BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
Roma’s emotional overtime victory over Rio Grande City seems like it happened a lifetime ago.
Between its last five opponents, Roma (1-5, 0-2) played two 2017 district champions (Laredo Nixon, Sharyland High), another playoff team from last season (La Joya High) and an unbeaten team in 2018 (Valley View). Three of its last five games were on the road.
“We’d like to be in a better situation than the one we’re in now, but I think we’re a better team than what our record shows,” Roma coach Frank Villanueva said. “We haven’t been able to put a full game together in all three phases. On Friday against Sharyland (High), even though the score doesn’t show it, we had our best day on special teams. We had a good second half, but our offense is still struggling.”
The run-first Gladiator offense are led by senior running back Felix Gomez, whose 655 rushing yards are the most of any Valley runner in Class 5A. Conversely, Gomez’s two touchdown runs on the season are the lowest for any player who has 600 or more rushing yards six weeks into the season.
If there were a week for Roma to get up off the deck, it would be Week 7. The Gladiators will head back on the road to face Laredo Cigarroa (0-5, 0-2) Thursday night at Shirley Field in Laredo.
In Villanueva’s first season as Roma coach in 2017, the Gladiators made the bus ride west to Laredo and picked up a 21-17 win over the Toros last Nov. 3. The victory was Villanueva’s first as a head coach.
“They might be struggling just like we are, but we’re not taking them lightly,” Villanueva said. “They played teams tough. Coach (Carlo) Hein does a great job for them and we have to do everything possible to come away with a ‘W.’”