The Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 80, No. 153, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 12, 1992 Page: 4 of 10
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RIO GRANDE HERALD • Thursday, November 12, 1992, Page 4
Rattlers trounce PSJA Bears in season finale
i
By KENNETH ROBERTS
Managing Editor
The Rio Grande City Rattlers
ended their 1992 season on a
fabulous note as they thrashed the
PSJA Bears 46-7 in a rain-soaked
District 31-5A contest on the road
Friday night.
The Rattlers finished their season
with an overall rccord of 6-3-1 and
5-3-1 in district play. The 1992
season was the sccond finest record
achieved by the Rattlers since they
advanced to Class 5-A in 1986.
The Rattler fans who made the
trip to Bears Stadium were treated
to a spectacular performance by
both the Rio offense and defense in
the chilly, rainy conditions. The
Rattlers jumped off to an early 20-0
lead over their longtime nemesis
with three first quarter touchdowns
and a safety.
The Rattlers held a 26-7 lead at
halftime and quashed any lingering
comeback hopes of the Bears with
two quick third quarter touchdowns.
Junior fullback Noe Gonzalez
was the offensive sparkplug for the
Rattlers as he achieved four
touchdowns on runs of 2, 13, 41,
and 12 yards. Gonzalez achieved
123 yards rushing on only seven
carries. Running backs Carlos Vela,
Tony Cantu, and Albert Briones, as
well as quarterback Lupc Garza, all
had fine nights running the
football.
The Rattlers accumulated 22 first
downs, 409 yards of total offense
and 350 yards rushing as they
repeatedly gained big chunks of
yardage against the Bears defense.
The Ratder defense held the Bears
to 162 yards of total offense, 98
yards rushing and nine first downs.
On the first possession of the
game, Bears tailback Gabriel
Salinas was held to a four-yard gain
to the PSJA 26 on a third and eight
play from the 22.
The Rattlers took over at the
PSJA 46 and proceeded to drive for
a touchdown. On second and 13,
Garza connectcd with Vela on the
left side and the receiver scampered
to the 34 for a 15-yard completion.
A clipping penalty nullified a
17-yard gain by Garza, but a pass
interference penalty against the
Bears gave the Rattlers a first down
at the PSJA 30.
Two plays later, Veia ran a sweep
around right end and scampered
through a huge hole for a 21-yard
gain to the 6. On second and goal
from the 6, Garza kept around left
end for a four-yard gain to the 2.
On third and goal, Garza kept to
his right and scampered through a
hole at right tackle for a two-yard
scoring run with 6:49 left in the
first quarter. The score remained 6-0
when a bad snap caused the extra
point attempt to fail.
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The Rattlers were presented with
another scoring opportunity when
Bears tailback Salinas was tackled
for a two-yard loss on the 30,
stripped of the football, and .a Rio
defender fell on the pigskin at that
point.
On first down, Garza ran a
sprintout around left end for an
11-yard gain to the 19. On third and
nine from the 18, Garza rolled to
his right and connected with Vela at
the 10, and the Rio tailback dodged
several defenders and scampered
down the sideline for a 16-yard
completion to the 2.
On first and goal, Gonzalez
scampered untouched through the
middle for a two-yard scoring run
with 3:58 remaining in the first
quarter. The score remained 12-0
when the extra point attempt was
blocked
The Bears found themselves in a
deep hole when the kickoff returner
was tackled by a swarm of Ratder
players on the PSJA 1. On second
down, Salinas was gang-tackled in
the end zone for a safety, giving the
Rattlers a 14-0 lead with 3:07
remaining in the first quarter.
Following the safety, Noe
Gonzalez fielded the punt at the Rio
43 and motored up the middle for a
33-yard return to the PSJA 24.
On second and 10, Vela found a
hole at left tackle, raced toward the
sideline and cut back toward the
middle for an 11-yard gain to the
13.
On the next play, Gonzalez
bolted through the middle for a
13-yard scoring run with 1:47 left
in the first quarter. The score
remained 20-0 when a Rio receiver
could not hang on to a pass for two
points in the end zone.
The Bears were again held
without a first down on their next
possession. The ensuing punt rolled
dead on the Rio 47, but a clipping
penalty forced the Rattlers to set up
shop on their 32.
On first down from the 32, Garza
dropped back to pass and Vela made
a leaping catch at the 46 and raced
to midfield for an 18-yard
completion. An interference penalty
against the Bears gave the Rattlers a
first down at the PSJA 35.
Garza sprinted out to his right for
a 14-yard gain, but a clipping
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I
107 E. Main -Rio Grande City 487-5052
NEW DOCTOR HOURS: TUESDAYS 8 a.m.-ll a.m
THURSDAYS ft a.m,-4;3Q P.m.
Hours: Mon. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tues. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Wed. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thurs. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CaU For Appointment
Fn. 9 sum.- to 1 p.m.
Exams: Tuesdays 8 a.m. to 12 noon
Thursdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
penalty moved the RatUers back to
the 34. Gonzalez then bolted
through the middle for big yardage
and was stripped of the ball, but a
Rattler teammate recovered the
fumble at the Bears 18.
On first and 10, Vela look a
handoff around right end, motored
down the sideline and bowled over a
would-be tackier at the goal line for
an 18-yard scoring run with 11:52
remaining in the second quarter.
The score remained 26-0 when a
poor snap caused the extra point
attempt to go awry.
The Bears gained their first
opportunity of the game when Jerry
Vigil fielded the bouncing kickoff
at the 10, broke several tackles in
the middle and scampered up the
right sideline for a 56-yanl return to
the Rio 34.
On first down, running back
Mario Cantu scampered around
right end for an eight-yard gain to
the 26. On fourth and one from the
25, Cantu hammered through the
right side and broke several tackles
for a 15-yard gain to the 10.
On second down, quarterback Fred
Schlotterback dropped back and
arched a pass to Gabriel Salinas,
who caught the ball on the left side
inside the 5 and raced into the end
zone for a 10-yard touchdown
reception with 8:48 remaining in
the second quarter. The successful
extra point kick cut Rio's lead to
26-7.
On first and 10 from the Rio 40,
Albert Briones started another
Rattler drive when he bolted
through the middle for a 17-yard
gain to the Bears 43. Tony Cantu
then slashed through a hole at right
tackle for a nine-yard gain to the
34.
On the next play, Gonzalez
bolted through the nght side for big
yardage and overran several
would-be tacklers for a 22-yard
pickup to the 12.
On third and five, Garza kept
around right end and struggled
through several defenders to the 1,
but a clipping penalty set the
Rattlers back to the 20. On third
and 18, Cantu ran a reverse around
left end for a 13-yard gain to the 7.
On fourth and six, Cantu took a
pitchout around right end, but was
stopped short of the first down at
the 5.
On second and 10, PSJA
quarterback Schlitterback arched a
pass down the left sideline that was
caught by Terry Vigil for a 27-yard
completion io the 32. On sccond
and foui, oalinas took a quick pitch
around left end for a nine-yard gain
to the 47.
On fourth and five from the Rio
47, the Bears attempted to run a
reverse, but the play was stopped
for a two-yard loss at the 49.
Garza started another drive by
connecting with Cantu for a
nine-yard completion to the 42.
Gonzalez then exploded through the
middle for a 17-yard gain to the 25.
Vela then took a handoff around
right end and scampcrcd down the
sideline for a 19-yard gain to the 6.
The Rattlers still had high hopes
of scoring, but Vela was stopped at
the 3 on a sweep around right end,
and the first half clock ran out with _
Rio still owning a 26-7 advantage.
The Rattlers set up shop on their
42 after the sccond half kickoff and
reached the end zone in three plays.
Halfback Laco Flores started the
drive with gains of 9 and 8 yards.
On first down from the PSJA 41,
Gon/ii'hammered through the
midd , oroke several tackles and
motored down the left side of the
field for a 41 -yard scoring run with
10:42 remaining in the third
quarter. Ronald Smith booted the
extra point to give the Rattlers a
33-7 advantage.
The Bears achieved one first down
on their next possession, but could
move no further. The snap for the
ensuing punt bounced on the
ground, and several RatUers tackled
the PSJA punter on the Bears 12.
On the first play, Gonzalez
slashed through right guard,
bounced off several defenders and
cut back to the left for a 12-yard
scoring run with 7:49 remaining in
the third quarter. The score remained
39-7 when the extra point attempt
was blocked.
Rick Rivers returned the ensuing
kickoff 32 yards to the PSJA 42.
On the first play, Jerry Vigil
slashed through the right side for a
12-yard gain to the 46. But the
drive fizzled when the quarterback
was sacked on the PSJA 47. On
third and 18, Salinas was stopped at
the PSJA 49 for only a three-yard
gain.
The game moved on in relatively
uneventful fashion until the fourth
quarter, when a PSJA punt was
shanked out of bounds at the Bears
34 after traveling only 10 yards.
On sccond down, a roughing the
passer penalty against the Bears
gave the RatUers a first down at the
18. On third and five, Briones found
a crease at left tackle and exploded
for a 12-yard gain to the 1.
On the next play, Briones lunged
through the left side for a one-yard
scoring run with 9:10 remaining in
the game. The successful
conversion by Ronald Smith gave
die RatUers a 46-7 advantage.
The Bears fumbled the ensuing
kickoff and the Rattlers fell on die
loose ball at the 18. The scoring
opportunity came to naught when
on fourth down from the 20,
quarterback Lupc Bazan narrowly
missed connecting with Eddie
Gonzalez in the left corner of die
end zone.
Later in the fourth quarter, a
promising PSJA drive was aborted
when the Rattlers forced receiver
Paul Anzaldua to fumble, and a Rio
defender fell on the ball at the
Rattler 32. Also in the fourth
quarter, the Rattlers' Alex Bazan
intercepted a pass at the Rio 35.
The kattlers ended their 1992
season by showing the
explosiveness that made them
perhaps the Valley's most fearsome
team during the first half of the
season.
Rio freshmen whip PSJA to
win district title
The "Freshman Ratders" bounced
back from their first loss of the
season to win the district
championship with a 47-28 victory
over the PSJA Bears on Saturday,
Nov. 7.
On Saturday, the freshmen
traveled to Pharr to play the PSJA
Bears in need of one more victory
to clinch the district UUe. Coach
Mario Arce said, "We told our guys
to learn from the loss against
Edinburg and to redeem themselves
by coming back to Rio Grande City
with the district title."
The Rattler offense was
impressive as they racked up 533
yards of total offense. The RatUers
gained 463 yards rushing and 70
yards passing.
On the third play of the game,
Edgar Sol is busted through the line
behind Mario Canalcs and broke a
92-yard touchdown run. Solis later
went around right end to score on a
37-yard run.
Alex Perez was also impressive,
adding touchdown runs of 80 and 37
yards. Ismacl "Rocket" Rivera had a
touchdown catch in which he
scrambled 53 yards running over
and around people to score for the
Ratders.
Not to be denied, quarterback
John Lopez scorcd two touchdowns
on his own. One came on
quarterback sneak set up by an
impressive 70-yard punt return by
the powerful Joe Garcia. The sccond
touchdown came on a bootleg led
by guard Nazario Solis in which
Lopez scampcrcd 84 yards for a
touchdown.
The offensive line, which
consists of Porfirio Flores, Mario
Canales, Danny Garcia, Humberto
Gonzalez, Nazario Solis and
Vicente Rivera, is the biggest
reason that the freshmen had a 9-1
season.
Coach Arce said, "These young
men played their hearts out in order
to open up holes for the backs who
get most of die recognition, but not
once did they complain. Their
recognition comes from the backs
who pat them on the back after a
long run or a touchdown. The
young men on this football team
are the most unselfish men I
know."
Coach Tito Garcia said,
"Defensively, we played a lot of
kids on defense. Wc wanted all of
our kids to play. We had a few
mistakes, but we tightened up when
wc had to."
Coach Garcia added, "Rudy
Lopez, E.J. Mendoza, Joe Garcia,
and Fernando Cortcz played
extremely well on defense." E.J.
Mendoza sealed Uic victory with an
inlerccpuon with three minutes left
in the game. The final score was
47-28 in Rio's favor.
Joe Garcia ended the season with
1076 yards rushing on 147 carries.
Alex Perez ended the season as the
leading rusher with 1131 yards
rushing on 123 carrics.
Coach Arce said, "On behalf of
the freshman coaching staff (Rocl
Olson, John Barras, Rey Ramirez,
Oscar Garcia and Tito Garcia), I
would like to thank the fans who
supported the Fieshman Rattlers
throughout the 1992 football
season, as well as parents and other
family members, teachers and
friends."
Against PSJA, Alex Perez
achieved 162 yards on 12 carrics,
two touchdowns, two two-point
conversions and one extra point
kick. Edgar Solis added 156 yards
on five carrics and two touchdowns.
John Lopez rushed for 95 yards on
eight carrics and scorcd two
(See FRESHMEN, Page 5)
The RatUer offense exploded for
409 yards of total offense, 350
yards rushing and 22 first downs as
they achieved their second highest
point total of the season.
Noe Gonzalez paced the RatUer
attack with 123 yards on seven
carries as he ripped off touchdown
runs of 2, 13, 41 and 12 yards.
Carlos Vela added 84 yards on eight
attempts, including an 18-yard
scoring run.
Tony Cantu gained 39 yards on
seven carries, and Albert Briones
achieved 37 yards on six attempts.
Quarterback Lupc Garza gained 22
y<.rds on five carries, and halfback
Laco Flores garnered 21 yards on
four attempts. Mario Gazca added
18 yards on three carries.
Garza completed 4 of 5 passes for
59 yards. Carlos Vela caught three
passes for 50 yards, and Tony
Cantu achieved one reccpUon for
nine yards.
The PSJA offense was limited by
the swarming Rattler defense to
nine first downs, 162 yards of total
offense, 98 yards rushing and 64
yards passing.
Gabriel Salinas paced the Bears
rushing game with 54 yards on nine
carries. Mario Cantu gained 26
yards on nine carries and Jerry Vigil
gained 17 yards on nine attempts.
Quarterback Fred Schlotterback
completed 4 of 7 passes for 54
yards and a touchdown. Gabriel
Quantanilla completed 1 of 6 aerials
for 10 yards.
Gabriel Salinas caught two
passes for 20 yards and a
touchdown, and Mario Cantu
achieved two receptions for 29
yards. Paul Anzaldua added one
reception for 15 yards.
The Rattlers did not commit a
turnover in the entire game, while
the Bears yielded three lost fumbles
and one interception.
The RatUers were penalized seven
Umes for 95 yards, while the Bears
drew five flags for 55 yards.
The RatUers finished the season
with a 6-3-1 overall record and a
5-3-1 district mark, achieving their
second best record since advancing
to Class 5-A in 1986.
Close losses to Edinburg North
and Edinburg High, as well as a tie
against La Joya, cost the Rattlers a
berth in the state playoffs. A 27-6
loss to McAllen High also could
easily have been a victory as the
Rattlers came up empty on three
golden scoring opportunities.
Early in the season, the RatUers
defeated Uie Mission Eagles 36-29
on the road and handed the Eagles
their first loss in district play since
late in the 1989 season.
The RatUers will lose a number
of talented players Uiat contributed
to the successful 1992 season, but a
number of standouts will return as
starters on both offense and defense.
The Rattlers also have a number
of talented youngsters waiting in
the wings and the sub-varsity teams
have had outstanding 1992 seasons.
For this reason, RatUer football
fans should expect the 1993 season
to be very exciting and successful.
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Roberts, Kenneth. The Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 80, No. 153, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 12, 1992, newspaper, November 12, 1992; Edinburg, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth195366/m1/4/?rotate=270: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.