martinez was in contention at QB during preseason, so Villarreal is hoping to be prepared and tailor the offense more to his mobile skill set should his number get called under center.

“ We know what (Cristiano) can do and we know he knows the offense,” Villarreal said. “Now, it gives us a solid week to get John in that role and let him get more reps and start to familiarize himself with plays that are comfortable to him. At the end of the day on Friday if Luigi can go, we already know what he can do and what he knows.”

MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

The stone-faced, serious demeanor St. Joseph Academy running back Melik Kauachi has while racking up the yards doesn’t completely translate to off-the-field situations.

In fact, the junior rusher seems to be taken out of his comfort zone when fielding questions about his early season performance.

When Kauachi was asked his thoughts on his fast start, he wasn’t about to let himself be singled out.

“I can’t do it alone,” he said. “The whole team is doing it, it’s not just me. We put in a lot of work during the summer. None of the numbers I have would be possible without my offensive line. They’re the ones who make the holes for me.”

SJA coach Tino Villarreal said being humble is just who Kauachi has been since entering the program as a seventh-grade student.

“He’s always been great,” Villarreal said. “He’s always been a leader, and just does his job, is a good teammate and remains humble the whole time.”

During the first month of the season, Kauachi has been the workhorse and then some for SJA, racking up 718 yards and six touchdowns in four games.

Among those games is a pair of 200-yard performances, including a Week 1 showing in which Kauachi lit up Grulla for 222 yards and two scores on the ground and finished the night with 348 all-purpose yards. Also, he has rushed for at least 125 yards in every game so far.

While Kauachi has become the Bloodhounds’ go-to offensive option, Villarreal says that setup isn’t always ideal and leaves nothing to the imagination of the defense.

Still, it’s the position the Bloodhounds’ program, which has seen its numbers dwindle recently, has found itself in.

“In any football team, the distribution of the football is important if you want to give people a hard time,” Villarreal said. “When you have to isolate yourself and depend on one guy, it makes you one-dimensional. Unfortunately, due to circumstances, we’ve been there and Melik has done a great job carrying that load for us.”

Last season, Kauachi showed signs of promise as a sophomore but was overshadowed by what resulted in a 2-8 campaign.

Now that the team has gotten off to a 2-2 start, the Bloodhounds’ leading rusher said it has been simply experience and the volume of carries that have made the difference.

“I was given more opportunity to run the ball through better holes,” he said. “(Carrying the ball) the ball brings my confidence up, but I don’t really care if I even gain 100 yards or more, as long as the team is winning. I wasn’t expecting this (many carries), I’ve just had more opportunities than last year and have run the ball better. Sometimes I don’t even know what I’m thinking, so I just get the ball and start running, trying to hit the hole and make the best out of it.”

That volume can be daunting, but Villarreal said Kauachi prepared well in the offseason and has held up through 103 touches in four games.

“There are a lot of guys that get that many carries, and you see them at this point of the season and they’re bruised up.” Villarreal said. “Melik is sill at 100 percent.”

With four big performances under his belt, Kauachi said the notoriety comes with standards he must live up to, but he believes he is ready to take that on.

“People come up to me and say that, ‘The game is on you,’” Kauachi said. “It makes me nervous, and I say that the game is on the team. Still, the more yards you get, the more confident you get and you feel like you can take on anyone. Although, I don’t like to be the person that feels like they’re getting good and gets ahead of themselves, but I definitely have set a bar for myself.”

By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

On a night when the St. Joseph Bloodhounds were looking to show they can compete, they ran into a Raymondville Bearkats team that looked unstoppable.

Led by seven combined touchdowns from ZaRaivion Armendarez and Justin Cantu, the Bearkats’ offense dominated the Bloodhounds’ defense by scoring on nine of 10 offensive possessions on their way to a 69-14 victory Friday night at Raymondville’s Burnett Stadium.

Raymondville improves to 3-0, and St. Joseph falls to 2-2.

Armendarez scored on touchdown runs of 32, 33 and 42 yards, as well as a 22-yard catch-and-run from quarterback Jarod Cavazos, who passed for two scores on the night.

Meanwhile, Cantu hit paydirt three times on runs of 60, 11 and 32 yards.

“ZaRaivion Armendarez is coming into his own, as well as Justin Cantu,” Raymondville coach Frank Cantu said. “They just had incredible nights — both of those guys. There was a lot of individual performances. Each one had their own performances. I thought we ran well. At the end of the day, I’m just so happy with how they played. Our offensive line did a great job as well, but Armendarez and Justin Cantu definitely shined tonight.”

In all, Raymondville churned out seven total touchdowns and 462 yards on the ground, including eight plays of 32 yards or more. The Bearkats only failed to score late in the fourth after kneeling on the ball and turning the ball over on downs with two minutes left as the Bloodhounds’ defense failed to force a stop.

“We just have to do a better job as a coaching staff at preparing our team for situations like this,” St. Joseph coach Tino Villarreal said. “I think that our tackling was subpar, to say the least.”

St. Joseph opened strong with a Melik Kauachi 76-yard touchdown run on the game’s second play to put the Bloodhounds up 7-0, but Raymondville answered with 48 straight points.

The Bloodhounds’ problems began when Luigi Cristiano was hurt on a strip sack that resulted in a fumble return for a touchdown by Raymondville’s Thomas Zambrano with the game less than three minutes old.

Cristiano continued to play but was knocked out of the game for good near the end of the first quarter.

The injury gave way to backup quarterback John Martinez, who threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Josh Martinez with time expiring before the half to make it 48-14.

“Anytime that you set up a game plan all week long and all of a sudden there’s a dramatic shift to that at any position, especially quarterback, we try to do the best that we could with what we have,” Villarreal said. “We sustained a couple of drives here and there, but not enough against a good team like Raymondville. You have to pack a punch to be competitive in this type of environment, and we just didn’t do that tonight.”

Kauachi still broke the century mark, rushing for 125 yards on 24 carries.

MARK MOLINA | STAFF WRITER

After falling to Rio Hondo 35-28 last week, the St. Joseph Academy Bloodhounds are looking to rebound against another challenger from District 16-4A Division II when they meet Raymondville for a 7:30 p.m. matchup tonight at Burnett Stadium.

A trip to Raymondville tonight and an away game at Port Isabel coming up next week, SJA will have faced three Class 4A playoff teams from a year ago in as many weeks.

It’s a tough stretch, but Bloodhounds coach Tino Villarreal said a stretch like that is exactly what his team needs to grow and has seen flashes of that after falling behind early in last week’s loss.

“We have to learn to compete, but I think we’ve done a good job,” Villarreal said. “We had some bad special teams that took the momentum away from us against Rio Hondo. It became a two-score game and a young team like mine could have folded up shop and given up. We came out and gave Rio Hondo everything we had in the second half and learned to compete. Now, we have to learn to finish.

“We’re excited for the opportunity to be playing teams like Rio Hondo and Raymondville,” he added. “They’re solid teams that we have a lot of respect for. The reason we kept them on the schedule despite them being four or five times our size is because they’re the only teams that will get us ready for our district.”

Both teams come in with 2-1 records and the ability to score as SJA is averaging 34 points per game, while Raymondville has recorded 28 per outing.

For St. Joseph, it starts with running back Melik Kauachi, who has rushed for 592 yards and five touchdowns, including a pair of 200-yard games this season.

That, plus a solid start for quarterback Luigi Cristiano (30-69-1, 437 yards, 4 TDs) has contributed to an offense averaging 439 yards per outing.

Villarreal is looking for more of that this week, but says it will be up to his offensive line to get a solid push against the Bearkat front.

“Raymondville has a strong defense that will blitz us a lot,” Villarreal said. “I believe the main matchup will be our offensive line against their box. We have to halt the blitz at the line and not allow penetration and control the line of scrimmage. Unfortunately for me and fortunately for the fans, we’re going to be in a shootout.”

Raymondville head coach Frank Cantu believes the best defense for SJA’s explosive offense is methodical possessions from his team.

“St. Joseph is very explosive on offense,” Raymondville head coach Frank Cantu said. “They have some good weapons, so we’re trying to put the best game plan to try and contain them. I would really like to have long drives on offense ourselves and keep them off the field. I think we have to do well on third downs and our defense has to get off the field. We have to give our offense opportunities to get on the field for those long drives.”

The Bearkats are coming off a 42-0 win over Lyford that saw Zaraivion Armendarez score three rushing touchdowns and teammate Justin Cantu add two more.

The Bloodhounds are hoping to blanket Armendarez and force Cantu and junior quarterback Jarod Cavazos to take the reins.

“Obviously we have to keep an eye out for No. 7 (Armendarez),” Villarreal said. “He’s their playmaker. We know he’s going to get the ball and they want him to get the ball. In order for us to be successful tomorrow, we have to make the other guys beat us, but not him. We’ve been focusing on trying to contain him and we’ll be happy if he’s used as a decoy tomorrow. We wouldn’t mind that, just as I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if Melik Kauachi was our decoy.”