By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
This season has been one to remember for the Port Isabel Tarpons, and it’s not over yet.
Last Friday, Port Isabel picked up its first playoff victory since 2013 by defeating previously unbeaten Carrizo Springs 23-8 in the Class 4A Division II bi-district round. The Tarpons were honored as the Class 4A Ozarka Fueled by Nature team of the week awarded by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football after beating a No. 1 seed as the No. 4 seed.
“It’s a Cinderella story,” Tarpons coach Tony Villarreal said. “The award is probably one of the biggest things I’ve ever been associated with. Just to win a playoff game is big. But then, for the state to recognize what we accomplished was monumental. It gives us a lot of credibility, you could say, in regards to our community and our self-esteem. The kids deserve a lot of credit for what they’ve achieved.”
Port Isabel used a “physicality package” to let its defense lead the way to victory. The Tarpons recorded five turnovers against Carrizo Springs — three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Senior safety Christian Aguilera got the scoring started with a pick-six.
Villarreal said Port Isabel attacked the Wildcats in a way no other team had, leaning on the physicality it developed playing through the tough district schedule. He praised the coaching staff for putting together a top-notch game plan and the athletes for following it flawlessly.
“We noticed on film, nobody had really ever got in their face and hit them off the line,” Villarreal said. “Our assistant coaches came up with a great plan … a lot of coaches plan that stuff, but the kids don’t execute. Our kids did.
“Our seniors played lights-out, starting with Kaiden Martinez. He got his hands up, rushed the quarterback, deflected the ball. Derrin Valdez played strong safety, came up and made some big hits,” he continued. “We hit them quite hard. … They didn’t know how to react.”
Next up, the Tarpons (8-3) will battle Geronimo Navarro (8-2) in the area round at 7:30 p.m. today at Beeville Veterans Memorial Stadium. Villarreal said the teams’ offenses are “carbon copies” of each other, so the Tarpons are focusing on stopping Navarro’s run game while coming up with creative ways to run it themselves.
“We come from the same Slot-T philosophy, so they know us and we know them,” Villarreal said. “It’s a little bit of a challenge. They’re a little bigger than us. But you can’t measure the size of the heart in these kids. I would never count out the Tarpons. These kids are surprising me all the time. I hope I can coach as hard as they play.”