By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Given the fact that Orange Grove is undefeated and located so far away, 171 miles to be exact, Port Isabel coach Monty Stumbaugh says playing Friday’s game against the Bulldogs at Tarpon Stadium is definitely a plus for his team.
““It’s always a lot better to be at home against anybody,” he said.
Having clinched a playoff spot with last Friday’s 44-18 win at Tarpon Stadium against West Oso, the Tarpons (5-2, 2-1 district) now find themselves at home again at 7:30 p.m. Friday against District 16-4A Division II leader Orange Grove (7-0, 3-0) and its potent passing attack.
It doesn’t figure to be easy, but if the Tarpons win their last two games of the regular season, they’ll earn a share of the district title. They play at Raymondville (4-3, 2-1) next Friday to close out the district schedule before starting the playoffs the following week.
“Orange Grove is a good football team that likes to throw the ball,” Stumbaugh said. “They’ve got a good passer (in Hondo Harris), and they score a lot of points. He puts the ball on the money. They play sound football, and they don’t beat themselves.”
Harris, Orange Grove’s senior quarterback, has completed 130 of 194 passes for 2,109 yards and 26 touchdowns this season. He’s only been intercepted once.
Another offensive threat for the Bulldogs is senior running back Alex Acuna, who has rushed for 401 yards and 10 TDs while averaging 7.0 yards per carry.
Port Isabel will counter with junior quarterback/running back Omar Silva, who has rushed for 674 yards and nine TDs along with passing for 128 yards and three scores.
Stumbaugh was encouraged by his team’s play against West Oso last week, and he hopes it carries over to the Orange Grove game.
It will take an error-free effort by the Tarpons, he said.
“For us, it’ll mean playing a complete game, and that means not having any turnovers and not having penalties,” the Port Isabel coach said. “We have to play sound defense and not give up big plays while putting together some long drives offensively.”
When the two teams played in Orange Grove last season, the Bulldogs won 33-7 en route to capturing the 16-4A Division II championship with a 5-0 record.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.