RAYMONDVILLE — If the Raymondville Bearkats were looking for revenge on Friday night, they certainly got their wish.
After dropping their season opener to La Feria last year, the Kats returned the favor and defeated the Lions 22-12 to kick off the 2017 season.
“Last year they came out and they pretty much ran up the score, so all week we were preparing, saying ‘it’s not going to happen again’ and we executed perfectly,” junior Marcus Capetillo said.
The Bearkats came out of the gate looking sharp and scored on both of their drives in the first quarter. Raymondville was successful with two-point conversions after each score to hold a 16-0 lead after one quarter of play.
But La Feria’s offense, led by quarterback Dorian Hernandez, came to life in the second quarter. The Lions hammered down the field and capitalized on Raymondville miscues— including a fumble halfway through the quarter— to go into the locker room trailing by four.
“We were a little beat up at halftime,” Raymondville head coach Frank Cantu said. “The tide had turned… but I said ‘we got the lead and we got the ball.’ We started sputtering a little bit, but I’m so proud of the defense. They stepped up and they played tough.”
Both teams looked sloppy to start the second half. There were six combined penalties in the third quarter— most committed by a young Bearkat offensive line that featured no players with a varsity start prior to this matchup— and La Feria forced three Raymondville turnovers to gain the momentum.
But then junior Noe Zambrano recorded a big interception in Raymondville territory and returned it to midfield, and it looked like the Bearkats were on the verge of putting the game away.
They got all the way to La Feria’s two-yard line, thanks in part to two pass interference calls against the Lions, but a holding penalty followed by two consecutive dropped passes in the end zone forced a turnover on downs.
As La Feria was driving down the field, Capetillo notched an interception of his own and returned it for a touchdown, which put the Bearkats up 22-12 and sealed the victory.
“I just told the guys, ‘I’m going to do all I can for the team,’” Capetillo said. “We’re a team here, there’s no I, and we just executed as a team.”
Though penalties were an issue throughout the night and the Bearkats failed to capitalize on some opportunities, Cantu said he appreciates the heart they showed and thinks it was a good way to start the season.
“We’re not many, but I saw a lot of kids be tough,” Cantu said. “La Feria’s tough as nails, and I just feel that the kids stepped up. We’re so happy and so proud for them.”