By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
There’s no greater matchup in sports than that against your rival.
Ask a baseball fan what the Giants vs. the Dodgers or the Red Sox vs. the Yankees means to them.
Ask a basketball fan what the Lakers vs. the Celtics or older fans what the Bulls vs. the Pistons means to them.
And in Del Rio and Eagle Pass, ask them what the Battle on the Border means to them. Whether it’s baseball, basketball, volleyball, cross country or any other sport, the desire to beat our rivals from down US Highway 277 South burns strong. I’ve told coaches before that even if they don’t win district, they have to beat Eagle Pass.
In football, the rivalry isn’t just contained to a 55-mile or so trip between two towns. It’s as much a part of Texas high school football as any other of the great rivalries scattered across the state. Last year, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine listed Del Rio versus Eagle Pass as one of the 100 Greatest Rivalries in the state, stretching 99 games across 100 years.
This year will be the 100th meeting between the two towns. And while Del Rio holds the edge overall – 72-22-5 – Eagle Pass has won the last four meetings in the series, and in the eyes of the Rams players and coaches that streak is more personal and more important than the overall record.
Making it even more special is that it’s a rare Saturday meeting. It gives the game an even bigger feeling, like you’re watching two NCAA rivals square off under the lights of one of a historic college stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Walter Levermann Ram Stadium.
Both teams have already made the playoffs, but there’s still some seeding to be decided. Laredo United South and Laredo United have claimed the Division I seeds with South taking the No. 1 seed and United the No. 2 seed in the “big school” division based on student population.
All that’s left is the Division II seeds, and that’s where Saturday’s game comes into play.
If Del Rio (4-5, 3-2) wins, they claim the No. 1 seed in Division II and would host their Bi-District playoff game. If Eagle Pass (7-2, 4-1) wins, they get the No. 1 seed and Del Rio travels to San Antonio to face a District 29-6A representative.
Based on the current record in 29-6A, Del Rio’s opponent if they beat Eagle Pass is projected to be Taft, which is the third place team. Taft would be the No. 2 seed in Division II based on student population due to having the fourth highest population of the four playoff teams.
Del Rio’s opponent if they lose against Eagle Pass would be projected to be Marshall, which is the district runners-up at 8-2 but boasts the third highest student population of the four playoff teams, putting them in Division II.
Of course those projections could change as Taft still has one game to play.
The biggest key to Del Rio beating Eagle Pass will be to keep their emotions in check. Stupid penalties don’t help the team, and looking tough on the field won’t translate to success if the team doesn’t keep their heads and play like they and their coaches believe they can.
Del Rio’s defense will also need to lead the way. The Rams shut down Laredo Alexander, allowing just a fourth quarter touchdown, but then got trounced by the United South offense the next week. That Jekyll and Hyde performance by the defense can’t happen against Eagle Pass. And it will mean every player on that side of the ball needs to pull in the same direction to stop an Eagles offense that has scored at least 21 points in each of its nine games this season.
It starts up front with a defensive line that’s included senior Nathan Mayes, junior Lonnie Green Jr., senior Oscar Duran and sophomore Manuel Padilla. It also gets contributions from senior Gabriel Sanchez.
The linebackers, including senior Luis Lee, senior Jesus De Luna and senior Diego Piña, will have to turn it up one more notch and ball out in their final high school game against the Eagles, a team full of players they’ve competed against since middle school.
The secondary, which this season has included a combination of junior Sammy Flores, senior Nathan Reyes, newly converted defender sophomore Mitchell Melton, junior Braden Ludemann, junior Fabian Venegas and junior Armando Contreras, will be put to the test to not just cover their assignments, but to tackle the Eagles who try to turn short passes into long gains with their speed and elusiveness.
The future looks bright for Rams football. The freshman squad went unbeaten against their district foes, including Eagle Pass. Those standouts will contribute immediately next year and for the next three years Del Rio should take advantage of that talent while it can.
One hundred years of meetings. Ninety-nine games. It’s one more year with something on the line for both teams. It’s Del Rio versus Eagle Pass in high school football. What more needs to be said?
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
