By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

Lopez volleyball coach Gaby Maraboto knew her team needed to bring a little something extra going into this edition of the Battle of the Southmost on the hardwood.

The Lady Lobos got the spark they needed to outlast District 32-5A rival Porter in four games, 25-13, 18-25, 30-28, 26-24 on Saturday at Lopez.

During the decisive fourth game, Lopez sprinted out to a 6-1 lead after a marathon third set that quickly became 7-1 and then 8-2 after a block and a kill by Katherin Rodriguez. The Lady Lobos never looked back, even after a furious Porter rally squared the game at 22.

“Even if we have a good lead and we have long rallies going on, we never relax on the court,” Maraboto said. “Just because we’re up 10-0 or 8-0, it doesn’t mean that we can get complacent and chill out there and relax. We have to battle — each and every single point we have to fight through so we can stay on top and keep that lead.”

After cruising to victory during the first game, Lopez ran into a buzzsaw in the second game in the form of the dynamic Porter duo of Micaela Garcia and Azaneth Perez. Lopez led 14-10 in the second set before the Cowgirls went on a 14-2 run, accentuated by kills from Garcia, Perez and Katherine Salas, who also pounded home a service ace to give the visitors a 22-16 edge.

But Porter couldn’t maintain its momentum long enough into the third game, letting a 10-5 lead slip away in the most dramatic and back-and-forth of the four games in a close contest. The Lady Lobos seemed to thrive in the atmosphere of heightened intensity that followed with each point.

“Our girls are not really a team that likes to start off strong,” Maraboto said. “We like to fight and come back toward the end. That was really good for us. We usually don’t do that. We choke in the beginning, and then we’re the team that fights back a lot.”

Olga Arozena came through with a block to knot the game at 24, a Sofia Castillo kill produced a 27-26 Lopez lead, and Kayla Aguilar delivered a gut-punch to Porter to close out the longest set of the match and take a 2-1 edge in games.

“Sofia, our right-side hitter, stepped up for us,” Maraboto said. “She kept asking for the ball, she wanted the ball and she was putting it down. She helped us take the lead in the fourth set.”

Venegas said setter Brenda Savariego’s leadership was the key to remaining calm in an emotionally charged contest, and she also provided several crucial assists to help swing the game in Lopez’s favor. Savariego had 34 assists, 10 digs, and three kills for the Lady Lobos.

Cielo Chapa had 12 kills to lead Lopez, and Castillo chipped in seven digs, 10 kills and one assist. Arozena had seven kills and two blocks, and Noelia Ruiz had 18 digs, two aces and two assists.

“All her sets were on point,” Maraboto said. “She’s our leader, she’s our captain and she talked to the girls throughout the whole entire (match). We were able to score because of her and her leadership.”

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

RIO HONDO — ZaRaivion Armendarez rushed for two touchdowns and hauled in a reception for a third score as Raymondville defeated Rio Hondo in decisive fashion, 35-21, to open District 16-4A Division II play Friday night.

Armendarez was heavily involved in the early going for the Bearkats (6-1, 1-0 16-4A DII), including the first score of the night, a 14-yard touchdown run that put the visitors ahead 7-0 at the 8:44 mark of the first quarter.

“I thought our offense played great,” Raymondville coach Frank Cantu said. “We scored every time we had the ball in the first half (except for a late fumble).”

One of several players to take a snap under center aside from starting quarterback Jayson Cantu, Armendarez handed the ball off to senior running back Justin Smith, who rushed for an 8-yard touchdown to double the Raymondville lead with 3:48 to go in the first quarter.

The Bobcats (3-4, 0-1 16-4A DII) responded with 29 seconds remaining in the period when Rio Hondo’s Matthew Treviño found Joey Ortega for a 30-yard touchdown on a double-reverse flea-flicker to make the score 14-7.

But Raymondville called Armendarez’s number again, and he delivered a 60-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter and caught a 64-yard touchdown pass from Jayson Cantu to break the game open and put the Bearkats ahead 28-7 with 9:18 to go in the second quarter.

The next series nearly ended in disaster for Rio Hondo, when a bungled exchange on an attempted handoff on the first play from scrimmage following the ensuing kickoff was fumbled and recovered by Raymondville. But Justin Cantu proceeded to fumble the ball at the 1-yard line, and Rio Hondo’s Lucas Hernandez recovered it with 7:58 to go in the first half.

Rio Hondo’s drive lasted nearly the remainder of the half, aided by a Raymondville facemask call. The Bobcats reached the Bearkats’ 11-yard line before a trick play ended with an interception by Arturo Sayas to squander Rio Hondo’s best scoring chance of the first half.

The Raymondville defense ceded some ground, but stood firm in key situations.

“I thought we made some tough stops early,” Cantu said. “I thought we had to stop them early to stop their momentum. We bent some but we didn’t break, and we were able to keep (the score) there.”

An 8-yard Justin Cantu rushing touchdown put Raymondville in command, giving the visitors a 35-7 advantage with 3:11 to play in the third quarter.

“(Raymondville is) a really good football team,” Rio Hondo coach Rocky James said. “They’re really fast. We put some faster guys out there in the second half, and I think that helped. We came out and gave up one touchdown in the second half.”

Rio Hondo battled back with a pair of scores, including a 14-yard touchdown pass from Treviño to Jonah Ortega for a 14-yard touchdown during the waning seconds of the third quarter, and Ethan Jeradiah rushed for a 38-yard touchdown with 3:32 to go in the game.

But the effort proved to be too little, too late for the Bobcats.

“This time we played a good second half,” James said. “But it looked like we were shell-shocked in the first half.”

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers cross country team won its first ever District 32-5A title and the Edcouch-Elsa boys also punched their ticket to Corpus Christi with a first-place finish as a team Thursday morning at the BISD Encampment.

“ The girls have been working really, really hard,” Brownsville Veterans coach Jorge Medina said. “They practice together, and they’ve gotten to where they bond really well. And they all, thank God, just ran really well today.”

The Lady Chargers scored 25 points and placed four of their runners in the top 10, led by individual champion Valeria Gamez, who set a personal best at the 3.1 mile distance with a time of 18 minutes, 50.1 seconds. Cynthia Ramirez (19:40.7) finished in fourth place, Lauren Averyt (19:53) placed fifth, and Christina Pena rounded out the Brownsville Veterans lineup with an eighth-place finish and a time of 20:11.9.

“ I’m so proud of my girls,” Gamez said. “We did really well.”

Second-place Edcouch Elsa (61 points) was paced by Vanessa Cerda, the bronze medalist who clocked in at 19:01.1. Teresa Aguilar (20:00.4) finished sixth and Adriana Aguilar placed 10th for the Lady Jackets, who earned a regional qualifying spot.

Donna High finished third, led by ninth-place finisher Giselle Trujillo, who turned in a time of 20:16.5.

Individual qualifiers who did not already secure a regional championship berth with at least a third-place finish in the team standings were silver medalist Estrella Medellin of Porter, who recorded a time of 18:57.1, and Lopez’s Kenya Gonzalez placed eighth with a time of 20:06.4.

Gamez and Medellin were neck-and-neck until the district champion began her kick in the final mile, creating a separation as she accelerated around the final curve of the course and sprinted straight to the finish.

“ I didn’t want to lose,” Gamez said. “All the pain I felt, I had to ignore it. I had to go.”

In the boys division, Edcouch Elsa won the district title with 34 points, paced by individual champion Albino Rodriguez’s 15:29.9 in the 3.1 mile race.

Rodriguez overcame a slow start to overtake Brownsville Veterans’ Marcos Paredes, who led through the first mile before he slipped toward the back. Paredes finished 19th with a time of 17:31.

“ A lot of us were kind of just chilling for the first mile,” Rodriguez said. “(We were) trying to see who would make a move. … Slowly, all of us started catching up, and once we got to (the first mile marker), some of us started making up the gap.”

The Yellowjackets also had four runners finish inside the top 10, including fifth-place finisher Dominik Medrano (15:42.8), Cristian Coronado (16:42.1) in eighth place, and Jaime Hernandez in ninth place with a time of 16:42.5.

Runner-up Donna High also had four top 10 finishers, recording 37 points and securing a regional berth. The Redskins’ Samuel Martinez earned the bronze medal with a 15:40.7, and Kevin Hernandez (15:42.5) and Erick Chavez (16:23.4) were not far behind him, checking in fourth and sixth place, respectively. Javier Calvillo was 10th, recording a time of 16:43.1.

The Charger boys were able to earn the final regional qualifying spot with a 91-point performance and had four runners finished inside the top 20, paced by Luis Hinojosa (17:07.2) in 15th place.

STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

Coming off of a bye week, Rio Hondo and Raymondville have a chance to make a significant statement in their District 16-4A Division II opener when the Bobcats (3-3) host the Bearkats (5-1) at 7:30 p.m. tonight.

Rio Hondo coach Rocky James is wary of the bevy of offensive weapons Raymondville boasts, including ZaRaivion Armendarez, Justin Cantu, and Justin Smith. But he plans to counter the Bearkats’ speedy skill players with more speed of his own.

“Friday night, we’re going to try to get our fastest guys on the field defensively,” James said. “We know they’ve got a really fast football team so we’re going to try and get a little bit faster.”

One of those adjustments will be to shift sophomore offensive tackles Matthew Lopez and Rogelio Garza to defensive tackle. Lopez said the experience has made him a more well-rounded football player and improved his ability to read and react based on his knowledge as an offensive lineman.

“When I’m playing DT, I can tell when the (offensive line), is pulling,” Lopez said. “Throughout the game, if they pull, they usually change out their stance a little bit, and I try to fire off the ball as fast as I can and follow them and it leads me to an easy tackle.”

While his roster is youthful on paper, James said that midway through the season, his players have gained plenty of experience in a lengthy and challenging non-district slate.

“There are no more young guys on this team,” James said. “Everybody’s a seasoned vet now. Now we’re finally starting our district run, it’s time to put up.”

James said he is confident in quarterback Matthew Trevino and has been pleased with his performance since filling in for Zechariah Rios after his injury.

Trevino was playing quarterback while Rios was playing receiver when the injury occurred, James said. The shift will also affect the Bobcats defensively.

“(Trevino) does a great job,” Rocky James said. “He’s been a quarterback his whole life. (But) when he’s at quarterback, I lose a linebacker.”

Rios’s athleticism allowed him to be deployed at receiver, where his absence will be felt, but mitigated by weapons like the Bobcats’ leading receiver, Smiley Rodriguez, Efrain Lopez (who had two catches for 87 yards in a loss to La Feria) as well as running back Ethan Jeridiah (76 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns against La Feria) and wideout Jonah Ortega.

With just four games in district, James said his team cannot afford to fall behind. But he cited recent history – Raymondville’s 27-14 win to knock off Rio Hondo after a 6-0 start in 2018 as a reminder that anything can happen when the Bobcats and Bearkats square off. Rio Hondo is 12-5 in the last 17 meetings between the two programs.

“Really in these grudge matches, you can throw out the records,” James said. “We’ll see where we fall. I think it’s gonna be a great game.”

STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

Santa Rosa running back Jose Diaz-Mendez eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark last Friday with his second 300-yard ground game of the 2019 campaign in a 32-0 win over Monte Alto.

The win got the Warriors (4-3, 1-2 District 16-3A Division II) back on track and gives Santa Rosa an opportunity to get back to .500 in district play.

Diaz-Mendez rushed for 365 yards on 28 carries and five touchdowns, surpassing his 323-yard, five-touchdown outing against rival La Villa on Sept. 13. He accounted for 95 percent of the Warriors’ total offensive output in the victory.

Santa Rosa is set to host Banquete at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The Bulldogs (1-5, 0-2 16-3A DII) lost their first two district contests by a combined score of 79-14 to Taft and Corpus Christi London, respectively. The Warriors defeated Banquete 56-8 in 2018.

Pride returns home

Undefeated La Feria has its District 16-4A Division I home opener scheduled for 7:30 p.m. against Zapata.

The Lions (7-0, 1-0 16-4A DI) will return for its first game at Lion Stadium since Sept. 13 against Mercedes.

Quarterback Dario Sanchez started in place of the injured Dorian Hernandez and threw for 76 yards while completing 10 of 19 pass attempts. Sanchez also rushed for 50 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-0 victory at Kingsville King last week.

The Hawks (2-5, 0-1 16-4A DI) dropped their district opener to Hidalgo 36-18. Zapata is 6-5 in its last 11 meetings with La Feria, and the Lions won the most recent matchup between the district foes 33-14 on Oct. 19, 2018.

Tarpons host Progreso in district opener

Port Isabel joins Rio Hondo and Raymondville as three of four District 16-4A Division II squads coming off of open dates in Week 7.

The Tarpons (2-4) host Progreso at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The Red Ants (3-4) were only team in the district to play last week, rebounding from a 31-7 loss to Santa Maria in Week 6 to defeat Marine Military Academy 75-0. Port Isabel most recently dropped a road shootout with Grulla, 35-34.

Bulldogs back in town

Lyford hosts San Diego at 7:30 p.m Friday in its District 16-3A Division I home opener.

The Bulldogs (2-5, 2-0 16-3A DI) opened their district slate with back-to-back road wins over Falfurrias and Aransas Pass.

Elsewhere in the East Valley, Santa Maria will look to bounce back from its loss to Three Rivers in its District 16-2A Division I opener. The Cougars (4-2, 0-1 16-2A DI) will play host to Ben Bolt at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

In District 16-2A Division II, La Villa still seeks its first win of the 2019 season. The Cardinals (0-6, 0-1 16-2A DII) dropped their district opener 10-8 to Agua Dulce and are scheduled to host Benavides at 7 p.m. Friday. The Eagles (1-5, 0-1 16-2A DII) are coming off a 34-22 loss to Premont.

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

Kenya Ibarra had 12 kills, Alondra Guzman finished with eight and the Rivera Lady Raiders completed a season sweep of Hanna with a three-set victory over the visitors 25-18, 25-19, 25-17 on Saturday at Rivera.

“The girls did a good job,” Rivera coach Elizabeth Avelar-Guerra said. “Their hitting was good, and they were communicating. They played well.”

Rivera improved its record in District 32-6A play to 5-1 with the win. Hanna fell to 0-5 in district.

Ibarra and Guzman each had five kills during the first game, with Guzman recording a key block to give the Lady Raiders a three-point advantage after leading by six.

Hanna middle blocker Odalys Gonzalez (eight kills) helped keep the second game close in the early stages, and the Lady Eagles briefly led 8-7 before Ibarra and Laisha Izaguirre responded with an equalizer kill and a block that put Rivera back in front.

Avelar-Guerra said her girls played good defense against Gonzalez, a player who has been widely acclaimed by opposing coaches as one of the hardest hitters in the Rio Grande Valley.

The Lady Raiders’ coach added that the team missed Izaguirre’s net-front presence — a key component of their defense — during their first meeting with Hanna on Sept. 21 because she was playing in a club tournament in Washington.

“Laisha blocked very well,” Avelar-Guerra said. “Our blocking was good, and that helps a lot. Only a couple got away from her. … I was really glad she was here for this one, she really did a good job today.”

After Guzman and Christina Garza helped build a 17-12 advantage for Rivera, Hanna answered with a run by Gonzalez, Amanda Rivera and Camille Atkinson that brought the Lady Eagles within two points at 21-19.

“(Garza and Guzman) hit well, they moved the ball around,” Avelar-Guerra said. “They’re not just aggressive but also smart, which really helps us because it makes it harder for the defense to know what to do.”

Then Rivera libero Esmeralda Fuentes delivered two crucial service aces, including one that clinched the game for the Lady Raiders to give them a 2-0 lead in the match.

While Hanna scored the first point of the third game and battled to an 8-8 deadlock, Rivera again pulled away once it reached double digits.

Ibarra tallied three straight points during the third game, and so did the rotating tandem of Alondra Garza and Fuentes. Guzman added a kill to open up an 11-8 lead, and Garza made the score 13-9 with a kill.

Fuentes recorded another ace to put the Lady Raiders up 21-15, and Christina Garza followed up another point from Guzman by closing out the sweep with three consecutive kills.

Libero Rianna Trevino posted 10 kills, and Rebekah Schlatter had seven kills for Hanna.

Next up for second-place Rivera is an opportunity to pull even with Los Fresnos, the district leader, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Avelar-Guerra said her team is in a good position at the halfway mark of the district slate, but she cautioned her team against overconfidence.

“It looks good for us,” Avelar-Guerra said. “The girls are playing strong. … But I know and they know that every team in our district is tough. The first round was great but it’s over, and we know that we’ve got to keep working hard. Anyone can step up because there’s that much talent in this district.”

Hanna is scheduled to play host to Harlingen High at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

LOS FRESNOS — When Matthew Padilla’s shoulder injury at Odessa Permian sidelined the Los Fresnos starting quarterback, it didn’t leave the Falcons much time to come up with a new game plan for District 32-6A play.

But junior Adrian Longoria filled in capably under center in Padilla’s stead alongside junior running back Chris Resendiz, whose three touchdown runs helped Los Fresnos pick up a victory in its district opener and snap a four-game losing streak as the Falcons (3-4, 1-0 32-6A) topped Harlingen South 24-3 on Friday night at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium.

“We’ve installed a new offense, so we’ve had some growing pains,” Los Fresnos coach Patrick Brown said. “I think it fits our kids and it fits our community. I’m proud of our kids, because that’s a very good Harlingen South team, very well-coached.”

Longoria guided the Falcons to the Harlingen South 7-yard line on their first drive, but they were set back by a pair of penalties and forced to settle for a field goal by Job Esquivel at the 4:04 mark of the first quarter.

On the next Los Fresnos possession, Resendiz rushed for a 50-yard touchdown with 35 seconds to go in the first quarter to give the Falcons a 10-0 lead over the Hawks (2-4, 0-1 32-6A).

Brown said his skill players are versatile enough to be utilized in different situations against different schemes as the Falcons advance through their 32-6A schedule.

“Those guys are kinda interchangeable,” Brown said. “It kind of depends on what (the opposing defense) gives us. It really depends on what (the opposing defense) does on who we’re going to give the ball to.”

Los Fresnos sophomore cornerback Hector Muniz came up with a momentum-shifting play when he intercepted a pass from Hawks quarterback David Torres near midfield and returned it to the Harlingen South 17-yard line with 10:46 remaining in the second quarter.

The Falcons cashed in on the ensuing possession when Longoria handed the ball off to Resendiz, who punched it in from the Harlingen South 2-yard line to stake Los Fresnos to a 17-0 advantage with 10:06 to play in the second quarter, a gap the home team maintained for the rest of the contest.

The Hawks struggled to move the ball past the active Falcons defensive line, particularly senior defensive end Genaro Alvarez and junior defensive end Alan Torres.

“We had three of our defensive lineman hurt the last two weeks,” Brown said. “We got all those guys back. Genaro’s back in shape, and a couple of our interior lineman got healthy again. Our guys up front on defense, our linebackers and those front four really got after it, they were physical and they really controlled the line of scrimmage.”

Harlingen South put its first points on the board with five minutes to play in the fourth quarter, courtesy of a 35-yard field goal from Leo Torres.

Resendiz and the Falcons responded by punctuating the win with a 1-yard touchdown run to cap a 52-yard drive with 1:04 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Next up on the district slate for Los Fresnos is a visit to Sams Memorial Stadium to play Rivera at 7 p.m. Thursday. Harlingen South is scheduled to play at San Benito at 7:30 p.m. next Friday.

STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN – The Brownsville IDEA Frontier boys captured their third straight District 32-3A cross country championship Wednesday morning at the district meet, held at the Harlingen Sports Complex.

The Chargers were paced by Victor Leos, the top overall finisher in the 3.1-mile race with a time of 17 minutes, 53.90 seconds. Leos, a junior, was an All-Valley Sports Awards Banquet nominee as a sophomore and placed 27th at the University Interscholastic League Class 3A state meet in 2018.

“These kids have been working hard since the summer,” IDEA Frontier coach Albert Alanis said. “For it to come to fruition today is very special. … We talked about the three-peat this whole season, it had never been done before at our school. All credit goes to the boys and what they’ve done since the summer.”

Alanis said he was particularly impressed with his team’s showing with only one of his varsity runners at full strength, and the others recovering from various injuries.

The runner-up in the boys division was sophomore Derek Guerra (18:19.53), from host school Santa Rosa. Weslaco Pike freshman Alexander Gutierrez (18:32.91), IDEA Frontier freshman Jose Blanco (18:39.51) and Edinburg Vanguard Rembrandt senior Cosume Pena (18:53.90) rounded out the top five.

Santa Rosa coach Larissa Hernandez said she was proud of Guerra, who had a goal of finishing at an 18:30 clip and beat his mark by more than 10 seconds.

IDEA Frontier freshman Carlos Zavala (19:11.15) and senior Jose Mendieta (19:18.74) placed eighth and 10th respectively.

The Chargers scored 36 points to take the top spot in the team standings, followed by fellow 3A Region IV championship qualifiers Vanguard Rembrandt with 61 points and Weslaco Pike with 96 points.

The Santa Rosa Lady Warriors (44 points) took home the district championship in the girls varsity division. Second-place Brownsville IDEA Frontier (57 points) and third-place Lyford (82 points) also qualified for the regional meet.

Individually, Brownsville Jubilee freshman Mariana Espinosa (13:18.71) and junior Sandra Garza (13:20.31) finished first and second respectively in the two-mile race.

Following Espinosa and Garza were Santa Rosa freshman Alyssa Garza (13:22.85) and Desiree Guerra (13:27.74). While Guerra dropped two places from her 2018 finish at the district meet, she also improved upon her previous district time by nearly 29 seconds Wednesday.

Hernandez said Garza and Guerra have consistently been her two leaders.

“At this meet, Alyssa was able to beat (Guerra),” Hernandez. “So that is going to make us a stronger team and give us a strong foundation starting next year.”

The top ten individual qualifiers from the varsity boys and girls divisions advance to the Region IV championship meet on Monday, Oct. 28 at Texas A&M Corpus Christi’s Dr. Jack Dugan Family Soccer & Track Stadium.

The 3A girls race is scheduled to start at 10:10 a.m., and the 3A boys race is slated to begin at 10:30 a.m.

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

PORT ISABEL — If there’s one thing the Port Isabel volleyball team has learned under coach Julie Breedlove, it’s how to hang tough and extend games after taking another team’s best punch.

The Lady Tarpons won their District 32-4A match with Raymondville in five games Saturday in Port Isabel, 25-12, 25-21, 23-25, 23-25, 15-12, behind strong outings from Madison Ramos (eight kills) and Allison Gonzalez (nine kills).

“Madison was able to come in and make some big plays for us when we needed it,” Breedlove said. “Allison came in clutch. This was one of her better games. She did a really good job of coming back to the service line and put the ball in play.”

Alana Zermeno led Port Isabel with nine kills during the first game, as the Lady Tarpons cruised to a 13-point victory over the Lady Bearkats.

In the second game, it was Ramos who helped stem the tide of a Raymondville rally. The Lady Bearkats drew within one point, 22-21, due in part to Erica Coy’s six kills in the game, after trailing 21-16. But Ramos delivered three straight points with her team up 22-21 to help clinch the game for the Lady Tarpons.

Raymondville responded in Game 3 by opening up a 6-5 lead after a kill by Ilanie Zamora. The Lady Bearkats led by as many as four points before Ramos came through with a block to break a tie at 15. Then it was Zamora, Delylah Stephenson (14 kills), and Caityln Brooks (11 kills) who took over for Raymondville, including Brooks with a punishing finish to end the game and force a fourth game.

The visitors stuck to the same formula during the fourth game, aided by a breakthrough from Claudette Joe, who sparked a run with six of her seven kills coming consecutively to give the Lady Bearkats a 19-15 advantage.

Ramos again helped bring Port Isabel within striking distance to 24-23, but Brooks found an opening and evened the match at two games apiece with a decisive kill.

Breedlove said her team has been volatile and inconsistent during close games at times this season, and she was pleased to see her team communicate well and remain composed after dropping the third and fourth games.

“That’s something we’ve worked on all season,” Breedlove said. “We’ve easily gotten down on ourselves, especially when we let (an opponent) get a good run in. Just them staying positive with each other and talking to each other, that was the biggest thing.”

In a fifth and final game that was indicative of how evenly the two teams played in the four games prior, Gonzalez had her chance to shine, helping her team open an early three-point lead and pounding home the match-winning kill to cap a season sweep of the Lady Tarpons’ district rival.

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

RAYMONDVILLE — Raymondville didn’t miss a beat with its new-look offense, as ZaRaivion Armendarez led the way with five touchdowns in a 49-6 win over Orange Grove on Friday night at Burnett Stadium.

Armendarez set the tone for the Bearkats (5-1) from the jump, as a bad snap and fumble recovered by Raymondville’s Isaiah Gloria out of a punt formation led to Raymondville taking its first offensive snap from the Orange Grove 8-yard line.

“(Armendarez) is amazing,” Raymondville coach Frank Cantu said. “It’s fun to watch. I’m proud of him. He works his tail off, and I’m glad that it’s paying off for him.”

It was Armendarez, of course, who took that snap and breezed his way into the end zone to give the Bearkats a lead they did not relinquish with 10:11 to play in the first quarter.

Raymondville sophomore quarterback Jason Cantu, who started in place of junior quarterback Jarod Cavazos, was effective in commanding the offense against the Bulldogs (0-4).

Jason Cantu and the Bearkats opened up the playbook, with a reverse that featured Armendarez and senior running back Justin Smith. The end result of the play was a 44-yard touchdown for Smith that gave Raymondville a 22-point lead, up 28-6 with 2:12 remaining in the second quarter.

“That was a great call,” Frank Cantu said. “Last week, we ran a reverse on the 1-yard line. So (they) like that play, and we dialed it up at the right time.”

Smith later rushed for a 50-yard touchdown, taking the handoff from third-string quarterback Diego Gutierrez and giving the Bearkats a 49-6 advantage with 8:35 to play in the fourth quarter.

Armendarez added a 13-yard rushing touchdown with 6:36 to go in the second quarter and a 15-yard rushing touchdown that widened the Raymondville lead to 21-0 at the 4:39 mark of the second quarter.

The latter of those two scores was again facilitated by a turnover on downs caused by a poor snap with Orange Grove backed up deep in its own territory.

The Bearkats’ leading rusher tacked on the first points of the second half with a 34-yard rushing touchdown with 6:19 to go in the third quarter to put the game away for the home team with a comfortable 35-6 lead. He hauled in a 31-yard pass from Jason Cantu for his fifth touchdown with less than two minutes to play in the third quarter.

Orange Grove quarterback Cutter Stewart got the Bulldogs on the board with a deep pass to wide receiver Connor Eulenfeld for a 75-yard touchdown that brought the score to 21-6 with 3:40 remaining in the second quarter.

The Raymondville defense thwarted Orange Grove at nearly every opportunity, including a fumble by Stewart at the Bearkats’ 22-yard line that was forced and recovered by Gutierrez during the final seconds of the first quarter.

“I thought that we were just pressuring and pressuring them,” Frank Cantu said. “I thought that the kids just played hard, and that Orange Grove played hard. I don’t think the score reflects how hard they played, but our kids just kept coming.”

Cavazos did not play and was not on the sideline during the game Friday. Frank Cantu declined to comment on Cavazos’ status.