Air Raid Coming: Pirates ready for Apaches

HIDALGO — When the Hidalgo Pirates step on the field tonight against Gonzales, they will be 15-point underdogs.

“I like that,” Pirates coach Jorge Peña said. “I would rather it be that way.”

Peña hopes his team will be able surprise Gonzales (9-2) when the two teams meet for a Class 3A Division I regional game at 7:30 tonight in Alice.

“We are peaking at the right time,” Peña said. “I like where we are at right now.

“We are not making a lot of mistakes. (Gonzales) is really going to have to outplay us because we are not going to make many mistakes.”

If the Pirates (8-3) can pull off an upset, it will mark the first time in school history that they will have won two postseason games in one season.

“Some of the guys mention (making history),” Pirates free safety Abraham Garcia said. “But we really don’t talk about it. We just have to worry about the game, and we just want to go out there and get a win.”

Success for Garcia and the Pirates will come down to how well they can defend the Apaches’ passing game, which averages 263.3 yards per game through the air.

Apaches quarterback Jacob Bird (126-for-243 passing, 2,575 yards, 31 touchdown passes) leads the passing attack, finding receiver Ckody Burton (67 receptions, 16 TDs) often. Landon Bozka is second on the team with 32 receptions for 919 yards. Other than those two, no other Apache has hauled in more than 11 receptions.

“They like to go to (Burton) a lot,” Peña said. “He will be the best athlete we will see this year. He’s a good one.”

Pirates defensive coordinator Roy Peña said the Pirates will concentrate a lot on Burton, and he has reason to be optimistic that Hidalgo can slow Gonzales.

Hidalgo, which allows 162.1 yard per game, hasn’t faced many passing teams this season other than La Feria in Week 9 when the Pirates posted their third of four shutouts this year.

“We saw La Feria. They are a passing team, and we shut them down,” Garcia said. “We are athletes out here. We are fast and aggressive. Gonzales is a good team, but so are we.”

The Pirates limited the Lions to only 62 yards passing in that game after La Feria passed for 253 yards the week before against Progreso.

“I think La Feria was a little more sophisticated,” Roy said. “Gonzales passes a lot more, but they are simple. They just try and get the ball to (Burton) because he is an athlete.”

Peter Rasmussen covers District 32-3A for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4448.