Rio Hondo bounces back with 27-13 win over Raymondville

FREDDY GONZALEZ | Staff Writer

RAYMONDVILLE — Rio Hondo kept their district title hopes alive with a convincing 27-13 victory over District 16-4A DI rivals Raymondville on Friday night at Burnett Stadium.

“I thought we played great,” said Rio Hondo head coach Rocky James. “Last week we played really well but we just didn’t get the points. Tonight we played the same way and we got the points in and we played a very strong defensive game. The defense was phenomenal all night long.”

The Bobcats played another great game behind a solid defensive performance that forced three turnovers in the game and kept giving their offense short fields to work with.

Offensively, quarterback Eli Pitones led the way for the Bobcats. The senior passed for 80 yards, rushed for another 52 and had a 60-yard punt return.

“He played tremendous, this was probably his best game of the year,” said James of Pitones. “Hats off to him. He works hard every day. At practice he works hard throwing the ball and he does whatever we need from him.”

Running back Marco Garate had a tough time getting started against a great defensive effort from the Bearkats, but the speedy senior still managed to rush for 86 yards and two touchdowns.

“Rio Hondo is good team it’s very obvious,” said Raymondville coach Frank Cantu. “Defensively they did a heck of a job, hats off to coach James and his staff.

“They came out with some new things and it took us a little while to adjust, but we feel that once we adjusted, we felt there was nothing they could get us with, I was that confident.”

Raymondville struggled for most of the night after going down 13-7 and when the team did respond turnovers kept the offense from gaining any momentum.

“Offensive we couldn’t get going, and a lot of that’s attributed to what coach James and to what he’s done, not just us, but to other teams,” said Cantu. “We love the challenge and that’s the only way we’re going to get better is to play teams like this.

“I just can’t say enough about our team and I’m really proud about the way they played.”

Rio Hondo falls short vs. Orange Grove

 

 

 

 

Oct 25, 2014 12:20 AM

MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

RIO HONDO — After battling to hand the Port Isabel Tarpons their first loss of the year, the Rio Hondo Bobcats couldn’t overcome enough hurdles to claim the top seat in the District 16-4A DII standings.

Ultimately it was turnovers and a big second-half kickoff return which plagued the Rio Hondo Bobcats, helping the Orange Grove Bulldogs to a 21-18 win Friday night at Bobcat Stadium.

The Bobcats threw three interceptions on the night, including two in the first half, and had a lapse in kickoff coverage, allowing Orange Grove’s Ricky Martinez to return the kick to the house.

That was the ensuing kickoff after Rio Hondo took a 10-7 lead on a 10 yard pass from Eli Pitones to Derek Salazar in the early part of the third quarter.

Rio Hondo trailed by as much as 11 in the end, but pulled within a field goal of tying on Marco Garate run and an Eli Pitones two-point run.

However, miscues were too much for Bobcat head coach Rocky James and company to pull the game out.

“That kickoff return was really the difference in the game. We had just went up on them and then they turn around and run one back on us; that was the difference in the score,” James said after the game. “We played sound defense all night, but we just didn’t score enough. We turned the ball over and we just didn’t get it done on the offensive side. We fought back, but we just ran out of time.”

Now, the Bobcats (6-2, 2-1) will face Raymondville and hope that the Bulldogs (7-1, 3-0) will trip up next week against Port Isabel so that they can have a shot at the district crown.

While the Bobcats have been the talk of the district defensively, the Bulldogs defense made the plays Friday and hopes that the district is on notice.

“Everybody talks about (Rio Hondo’s) defense down here and we’re way up there, so nobody talks about ours,” Orange Grove head coach Jerry Bomar said. “We’re really good on defense too, but our kids had to play tough the whole second half. We could’ve put the game away in the first half, but (Rio Hondo) is a tough team who kept fighting. Our kids have to win tough games like these; I’m real proud of them.”

The Miscues were everywhere for the Bobcats Friday.

After Orange Grove quarterback Hondo Harris threw an interception in the end zone, Bobcat receiver Salazar dropped an easy pass from Pitones in the end zone on the next drive, making the Bobcats settle for a Danny Cucul 25-yard field goal.

On the ensuing drive Orange Grove’s Martinez ran in a 5 yard run to make it 7-3 late in the first.

On Rio Hondo’s third drive of the game, Bobcat back up quarterback Arturo Castillo was picked in the end zone.

The 7-3 score held as both defenses struggled to end the first half.

In the second half Orange Grove had just four drives, but Martinez’s kickoff return and his 20 yard catch for a touchdown from Harris was enough to put the game out of reach.

 

 

Rio Hondo Celebrates Victory Over Port Isabel

Through Jitters and Hitters Bobcats pull out one of the greatest wins ever!

BY GREG SELBER
PORT ISABEL – It had been a beautiful night for football, warm and sea-breezy, pleasant, yet with the high-dollar chips on the table. After it was done, the brawl, and the Bobcats had taken down the Tarpons on their home grass, the Rio Hondo faithful were ready to celebrate.
There was hardly room to maneuver in the cramped space underneath the visitors stands, as a melange of hundreds of merry makers milled about, taking photos, slapping backs, smiling broadly, and just soaking it all in.
 They had filled the stands Friday night to witness a collision of evenly matched clubs vying for a leg up in the district race, and there was not an open seat to be had anywhere at Tarpon Stadium. Now, after the hard-fought 21-14 Rio Hondo triumph, which made the Bobcats 2-0 in 16-4A and 6-1 overall, the rooters were bent on congratulating their kids.
And there were many members of Coach Rocky James’ roster who would come in for commendation, from senior receiver Derek Salazar to junior defensive ends Albert Magallanes and Isaiah Heredia, and from hard-nosed runner Marcos Garate to well, name the guy, and some Bobcat some time somewhere Friday did something positive to help the charge.
Start with the rangy Salazar, who erupted for his greatest day as a ‘Cat, catching five balls for 137 yards; for the season, Rio Hondo was averaging less than half the 205 yards it put into the air at PI in this huge triumph.
“I have always thought that it was there, that we could be as equal and balanced on offense,” said Salazar, who was active and deadly on the inside screen and provided a huge boost near the end of the first half when he came wide open and hauled in a 69-yard TD bomb from Eli Pitones with just 16 seconds left on the clock. “The receivers really came through tonight.”
That includes junior Josue Garza. Salazar’s home run tied the game at 7 heading into the break, and Garza gave the Bobcats a 14-7 advantage with a 63-yard touchdown reception midway through the third period. Both scores came after Tarpon coverage broke down, and the Bobcats took advantage of the opportunities to shine.
For the night, RH outgained PI (1-1, 6-1) 354 to 268, and the impressive ‘Cat defensive crew out there was paced by many stalwarts, among them the quick and nasty junior ends. Heredia, surrounded by friends and family, was in the middle of a mass selfie under the stands, sign of the times. He flashed the winner’s smile and said that Rio Hondo was super pumped for the game.
“This is a rival, PI, and we wanted to beat them,” said the end who had all six of his tackles in the second half, when the ‘Cats clawed their way into the driver’s seat. “Motivation for this game was definitely no problem.”
His bookend pal Magallanes, whose fumble recovery with 4:40 to go led to the game-winning drive, was also with his peeps, enjoying every minute of the program’s sixth success against PI in the past 11 seasons. It has become a real slugger’s rivalry.
“I was surprised…and I just saw it there and had to get it,” said the strapping junior, of the loose ball that he corralled at the PI 44, the fourth lost PI fumble on the night. “Me and a teammate were fighting over it, but I got it! That was a game-changer right there!”
Indeed, as Garate then clinched the night’s effort with a 4-yard run at 0:34, after Rio Hondo ran eight plays and nearly ate the entire clock. On the tie-breaking run, Garate, who pounded and zipped (he does both) for 167 yards, just did what he had to do.
“I wanted it so bad, for my team, I just kept pumping my feet and got in there,” said the senior who has now rushed for 1,038 yards in 2014 with a combination of quick feet and vision plus sheer leg strength. He is a load, though not terribly heavy.
The party is probably still going on, though in Rio Hondo of course, after the Bobcats went on the road to defeat a difficult foe. The contest was hard-hitting and not without its mistakes, as Rio Hondo gave away two turnovers in the first half and was stopped on downs at the PI 1 in that half. The Tarpons rode the skills of senior J.J. Gonzalez (210 yards, simply tremendous game) into the night but were flagged with a dozen penalties and suffered the four fumbles. Though at times they looked like the PI of old, especially on that goal-line stand in the first, the Tarps were not sharp enough, something Coach Monty Stumbaugh noted after the game.
“We gave them two cheap touchdowns, and to their credit, they capitalized,” said the veteran mentor. “That’s a fine football team in Rio Hondo, this was a tough game and both teams played hard. I felt like our defense played their butts off but when it came down to it, you can’t turn the ball over in games like this, and we did.”
His counterpart suggested that the mistakes made by both clubs had something to do with the atmosphere leading up to this huge clash. And James also commented that for a while there, the ‘Cats were not able to exploit the openings presented.
“The stands were full, both sides…this was a big game,” said the ex Harlingen linebacker whose defensive group appears to be quite up to program snuff, circa 2008, the greatest ‘Cat unit in decades. “We had three opportunities in the first half and got no points, that worried me. But our defense got some stops when we needed them, and we were able to take some passing advantage against their man defense. This was just a great win for our guys, the seniors had never beaten PI, and this was what they wanted to accomplish.”
JITTERS AND HITTERS
The night started ignominiously for the home side as the Tarpons muffed the opening kickoff at their own 18, senior Jose Garate recovering for the Bobcats. But three plays into what looked like a promising drive, RH ran afoul of junior Javi Hernandez, who jumped in front of a receiver for a pick to save the day. Rio Hondo got contributions from both Eli Pitones and junior Josh Gonzalez behind center as it happened, but that first chance, as James later lamented, had gone away.
Later in the quarter Rio Hondo got another sniff after Garate’s 32-yard run had the offense rolling. But stocky Pedro Gonzalez of PI pounced on a fumble at his own 24, ending the second visitor chance.
Then came Tarpon Time, as the 155-pound Gonzalez, who might be the toughest pound-for-pound runner in the Valley, exploded for a 76-yard scoot up the middle for a six-pointer at 2:33. Despite having played poorly, the Tarps had the lead, and we all know that once the Fighting Fish get going, it’s hard to hook them back in again. Gonzalez is not just flash and dash, he will attack a tackler and become a small battering ram when necessary.
The Bobcats, though, just kept on coming, driving all the way to the PI 1 aided by a 24-yard pass to Salazar. But junior Alan Alfaro was stuffed for a 1-yard gain on third down, and the fourth-and-goal carry from the 1 by M. Garate was snuffed out, senior Agustin Hernandez leading the hammer surge by the Sea Wall D.
It looked like 7-0 at the break until Salazar struck for the long bomb with scant ticks left on the clock.
“That touchdown seemed to fire up the kids a lot, it was big for our momentum,” said James, after the ‘Cats had outgained PI 206 to 136 for the first two periods but had to scramble for the intermission deadlock.
Hernandez for PI was one of a number of warriors who saw time on both sides of the ball Friday, and such is the magic of 3A football (OK, 4A now, still 3A to some diehards). Raul Villarreal, the long-legged D-end, went out for some passes on offense, while for the ‘Cats, Salazar (corner) Marcos Carrizales and Roel Benitez were among the defensive kids who also did some offensive reps. Hernandez never seemed to come off the field; he is a horse!
The intense nature of the ball game was illustrated by the buckets of sweat pouring off all the players, all night. It was a madhouse from start to finish and the importance of the deal could be seen in the eyes of all the participants, from the players and coaches to the wild fanatics chanting and swaying in the stands. Helluva great night.
STARTING TO START
As well as Gonzalez ran for the Tarpons, and as gutty as Gonzalez, Villarreal and Hernandez were for the D, the PI effort was still dogged by lapses of discipline as the third period began. The first series was littered with a fumbled snap, a delay of game, and a motion call, and the second gave the ‘Cats another opportunity.
Soph Andy Vazquez of Rio Hondo came up with a turnover when PI fumbled at the RH 22 early on, after the Tarps had benefited from a 6-yard Rio Hondo punt into the wind to start shop at the ‘Cats 46. Three plays later, the ‘Cats bolted into the lead after the 63-yard catch by Garza, who spun out of a tackle at the 15 to complete the nifty effort at 4:46.
But PI is PI, and of all the teams around here, they are the one folks can count on to come back swinging, especially at home. Methodically, the offense grinded out a drive to tie the game, doing so at 11:55 of the fourth on a 24-yard pop up the gut by Gonzalez. With JJ A-OK (he went over a grand for the season), the other PI runner of note, junior Alex de los Santos, spent the evening on D, making eight tackles.
It was going to come down to execution…maybe OT.
Rio Hondo appeared to take a step toward the tie-breaker by reaching midfield, but Villarreal came up with an enormous sack for minus-14, leading to a Rio Hondo punt. Villarreal led the Tarps with nine stops Friday, along with Gonzalez. Underclassmen Dylan Athanas (sophomore end) and Omar Silva (soph DB) combined for 14 hits.
PI went nowhere though, as Heredia and big Mike Lozano clobbered Gonzalez twice and soph QB Trey Mock once to force a punt. It was just helmet to helmet now, no funny business, just toughness and endurance on the stage.
The Tarps returned the 3-and-out favor and with 6:13 got the ball back at their own 21. Gonzalez blew for 12 and 11 but then Mock lost the handle, leading to Magallanes’ heady recovery and the winning drive. Mock ran well against Rio Hondo and established himself as a terrific punter, with continual spiraling shots into the cool night, averaging more than 40 yards per kick.
In crunch time, James’ crew took advantage of its final opportunity, rolling from the PI 44 to the winning points on Garate’s bull-like rush from the 4.
Seconds later, the fun and games began for the ‘Cats, while the huge overflow Tarpon crowd somberly made its way out to the parking lot. Surely the Bears of West Oso, who are unlucky enough to be next on the PI sked, will pay the price for what the ‘Cats were able to pull off Friday. Stumbaugh is interested in what the next week has in store, starting now.
“We are going to see what type of team we really have now,” said the master mentor, adding that he believes his team is still right in the race.
So, PI has been derailed from what seemed like a non-stop journey to the pumpkin patch for a Halloween showdown with 6-1 Orange Grove, a team that took out another Valley 16-4A entry, Raymondville, last week, with relative ease. First the Bulldogs of Orange Grove – who crowned Progreso, 61-0 Friday – must come to Cameron County to battle the Bobcats, Oct. 24. That should be superb.
Stick around, this race is just heating up, and the next two weeks will be something else. PI and Rio Hondo put it all on the line Friday by the shore, and they both have reason to be proud of their efforts. A game between rivals that comes down to the last 34 seconds – in front of a terrific, festive crowd – and still leaves them both in contention for a title…well, anyone who says a discouraging word about so-called Small School Ball (and there are some folks who do) need to have their heads examined, for faint signs of brainwave activity. This was Valley Football at its finest! And on real grass, to boot.

BLACK AND BLUE: Tarpons suffer first loss of season to Rio Hondo, 21-14 (by editor)

By ARMANDO GARZASpecial to the NEWS
PORT ISABEL – They took their shots. Boy, did they take their shots.
But the Rio Hondo Bobcats gave out a few of their own, too.
And with only 34 seconds left and four yards to glory in a tie game on the road on Friday night, the final haymaker in a slobber knocker football game was the one that mattered most.
Knotted at 14 against unbeaten Port Isabel, tough-running Marco Garate (130 yards rushing) took a handoff and crashed in for a four-yard touchdown which required the extra effort that exemplified Rio Hondo’s night.
The touchdown sealed a 21-14 win over the Tarpons which allowed the Cats (6-1 overall, 2-0 District 16-4A D-II) to exorcise the blue demons and assert themselves as a district power once again.
“I think the kids came out a little bit nervous, but we settled down and played good football,” Rio Hondo head coach Rocky James said. “They (Tarpons) were 6-0 so it was good to make ’em 6-1. This is huge for my seniors. They hadn’t beat PI. A lot of these guys hadn’t even beaten ’em in junior high. This was good for our coaches, too. It was a huge win.”
Port Isabel suffered its first loss of the year and played arguably its worse game of the season.
“Fumbles and turnovers killed us tonight and we gave up a couple of easy touchdowns, and you can’t do that against a good football team like Rio Hondo,” PI coach Monty Stumbaugh said. “It was a great football game. Both teams played hard and we just made mistakes at the wrong time and they (Bobcats) capitalized.”
The game was just as advertised: tough runs, hard hits, and a high-pressure, playoff-like atmosphere at a jam-packed stadium.
But there were also plenty of penalties, and turnovers. Oh, the turnovers.
The Tarpons (6-1, 1-1) got that trend started when they fumbled the opening kickoff inside their own 20. Rio Hondo’s Jose Garate alertly fell on the loose ball to set the Cats up prime.
But, the Cats promptly gave it back as PI’s Javi Hernandez recorded an interception to start the topsy-turvy theme of the night.
The Bobcat defense held on a long Tarpon drive, but once again turned it over, this time via fumble.
That was the crease PI needed as J.J. Gonzalez (198 yards rushing), who ran tough all night, zipped up the middle untouched for a 76-yard touchdown to give the Tarpons a 7-0 lead with 2:33 left in the first quarter.
As the defense held, the offense floundered but found a spark just before half.
From their own 31, Eli Pitones made a terrific throw to Derek Salazar, who did the rest of the work to complete a 69-yard pitch-and-catch score to tie the game with 16 ticks left before half.
“We got that touchdown late right before half and I think that fired the kids up,” James said. “We saw man-to-man on the outside and Derek made a helluva play. Derek’s one of my favorite kids. He’s been with us through it all.”
The second half was more of the same: Hard-nosed football and mistakes on both sides.
Andy Vasquez recovered a fumble for the Cats midway through the third and it resulted in a Pitones-to-Josue Garza 62-yard touchdown hookup to give Rio Hondo a 14-7 edge at the 4:47 mark of the third.
PI fought back and tied the game on the first play of the fourth quarter when Gonzalez showcased his speed on a 24-yard touchdown run to knot the game at 14 with 11: 55 mark of the fourth.
Punts and sacks followed, and it was a Port Isabel turnover that opened the door for the Cats.
With the Tarpons poised to drive down the field and take hold of the game, the Cats’ Albert Magallanes and Ruben Hernandez shared a fumble recovery on a bad PI snap to give the ball back to Rio Hondo and set up the drive of the year for the Cats.
“I told everybody, this defense can play,” James said. “They’re a helluva team running the football. They proved it tonight. Time after time we stepped up and got big turnovers and especially down the stretch, and that was a big one.”
With 4:40 to go at their own 44, Rio Hondo methodically drove down the field on the legs of Garate and Pitones and an alert throw to Salazar in between.
That led to the late heroics where the Cats had to execute, and they did just that

Rio Hondo hands Port Isabel first loss of season, 21-14

Oct 18, 2014 12:14 AM

FREDDY GONZALEZ | Staff Writer

PORT ISABEL — It was the game everybody predicted. The district’s number one rushing offense against the district’s number one defense and it all came down to the final 34 seconds of the game.

Tied with four minutes left, the Rio Hondo Bobcats defense forced a fumble and gave their offense one more chance. That was all it needed.

With the ball at Port Isabel’s 44-yard line, the Bobcats pushed the Tarpon defense to the brink and capped it off with a 4-yard touchdown to come away with a huge 21-14 victory Friday night at Tarpon Stadium.

“The seniors had been talking about it all year, wanting to beat PI and they were able to get accomplished, “said Rio Hondo coach Rocky James. “We had gotten in the end zone three times without a point and after that everything we got we had to struggle to get.

“They made it tough all night, but I think down the stretch we were able to just push a little bit harder.”

After trading turnovers to begin the game, the Tarpons struck first when Jaime Gonzalez busted through the line and outran the Bobcats defense on a 76-yard touchdown run that gave Port Isabel a 7-0 lead with 2:33 remaining in the first.

Gonzalez finished the game with 210 yards and two touchdowns.

However, Rio Hondo head coach Rocky James stuck to his game plan and kept feeding Marco Garate and Alan Alfaro, who combined for 100 yards before the half.

Fixated on the Bobcats’ rushing attack, Eli Pitones caught the tarpon defense off guard and when he threw a 70-yard touchdown pass to Derek Salazar that stunned the home crowd and leveled the game at 7-7 with 16 seconds left before the half.

But Pitones wasn’t don throwing another 65-yard stunner to junior Josue Garza, who broke a tackle and took it the distance making it 14-14 with 4:46 left in the third.

Senior running back Marco Garate finished the game with 123 yards and one touchdown while quarterback Pitones threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns.

“My defense was fantastic I’ve been saying all along,” said James. “I’ve got guys that have been hustling to the ball and everybody loves to hit.

“I’m very excited about this defense. I know everybody takes a lot of pride in the defense in Rio Hondo and this is just one more good defensive team that I’ve got.”

 

 

Rio Hondo High School robotic team named "Robotic Champions" again!

Posted: Friday, October 10, 2014 10:36 pm


               

Rio Hondo remains champ By JOSE DE LEON III Staff Writer Valley Morning Star

Rio Hondo High School can now breathe easier knowing they have retained their title of robotic champions. Like last year, students from Rio Hondo won the Hispanic, Engineering, Science and Technology conference’s Robotics Day. Thursday’s competition had students from 60 Rio Grande Valley middle and high schools battle each other at the University of Texas-Pan American fieldhouse with handheld robots they built.
Christopher Gonzalez, coach for the Rio Hondo Robotics Club, explained the differences in competing these last two years.
“Last time was all about having fun; this year the pressure was on to ensure we kept the title,” he said. “Half of our members are new, but all the students have done a fantastic job of working together to help and learn from each other.”
The robotics contest was a “sumo” competition. Much like the Japanese wrestling sport, players placed their robots inside a white ring and attempted to push opponents out of the circle to win.
Robots varied in design and tactics with many built with either ramps to flip opponents in the ring and even ultrasonic sensors to detect other robots. Rio Hondo’s “Mantis” robot was built with a tail that lashes out to strike the white line of the ring as robots were required to touch the ring to start their match.
The competition was not without its shortcomings. Due to server issues that delayed the tallying of the scores heading into the double elimination rounds as well as up to 10 “tie breaker” rounds for several players, awards weren’t handed out until an hour and a half later.
Joel Ruiz, the technology events specialist for UTPA’s Community Engagement Division, said that the purpose of Robotics Day is the same as HESTEC: to inspire teenagers to get interested in science and engineering outside of school.
“Most students tend to view the fields of technology and science as something intimidating and daunting that could scare them away from it,” the 29-year-old Zapata native said. “With an event like this, students can learn that it is possible for them to have fun in it and learn important lessons about teamwork and applying hard work.”
Grand prize winners for students competing were laptops while second place winners received

Rio Hondo 40 Grulla 0

Marco Garate gave the homecoming crowd plenty to smile about Friday night at Bobcat Stadium, rushing for 233 yards and two touchdowns

 

 

 

FREDDY GONZALEZ | Staff Writer

RIO HONDO — Marco Garate gave the homecoming crowd plenty to smile about Friday night at Bobcat Stadium, rushing for 233 yards and two touchdowns to guide the Rio Hondo Bobcats to a comfortable 40-0 win over the Grulla Gators.

“The team played great football on both sides of the ball and I think the overall effort was just unbelievable,” said Rio Hondo head coach Rocky James. “I think this is probably the best game we’ve played so far this year as a whole. I think the offense had over 400 yards rushing again, very hard to do against a good Grulla team.”

“It was just something the kids had been doing all week; they beat us last year 30-0 so we need some payback here at home.”

On his first carry of the night Garate broke loose on a 94 yard run that gave the Bobcats an early 6-0 lead with 7:35 left in the first quarter.

On the next possession Rio Hondo’s Joshua Gonzalez scrambled for a 13 yard touchdown run capping a nine play drive, which began at their 32 yard line, giving the home side a 13-0 lead with 1:54 left in the first.

Gonzalez, Elijah Pitones, and Garate would add three more touchdowns to the scoreboard before the half, as the Bobcats began to pull away 34-0.

Garate had 176 yards on 15 carries the before the half, while Grulla’s offense had just under 40 yards.

“It feels great and want to thank my offensive line and coaches that are doing a great job teaching me what I do and moving forward and getting all the yards that I can,” said Garate.

The Gator offense struggled though out the night totaling 120 yards in the game; a testament to the Bobcat defense that forced three fumbles and an interception on the evening.

“I think we had them under 100 yards before they got that one run on us,” said coach James. “I was a tremendous night, I don’t know what it ended up being but we were number three in the valley before tonight’s game so hopefully it gets us to second or to first.”

“We have a lot of pride in our defense here in Rio Hondo so were shooting for number one in the Valley.”

With the win the Bobcats improve to 4-1 and get ready to begin district play in two weeks against West Oso on the road in Corpus Christi.

The loss gives Grulla an 0-5 start to the season as they prepare to travel to La Feria to begin district play on October 10th.

Bobcats, Garate brutalize Gators in rushing onslaught - San Benito News

(Photo by Edward Cruz)
Rio Hondo Bobcats running back Marco Garate is seen running through the Grulla Gators defense with ease on Friday night at Bobcat Stadium.

By ARMANDO GARZASpecial to the NEWS
RIO HONDO — Marco Garate seems to have this 200-yard rushing thing down pat.
And he’s showing no signs of slowing down, either.
The Rio Hondo running back turned in his second-straight game over two bills, rumbling for 247 yards and two touchdowns as the Bobcats cruised past Grulla 40-0 at Bobcat Stadium on Friday night.
Garate went 94 yards for a touchdown on his first carry and spearheaded a Bobcat rushing attack that churned out over 400 yards as the boys in black improved to 4-1 on the season. The senior had 277 yards against Hidalgo last week for his first 200-yard effort and said he’s definitely in a groove right now thanks to help he’s received.
“I have to give thanks to my o-line and my running backs coach for always being there for me,” Garate said afterward. “It’s great. Every game I want to go out and try to set records and be the best that I can be. That’s my goal every time we play.”
The long TD from Garate put the Cats up early in the first and QB Josh Gonzalez made it 13-0 on his 12-yard scoring scamper with 1:54 left in the first.
Thanks to a fumble recovery by Isaiah Heredia, the Rio Hondo lead swelled to 20-0 on a 13-yard keeper by QB Eli Pitones at the 9:40 mark of the second quarter.
Garate’s second score, a 3-yarder, was all effort as he pinballed his way in a few minutes later while Gonzalez tacked on a 14-yard TD run to make it 34-0 Cats at intermission.
In that first half, Rio Hondo’s defense stymied Grulla to one first down and forced six punts in the first half. The Gators had just 33 total yards at the break and were stumped against the Cats’ D all night long. On the night, the injury-riddled Gators totaled just 123 total yards as they fell to 0-5 on the year.
“That was the best performance so far for us this year,” Rio Hondo head coach Rocky James said. “It was an all-around effort. Our o-line was tremendous and our backs ran hard all night. And getting the shutout, that goose egg gets the kids fired up. Now we go into a week off and rest up and get ready for West Oso.”
The second score for Pitones came with 5:45 to go in the third as he finished a 20-yard keep to round out the scoring. Defensively, Rio Hondo’s Eliseo Guerrero fell on a fumble and Joey Guzman recorded an INT for the Cats to close things out and send the Homecoming crowd home happy.

Part 2: The Valley’s Hurricane of 1933 - Valley Morning Star : Local News

Part 2: The Valley’s Hurricane of 1933 - Valley Morning Star : Local News



Posted: Thursday, September 4, 2014 11:00 pm                                                           

 By JIM HENSLEY Special to the Star Valley Morning Star

HARLINGEN — From the Hurricane of 1933, also known as the Cuba-Brownsville Hurricane, came stories of bravery and courage. One of the best was that of Bill King and the Snake King Ranch in Brownsville.

After the hurricane hit the Valley on Sept. 5, Bill King stayed with his family in a brick office building. The Snake King Ranch had some 17,290 wild creatures within its fenced walls. There were five lions, eight or 10 mountain lions, a savage old chimpanzee, bobcats and javelinas, but the majority were rattlesnakes.

The tremendous speed of the wind and the power of the frightened lions allowed them to escape; they went on a killing rampage. They first met up with a pony. It did not take long for the lions to make a skeleton of the pony. One of the lions came to an office window that had been broken out by the wind and looked through at the occupants, scaring the people half to death: The lion had the pony’s bloody head in his mouth. Had they screamed or moved, the lion might have come through the window and attacked the family. Finally, the lion left and found a barn full of mules. It was not long until the other lions joined him. Bill King heard the roar of the lions as they fought over the choice piece of the mules.

Shortly after the lions entered the barn, Bill heard his brother-in-law crying out for help. He was in a frame building on the other side of the barn, about 50 yards from the office, and it was being torn apart by the terrific winds. Bill went from the office to the house in order to help bring six children through death’s alley. On Bill’s first trip from the house to the office, he was looking for an object to use for protection against the wild animals. He saw a board lying under the water, but when he started to pick it up, it started to move. It was a snake.

After a few more unsuccessful trips, Bill found a five-foot pole. When he got to the house, he discovered that it had fallen off one of its supports. His brother-in-law carried one child while Bill stood guard. They had to lean backward so that the wind would not force them off their feet. As they passed the barn, they could hear the lions fighting and killing. As they neared the house, a black streak passed between them. It was a javelina. Had it been a foot closer, it would have put Bill in the hospital, for a javelina tusk can rip a leg wide open. As soon as the first child was delivered to the office, a new trip began.

They tried to find the brother-in-law a weapon, but after they picked up the four-foot tail of a python that was over 20 feet long, they decided Bill’s pipe was enough protection. On the trip back, Bill stepped on a snake. The snake wrapped around his leg, but fortunately did not bite him. After a few more trips, they saw the house fall off two more supports. The mother and baby were in the house. Just as they were rescued, the house crumbled and lumber flew in every direction. Bill was hit by the falling debris but recovered and continued his journey toward the office. As they passed the barn, a female lion came out. Bill stayed behind to fight the lion.

As he raised his pipe over his head to get a good stroke, the lion heard the other lions in the barn roaring over another mule they had just killed, and the female lion retreated into the barn for her share of the spoils. Bill continued toward the office. After the hurricane passed, they had the hazardous job of getting the wild creatures back into pens.

 

Rio Hondo opens season with impressive win over the Warrriors!

                 

By MARK MOLINA | Valley Morning Star


RIO HONDO — From the start things didn’t look too bright for the Santa Rosa Warriors as they saw running back Wally Olivarez get helped off the field on the sixth play with an ankle injury.


Olivarez would not return and the flood gates opened.


The Warriors fought to stay a float for most of the first half, but turnovers turned the momentum one way, allowing the Rio Hondo Bobcats to blow the game open with the help of three touchdowns by running Alan Alfaro en route to a 35-0 victory Friday night at Bobcat Stadium.


As Rio Hondo coach Rocky James expected, the Warriors (0-1) came out aggressive running the ball, but the Bobcat’s (1-0) defense forced the short-handed Santa Rosa squad into errors.


”I knew they were going to come out with a lot of formations and a big line,” James said. “Santa Rosa did a great job even though they lost their stud early. I knew they’d struggle without him because that kid Wally [Olivarez] is a real good football player. However, I knew we should come out and play great on defense.”


According to Warrior coach Arturo Garcia there was no official word yet on the type of injury Olivarez suffered or if it’ll keep his feature back out longer than just the end of Friday’s game.


“I don’t if it was a re aggravated high ankle sprain. I don’t know, but it hurt enough to where he [Olivarez] couldn’t go,” Garcia. “If he’s not 100 percent it isn’t fair to the kid to play him—we’ll take it day by day.”


The Warriors had just 85 yards total offense and struggled to move the ball throughout the night following Olivarez’s exit, but Garcia is pleased with his team’s effort.


“They (Rio Hondo) are a very good ball club. I think they should’ve beat us tonight but not as bad as the score says,” “When your leader goes down people start looking around, checking to see who’s going to pick us up, but I was proud of our kids. I think we played well in the first half but you can’t take anything away from Rio Hondo.


The Warriors also had problems taking advantage of Rio Hondo turnovers that included a turnover on downs and a Marco Garate fumble.


The Bobcats would take the momentum for good in the late second quarter that started with a 43-yard touchdown screen pass from Bobcat quarterback Elijah Pitonez to Garate for a 7-0 lead.


The Warriors would continue to stumble as sophomore quarterback Leo Lara, who took the reins under center after starter A.J. Mendiola moved over to the running back position, fumbled the ball with under a minute to go on a keeper play and watched Rio Hondo linebacker Marc Carrizales return it 36 yards, making it 14-0 at the break.


“The turnover got our momentum going and we came out the second half and kept on moving,” James said. “We have some work to do, but it’s nice to get a win over a quality team.


 Alfaro would shut the door on the Warriors following the break, as he scored on runs of one, five and 33 yards to put the Warriors away.


Alfaro finished the night with 84 yards on eight carries all coming in the second half.


“I feel Santa Rosa came out ready to play. They’re a good team that is going to get better,” Alfaro said. “Our o-line picked it up in the second half and I picked up the ball and tried my best to move the chains. I feel like we’re getting better day by day.”