By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR.
Special to the PRESS
On Friday, Nov. 15, the (8-2) Port Isabel Tarpons met up with the (5-5) Ingleside Mustangs in a Bi-District showdown in Falfurrias, Texas. Interestingly, the teams have only met four times prior to this year’s
matchup with the series tied at 2-2.
The fans that made it out to the game were treated to a Friday night with temperatures in the 60s, a.k.a. perfect football weather.
After both teams punted in their first possession, the Mustangs’ offense had a more productive drive in their next series. Ingleside’s quarter-back [QB] Sawyer Chalk ran a couple of keepers as he led the Mustangs
down to the Tarpons’ one-yard line. Two plays later, running back [RB] Jett Hoskins ran it in for the score as the Mustangs took an early 7-0 lead with 3:02 left in the first quarter.
The Tarpons’ rushing offense was kept in check in their first two drives. Undeterred, the Tarpons continued to utilize the run game and went on an 11-play scoring drive capped by a one-yard touchdown [TD] run by
RB Dylan Green. Tarpons tied the game at 7-7 with 8:16 showing in the second quarter.
The Mustangs reached midfield in their next possession, but a big sack by PI’s defensive end [DE], Ryan Cinfuegos, forced them to punt.
On their next possession, Port Isabel called up a reverse play to receiver Anthony Garcia and it paid dividends as he dashed for a 27-yard gain into Ingleside’s territory. A few plays later, QB Bryan Martinez had a nice ten-yard gain on a quarterback keeper. Then on the following play, running back Michael Finona rumbled his way into the endzone on a 19-yard TD run, as the Tarpons took a 14-7 lead into halftime.
Port Isabel continued their momentum in the second half, as they went on a seven-play scoring drive capped by a 51-yard catch-and-run touchdown reception by running back, Luis Ramos. Port Isabel extended their
lead to 21-7.
The Tarpons’ “Seawall Defense” also stepped it up as linebacker Bryan Cinfuegos got a sack and then another big hit on the QB, forcing a fumble on back-to-back plays.
Ingleside got back into the game with a 78-yard touchdown punt return that made it a 21-14 game with 1:21 left in the third quarter.
After a Tarpon punt, the Mustangs’ QB Sawyer shouldered the load and carried the ball six times as they went on a ten-play scoring drive. The QB overcame two sacks by the Tarpons and capped the drive with a 12-
yard TD pass. Ingleside tied the game up at 21-21 with 7:23 left in the fourth quarter.
The Tarpons responded with an 11-play scoring drive of their own capped by a nine-yard TD run by Ramos. The drive was highlighted by a 35-yard run by Green.
With the Tarpons holding on to a 28-21 lead with two minutes to go, the Tarpons’ defense put the Mustangs’ offense on ice in closing minutes to seal the win, as the Tarpons’ team and fans celebrated the victory.
PI head coach Tony Villarreal said the team did well aside from the start. According to Villarreal, “ They played three quarters of pretty good football.”
“It’s coming around. Everyone is getting better. I was really impressed with Bryan (Martinez) on offense. Dylan Green is really doing well. Defensively, Daniel (Galvan) and Carlos Cabrera played well,” said
Villarreal.
It was a hard-fought game as the Tarpons played like it was their last. A lot of hard hitting went on, which saw several players go down during the game. Most returned to the game, but others, like star-linebacker,
Edward Garza never did.
On a side note, linebacker Daniel Galvan who led the team in tackles before being injured midway into the season, returned to the field and quickly started to make plays including being involved in two sacks.
The (9-2) Port Isabel Tarpons next game will be against the (8-3) Lago Vista Vikings on Friday, Nov. 22, 7 p.m. at Javelina Stadium in Kingsville.
On the matchup with Lago Vista, head coach Tony Villarreal sees them as a formidable foe, and considers them one of the top three teams from the region.
“They’re very good, they got a lot of speed, a lot of quickness,” said Villarreal. “They’re ranked 30th in the state I believe. We match up well.”