Lyford High School’s youthful varsity football team is still unbeaten after the Bulldogs prevailed over Port Isabel 48-28 this past Friday. The Bulldogs had numerous players score. Jacob Beltran ran for touchdowns of 42 and 25 yards. C.J. Moreno threw scoring strikes to Ethan Cavazos (42 yards) and Dillon Ackers (10 yards). Mike Hernandez and R.J. Lopez each recovered fumbles and returned them for touchdowns. Moreno also hooked up with Edward Castillo on a successful two-point conversion. “I think we stepped it up a notch both offensively and defensively, we were well prepared with a very good game plan and the kids executed it excellently,” Head Coach Jaime Infante said. “We looked at different people on defense in the second half and I think we gave up some touchdowns towards the end of the game that we shouldn’t have. But overall we saw the improvement that we wanted from our players - from our first game the week before and the scrimmages the weeks prior - so I think the process of maturation is starting to happen.”

Against P.1., the Bulldogs improved in certain key areas. “One big thing we saw was better tackling and we were a little bit more aggressive on defense,” Infante said. “Our receivers also ran better routes and our quarterback (C.J. Moreno) did a better job of throwing the ball and we’re happy with the progress our boys have made up to this point.” Infante added that his young team has the potential to evolve into a potent squad this season.

“I think we are going to be a very good ball club and we are definitely in the process of trying to become one, we as a staff constantly tell the boys that it is up to them to put in the work and do what it takes,” Infante said. “We still play like a young inexperienced team at times - we made a lot of mistakes because of our inexperience during our first game against Hebbronville and also committed some errors against Port Isabel - but I think we are at a stage right now to potentially become a good team over these next few weeks and there is no question about that because these boys are practicing real well and showing a tremendous amount ofdesire.” The Bulldogs host Santa Rosa at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. “Santa Rosa has a lot of speed and athleticism and they definitely have some good athletes,” Infante said. “They have a tall wide receiver, quarterback and defensive back and one of them is an all state basketball player, so a lot of speed comes with that and I think they are going to present us with a good challenge. We have played them every season in the last four or five years and each game has been a physical confrontation.”