Raider Curtain: PSJA North defense aims to keep the pressure up into the area round
NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER
PHARR — In Greek Mythology, Orthrus is a vicious two-headed dog obviously capable of an attack on two fronts.
PSJA North football is no myth, but they do have players on both sides of the ball ready to bite down and dictate the outcome of a game.
In the area round Friday afternoon against San Benito, the Raiders aggressive defense will be just as vital as their dynamic offense.
Senior Zeth Arevalo has played both offense and defense at the varsity level; this year he’s an anchor in the linebacker core with 54 tackles, seven for a loss.
His team takes pride in plays that disrupt an offense in their backfield.
“They’re game-changing,” Arevalo said. “We get a sack, it drops them back 10 yards max, maybe more. It just opens up a lot more opportunities for our defense and especially our offense.
PSJA North was second only to PSJA High’s high-flying offense in points scored and yards per game in 30-6A end of season statistics.
On defense, the Raiders were second-to-none. Thanks to their Week 11 shutout of McHi, where they only allowed 140 yards, North overtook La Joya as 30-6A’s best defense through the regular season.
“It feels great,” senior defensive end Albert Elizondo said. “It was one of our goals this year, to be the top defense and just keep going and not stop.”
In the bi-district round against Laredo United South, the defense recorded six sacks, 10 total tackles for a loss and a late interception to seal the one-possession victory.
After a disappointing 2-8 season a year ago, the Raiders had a lot to prove. The team allowed more than 28 points just one time in 2017 but lost a handful of close games. That led the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football to pick the Raiders to finish last in the district; a selection that’s served as a rally point for North.
“We wanted to show what we are capable of and when the prediction came out of us being last, we took that to heart,” Arevalo said. “So we put our work in the weight room and when football came around we just stayed focused.”
The Raiders have their share of players having outstanding seasons on offense. Arturo Beltran has scored 23 touchdowns in 11 games, quarterback Iziaah Rangel has 1,570 yards passing and 1,331 yards rushing.
The defense also boasts some studs on their “black shirt defense.” Junior Aaron Alvarez has 16 sacks and fellow junior Seven Sanchez is the team leader in tackles with 167 plus six sacks and three interceptions, including the aforementioned pick to secure the bi-district win.
“If you can (bring pressure) with the front four, then you got something,” Raiders coach Marcus Kaufmann said. “With Aaron, we knew he was going to be good, but we had no idea that he was going to become what he was going to become. He was another one of those quiet kids that didn’t say much and now he’s over there dancing.”
Defensive coordinator Will Littleton credited his d-line for playing with “relentless effort” to be a catalyst for the entire unit.
“One thing about football, no matter what style of football you’re playing against—whether you’re playing against spread teams or against power football teams, it starts up front,” Littleton said. “If you don’t have a defensive line, you can’t control the line of scrimmage it’s very hard to control offenses. We put a lot of muscle up there. Those guys had a great off-season.”
Through 11 games that defensive front has been a force. The team has 42 total sacks, many of them made by linemen or just made possible due to the constant pressure.
After North’s bi-district win, safety Sanchez summed up the connection between secondary, linebackers and their powerful line in a tweet. “Big shout out to my d-linemen, they some dawgs.”
The Orthrus Raiders will fight to fend off Hercules for another week when they host San Benito at 2 p.m. Friday afternoon at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.