By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
During the early part of the season, Rivera had one primary pass-catch combination, from quarterback Danny Elizondo to tight end Edward Rubio.
As opposing defenses began to key on that and the losses piled up, the Raiders knew they needed more go-to guys.
As the year has progressed, two first-year varsity players — Sammy Orive and Oggy Martinez—developed into big-play receivers.
Once Elizondo found the same chemistry with Orive and Martinez that he had with Rubio, the Raiders’ offense has been virtually unstoppable. The receivers have helped pile up the yards and the points as Rivera has now won six straight games, including the bi-district battle against PSJA North.
“They are both juniors and have progressed since the beginning (of the season). They’ve picked it up and have helped our offense quite a bit,” Rivera coach Tom Chavez said. “It’s not just Rubio (now), he’s a big threat, but we have Oggy and Sammy, and they’ve come a long ways since we started.
“They’ve made some big plays in our last two games and have put us in a position to score or (keep driving).”
Against PSJA North, Orive led the team with 122 yards receiving on three catches, including a 62-yard touchdown. Martinez had a team-high four catches that covered 47 yards, but more importantly he scored two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 40 seconds to play.
Chavez said having Orive and Martinez spread the offense out even further makes Rivera that much harder to defend.
“It’s really big, they’ve been doubling up Rubio the last few games,” Chavez said. “But that’s good because we have some other threats for Elizondo,he has some options to throw to. All that does is put more pressure on the defensive secondary.”
The Raiders’ offense has been piling up the yards of late, 450 yards and 49 points against PSJA North and 334 yards and 42 points against San Benito the week prior.
Each receiver feels much more confident than they did at the start of the season.
“I know I’ve improved, just coming every day to practice,” Martinezsaid. “I feel like I have more confidence (now).”
Orive said practice has improved his confidence throughout the year, but it has also helped develop a chemistry with Elizondo.
“In the beginning, (Elizondo) and I had no chemistry,” he said. “Over the year through practice it has improved. He trusts me, and I trust him.”
The pair of juniors has learned as much as it can from Rubio.
“It’s a big advantage having him on the team,” Orive said. “He teaches me a lot, blocking, catching and running routes hard. He’s like our role model on the team.”
Chavez expects them to lead the receiving corps next season when Rubio graduates.
“They’ve done really well for us (this season),” he said. “I think they will take over that (leadership) role from Rubio (next year).”
Orive said it’s not just the offense. The entire team has improved its confidence during the latter part of the season.
“In the beginning, we had high expectations but we weren’t living up to them,” he said. “We’ve improved, and our confidence has risen. Now that we know we can play on a high level, our confidence is there.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.