KINGSVILLE, Texas — The H.M. King Brahmas in Kingsville are (4-0) to start the season for the first time since 1998. That was about the time when gas prices were about $1 a gallon and Bill Clinton was president.
“It’s been really hard for us as a team. Again we weren’t a team," Cayden Pena, H.M. King senior middle linebacker. "We were all playing individually you know. Junior year it definitely was an eye opener. We had a lot of talent on that team. We just didn’t pick up the culture yet.”
Now the Brahmas face the Moody Trojans who are (3-1), and looking to make playoffs for the first time since 2004.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve made playoffs," Jonah Morales, Moody senior safety. "Last two years haven’t been the best for us, but we’re looking to change that.”
Perseverance is a great word to describe both H.M. King and Moody. Over the first four weeks the Trojans have outscored opponents 131-73.
“Defensively we’ve been stopping the run," Morales said. "We’ve been making tackles and making stops when we need. We’ve had a lot of turnovers these last few weeks.”
Moody’s defense is fueled by their Slot-T rushing attack that has totaled 1,355 yards.
“Getting more of our blocks," Adrian Luna, Moody junior running back, "Reading more of the holes and our lineman just working more together on our double-teams and everything else.
Adrian Luna is joined by his fellow junior Romeo Castillo and sophomore Kayden Dufour.
“We’d like to think that Adrian is the thunder of the running backs," Michael Cantu, Moody football head coach, said. "He brings the meat to the table. The other ones are the lightning of the whole thing. They’re the quickness.”
Moody’s offense is just what H.M. King needs to prepare for their district top opponent.
“We open district with Port Isabel. We didn’t want to just open district with this offense," Ruben Garcia, H.M. King football head coach, said. "We wanted to see it beforehand with a team that’s ran it a long time and has been successful with it.”
H.M. King’s balanced offense is led by senior quarterback Dylon Everett. He’s joined in the backfield by sophomore Damarius Montgomery. Both thankful for their linemen.
“They can do a lot, but you know just got to give them some motivation to get up there and go get better," Damarius Montgomery, H.M. King sophomore running back. "You know just push them, so I can get a hole and go score.”
Every Brahma will say that head coach Ruben Garcia’s Gold Standard has been the difference maker.
“Starting a new culture. Starting a new foundation," Pena said. "Especially during the summer they disciplined us a lot because we needed it. It’s just that they really care now.”
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On Thursday we’ll see if Moody or H.M. King builds upon their momentum for Game Night South Texas. Catch the live matchup at 7 p.m. on our sister station KDF and streaming on our website at https://www.kristv.com/live2.
KDF is over the air on 47.2 (low power) and 10.3 (full power). Both are in HD. KDF is also on channel 13 on Astound and Spectrum as well as channel 47 on Dish.
