By FREDDY GONZALEZ
Staff Writer
DONNA — Raymondville’s Jacob Posas had a night to remember in the team’s Class 4A Division II bi-district game against the Orange Grove Bulldogs.
The senior quarterback passed for 197 yards and three touchdowns, and he rushed for another 62 yards and one TD on nine carries as the Bearkats handily defeated the Bulldogs 48-16 on Friday evening at Bennie LaPrade Stadium.
“(Posas) has been big for us all year long,” Cantu said. “He’s been running good and that has been our bread and butter, but (Orange Grove) started putting a lot of people in the box, so we had to throw it. All year long, I’ve always said that if we need to throw the ball I know we can, but what poise he had tonight, just waiting for the open receiver to get open, and he made some big passes and put them right on the money.”
All season, the Raymondville coach has stressed one word: believe. After picking up its ninth consecutive victory, it is safe to say Cantu has the team believing.
“We believe we have a special group,” Cantu said. “We want to keep playing, and we are going to continue to work hard and put together the best game we can, and just go and try to do it again next week.”
Next week brings another big challenge for the Bearkats in Navarro, which defeated Devine 34-30. The teams will meet in the Class 4A Division II area round (location to be determined Saturday morning).
From the get-go, the Bearkats took control of the game. Posas found Xavier Ledesma on a 26-yard touchdown that jump-started the offensive attack, and they never looked back.
After the first encounter between Raymondville and Orange Grove (Week 6) was decided by three points, the Bearkats wanted to make sure that didn’t happen again. Enter Posas again: just one minute after throwing his first TD of the night, the senior scrambled out of the box for a 35-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 6:47 remaining in the first.
As fast as the Bearkats broke out with 14 unanswered points, the offense went silent just as fast. Justin Cantu made sure the silence didn’t last long. With 8:41 remaining in the second quarter the junior intercepted a pass and went 50 yards for his first touchdown of the night (Cantu finished the night with two TDs).
Defensively, the Bearkats were a nightmare for the Bulldogs’ offense. Raymondville finished the night with five interceptions, three in the first half alone.
With a 24-0 lead, Raymondville began the second half just as it started the first: with the foot on the gas. Posas and the Bearkats outscored Orange Grove 24-16 during the second half of the game.
GAME NOTES: Raymondville’s Zaraivion Armendarez also had a good performance. The sophomore finished the evening with 95 yards rushing and a 73-yard touchdown on six carries, one reception for a 43-yard TD, and two interceptions. … Four different Bearcats finished the night with an interception. Deion Castillo, Posas and Cantu had one apiece.