By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
There haven’t been many instances in recent memory in which both Rio Grande City and Roma have been as competitive as they are at this point in the season heading into their “Battle of Starr County” rivalry.
Decimated by injuries a year ago, the Rattlers took a 1-3 record into the matchup in what turned out to be a 2-8 season, after advancing to the area round of the playoffs in 2013. Still, Roma won just 7-6, using that district-opening victory en route their first-ever playoff berth.
This year, Roma is 4-0 and Rio Grande City (2-2) believes it was one touchdown reversal away against Port Isabel from being 3-1. Their competitiveness through their non-district slate adds to the luster of this year’s matchup, pegged as The Monitor’s Game of the Week, at 7:30 tonight at Joe R. Sanchez Stadium.
“It’s a hell of a way to start the season,” Roma coach Max Habecker Jr. said. “Every game in our district is big. Every game has huge implications.”
But tonight’s game, in particular, “is a big game,” he added.
RGC coach Carlos Longoria echoed that “it’s as big a game as it gets” for both squads, but followed by saying, “it’s a big game because it’s our next game.”
That both teams boast similar style of attack adds to the intrigue. Roma, again, is a ground-and pound team that takes pride in its defense. Rio Grande City is running the ball better than it was a year ago. And though they’ve allowed the second-most yards in district through four weeks, the Rattlers are showing progress on defense.
In Week 3, RGC beat La Joya Palmview 36-35 in overtime in a game in which it blocked a kick at the tail end of regulation, before stopping an offensive lineman from converting a two-point run to secure the win.
“Defensively, they’re physical,” Habecker said. “They run to the ball. They do a pretty good job of taking care of the football.”
Last year, RGC didn’t have a district leader in rushing. But with the emergence of Casimiro Olivarez, the Rattlers have a ground threat now that ranks second only behind Roma’s Ramon Espinoza. Both are junior backs who have enjoyed enhanced roles this year.
Espinoza, for his part, played behind Peter Rodriguez, the district’s top rusher last year. And he’s assumed Rodriguez’s role both on the team and as the 31-5A leading rusher. Through four games, Espinoza has tallied 1,069 yards and 14 touchdowns, doubling the scoring output by the district runner-up in Edinburg Vela’s Robert Guerra (354 yards, 7 TDs).
Olivarez is behind Guerra in touchdowns with six, but he’s ahead of him in yards rushed (393). Part of that stems from a mammoth offensive line that has created opportunities.
“They have a lot of size up front. They’re really, really big,” Habecker said. “People talked about it early in the season, and they’re not exaggerating. Their offensive line is huge, and they do a good job.”
The similarities extend to the passing game. Both teams rank last in district in passing yards. Rio Grande City, however, has the edge with Jason Perez, who has totaled 319 yards on 34 of 65 passing for one touchdown.
In fact, both Perez and Roma QB Andy Marroquin tallied their first TD passes of the year last week.
Perez boasts a dual threat, complementing Olivarez on the ground. In fact, going into Week 4, Perez was among the top five rushers in district.
“It’ll be a good matchup,” Longoria said about the running back battle, before adding: “As a fan, you love the big-game atmosphere. As a coach, I learned it’s another game.
“For us, it adds more (allure to the matchup) because it’s our crosstown rivals. But you can’t read anything from it before or after (the game). Rivalries tend to have their own life.”