By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
The Port Isabel Tarpons are still eligible to win District 16-4A Division II and will try to improve their chances when they travel to Orange Grove to take on the Bulldogs at 7:30 tonight.
“It’s going to be a good game against a good football team,” P.I. coach Monty Stumbaughsaid. “It’s going to be like a playoff atmosphere.”
The Tarpons (7-1, 2-1 in district) clinched a spot in the playoffs following last week’s 42-24 win over the Corpus Christi West OsoBears.
“(The team) is looking forward to playing,” Stumbaughsaid. “They’ve had a pretty good week at practice. Now that we know we’re in the playoffs, we can just go play football.”
The Bulldogs (7-1, 3-0) sit alone atop the district and with a win can clinch at least a share of the title.
The two teams are evenly matched across the board. Each team has scored 303 points on the season and is positioned next to one another in the district rankings for yards gained and yards allowed per game.
The Bulldogs lean more on the pass than any other team in District 16-4A Division II. Quarterback Hondo Harris has attempted nearly twice as many passes as the next closest QB in the district. Harris has completed more than 66 percent of his passes for 2,019 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Alternatively, the Tarpons feature a run-heavy offense that should test Orange Grove, as its defense has allowed the third-most rushing yards on the ground in the district.
Jaime Gonzalez and Alex De Los Santos lead the way for P.I. offensively, they rank third and fourth in yards among district running backs and have combined for 24 touchdowns on the season.
Cardinals hope to improve playoff chances
With only two weeks remaining in the season, several teams are looking to distance themselves from the logjam that is the District 32-6A standings, where four teams hold 3-2 district records.
One of those teams is the Harlingen High Cardinals (4-4, 3-2 in district), who will look to keep the pedal down after a 26-6 win over the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers (5-3, 3-2) last week.
The Cardinals travel tonight to Sams Memorial Stadium, where they will try to get a leg up in the district against the struggling Lopez Lobos (0-8, 0-5).
Last week, Lopez dropped a 55-15 contest to the first-place San Benito Greyhounds. Playoff hopes have long since been dashed for the Lobos and coach Jason Starkey, but he’s still eager to get his seniors a win during their final season.
“(The seniors) are getting tired of losing,” Starkey said. “I’ve been telling them this week that they’ve got to go out and do it. I wish I could put the pads on and play, but I can’t. I’m happy with the way they’ve received the message.”
If the Lobos do pull off the win, it would greatly damage the Cardinals’ chances at earning a playoff berth, but Starkey hasn’t used that as a motivational tool.
“We haven’t talked about other teams’ records at all, not with the team or amongst the coaches,” he said.
Gomez was unable to be reached via phone as of press time.
Cowboys try to squander Bears’ playoff chances
The Porter Cowboys have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention in District 32-5A, but they will look to spoil the hopes of the PSJA High Bears at 7:30 tonight at PSJA Stadium.
“Hopefully we can knock some people off and keep them out of the playoffs,” Porter coach Tom Campos said. “It’s not a role you want to be in or anticipate being in at the start of the season, but if we’re in that spot now it gives a little extra motivation.”
Following back-to-back losses to the Pace Vikings and the Donna High Redskins, the Cowboys (2-6, 1-4) find themselves on the outside looking in with two weeks left to play.
“We’ve lost the turnover battle, and that’s ultimately been our demise,” Campossaid. “But hopefully we can eliminate the mistakes and carry over the momentum from the second half last week.”
PSJA High (4-4, 2-3) needs a win to stay alive in the race for the postseason. The Redskins lost to the first-place Mercedes Tigers 28-14 last week and will look to rebound against the Cowboys.
PSJA High has been strong defensively this year and is facing a Porter team that has struggled to move the ball, averaging the second-fewest yards gained per game on the season.
Though his team’s record indicates the season is lost, Campos has made sure to put goals in place to keep his team moving forward.
“One thing we’ve been preaching the last four or five days is to have fun,” Campossaid. “It’s tough when you’re losing, and I think that’s something we’ve been missing from our games.
PSJA High coach Steve Marroquinwas unable to be reached via phone as of press time.
Adam Kujawskicovers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.