Dec/9 spts. Looking back to another big season Former coach, players remember '81 Tarpons>
By MIKE CONSIDINE
Herald Sports Writer
#The talk around town in Port Isabel in 1994 isn't much different from 1981.
Tarpon fans are speculating about an impending state championship.
Then, as now, PI's state semifinal contest is essentially considered the
championship game. Saturday, Port Isabel will play Sealy for a game that some
expect to determine the state champion. Thirteen years ago, PI's matchup with
Cameron Yoe was seen as a meeting of the state's top two Class 3A teams.
"That's the way it was when we played Yoe," said Donald Guillot, who
quarterbacked the 1981 Tarpons and later set an NCAA single-season stolen base
record at Pan American University. "The coaches told us before the game that
it was for the state championship."
Similarities between the two Tarpon teams are hard to ignore and too numerous
to list. Both had to get past the state's top-ranked team to reach the
semifinals.
This year's team tied Cuero 20-20 and advanced on penetrations. The '81
Tarpons were ranked atop the United Press International poll when they crushed
Associated Press No. 1
#`I knew it was going to be a great year. They (the players) knew they were
going to win.'
--Tommy Roberts>
Refugio 36-0 in the area round.
Other common threads include a tenacious defense and abundant varsity
experience.
"I knew it was going to be a great year," said San Benito coach Tommy
Roberts, then in his fourth and final year at PI. "They (the players) knew
they were going to win. I remember a game against Los Fresnos their junior
year when they had us beat. Donald came up and told me we were going to win.
We scored two touchdowns in the last minute."
The anchors of the '81 team were four four-year starters: defensive tackle
George Dorsett, fullback-linebacker Terry Roberts (the coach's son), tight
end-kicker Tutu Gonzalez and Guillot, who doubled at safety. The 220-pound
Dorsett and Roberts were all-state selections.
"We always played with guys who were a lot older than us," said Guillot, who
manages the 23rd Street Bar and Grill in McAllen. "We had to work a lot
harder and learn the system better. We tried to go a step further in the
playoffs every year."
The culmination was the semifinal battle with eventual state champion Yoe.
The Tarpons scored first, marching 68 yards in nine plays after receiving the
opening kickoff. Rudy Gonzalez gave Port Isabel a 7-0 lead.
"They were just bigger than us," Tommy Roberts said. "When we went ahead,
Buddy Roberts said, `We're going to walk through this one, too.' I said,
`Coach, we'll see what they do when they get the ball.'
"On the first carry, Terry hit their kid and they were at a standstill. The
kid went for another five yards. That hadn't happened all year. They just wore
us down."
PI fumbled on its next possession. Yoe produced touchdowns in its first three
series.
"We made mistakes and they capitalized on them," Guillot said. "When we
fumbled and they scored, that was the turning point of the game."
Port Isabel's Mike Markle ran for a six-yard touchdown and a goal-line stand
kept the Tarpons within 18-14 at halftime. Late in the third quarter, Yoe
halfback Oscar Riggins (a transfer from Abilene) scored the clinching
touchdown. Riggins rushed for 173 of Yoe's 358 total yards.
PI's first "Seawall Defense" limited its opponents to an average of 111
yards during the regular season and 211.1 yards overall. Remarkably, the unit
shut out its first four and five of the first six opponents. La Feria trailed
34-0 before the Tarpons allowed their first touchdown.
"When La Feria scored, their fans cheered like they just won the state
championship," said Gabe Pena, a junior guard who was an all-stater as a
senior.
The Tarpons outscored regular-season opponents 324-13. They won the first
three playoff games by a combined 69-15 score, adding two more shutouts.
"We were tough and we never gave up," said Pena, currently PI's offensive
line coach. "Once we beat Refugio, we knew we could beat anybody."
Pena said he was so certain PI would win, anticipation kept him awake during
the week before the game. The same restlessness returned before the '94
Tarpons played Cuero.
Another case of state championship fever.
