Printer-friendly versionSend to friendPDF version

CORPUS CHRISTI — As meaningful as last week’s victory was for Rio Grande City, Rattlers coach Jesus Lozano admitted the celebration only lasted through the night. Hours removed from the Rattlers’ win against La Joya coupled with Donna’s stunning rally over McAllen Memorial, which sent RGC back to the postseason since 2006, Lozano says it was back to the drawing board last Saturday morning.

The fourth-year coach knew there wasn’t any time to waste, especially given his team’s first-round opponent. The Rattlers will have a tall order in front of them when they face an unscathed San Antonio Southwest team in a Class 5A Division I bi-district game Friday night at Phil Danaher Stadium in Corpus Christi.

The Dragons rolled through the regular season undefeated, beating their opponents by an average of 21.7 points per game, but statistics and records are something Lozano says he tries to avoid.

“Actually, I ignore it. I really do,” he said. “Football games are not won in the media or the press. I know we have a good football team it’s just a matter of playing in all phases. Our defense is playing much better the last three ballgames so that’s a big plus for us.”

RGC finished the season ranked last in District 30-5A in total defense but did hold its final three opponents to its lowest point totals (25, 28, 21). An even bigger boost for the Rattlers is the team’s health. RGC enters tonight’s game the healthiest it’s been all season. Though it might take more than pure health to upend Southwest.

While not many believe the Rattlers (5-5) have a chance to pull off what would arguably be the Valley’s biggest upset this year, Lozano says his team wants to prove everyone wrong.

“We’re going to strap it on to go win the football game,” he said. “We’re not satisfied with just being in the playoffs. We want to see how far we can take this.”

The Dragons have that same natural mentality, expecting nothing less than a deep postseason run. Last season, Southwest eliminated McAllen High and PSJA North during the first two rounds before being topped by Smithson Valley in the regional semifinals.

But by no means is Dragons coach Max Elliot and his team looking that far down the road. Instead, he is constantly reminding them that what they’ve accomplished to this point is irrelevant even with the unblemished season.

“It’s a do or die,” he said. “The loser goes home. The winner advances so what you’ve done in the past is kind of irrelevant this time of year.”

Ramiro Paez covers high school sports for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4470 or via e-mail at rpaez@themonitor.com.