By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
If Del Rio wants to return to the playoffs, they’ll need to turn it up now that district play has arrived.
The Rams (1-3) head to Laredo tonight to face the LBJ Wolves (1-4) at the Bill Johnson Student Activity Complex at 7 p.m. For fans attending the game, masks are suggested but not required, but there is a clear bag policy in place for the stadium.
Del Rio is coming off its bye week, so it’s been 13 days since they last played. That last game, though, was one to forget as the Rams lost on a last-second field goal to Southwest Legacy, 17-14. Del Rio controlled the first half of the contest, then faded away in the second half to allow a depleted Titans squad the chance at victory.
LBJ is coming off a thorough trouncing at the hand of the Eagle Pass Eagles in the district opener for both teams last week. The final score was 56-7, but LBJ trailed 49-0 before Raul Cantu scored on an 11-yard run with about six minutes left in the third quarter to give the Wolves their only points of the game.
The Wolves has always been the forgotten children of Laredo United ISD’s football teams. While teams like Laredo United and Alexander have remained strong, do in large part to their large student populations and the amount of resources they pour into their football programs, and Laredo United South making gains across the board in athletics, LBJ has constantly struggled. The Wolves have always had the tenacity and the heart, but the lack of size and talent has led to season after season of disappointment for the purple and gold.
This season LBJ has gone to a two-quarterback system, rotating Cantu, a senior, and Gerardo Mendoza, a junior, at the position. Both players have appeared in all of LBJ’s games and have helped the Wolves average just over 10 points per contest. They’ve cracked the 20-point barrier twice during that stretch, but once was in a loss and once was in a win.
Mendoza has the better offensive numbers than Cantu. He’s thrown fewer times, but he has a higher completion percentage and averages more yards per catch. He’s also rushed for more yards than his counterpart, but Cantu sees the majority of the snaps. Mendoza also lines up as a wide receiver often and is second on the team in catches but leads the team in yards.
For the most part, LBJ’s offense is more successful through the air than on the ground, but much of that could be due to the fact the Wolves will throw the ball more often due to having to play catch-up after falling behind early.
Azael Rebollar is the team’s prime target among pass catches with 19 catches for 203 yards. He and Mendoza are the only Wolves to have more than 10 catches on the season, but 10 different Wolves have registered at least one catch with J.J. Diaz and Miguel A. Jimenez tied for the team lead with one touchdown catch each.
On defense, Christian Velazquez is the team’s leader. A senior linebacker, Velazquez he leads the team with 37 tackles including 22 solo stops. Defensive back Joshua Castro and Sebastian Palacios should also be on the Rams’ radar as they rank second and third on the team, respectively, in stops with Castro posting 25 and Palacios notching 17.
The Rams should also be ready to stop the Wolves up front as Jose Quintero, Zaid Costilla and Roy Rangel have made it a habit of getting to the quarterback and keeping them off their game.
LBJ can be a problem if allowed to stay in the game. Last year Del Rio put LBJ out early en route to a 43-6 win in front of the home fans. If the Rams hope to have that same kind of success they’ll need to open up the playbook and hit LBJ with everything they have as early as possible to take the wind out of the Wolves’ sails.
The Rams will need to do three things to bring home the win.
First, the offensive line needs to sustain its blocks. Even if your quarterback can run, you need him as a fresh as possible for as long as possible and that means keeping the other guys out of his face. Plus, it’ll open holes for the run game and if that’s what Del Rio is committed to from the outset, then that needs to work right out of the gate.
Second, Del Rio needs to return to fundamentals and wrap LBJ’s ball carriers up. Arm tackles or shoulder tackles won’t cut it against players that refuse to go down. LBJ may be undersized, but they’ve shown in the past they’re willing to fight for every yard. Wrap them up and bring them down.
Third, do not turn the ball over. Del Rio has yet to play a perfect game in terms of not turning the ball over. That includes on special teams and when the reserves come in. LBJ loves to force fumbles, so the Rams will need to secure the ball even when trying to pick up extra yards. When it comes to passing, forcing the ball into a crowd isn’t the way to go, either. If you work with what you’re given, and what you’re given is a four- or five-yard gain, then so be it.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
