Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 94, No. 35, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 6, 2007 Page: 4 of 6
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The Rio Grande Herald-Thursday, September 6, 2007, Page 4
Rattlers fall 20-15 to Cougars in rain-soaked season opener
By KENNETH ROBERTS
In a season opener marred by
horrendous weather conditions
and a delay of roughly 80
minutes, the Rio Grande City
Rattlers were edged 20-15 by
the Edinburg North Cougars in a
non-district battle at Joe R.
Sanchez Stadium Friday night.
Approximately five minutes
before the kickoff, a fierce
thunderstorm moved over Rio
Grande City, bringing torrential
rain and vicious lightning. Less
than four minutes of game play
had elapsed when the game was
suspended due to nearby
lightning.
Shortly after the game was
suspended, a bolt of lightning
came dangerously close to the
south side of the stadium and
temporarily knocked out the
stadium lights.
Shortly after 9 p.m. the teams
returned to the field and engaged
in brief warmups before
resuming play. The Rattlers
owned an 8-0 lead before play
was suspended as they scored
after recovering a fumble inside
the Cougar 10. Tne game
concluded at approximately
11:10 p.m.
After the game resumed, the
Cougars scored two quick
touchdowns within six minutes
to take a 14-8 lead and the score
remained that way until
intermission. The Rattlers
scored late in the third quarter to
take a 15-14 lead, only to see the
Cougars regain the lead for
keeps roughly six minutes later.
The Rattlers launched a
promising drive in the final
minutes, only to fumble the ball
away at the Cougar 39 with just
over two minutes remaining.
The Cougars survived two
fumble scares as they managed
to run out the clock.
The Cougar defense limited
the Rattlers to 123 total yards
and nine first downs. North
running back Oscar Hernandez
ignited the Cougar offense as he
rushed for 129 yards and scored
two touchdowns.
In the opening minutes, as
heavy rain soaked the lield,
North quarterback Randy
Ramirez was stripped of the
football deep in Cougar territory
and the Rattlers recovered at the
Cougar 7.
On fourth and goal, fullback
Armando Garza slashed through
right guard and lunged across
the goal line for a two-yard
scoring run with 8:19 left in the
first quarter. Justin Ortega then
ran a sweep left, cut back
slightly, and powered across the
goal line for the two-point
conversion that gave the Rattlers
an 8-0 lead.
At that point, the decision was
made to suspend the game due
to increasingly close lightning.
Shortly after the game was
suspended, a lightning bolt
nearly struck the south side of
the field.
The Rattlers kicked off when
the game resumed at roughly 9
p.m. Oscar Hernandez broke a
14-yard run to the Cougar 43.
Three plays later, Hernandez
bolted through a huge hole at
right tackle and raced down the
right side of the field untouched
for a 51-yard scoring romp with
6:21 left in the first period.
Virgil Pena booted the extra
point to narrow the margin to 8-
7.
When the Cougars got the ball
back, Ramirez threw a swing
pass to Eric Morales, who broke
free and raced down the right
sideline for a 56-yard
completion to the Rio 9.
On third and goal, Ramirez
threw a high arching pass into
the right corner of the end zone
and Adrian Saenz made a
lunging 10-yard scoring catch
with 2:55 left in the opening
period. Virgil Pena's extra point
kick was true to give the
Cougars a 14-8 margin.
In the second quarter, the
Cougars again drove into Rattler
territory, hut Ramirez was held
to a four-yard gain to the Rio 23
on a fourth down scramble,
turning the ball over on downs
to the Rattlers.
A short time later, the Rattlers
took over at the Cougar 37 after
a 19-yard punt. Two piays later,
Armando Garza blasted through
right guard for good yardage,
but the ball was knocked loose
and a Cougar defender caught
the ball in mid-air at the North
25.
Late in the second quarter, the
Rattlers recovered a fumble at
the Cougar 36. On fourth and 9
at the 24, quarterback R.J.
Alaniz was unable to connect
with a receiver at the 10, turning
the ball over to North on downs.
The two teams then went into
intermission with the Cougars
owning a 14-8 advantage.
Late in the third quarter, the
Rattlers forced the Cougars to
punt from their 10. On third and
five, Alaniz rolled to his right
and threw a short pass to Ernest
Garza, who broke free down the
right sideline for a 32-yard
completion to the Cougar 11.
On fourth and four at the 5,
Alaniz rolled to his right and
connected with Ernest Garza
inside the 1 for a four-yard
completion and a first down. On
first and goal, Armando Garza
lunged through right tackle
across the goal line for a one-
yard scoring run with 2:27 left
in the third quarter. Emmanuel
Reyna booted the extra point to
give the Rattlers a 15-14 lead.
Early in the fourth quarter,
Ramirez connected with
Hernandez for a 19-yard
completion. Ramirez then
scampered around right end for
a 24-yard gain to the Rattler 27.
Moments later, a personal foul
penalty against the Rattlers
advanced the ball to the 12.
Laredo United South Panthers claw
Gladiators 25-6 in season opener
By Ricky Perez
Laredo - The United South
Panthers took care of business
Saturday night, silencing the
Roma Gladiators, 25-6. The
young Gladiator squad was
overmatched by the senior-
ladened Panther team that boasts
a loaded backfield and a
tenacious defense.
The Panther backfield
collected 188 yards via the
ground attack, 111 of those in
the first half. Quarterback Justin
Sanchez led the way with 80
yards through the air on 10-of-
17 passing with two
interceptions in the first half.
Sanchez also scored the only
points in the second half on a
43-yard keeper.
The Panther defense limited
the Gladiators to 98 total yards
and caused six fumbles on the
night. Roma quarterback Ferny
Garza was held to only two
completions for 10 yards. Me
added three yards rushing. The
Panther secondary provided
some smothering coverage and
the special teams added two
partially blocked punts to set up
the Panthers with great field
position.
Despite what might seem like
a one-sided effort on the field,
the Gladiators had a few breaks
.as senior Angel Garcia picked-
off a Sanchez pass attempt and
after breaking a would-be tackle,
scampered 61 yards for Roma's
lone score on the evening. The
Gladiators failed to convert on
the point-after attempt to trail 7-
6 early in the first quarter.
iConsigue El Prestamo Rapido Y Facil De Nuestro Equipo Victorioso!
Atlas sostiene a todos
nuestros equipos de futbol
de las escuelas
Loans to Go
de Gladiators y Rattlers.
RIO GRANDE CITY
310 West Main Street
Suite A
488-2000
\\\VS^
Venga Y Vea Por Que Nuestros Clientes Valoran Atlas #1
DISABILITY
CONSULTANTS
1-800-236-0459
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Si.viendo al Valle desde 1987. No paga hasta recibir sus beneficios.
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1 CON DOS OFICINAS EN EL NORTE DEL VALLE I
Hernandez then pounded
through the middle for a 10-yard
gain to the 2 and a first down.
On third and goal, Hernandez
took a sweep around left end
and raced into the end zone
untouched for a five-yard
scoring scamper with 8:29 left in
the game. The extra point kick
was bio ;ked, leaving the
Cougars with a 20-15 edge.
With less than five minutes to
play, the Rattlers began a
promising drive when Alaniz
gained 17 yards to the Cougar
48 on an option keeper. On third
and two, Justin Ortega pounded
out a six-yard gain to the 34,
good for a first down.'
On the next play, the Rattlers
recovered their own fumble at
the 36. On second down, they
were not so fortunate as the
exchange went awry and the
Cougars fell on the loose ball at
the 39 with just over two
minutes left.
The Cougars were forced to
recover their own fumbles twice,
but managed to run out the clock
and seal their 20-15 victory.
The Rattlers collected nine
first downs, 123 total yards, 74
yards rushing and 49 yards
passing.
Armando Garza was the
leading Rattler rusher with 35
mm
yards on 11 attempts and two
touchdowns. Justin Ortega
achieved 19 yards on nine totes,
and Ernest Garza garnered 13
yards on six carries. R.J. Alaniz
completed 4 of 11 passes for 49
yards, all to Ernest Garza.
The Cougars harvested 14 first
downs, 239 total yards, 142
yards rushing and 97 yards
passing.
Oscar Hernandez accounted
for almost all of North's rushing
yardage with 129 yards on 17
carries and two touchdowns,
including a 51-yard scoring
scamper.
Ramirez completed 5 of 13
passes for 97 yards and one
touchdown. Eric Morales hauled
in two passes for 62 yards, and
Oscar Hernandez and Adrian
Saenz each snared one aerial for
21 and 10 yards, respectively,
with Saenz's reception good for
a touchdown.
The Rattlers and Cougars each
lost two fumbles. The Rattlers
were penalized seven times for
53 yards and the Cougars were
flagged 13 times for 95 yards.
The Rattlers will face the
Brownsville Pace Vikings in
Brownsville this Friday evening
at 7:30 p.m. The Rattlers
defeated the Vikings 35-13 last
year in Rio Grande City.
A 45-minute rain delay
extended the halftime
intermission due to a heavy
downpour and lightning. The
contest ended close to I 1:00
p.m.
Roma starts preparing for the
Falfurrias HS Jersey Bulls this
coming Friday evening as the
Gladiators take their second
road trip. While the team is
young, there are a lot of
potential play-makers that need
to grow up mighty fast. Getting
defeated by a 5A team that is
expected to make the playoffs
this year must be viewed as a
learning experience. With the
proper attitude this young
Gladiator football team can take
the next step up this coming
Friday night.
«•
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Camp helps visually impaired youngsters
Salvador Villa, the youngster pictured above, rode a bicycle down a street in late July for the first time
in his life, despite being totally blind in both eyes. The bicycling program is one of several modified
outdoor activities that has been pioneered by the Rio Grande Valley Blind Birders organization. The
Blind Birders hosted a two-day camp on Aug. 1-18 that was filled with activities designed to help and
interest the blind and visually impaired.
STC now celebrating 10
years of online education
South Texas College's
Distance Education Department
marks its tenth anniversary this
year, offering students courses
through the Internet and other
forms of communication.
"It is amazing how quickly
distance education has expanded
at South Texas College and we
are pleased to mark this tenth
year with several major
developments," said Maricela
<t)
r.Lgj News to
■S T>*earP"
Let Us Serve You
Call
487-2819
Garcia, director of Distance
Education for STC. "Last
semester we offered more than
80 courses to over 2,700
students, showing just how
exponentially we have grown
from day one. Now we are
expanding to offer three new all-
online degree programs this fall,
as well as offering our courses
to students across the state and
the country."
Starting in fall 2007, STC
will offer three all-online
degrees. Students interested in
Business Administration,
Criminal Justice and Social
Sciences will be able to earn
their entire degrees online.
Students will be able to take
these courses from any location
where they have Internet
connections.
Currently STC offers
distance education via four
course formats. Web-based
courses make up more than 90
percent of the college's distance
education offerings, providing
students the ability to log on at
any time and follow instruction,
participate in chats and blogs,
take tests and complete
HERITAGE
DEVELOPMENT
"A vision as big
as Texas!"
Ph. 956-488-8339
Fax. 956-488-2340
231 N. FM 3167
Rio Grande City.TX 78582
dba Rio Vista Development Co.
assignments online, l recourses
are available on DVD,
teleconference courses are
offered via live, two-way
interactive broadcast, and hybrid
courses combine Web
instruction with a reduced
requirement for on campus
attendance.
In addition to offering
courses, the division also
provides opportunities for
instructors from across the
college to offer "Web-Enhanced
Courses " The courses integrate
Web-based tools to supplement
the regular classroom
instruction. More than 180
instructors used this format last
spring, uploading data, reports,
links to Web sites, blogs and
chat tools to help students
master subject areas.
"We are continually updating
and improving our services to
address the needs of students
from technical helpdesks, to
offering courses from other
colleges, to providing online
tutoring and orientation," added
Garcia. "Everything we do is to
benefit our students and make
their lives easier. We look
forward to another ten great
years as this instruction method
continues to expand."
For additional information
about these online degree plans
or other distance education
questions contact STC's Office
of Distance Education at 872-
2598 or visit
www.southtexascollege.edu.
.Millions of Americans now
receive their news online,
according to a recent study.
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Roberts, Kenneth. Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 94, No. 35, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 6, 2007, newspaper, September 6, 2007; Edinburg, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth196081/m1/4/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.