By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Del Rio’s football program is still work in progress under new head coach Fiacro Ramirez, but the squad showed flashes of brilliance in its only fall tune-up before the start of the regular season.
The Rams hosted the Eagle Pass CC Winn Mavericks and the Fort Stockton Panthers in a three-team scrimmage Friday at Walter Levermann Ram Stadium. The format was simple but could be complicated if fans didn’t pay close attention.
Each team’s number one defense and number one offense got a chance to scrimmage against the other two teams. The same format was used by each team’s number two defense and offense as well as at the sub-varsity level.
Once those scrimmages were completed, the teams played a simulated 10-minute quarter with a running clock. Penalties were called, first downs could be achieved, and touchdowns were in short supply as the teams tried to shake off any lingering rust with week one of the season lingering Aug. 25.
Del Rio’s first team defenses shined across the board, not allowing a point against any of the offenses they faced. It should come as no surprise to Rams fans who have followed Ramirez’s story. A former member of the Del Rio Rams defense under coach Cozel Foster, Ramirez carved out a 20-plus year career as a defensive-oriented coach. His last stop before returning to Del Rio, Canutillo High School in El Paso, saw Ramirez’s defense help the Eagles win the District 1-5A, Division II championship and advance all the way to the regional semifinals. His defense recorded five shutouts during the 2022 season and allowed an average of 11 points per game.
This year’s Rams defense is led by senior Manuel “Palu” Padilla, a 2022 all-district first team selection as an interior defensive lineman. He’ll be flanked by junior George Avalos Jr., an all-district second team selection at the interior lineman position. Both players made their presence known throughout the scrimmage, plugging holes and making several appearances in the Mavericks’ and Panthers’ backfields.
Del Rio’s secondary lost three of its starters from last season, but safety Ethan Vasquez returns and will be joined by cornerback Perry Mcintire and transplanted wide receiver turned safety Alan Dobbins.
Mcintire had a strong showing during the scrimmage. His speed and tackling ability made him tough to block one-on-one and that resulted in him making several stops behind the line of scrimmage or for little to no gain.
Offensively, Del Rio is still experiencing growing pains. Ramirez has installed a new offense, the flexbone, which utilizes speed and deception to work. When done correctly, the runner will pop out of the pile and find nothing but open space while defenses are still struggling to figure out where they went.
With speed being the big factor, it’s a good thing Del Rio returns Zane Hughes at tailback. A junior, Hughes was recognized at two positions on the District 30-6A team last season – first team as a specialist and second team as a running back. Hughes was also a record-breaking track athlete in the spring, setting the new school mark in the 200 meters. It’s the second school record he’s set as he was already part of the record-breaking 800-meter relay team from 2022.
Hughes showed off that speed during the scrimmage, twice taking the toss from quarterback Eliseo “Cheo” Ortiz and racing 65 yards to the end zone untouched. In the simulated quarter, Hughes had a big run against Fort Stockton and reeled in the sole touchdown, a 45-yard Hail Mary from Ortiz as time expired, to defeat Winn.
Ortiz gets the start at quarterback after backing up West Point commit Zack Taylor, who transferred to Yoakum with his father, and former Rams head coach, Roderick Taylor this summer. Ortiz showed evasiveness during the scrimmage and an ability to throw on the run. While he didn’t pass often, he did have the big pass to Hughes and another beautiful throw to wide receiver Hector Rodriguez.
The two biggest hurdles the Rams will have to overcome will be turnovers and a fairly new offensive line. The flexbone offense requires a lot of precision and timing and Del Rio often saw a drive derailed by an errant toss or a poor exchange. They have this week to clean things up before the home opener Friday night against San Antonio Roosevelt.
On the offensive line, all-district guard Joaquin Fuentes returns as does center Caleb Rodriguez, who played the first half of last season after Del Rio’s starting center went down due to injury. The unit, as a whole, is still young, but they’ll need to become a cohesive team quickly in order for Del Rio’s offense to blossom and the defense to get rest throughout the game.
Roosevelt is picked to finish fifth in District 28-6A, but it’s a tough district that also features Reagan, Brandeis, Johnson, Churchill and Clark among its nine teams. Last year Roosevelt handed the Rams a 43-21 defeat in San Antonio. Brennon Carroll, who scored twice against Del Rio last season, returns to lead Roosevelt.
Last season’s game was a tough loss for the Rams not just because of the final score. The team also lost a pair of starters to injury and that led to a tough non-district schedule for the Rams. If Del Rio can stay healthy against the Rough Riders, and the new offense lives up to expectations, fans could see a drastically different result under Ram Stadium’s Friday night lights.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Tickets must be purchased online at the following link: https://bit.ly/3QVBjTn
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
