By PETE BANDA
Special to the NEWS
RAYMONDVILLE, TX—After years of being considered one of the most consistently great football teams in the Valley, the Rio Hondo Bobcats find themselves flying under the radar again as they enter year two in 3A football.
Despite finishing last season as District 15-3A Co-Champs, the Bobcats were considered underdogs in their Week 1 matchup with the Raymondville Bearkats. However, legendary Head Coach Rocky James has been around the block a time or two and showed why he is one of the longest-tenured coaches in the Valley by leading his team to a dominating 34-6 shellacking over his former 4A district rivals.
The Bobcats got started early, leaning on junior quarterback Ruben Atkinson’s arm. While historically Rio Hondo has been known as a ground and pound squad, James views Atkinson’s talent as too much to pass up.
“We’re going to be using our rushing attack strategically when the time calls for it, but the passing game is what we want to lean on early to kind of make defenses adjust,” said James. “As our offensive line matures and finds that cohesion, we’ll rely on the running game a little more, and hopefully by the end of the season, we’ll have a truly balanced attack.”
Atkinson took little time to get started, tossing two touchdown passes in the first half as the Bobcats built a commanding early lead. Despite a late touchdown by Raymondville, Rio Hondo was never in trouble of dropping its season opener.
While last season ended up being a successful campaign by all accounts, the Bobcats’ non- district schedule was filled with devastating losses as the team compiled a 1-4 record before going 4-1 in district. Coming away with such an overwhelming victory in Week 1 left the Bobcats coaching staff with plenty of optimism.
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