PI, Grulla set to face off in game of the week

Source: Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, TexasSept.儲存 27--If recent history has any-thing to suggest, tonight's Valley Morning Star Game of the Week between Grulla and Port Isabel should be nothing short of a dandy.Since Grulla started playing football in 2010, the Gators and Tarpons have met every year, with all three games being decided by less than a touchdown.In 2010, P.I. edged out a Grulla program in its first season of varsity football, 21-19. The next year, Grulla returned the favor with a 27-26 win.Last season, the Tarpons' stingy "Sea Wall" defense held an injury-plagued Gator squad to only a touchdown in a 13-7 victory.But none of those contests can compare to this one in terms of pre-game hype.With both teams sporting identical 4-0 records, the winner can claim themselves top dog of Valley 3A football. That's a title each team badly wants.Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Tarpons Stadium in Port Isabel."Every time we play them it's a tough game so I don't expect anything less than that again," said Port Isabel coach Monty Stumbaugh.Before the season, not too many people had tonight's game circled on their calendar. Grulla was 3-7 last year, while Port Isabel was a regional finalist.This was supposed to be just another notch on the Tarpons' belt. But now that the Gators are 4-0 for the first time in school history, this has turned into the the game of the year thus far in Valley sub-4A football."We just want to show how good we are," said Grulla linebacker Adan Cantu, "show people that we're for real and didn't get to 4-0 by just luck."Beating a stout Port Isabel would surely do that. The Tarpons have yet to be seriously challenged through four games and are the only team in the Valley that boasts a state ranking (No. 9).Grulla is hoping to use its speed to stretch Port Isabel's defense from sideline to sideline. By doing that, the Gators think they can the create the space they need to run their offense effectively."We're not going to bang our heads into a brick wall," said Grulla coach Abel Gonzalez, refmini storagerring to going up the middle against P.I.'s defense. "(Port Isabel has) the best front seven that we're going to face probably the whole year. They have great defensive ends, good guys in the middle and then their linebackers play extremely well."We're going to try to do some things to counteract that."Grulla will be counting on quarterback Rey Penablanca to keep Port Isabel's linebackers off balance with his ability to run and throw.Penablance has completed 22-of-39 for 375 yards and five touchdowns. He's been even more effective on the ground, where he leads all Valley 3A players with 518 yards and six touchdown."I've had to run around after him for two years now as a defensive end. He's tough to deal with. He definitely gives me a run for my money," Port Isabel defensive end Jacques Guillot said."It's pretty much 50/50 (pass/run) so you never know with him," Port Isabel linebacker Esteven Montelongo added. "You just got to react. If you think about it, you're too late."Grulla running back Robert Camarillo (294 yards rushing) and wide receiver Troy Trillayes also have the ability to break open a big play at any time.On the other side of the ball, Grulla should have its hands full trying to slow down Port Isabel's power running game.The Tarpons are averaging 11.1 yards per carry for 1,359 rushing yards on the season, and since Port Isabel has so many different guys who can carry the rock, the Gators won't be able to key on just one.Quarterback Isaiah Martinez (243 yards, three touchdowns) fullback Juan Aguilera (296-4) and tailbacks J.J. Gonzalez (381-5) and Jacob Losoya (336-7) are all threats that have to be accounted for."They got a lot of speed on the outside so what we're going to do is just try to contain them, try to make them cut it up to where all the linebackers are at so they don't break any long runs on us," Cantu said.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Valley Morning Star (Harlingen, Texas) Visit Valley Morning Star (Harlingen, Texas) at .valleymorningstar.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesself storage