Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 47, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 23, 1995 Page: 4 of 8
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RIO GRANDE HERALD-Thursday, November 23, 1995, Page 4
Gladiators achieve dramatic win over Sharyland Rattlers
By KENNETH ROBERTS
Managing Editor
A dramatic five-yard interception
return for a touchdown by Julio
Oyervides with just over two
minutes remaining enabled the
Roma Gladiators to achieve a
dramatic 13-12 comeback victory
over the Sharyland Rattlers in the
season finale at Sharyland Friday
evening.
The Gladiators ended their most
successful football season ever with
a 5-5 overall record and a 4-2
district mark, including an upset of
powerful Mercedes. They narrowly
missed out on a playoff berth due to
Edcouch-Elsa's 24 6 victory over
Raymondville. Los Fresnos defeated
Mercedes 14-7 to win the District
32-4A title and Mercedes qualified
for the rannerup berth.
The dramatic interception and
touchdown by Oyervides took place
with 2:14 remaining, just after the
Sharyland defense had stopped two
serious Gladiator scoring threats.
Moments before, the Gladiators
were perched on the Rattler 1, but
the Rattlers recovered a fumble at
the 4.
The Gladiators and the Rattlers
played an exciting, hard-fought
game on a field that was slippery
and muddy due to heavy rains
Thursday and early Friday.
Roma Head Coach Javier "Jerry"
Cavazos commented, "I was glad to
get out of there with a victory after
defeat seemed certain. I told our
players that good teams find a way
to win. It was a well-played game,
considering the sloppy conditions."
Cavazos added, "Their defense
played an outstanding game. Our
defense played very well, just like
they have most of the year/
The Gladiators drove 66 yards for
a touchdown early in the second
quarter, with the score coming on a
22-yard touchdown reception by
halfback Jorge Guzman on a screen
pass on a fourth and seven
situation.
The Sharyland passing game
heated up late in the second quarter
with two scoring aerials by
quarterback Sergio Melendez that
enabled the Rattlers to take a 12-7
lead into intermission.
The first quarter was basically
uneventful. Early in the game, the
Rattlers took over at their 45
following a Roma punt. On fourth
and inches, quarterback Sergio
Melendez gained the first down on a
sneak through the middle. On third
down, however, Melendez was
trapped for a four-yard loss.
Late in the first quarter, a Rattler
player fumbled a bouncing punt and
the Gladiators recovered at their 34.
The Gladiators then launched what
proved to be a 66-yard, 13-play
scoring drive.
On second and five, Frank Garza
gained 11 yards to midfield on a
sprintout around right end. On third
and six, Leo Dan Garza caught a
pass on the left side for a five-yard
gain to the 40, just inches short of
a first down. On fourth down, Eric
Maldonado powered through the
right side for a three-yard gain to
the 37.
On fourth and seven, Jorge
Guzman took a screen pass and
exploded down the left sideline for a
22-yard touchdown pass with 8:28
remaining in the first half. Guzman
kicked the extra point to give the
Gladiators a 7-0 lead.
The Gladiators soon gained
another chance when Melendez
attempted a desperation pass near
the right sideline, but the ball was
9{tw ArnvaCs In Toum
Oct. 29■ Mr. and Mrs. JotC!H. Garcia, of QarciasviUt, arc tht parents of a Baby gid
ShantiC, weighing 5 lbs. .5 ounces.
Oct. 31 ■ (Mr. and Mrs. (RfynaCdo Monttmayor., of Rjo Qrande City, are the parents
of a 'Baby gut, ACondra, weighing 7 lbs., 1025 ounces.
'Hpv.l ■ Mr. andMrs. Juan "D. (Perez., of Rjo Qrandt City, are tht parents of 'Baby boy,
'Victor Hfrtn 'Perez, weighing 8 lbs. 8.5 ounces.
"Hpv.l ■ Mr. and Mrs. "Dedio Trevino, of Rjo Qrandt City, are the parents of a 'Baby
boy, Jtsus AConso, weighing 8[6s. 3 ounces.
(Hpv. 1 ■ Mr. and Mrs. J ejus R, Rpsa, ofRjo Qrandt City, art tht parents ofa "Baby boy,
Jesus (Rpberto., weighing 7 lbs. 925 ouncts.
9{pv2- Mr. and Mrs. (Hector M. Rjos Jr.., of "Rio Qrandt City, are tht parents of a
Baby boy, (David, weighing 7 C6s. 3 ounces.
"Hpv.2 ■ Mr. and Mrs. Juan A. Satnz, of Rjo Qrandt City, are the parents of a 'Baby
boy, Juan Sergio, weighing 7 lbs. 7 ounces.
"Hpv2 ■ Mr. and Mrs. Rflmon Qarcia, of Rjo Qrande City, are tht parents of a Baby
gid, ACondra "Kpssandra, weighing 7 Cbs. 1 ounce.
"Hpv. 2 ■ Mr. and Mrs. ArtemioRjos, of Rjo Qrandt City, art tht parents of a'Baby girl
Jtephanit Lee, weighing 7 Cbs. 3 ounces.
(t(lTV. 2■ Mr. and Mrs. 'Rfimiro A. Magana, of "Rpma, are tht parents of a (BabygirC,
Veyanira Lizttte, Weighing 8 Cbs. 8 ounces.
9{pv. 3 ■ Mr. and Mrs. Amotdo Lopez, of (Rjo Qrandt City, art the parents of a 'Baby
boy, "Eduardo AmoCdo, weighing 7 pounds, 14 ouncts.
"Hgv. 3■ Mr. and Mrs. Cosmt Martintz, of 'Rjo Qrandt City, are tht parents of a 'Baby
gid BeCen, weighing 9 Cbs. 6 ounces.
"Hpv. 4 ■ Mr. andMrs. Josi Q. 'Diaz, of (Rjo Qrande City, are tht parents of a'Baby boy,
Qrtgono, weighing 8 Cbs. 2 ounces.
"Hpv. 5■ Mr. and Mrs. Jesus Santacruz, of (Rjo Qrande City, are tht parents of a'Baby
boy, Jorge Antonio, weighing 6 Cbs. 14.5 ounces.
6- Mr. and Mrs. (David Bazan, of "Rpma, are the parents of a 'Baby boy, 'David
Jr., weighing 6 Cbs. 14.5 ounces.
"Hpv. 7- Mr. andMrs. Rjiul Castro, ofRjo Qrande City, are tht parents of a'Baby gid,
(RjystaC, weighing 7 Cbs. 5 ouncts.
"Hpv. 7■ Mr. and Mrs. JavitrMoraUs, of (Rjo Qrandt City, are the parents of a Baby
boy, JavitrJr., weighing 8 Cbs. 8 ouncts.
"Hpv. 9- Mr. andMrs. JeCimon RflngeC, of (Rjo Qrande City, are tht parents of a 'Baby
gid, Maria, weighing 7 Cbs. 10.5 ounces.
9{pv. 9- Mr. and Mrs. Abraham "Benavidts, of Rjo Qrande City, are tht partn ts of a
BabygirC, Abigail, weighing 6 Cbs. 6.5 ounces.
(Hpv. 9■ Mr. and Mrs. Jose "L. "UiCCarreal, of QarciasviUt, are the paren ts of a'Baby boy,
JoeCAntonio, weighing 8 Cbs. 5 ounces.
"Hpv 9■ Mr. and Mrs. Leonardo CutCCar, of TaCcon Heights, are tht parents of a Baby
boy Leonardo Jr., weighing 7 Cbs. 15 ounces.
"Hpv. 9- Mr. and Mrs. OsvaCdo Pena, of Rjo Qrandt City, are tht parents of a 'Baby
gid Abigail, weighing 6 Cbs. 4 ounces.
"Hpv. 10■ Mr. and Mrs. Leonardo Qarcia, Jr., of Rjo Qrande City, are tht parents o)
a BabygirC, Tfuare far ess y, weighing 7 Cbs. 11 ounces.
9{pv. 10- Mr. and Mrs. Armando J. (Hernandez, of Rpma, are tht parents of a Baby
boy, Armando Jr., weighing 6 Cbs. 11 ounces.
(?{pv-10 Mr. and Mrs. ACvaroMoCina, of QarciasviUt, are tht parents of a'Baby Soy,
Aaron, weighing 6 Cbs. 11 ounces.
Vigv. 11 ■ Mr. and Mrs. Quadalupe Chapa, of QarciasviUt, are the parents of a Baby
gid "Emily, weighing 7 lbs. 11 ounces.
"Hpv. 11 ■ Mr. and Mrs. Manutl Qarcia. Jr., of Rpma, are tfu parents of a Baby boy,
Aleuts, weighing 5 lbs. 8 ounces.
lisrv. 13■ Mr. and Mrs. AdoCfo A. Trevino, of Rpma, are tht parents of a Baby boy,
Altjandro, weighing 7 Cbs. 5 ounces.
(Hpv. 13-Mr. andMrs. JostM. Querra, of Rpma, are the parents of a'Babygirl Tanya
Berenice, weighing 8 Cbs. 7.5 ounces.
Hpv. 13 Mr. and Mrs. Javier Barrera, of Rjo Qrandt City, are the parents of a Baby
gid "Kffrina, weighing 7lbs. 3 ounces.
Hpv. 14- Mr. and Mrs. AbditlQutrra, of Qrulla, are tht parents of a'Baby gid, Aida,
weighing 7 lbs. 12.5 ouncts.
(Hpv. 14 ■ Mr. and Mrs. "Pablo "De La Qarza, of QarciasviUt, are the parents of a Baby
boy, Manutl Osbaldo, weighing 8 lbs. 4 ounces.
Hpv. 14 ■ Mr. and Mrs. Adan Lopez, Jr., of Rjo Qrande City, are the parents of a'Baby
boy, Adan III, wewighing 7 lbs. 8 ounces
Hpv- 15 Mr. and Mrs. RtneJ. Qutrra, Jr., of Rpma, are the parents of a
Baby boy, Maxjmiliano, weighing 8 lbs. 7.5 ounces.
Hpv. 15■ Mr. and Mrs. "Daniel Moreno, Jr., ofZapata, art tht parents of a Baby Boy,
weighing 7 lbs. 4 ouncts.
intercepted by lineman J.R. Munoz
at the 30 and returned 15 yards to
the Sharyland 15.
On third and 15, Leo Dan Garza
took a handoff through the middle,
but was stopped at the 19 for only a
one-yard gain. A fourth down pass
by Garza toward the right sideline
sailed over the intended receiver's
head and the Rattlers took over on
downs.
The Rattlers then struck quickly
with an 81-yard scoring drive. J.R.
Navarro caught a pass across the
middle at midfield and motored
toward the left sideline for a 26-yard
completion to the Roma 33.
Melendez then connected with Brian
Reed across the middle at the 17 and
the Rattler receiver scampered to the
8 for a 25-yard completion.
Melendez then connected with a
wide-open Reed across the middle in
the end zone for an eight-yard
touchdown pass with 1:38 left in
the second quarter. The score
remained 7-6 when the extra point
attempt was partially blocked.
The Gladiators returned the short
kickoff to their 40. Garza then
rolled to his right and connected
with Ricardo Villarreal near the
right sideline for a 22-yard
completion to the Sharyland 38. On
the next play. Garza attempted a
pass in the left flat, but the ball
was intercepted by Reynol Rivera at
the Rattler 35 and returned 25 yards
to the Roma 40.
The Ratders gradually moved the
ball deeper into Roma territory and
Brian Reed made a diving catch
across the middle at the 1 for a
16-yard completion. A procedure
penalty moved the ball back to the
6, but Melendez found a wide-open
Marky Contreras in the end zone for
a six-yard scoring pass with seven
seconds left until halftime.
The score remained 12-7 when
Contreras attempted to pass for the
two-point conversion, but the ball
was intercepted by Eric Maldonado.
On the first possession of the
second half, the Rattlers achieved a
first down, but on third and three
from the Sharyland 48, Rattler
running back Jimmy Wingate was
stopped short of a first down at
midfield.
On second and 14 from the Roma
21, Garza rolled to his right and
connected with Eric Maldonado near
the sideline just past the 40 and the
receiver raced all the way to the
Rattler 49 for a 30-yard completion.
A personal foul penalty against the
Rattlers on the play advanced the
ball all the way to the 34.
On fourth and 12 from the 36,
Garza overthrew the intended
receiver near the 20. The Gh Jiators
gained another chance when a
Rattler punt was shanks! out of
bounds at the Roma 46 after
covering only 15 yards.
Eric Maldonado then took a
pitchout to the left and was
hemmed in, but he cut back to the
middle, evaded several defenders and
scampered all the way to the Rattler
33 for a 21-yard gain. Three plays
later, Maldonado powered through
the right side for a three-yard gain
to the 22 arid a first down.
On third and seven, Maldonado
took a pitchout around right end,
but was slopped at the 15 for a
four-yard gain. On fourth down,
Leo Dan Garza was stopped in the
middle at the 14, almost two yaids
short of a first down.
The Rattlers launched a steady
drive and seemed ready to put the
game out of reach. Rolando
Escobedo made a diving catch at the
Rattler 43 for a 10-yard completion
and a first down.
Melendez then attempted a pass
across the middle, but Eric
Roman F. Villarreal, Jr.
for excelling ii? all areas
of tlje TAAS Test.
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206A N. Britton Ave.
Rio Grande City, Texas
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Located Behind Sam's - Texas Country Market Place - 807 S. Jackson, Pharr, Texas
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Maldonado made the interception at
the Roma 40 and returned the ball
44 yards to the Sharyland 16 with
7:15 ieft in the game.
On first down, Garza was sacked
at the 20 for a four-yard loss.
Maldonado gained seven yards on a
screen pass and Guzman was
stopped at the 10 for a three-yard
gain on third down. On fourth
down, Garza kept the ball around
left end for an eight-yard gain to the
2. The Gladiators chose to decline
an offside penalty against the
Rattlers on that play.
On second and goal from the 1,
disaster struck the Gladiators as a
running back was stripped of the
football and the Rattlers recovered
at their 4 with 4:10 remaining in
the game.
On third and 12 from the 2,
Melendez attempted a pass across
the middle, but Julio Oyervides
made the interception at the 5 and
scampered into the end zone
untouched for a five-yard touchdown
return with 2:14 remaining. The
score remained 13-12 when Garza's
pass for the two-point conversion
fell incomplete.
Rolando Escobedo gave the
Rattlers good field position when
he returned the kickoff 28 yards to
the Sharyland 38. On third and
nine, Jimmy Wingate was unable
to make a diving catch inside the
Roma 45. On fourth down,
Melendez aimed a pass toward the
left sideline, but the ball fell short
of intended receiver Brian Reed and
the Gladiators took over on downs
at the Rattler 39.
I.-co Dan Garza pounded out gains
of six and five yards to give Roma
a first down and the Gladiators were
able to run out the clock after the
Rattlers had used all their timeouts.
About the defensive performance,
Cavazos noted that linebacker Jesus
Barrera registered nine tackles,
while defensive back Eric
Maldonado achieved five tackles and
two interceptions. Lineman J.R.
Munoz also picked off a Sharyland
pass. Cavazos praised defensive
back Julio Oyervides for his
dramatic interception and
touchdown.
On offense, Cavazos praised the
play of tailback Eric Maldonado and
commented that fullback Leo Dan
Garza "played well in spite of being
hurt."
The Gladiators collected 13 first
downs, 194 yards of total offense,
110 yards rushing and 84 yards
passing. Eric Maldonado paced the
Roma ground game with 58 yards
on 19 carries. Leo Dan Garza gained
30 yards on 10 attempts and Frank
Garza contributed 18 yards on nine
carries.
Frank Garza completed 5 of 9
passes for 84 yards and one
touchdown. Eric Maldonado caught
two passes for 38 yards and Jorge
Guzman caught two passes for 24
yards and a touchdown. Ricky
Villarreal snared one aerial for 22
yards.
The Rattlers garnered 10 first
downs, 198 yards of total offense,
144 yards passing and 54 yards
rushing. Quarterback Sergio
Melendez completed 12 of 27
passes for 144 yards and tv/o
touchdowns. Rolando Escobedo
caught four passes for 39 yards.
The Gladiators lost one fumble
and one interception, while the
Rattlers surrendered four
interceptions and one fumble.
The Gladiators finished the 1995
season with a 5-5 overall record and
a 4-2 district record, with most of
the losses coming by close
margins. Cavazos commented,
"We'll have something to shoot for
next year. I think we're headed in
the right direction. We've shown
gradual improvement each year and
we will work to improve even
further next year."
Cavazos noted that the Gladiators
will be returning seven of 11
starters on offense, including
quarterback Frank Garza. Nine of 11
defensive starters will be returning
next year.
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"Eti CMcmoria "De
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"D&seamos t\prtsar nuestro mas sincero agradecimiento a nucstros
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condoUticias que. tws Brindaron durante (a reciente perdida de
nuestro ser querido. (Mucfasgracias por sus oraciones, misas,
comidas, Uamadiis tetefonicas y ofretidas fCorales.
Familia Villarreal y Vera
PUBLIC ADVERTISEMENT FOR ENGINEERING/
ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES
The City of Rio Grande City has recently recieved A Contract Award from the Texas
Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) for a Planning and
Capacity Building Study. Accordingly, The South Texas Development Council
through it's contract agreement with the City of Rio Grande City, is seeking to
contract with a qualified engineer/engineering firm (registered to practice in the
State of Texas) not only to prepare all preliminary and final design plans, but also
specifications and to conduct all necessary interim and final inspections.
Please submit your proposal of services and a statement of qualifications for these
services, per proposal format, to The South Texas Development Council office at
1718 East Calton Road, Laredo, TX 78044-2187.
Proposals must be received by S.T.D.C. office no later than December 18. 1995 to
be considered. S.T.D.C. reserves the right to negotiate with any and all engineers
or firms that submit proposals, as per the Texas Professional Services Procurement
Act and Office of Management and Budget Circular No. A-102.
The City of Rio Grande City is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
f ORACION >
SANTA CLARA
Se piden tres milagros
imposibles, Rece nueve Ave
Marias durante nueve dias.
A1 octavo dia publicarse y
aunque usted no tenga fe se le
cumplen milagrosamente,
gracias por los favores
recibidos.
v A.R. j
r ORACION >
SANTA CLARA
Se piden tres milagros
imposibles, Rece nueve Ave
Marias durante nueve dias.
/1 octavo dia publicarse y
aunque listed no tenga fe se le
cumplen milagrosamente,
gracias por los favores
recibidos.
. A.R.M. j
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Roberts, Kenneth. Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 47, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 23, 1995, newspaper, November 23, 1995; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth195523/m1/4/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.