By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR.
Special to the PRESS
This past Friday, Sept. 18 the (1-2) Port Isabel Tarpons kicked off their district schedule with a road trip to Corpus Christi to take on the (2-1) CC London Pirates. The matchup marked the first meeting between the two teams.
Entering the matchup, the Tarpons were looking to get back in the win column after being shut out by 3A Raymondville, 39-0. Meanwhile, the Pirates were looking to extend their winning streak to three games after defeating 4A Gonzalez, 34-14, in Week 3 action.
The game started off a competitively, with the Tarpons holding a 7-6 lead over the Pirates in the first quarter. However, as the game progressed, the Pirates started to pull away, taking a 18-7 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter the Pirates offense continued to roll, extending their lead to 25-7. Conversely, the Tarpons offense continued to struggle in the second half, ultimately losing the game, 32-13.
The Pirates loaded the box in anticipation of the Tarpons running game, forcing every runner work hard for every yard. PI quarterback Grayson Estes, who entered the game as the team’s leading rusher, was held to negative 12 yards on five carries, while top running back Ivan Medina was limited to just 17 yards on nine carries. Tristan Green led all PI rushers with 60 yards on six carries.
Pirates quarterback Colton Wiseman completed 12 of 29 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns. The PI “Seawall Defense” left it all on the field, holding the Pirates to just 236 total yards-their second-lowest output of the season. The Tarpons defense managed to pickoff Wiseman twice, with both interceptions by safety Logan Bennett, bringing his season total to five.
Scheme-wise the matchup couldn’t have been more different, with the Pirates only attempting 10 carries for 41 yards, while the Tarpons ran the ball 48 times for 195 yards. Both averaged approximately 4.1 yards per rushing attempt, but the Pirates’ passing game, which averaged 15.2 yards per attempt, proved to be the difference and too much for the Tarpons run game to overcome.
When it came to the loss, defensive coordinator, Albert Barbarena III called it” a tough one to take”.
“We have a big injury bug going on and have to step up with the next guy up. We have to improve on all aspects of the game. Moving forward we have to play every game as if it were a win or go home scenario.” Stated, Barbarena III.
On the other side of the ball, offensive coordinator John Calvillo also took the loss hard, calling it a “very tough loss”, but believes the Tarpons will get back into the win column once they get healthy.
“This week we get some players back from injuries and the bye will help us out tremendously. Keep working and playing Hard and we will get past this injury bug”, stated Calvillo.
Like many teams, the Tarpons have dealt with injuries this season, but their impact has been felt a little more due to Port Isabel’s smaller roster.
This season, London made the jump up in classification and is making the most of its inaugural season in the 4A ranks, currently sitting at 3-1. The Pirates will face (0-4) Kingsville King on Friday.
Meanwhile, the (1-3) Tarpons will look to snap their three-game losing streak when they host the (0-4) La Grulla Gators on Friday, Sept. 25, for Homecoming at Tarpon Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.