By ADAM KUJAWSKI | Staff Writer
The undefeated Port Isabel Tarpons will open up District 16-4A Division II competition with a trip to Progreso to take on the Red Ants on Friday night.
The Tarpons (5-0, 0-0) are entering the seventh week of the season after a bye and are looking to extend their perfect record, which has been fueled by a powerful rushing attack.
Though the Red Ants (1-4, 0-0) have struggled this season, P.I. coach Monty Stumbaugh doesn’t want his team to look past any team.
“It’s the first district game, and each one is as important as the last,” he said. “(This game) is very important, because if we lose this one we’re 0-1 in district.
“We don’t overlook anybody. (Progreso) has speed, and they’re a good football team.”
Progreso also is coming off a bye week following its 41-9 loss to La Feria in Week 5. Coach Tom Salazar is looking for his team to bounce back against the Tarpons.
“We need to eliminate the miscues,” he said. “We had a good week at practice, working on trying to eliminate fumbles and tackling a little harder.
“We’ve watched a lot of film, and I think it will be a close game.
CLASS 6A
Something’s got to give for Lopez, Rivera
Either the Lopez Lobos or Rivera Raiders will walk away with their first win of the season when the two teams meet at Sams Memorial Stadium.
The Raiders (0-5, 0-2) are coming off a 42-24 loss to the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers. The game featured a porous Rivera run defense that allowed 323 yards on the ground, nearly 150 yards more than it had allowed on average.
“We didn’t play well last week,” Rivera coach Tom Chavez said. “I’m sure (Lopez) saw us play and they’re happy to be playing us. I felt we played well the first four weeks, but the way we played the last two games has me concerned.”
Also eager to notch win No. 1 for his squad, Lopez coach Jason Starkey will be tasked with reversing last week’s mistake-filled 35-0 loss to the Harlingen South Hawks. If the Lobos (0-5, 0-2) are going to beat the Raiders, Starkey knows his team will need to take advantage of opportunities and not turn the ball over.
“We’ve got to take care of the football,” he said. “When we’ve got it, we’ve got to keep it.
“We also need to put points on the board when we’re in scoring position, even if it’s just a field goal. We were in scoring position five times last week and didn’t score at all.”
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.