ROMA — Each year, the Roma Gladiators begin their football season with two goals in mind.
“The first thing is beat Rio (Grande City),” senior guard Akileo Guerra said. “Second is make it to playoffs. Those are our goals.”
In 2018, the Gladiators nearly accomplished both those missions, as Roma beat the Rattlers 32-31 in the Starr County Super Bowl in Week 1, but ultimately fell one game shy of qualifying for the playoffs in District 16-5A-DI. After a 3-7 record overall and 2-4 performance in district play last season, the Gladiators have something to prove in 2019.
Head coach Frank Villanueva feels if this group, with 12 returning starters, can stay healthy, Roma can reach the postseason for the first time since 2015.
“I know people kind of wrote us off already, but we’re used to that because of the way it’s been before, until we made the playoffs four years ago. Now, we’re hungry to get back in there,” Villanueva said. “These kids have a chip on their shoulder where they want to prove people wrong — that Roma is back. That’s their motivation right now. They want to get back in there because there were some games we lost last year that we feel we should have won, and they’re out to prove a point.”
The Gladiators return four of five starters on the offensive line, led by Guerra, as Roma looks to roll over opponents early and often this season.
“I’m trying to put people on their backs. There’s no experience like knowing you just dominated and threw a defender on his back and got a pancake,” Guerra said.
While the guys up front are busy cooking up hotcakes, they’ll be creating space for starting quarterback Johnny Rios to make plays. Rios, a third-year starter, has grown into a team-leader who Villanueva expects to have a solid year as the Gladiators’ signal-caller.
“I expect Johnny’s leadership to really take over; he’s a proven leader,” Villanueva said.
Rios can get the job done with his arm or his legs as he posted 1,032 total yards as a junior and scored seven touchdowns. While Roma will be replacing its running backs, it’ll have weapons out wide in Esteban Barrera and Hiram Flores, two athletic receivers who will provide Rios with reliable targets.
Roma’s front three will anchor the Gladiator defense with all three starters back to run the 3-4 scheme. The big men up front occupy opposing offensive linemen looking to lock on at the second level, leaving Roma’s linebackers to roam free, blitz from different angles and fly around from sideline to sideline, playing the aggressive style Villanueva likes to play.
“Defense has been our strong point for many years,” he said. “If we’re going to be successful on defense, it’s going to start with our defensive line. We’re going to be relying on an aggressive defense with kids running to the ball.”
Altogether, Villanueva feels Roma has the pieces to compete for a playoff spot in 16-5A-DII against tradition-rich programs.
“We have teams that are rich in tradition, but in my opinion, I think our kids can match up against anybody in this district. The way these kids have bonded and gelled together, they belong on the field with any team,” he said. “It’s very important for them as well as for our school district and community to get back into the playoffs. We’re trying to change the culture here and turn it into a football town. It’s happening slowly, but it’s progress in motion.”
Roma is set to begin preseason action with a scrimmage against Grulla at 7 tonight at Gladiator Arena, before facing Zapata in a second scrimmage next week.
The Gladiators will open the regular season with a Week 1 rivalry matchup against Rio Grande City at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 30 at Joe R. Sanchez Stadium in RGC.