By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
It’s time for the Rams to hit the reset button and focus on the four games they have left in this season.
After two district games, Del Rio is 1-1. The team has a strong come from behind win over Laredo LBJ and a second half fade that turned into a loss against Laredo United. Now, Del Rio travels to Laredo to face a Laredo Nixon team in the middle of a three-game losing streak.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Shirley Field in Laredo.
Nixon hasn’t had the best of luck with its district schedule thus far. Against district heavyweights Laredo Alexander, Laredo United South and Eagle Pass, the Mustangs have been outscored 121-42 in those three games.
Now they get a Rams team looking for a win that could put them on the path back to the postseason.
Nixon is another Laredo team that is tough and disciplined. They run the same kind of offense they have for years – the punishing triple option. While the offense was the first major innovation in organized college football, it’s fallen on rough times recently. Nixon is one of the few teams that still run that offense, but they do it well.
Five of Nixon’s rushers have at least 200 yards of rushing already this season. Hernando Ruiz leads the stable with 467 yards in five games. Andres Bautista is second on the team with 298 yards on five games, Alexis Gonzalez has 236 yards in seven games, Erik Ruiz has 230 yards in two games and Antonio Calderon has 209 yards in six games.
In seven games, the Mustangs have rushed for 1,752 and scored 12 touchdowns on the ground.
By contrast, the Mustangs have completed 19 passes out of 46 attempts for 185 yards and one touchdown. It’s not that Nixon doesn’t like to pass; it’s because they use the pass sparingly but do so to keep defenses as honest as possible.
Defensively, Nixon is stocked with tough players that will battle to the end.
Sebatian Moreno leads the team with 64 tackles, but close behind is J.J. Ortiz with 61 tackles. Five more Mustangs have at least 30 tackles, showing how the team mentality is dominant on the Nixon defense.
Up front, Antonio Calderon leads the Mustangs with two sacks, which is nearly a third of the team’s total sack totals.
Alexis Aldana leads the secondary and is considered one of the more underrated defensive players in Laredo football. He has 31 tackles, but he leads the team with two interceptions.
Del Rio will need to get its offense going for four quarters, something they haven’t done since they played Laredo Martin in week three. Against Laredo United, the Rams played extremely well in the first half, but could not counter the Longhorns’ halftime adjustments. Prior to that, the Rams had a poor first half against Laredo LBJ, but turned it on in the second half to escape with a win after being down 19-0.
Part of Del Rio’s struggles comes with the offensive line. The up-and-down blocking crew has been able to punch holes in opposing defenses at time, but then has had struggles pass blocking, leading to quarterback Zack Taylor scrambling before eventually dumping the ball off.
For the Rams to have any success, the O-Line will need to establish itself from the outset and set the tone for the team. If that happens, expect the Rams to move up and down the field.
Defensively, the Rams need to stay home and focus on their particular assignments. The triple option offense is a physical offense that sees teams sacrificing their own bodies to pop open holes for the ball carrier. One seam and a runner is gone. If the defense can make those tackles at the point of attack, and turn away the traffic to get to the ball carrier, Nixon will have trouble.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
