By ROY HESS
Staff Writer
And now that non-district action is over, the most important part of the football season begins for the Rio Hondo Bobcats and Port Isabel Tarpons.
The two teams play their District 16-4A Division II opener at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Tarpon Stadium.
The Bobcats have won their past two district matchups against the Tarpons — 21-14 in 2014 and 20-7 in 2015. PI won 45-14 in 2013.
“We won the last two against them and I know they’re anxious to get out of that little slump against us,” Rio Hondo coach Rocky James said. “I see it as a great matchup. Both teams are going in the right direction (record-wise) and we each want to continue winning.
“I see it as a tough matchup that’s going to come down to the wire,” James added. “Hopefully it’s us coming out with the win.”
Each team had an open date last Friday, so the Tarpons and Bobcats have had two weeks to prepare for each other.
“It’s always a good, tough game when we play Rio Hondo,” PI coach Monty Stumbaugh said. “It’s a rivalry game and it’s a district opener (so you know it’s going to be a good one). It’s always been a good game and I expect it to be that way again.”
In their most recent contests on Sept. 23, PI defeated Brownsville St. Joseph 33-27 in a matchup of unbeatens and Rio Hondo routed Grulla 50-28.
The Bobcats, 3-2 overall and winners of three of their last four games, are led by a capable junior quarterback in Tyler Bush, who has passed for 742 yards and 12 touchdowns with only two interceptions along with rushing for 294 yards and a pair of scores. The Bobcats’ top rusher is sophomore Danny Vasquez. He’s gained 509 yards on the ground and scored six times. Vasquez averages 101.8 yards rushing per game.
The undefeated Tarpons (5-0) are a typical PI team, which means they have a strong rushing attack along with a defense that is stout. When the Tarpons don’t hurt themselves with turnovers and penalties, they are very difficult to beat.
Spearheading the PI offensive attack is running back/QB Omar Silva, a senior who has rushed for 836 yards and six TDs. He’s averaging an impressive 11.1 yards per carry. Fellow running back Carlos Orduna, also a senior, is a ground-game threat as well with 491 yards and three TDs. He averages 7.9 yards per rushing attempt.
The PI defense is led by linebacker Chris Bode with team bests of 53 total tackles and five sacks. Teammate John Ray Martinez, a cornerback, is next with 42 total tackles and has intercepted four passes. Also for the Tarpons, defensive end Dylan Athanas has 31 total tackles, which ranks third on the team. All are seniors.
After Friday’s game, district action continues Oct. 14 for both squads as Rio Hondo is at home against West Oso and PI travels to Orange Grove.