By The Numbers: Amazing Ants

Roberto Valdez clearly remembers his first year as a head coach.
And based on what transpired, he's not the only one with good memories.
After a stint as defensive coordinator, Valdez took over the Progreso Red Ants in 1990 and led them to a share of the District 32-3A title and a playoff berth.
To date, it was the last time either happened for the Red Ants, which is perennially one of the smallest 3A squads around.
It's hard to believe that season was 18 seasons ago. But Valdez recalls it so vividly, one gets the sense just how special that team was to him.
"That was my first head-coaching job. The mental toughness those kids had..." said Valdez, a San Antonio native, who was Progreso's head coach from 1990-1995.
"To have only 17-18 kids on the varsity team and play hard every game... It was a special year for not only me, but the school and the town."
The Red Ants went 6-4 that year. And while the record may not blow you away, what was put into the season and the obstacles that were overcome makes it noteworthy.
They had no first-team All-Valley players or superstars. They were the epitome of "team."
"We played ironman football," Valdez recalled. "We had about eight guys play both ways. And they all played special teams, too."
That doesn't mean they weren't good. Names like quarterback Teo Espinoza, or defensive tackle Adrian Cavazos (second-team All Valley and all-state) safety Mario Treviño or running back Juan Carlos Treviño were common. Nose tackle Emilio Badillo and punter/safety Jaime Rodriguez also chipped in.
"I put in my split-back veer offense and we didn't have very many plays," said Valdez, now the head coach at Brownsville Porter. "I put in my old college offense and I even brought my old playbook. We had about three plays and a couple of play-action passes. We kept it simple and played hard."
By the end of the season, the Red Ants averaged only 219.6 yards on offense (fifth in district) and allowed 283.1 on defense, also fifth.
But Valdez said they were first in heart and effort.
The season began inauspiciously, as they hobbled out to a 1-2 start. After beating Riviera (13-0) to open the season, the Ants dropped two straight to La Villa (15-12) and St. Joseph (19-0).
But then they got hot.
Progreso pummeled Roma 37-14 and opened district with a tough 7-0 defensive win over Hidalgo.
Victories over Rio Hondo (33-0) and La Feria (14-11) soon followed as the Red Ants stood at 5-2.
All the while, Port Isabel was 7-1 after a 23-0 loss to Lyford, which was at the top, unbeaten in district.
Then the rug was pulled from under the Ants.
A whopping 76-0 loss at Port Isabel dropped Progreso to 5-3.
They could've packed it in after the hard defeat, but they knew what they had to do.
"We played them hard, but Port Isabel was outstanding. We had 17 kids that game," Valdez said. "The only thing we did after the game was get the kids on the bus immediately and tell them that all we needed to do was beat Lyford to turn this thing around and make it a tri-championship."
The standings at this point were: Lyford 4-0 and PI and Progreso at 3-1.
So all Lyford had to do was go to Progreso and beat the Red Ants to claim the crown outright.
And the Bulldogs knew it. T-shirts and caps were printed and balloons were ready to be released to celebrate a potential title.
"We were 100-point underdogs that week, according to the Harris ratings and everybody else," said Valdez, referring to their 76-point loss and Lyford's win over PI by 23. "And we were playing Joe Solis' team which is always very well coached."
But Valdez's bunch had other plans.
Progreso handed Lyford its first district loss (14-13) to create a three-way tie for first place.
"We were able to score on them with our little quarterback (Espinoza)," he said. "Even our special teams were great that day. It was the first time we had filled that little stadium. The officials had to call time-out to get people away from the field area. It's one of the greatest feelings I'll ever have as a coach."
Already tri-champs (perhaps the only ones to lose a district game 76-0), Progreso had to rely on a coin flip to determine which team would advance to the playoffs. Back then, only the top two teams advanced.
Progreso and PI won their flips to send Lyford home.
"It was just crazy to watch that coin roll and then we got in," Valdez said.
Though they lost to Freer 27-0 in bi-district, the memories (and the championship) will remain forever.
"It was just amazing the way those kids played. It's almost like having your first child. I was very proud of them," Valdez said. "They were looking for something to be proud of. And the Mighty Red Ants came through that year."

By the Numbers is a periodic series that corresponds the number of days until the start of the 2008 Valley high school football season with a memorable athlete or moment. Today marks 18 days until kickoff.