Palmview Lobos start the season on right foot
Tonight at La Joya ISD Pack Stadium, a Week 2 non-district matchup between the Palmview Lobos and the Roma Gladiators will take place. These two teams are coming off great wins to start their 2024/2025 seasons but only one of them can come out on top in this game. Who will continue undefeated and who will fall to 1-1?
Progress Times photo by Joe Vela
The Gladiators 26-14 win over the Rio Grande City Rattlers last week was impressive, but not surprising. The Gladiators lined up in their iconic ‘T’ formation and ran the ball down the throats of the Rattlers. The trio of Ediel Garcia, Jorge Tomayo, and Ruben Garcia accumulated 255 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Their defense held a team that averaged 22 points per game last year to 14 points in this game.
Despite that, the Gladiators are not perfect. They nearly allowed the Rattlers to rush for 200 yards and score two rushing touchdowns. It’s safe to say that this Gladiators team has a weakness. You live by the run, you die by the run.
One thing that the Lobos have not strayed away from is their rushing attack. Their 35-14 win over the PSJA Southwest Javelinas proved that to be true. The Lobos trotted out eight different runners from their offense, including their quarterbacks. The senior running back duo of Kyle Bazan and Angel Chapa commanded the backfield behind their junior quarterback Josue Esparza. The Lobos even get their other junior quarterback Joseph Martinez in the game that has proven he can get it done in the air and on the ground. Lobos head coach Margarito Requenez told Progress Times, “I’m giving both quarterbacks a chance to showcase themselves. You can tell that they’re both dual threats. Both can run the ball and both can pass the ball. It’s going to come down to who can manage this team better.
The Lobos rushed for over 250 yards and surpassed 400 total offensive yards. Thieir offense looks as explosive as ever now that they’re opening up the pass game for Esparza. The junior looked great on the field. He passed the ball efficiently and showed up when they needed to, both in the passing and the rushing game.
The Lobos defense held the Javelinas from scoring all the way up until eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. They did not allow the Javelinas to gain momentum for the majority of the game. This defense is going to have to keep up that same energy against the Gladiators offense.
Last season, these two teams found themselves facing off against each other in a game that ended 40-21 in favor of the Gladiators. The Gladiators rushed for over 450 yards and six touchdowns while the Lobos rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns. The Lobos tacked on 120 passing yards and a touchdown as well in that game. The Gladiators however did not complete a pass.
Requenez told Progress Times about one of the main focus points for this upcoming game against the Gladiators, “Making sure that we control the tempo of the game. We also like to ground and pound. If we can keep our drives consistent and wear down defense, that’s going to be the key.”
These two teams are set to have an elite rushing matchup against each other. The Lobos offense will have to make it hard for the Gladiators defense. The Lobos defense will have to match the intensity of the Gladiators rushing offense.
The Lobos offensive progression is already on display this year. The fact that they’re going against a proven Gladiators team should help them refine their skills and push them to make bigger leaps. This is going to be an interesting game to watch.
Progress Times wishes the best of luck to the Lobos and the Gladiators in this Week 2 matchup.
Game time is set for 7:30.