By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
District doesn’t start for another month for both Port Isabel and Hidalgo, but each is already preparing for it with the clash between Class 4A schools.
The Tarpons and Pirates are already quite familiar with one another and face off in a non-district battle in The Brownsville Herald’s Game of the Week at 7:30 p.m. Friday night at Tarpon Stadium in Port Isabel.
The teams match up well and are similar to both programs’ district opponents. The game should be a good test for each squad in preparation for district play in October.
Hidalgo runs a spread offense, similar to several of the opponents P.I. will face in District 16-4A, Division II.
The Tarpons have played well defensively thus far. They’ve allowed just 121 yards and 10 points per game during the first two weeks of the season, but Friday could be a difficult task.
“Everybody in our district runs spread,” Port Isabel head coach Monty Stumbaugh said. “It’s going to help us for district; our next three games are against spread teams. But it’s going to be a challenge for us, we’re basically going to have to cover the whole field.”
Likewise, the Tarpons are a comparable foe for the Pirates in District 16-4A, Division I.
Port Isabel has a run-heavy offense that has racked up about 280 yards on the ground per game this season. Hidalgo is hoping the Tarpons’ physical brand of football is exactly the test it needs before facing the likes of Zapata and La Feria.
“When you schedule Port Isabel, they’re a perennial playoff team,” Hidalgo coach David Duty said. “We’re going to play teams that are physical, so I have to play them to get ready for district. They run right at you. They smash you in the mouth.
“We have to be ready for that stuff.”
The key for both teams seems to be what each can do on offense. P.I. and Hidalgo have each been a force on defense this season, so the outcome could be which offense makes the most of opportunities the opponent’s defense surrenders.
Duty expressed concerns on both sides of the ball, but hopes his team can find a better balance after watching his defense take the field too often.
“You’re not going to stop Port Isabel, but we hope to limit them,” he said. “They grind you. We have to find ways to slow them down. We’ve got to manufacture first downs and get some possessions in the red zone and hopefully find a crease. There’s not much, they don’t call it the Sea Wall defense for nothing.”
Stumbaugh had concerns with the Pirates’ offensive line and their quarterback’s ability to scramble. But his offense has to eliminate mistakes that have taken points off the board a few times this season.
“We have to play great defense, not give up the big play,” Stumbaugh said. “Run the ball like we have and cut down on penalties and mistakes. We’ve stopped drives with those. We can’t kill drives.
“It’s going to be a big challenge for us; we’re going to have to play well.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter, he’s @andrewmcrum.