(San Benito News/Ray Quiroga)
By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR.
Special to the NEWS
The 2024 season in District 16-4A Div. 2 was a dogfight among the top three teams—Kingsville, La Feria, and Port Isabel. With only four teams in the district, a team just needed to win three district games to claim the district title.
With La Grulla entering district play with a 1-6 overall record, a win versus the Gators was virtually a given, so the remaining teams just needed to win two games—a feat harder than it seemed.
Recapping the first week of district play, Port Isabel secured a 48-19 win over Kingsville, while La Feria trounced La Grulla 50-0. In the second week of district play, La Feria defeated Port Isabel 32-27, while Kingsville beat La Grulla 53-0. In the final district week, Port Isabel beat La Grulla 54-0 and hoped Kingsville would upset La Feria. The Tarpons got their wish as the Brahmas defeated the Lions 49-33, leaving the top three teams sharing the district title.
Fast forward to 2025, and the same three teams will be vying for the district title once again as the La Grulla Gators continue to work on their program.
The Gators haven’t had much success on the gridiron, as the last time they posted a winning record (7-5) was back in 2016. On the positive side, they do return 12 starters (7 Off., 5 Def.). The seven on offense are the most any team in the district brings back.
LG’s running back, Luis Villarreal, will have a strong, experienced offensive line opening holes for him as Stephen Merkt, Bryan Rodriguez, and Aiden Rivera are all multi-year starters. Players to watch on the defensive side of the ball include DL Bryan Carillo, LB Vidal Moreno, DE Max Barrera, LB Luis Villarreal, and DB John Paul Rios.
The Kingsville Brahmas are district favorites according to DCTF magazine, which is regarded as the “Bible of Texas Football.” The Brahmas have five offensive and six defensive starters coming back from a team that finished with an 8-3 overall record.
One key offensive player returning is running back Damarius Montgomery, who had a breakout season (229 car, 1,407 yds, 19 touchdowns) last season as a sophomore. All eyes will be on Montgomery as new QB Isaac Cason takes the helm. Cason will have plenty of receivers to go to in Christian Flowers (485 yards, 3 TDs), Ethan Lerma (220 yards, TD), and J. Pineda-Garcia (381 yards, 6 TDs).
Defensively, look for DL Seth Coleman to wreak havoc up front after registering 41 tackles and 7 sacks, including 14 tackles for loss (TFL). Other defensive playmakers joining Coleman will be LB Joe Palacios (65 tackles, 22 TFL, 10.5 sacks) and safety John Cason (85 tackles, 6 TFL).
Although the La Feria Lions grabbed a share of the district title last season, they finished the year at 5-5 overall. They were just above average, beating average teams, but ended up losing big to quality teams like Bro. St. Joe (62-13) and first-round opponent Cuero (83-20). The team averaged 26.4 points per game while giving up 31.0 points per game.
In 2025, the Lions will be returning 12 starters, six on both sides of the ball. The Lions will take a hit with the loss of QB Andruw Rivera (1,633 yards, 22 TDs) and WR Austin Vaughn (25 rec., 651 yards) to graduation. New QB Jayden Martinez will benefit from the return of the Lions’ two quality receivers in Devin Sanchez and Jose Garza. Meanwhile, running back Titus Guzman (95 car, 477 yards) will be the workhorse once again.
Defensively, linebackers Matt Cisneros and Alexis Cruz will lead the front seven, while defensive backs Bryan Velasquez and Antonio Benjamin shore up the secondary.
The Port Isabel ECHS Tarpons will only bring back eight starters, four on each side of the ball. Luckily for the Tarpons, that includes veteran skill players in QB Bryan Martinez (817 yards, 8 TDs) and RB Luis Ramos (1,500 yards, 16 TDs).
The Tarpons have been a predominantly run-oriented team for the longest time, but this season they are looking to shake things up. They will be utilizing the shotgun formation a lot more in an effort to increase their passing output. Ball-catching skills were not a high priority due to PI’s heavy reliance on the run, but players like Ramos, Grayson Estes, JoJo Martinez, and Bryan Martinez are all capable receivers. They will still continue to run the ball, but their aim is to create a more balanced attack.
Defensively, the trio linebacking corps of Edward Garza (73 tackles), Ryan Cienfuegos (46 tackles, 4.5 TFL), and Michael Finona (24 tackles) make a formidable group. The secondary will see new but capable players in brothers Luis and Jesus Ramos as defensive backs, with J. Martinez and B. Martinez as safeties. Rotating in the secondary will be Angel Dominguez and Tristan Green. Other players to watch include OL Jamil Vasquez, OL/DT Jose Alonso, OL/DT Jay Valdez, and OL/LB Jahi Vasquez.
No team really stands out as a clear favorite, considering all teams have several spots to fill. So barring any major injuries to key players, the district title will be up for grabs once again.
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