MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
Two programs that have never made the playoffs have a shot at breaking that drought Friday.
What’s more, they’ll battle one another for that opportunity.
“It’d be a history-maker for us,” Valley View coach Baldo Peña said. “That serves as motivation for the kids.”
The Tigers (1-8, 1-4) can bury memories of a rather uneventful season with a win against Roma tonight at home. Beset by injuries last year, Valley View finished 2-8 overall. That’s good enough for a postseason berth this year, only because it would hold a tiebreaker over Roma (4-4-1, 2-3) in the event of a victory in this matchup.
“As tough of a season as it’s been for us, you might not believe this, but if you talk to the coaches, we planned on this being a pivotal game for us,” Peña said. “Of course, we figured a different scenario with a couple other games but those didn’t pan out.
“But here we are on the cusp of making the playoffs. We know about the wins and losses. We know also winning supersedes everything. So in a season where we’ve had more downs than ups, if we make the playoffs, we make up a lot of territory.”
The Gladiators have been knocking on the door the past couple of years. They’ve either depended on the outcome of other games in the final stretch run of the regular season to get into the playoffs or they’ve fallen short themselves. This time, Roma controls its destiny.
“We can’t get over-confident,” Gladiators strong safety Diego Cantu said. “We just have to play our hearts out. Just play every game like it’s your last.”
That could very well be the case for Cantu, a senior, if Roma doesn’t pull through. Not that it’s adding anymore strain to the matchup.
“For us, it’s not pressure,” Roma coach Max Habecker Jr. said. “This is what we want: to be playing in games like these at the end of the year. And hopefully we’re able to get this victory. These last two weeks, having to beat (Sharyland) Pioneer and Valley View to catapult us into the playoffs, hopefully it’ll get us ready for a run.”
One could argue the Gladiators are a different team that the one that took the field through the first eight games. They added another wrinkle to their offense when Aldo Ramirez, a first-team all-district wide receiver, returned from a shoulder injury last week.
It gave Roma — the lowest-passing team in district with only 216 passing yards entering Week 9 — an aerial threat that eluded it all year, as quarterback R.J. Garza threw for a season-high 102 yards and his second touchdown of the year.
That helped the Gladiators beat Pioneer handily. They’re hoping to carry that momentum now into their biggest game to date.
“It’s different with him on the field because he’s our most dynamic player,” Habecker said. “He’s a guy who could stretch the field vertically. He runs the ball well. So he’s going to command some attention, which is hopefully going to open up some stuff for us.”
Despite its struggles, Valley View is in the hunt after beating Rio Grande City in Week 7, avoiding any type of tiebreaker scenario with the Rattlers.
For the most part, games haven’t been close this year for the Tigers. Valley View endured blowout losses the past three weeks to Edinburg Vela, Mission Veterans Memorial and Sharyland High — all ranked in the RGVSports.com top 10 poll. But through those tough moments, Peña takes solace in knowing his team continues “fighting through it” and “building character.”
“When your opportunity comes, you’ve got to be prepared. And here we are,” Peña said. “We’ve worked hard all year and now we’re on the cusp of getting it.”