By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR.
Special to the PRESS
This past Thursday, Aug. 27 the Port Isabel Tarpons beat the La Joya Palmview Lobos in the season’s opener, 36-21. It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but the Tarpons did enough to secure the win in this first-ever meeting between the two schools.
The game had barely begun, but it didn’t take long for Port Isabel’s “Seawall Defense” to make its presence felt. The Tarpons immediately put the clamps down on the Lobos’ offense, holding them to negative 2 yards on their first two plays before PI’s Logan Bennett intercepted a pass on third down.
Starting from the Lobos’ 34-yard line, the Tarpons then went on a 7-play scoring drive to take an early 7-0 lead with 7:39 left in the first quarter. The highlight of the drive was rollout pass by PI quarterback Grayson Estes connecting with his receiver Bryan Ramirez for a gain of 11 yards.
Port Isabel had another fine defensive stand on the Lobos ensuing drive. Unfortunately for the Tarpons, a muffed punt return gave the Lobos possession once again. Palmview capitalized immediately, scoring on a 37-yard touchdown reception on the very next play. However, a failed extra-point attempt allowed PI to maintain its lead 7-6.
As the game moved into the second quarter, the Tarpons managed to get on the scoreboard once more, extending their lead to 14-6 despite overcoming several miscues including a fumble and a pair of false start penalties.
The Tarpons’ defense made another stand, forcing the Lobos punt the ball from midfield. But in a surprising decision, Port Isabel elected not to have a return man on the punt return, unfortunately, the strategy backfired as the ball landed near the one-yard line.
On the very next play, the Tarpons were tackled in the endzone for a safety, as the Lobos cut into PI’s lead, 14-8.
The momentum started to swing toward Palmview as a big kickoff return put the Lobos at PI’s 34-yard line. Two plays later, the Lobos found the endzone on a 27-yard touchdown run. The successful extra point gave the Palmview their first lead of the game, 15-14.
Not to be outdone, PI had a big kickoff return of its own, as Alvarado Rocha returned the ball to the Lobos’ 23-yard line. A couple of plays later, QB Estes took off towards the corner of the endzone for the touchdown. A successful two-point conversion allowed PI reclaim the lead, 22-15, a score which stood until the halftime buzzer.
The third quarter proved to be a sluggish one as both teams’ offenses struggled to sustain any meaningful drives. Late in the quarter, the Lobos recovered a PI fumble during a punt, giving Palmview great field position at the Tarpons 23-yard line. Three plays later, the Lobos punched it into the endzone for a touchdown, cutting PI’s lead to 22-21.
A small consolation for PI occurred during the extra point try, as PI’s Jerry Troncoso burst through the line of scrimmage and blocked the kick.
The PI passing game had struggled for most of the game, so quarterback Estes used his legs to make some plays including a 9-yard gain which secured a crucial first down. On the next play, running back Ivan Medina bobbed and weave his way through the Lobos’ defense for a 51-yard touchdown run.
Estes then kept the ball for the two-point conversion, extending PI’s lead to 30-21 with 5:24 left in the game.
Palmview’s ensuing drive was cut short by safety Bennett who came up with his second interception of the game, returning the pick to the Lobos’ 9-yard line. Two plays later, Estes found the endzone on a keeper. The two-point conversion failed, leaving PI with a 36-21 advantage.
The Lobos made one final push reaching the Tarpons’ 26-yard line, but defensive end Jerry Troncoso put an end to the threat with a big-time sack as the clock expired, sealing the Tarpons’ victory.
This Friday, Sept. 4, the Tarpons will be hosting their longtime rival, the Rio Hondo Bobcats, at Tarpon Stadium. Kickoff set to start at 7 p.m.
Rio Hondo is coming off an impressive 56-0 win over Brownsville Pace in week one. The Cats have always given PI a challenge, and this year’s squad appears to be even stronger last season’s team that defeated the Tarpons 35-22. Fans get your tickets early- its going to be an exciting matchup you won’t want to miss.