By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
It’s one of the most wonderful times of the high school football season — homecoming!
Tonight, the Del Rio Rams host the Laredo Alexander Bulldogs for Del Rio’s annual homecoming game. It’s also a key match-up between two teams vying for a spot in the postseason.
The Rams (3-4, 2-1 in district) are coming off an impressive 46-28 win over Laredo Nixon. Alexander (2-5, 1-2 in district) is fresh off a tough 21-16 loss to Eagle Pass.
The Bulldogs will be focused on stopping Del Rio quarter Zack Taylor. The sophomore had nearly 500 yards of offense and had a hand in all six of Del Rio’s touchdowns, earning him a nomination for Dave Campbell’s Texas Football’s Mr. Texas Football Player of the Week for week eight.
But Taylor is only as good as the weapons around him, and the Rams’ weapons are coming into their own as the season progresses. Whether it’s running back Luis Pablo Galaviz, whose hard-running style complements Taylor’s sprinter speed, or a stable of wide receivers including all-district returner Jovahn West, Alan Dobbins, freshman phenom Zane Hughes or all-around athletes like Mitch Melton, Corbin Farrar and Elian De La Paz, Del Rio is not lacking for talent on the offensive side of the ball.
Defensively, the Rams have had to make adjustments nearly every week because the offenses in District 30-6A vary from one team to the next. Nixon was a primarily running team, keeping the Rams on their toes as they worked to prevent the Mustangs from breaking off big plays. That meant the front line of Lonnie Green Jr., Nathan Mayes, Manuel Padilla and Oscar Duran needed to help occupy blockers and slow down the rush to allow for the Rams’ linebackers and defensive backs the chance to make plays.
Alexander has traditionally been a pass-heavy offense and relies on a quick tempo to keep defenses off balance. This season’s Bulldogs haven’t been as explosive as Alexander teams in the past but that doesn’t mean they should be overlooked.
Quarterback Javi Jimenez has been the leader of the offense this season, throwing for 880 yards and five touchdowns against two interceptions in seven games this season.
He’s spread the wealth around among his receivers. Nathan Jasso is his primary target, catching 35 passes for 416 yards and three touchdowns. Sebastian Dancause and Ivan Piña trail Jasso’s numbers, but are relatively close to each other. Dancause has 17 catches for 228 yards and a score while Piña has 13 catches for 226 yards.
Just in case Del Rio’s defenders want to pin their ears back and come for Jimenez, the Bulldogs have a decent running game anchored by Gael Rodriguez, who has carried the ball 94 times for 398 yards and five touchdowns this season. He’s also the Bulldogs leader in all-purpose yards.
On defense, the Bulldogs are anchored by Riley Puig and his 42 total tackles. He’s one of three Bulldogs defenders with at least 35 tackles including Dylan Ethridge (40) and Devan Ethridge (37).
Upfront the Bulldogs are a tenacious unit. Six different Bulldogs have at least one sack this season. Josh Torres and Jose Ortiz each have 1.5 sacks this season and will draw plenty of attention when they’re on the field.
The Bulldogs’ strength on defense is in its secondary. Dylan Etheridge leads the unit with two interceptions, but the group has three interceptions and has caused four fumbles while recovering three of them.
A win tonight puts the Rams in control of its playoff destiny. To do that, Del Rio will need to continue its trend of not turning the ball over, which they haven’t done in the past two games, and control the line of scrimmage. Taylor has worked best when he and the offense can control the flow of the game. The team started slowly against Nixon but once the Rams got going they would not be stopped.
Expect for the Rams defense to take control and set the tone for tonight’s game. Should the Del Rio defense get its footing early on and keep the Bulldogs from finding their rhythm, it should be a happy homecoming for the Rams football family.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gnmail.com
