Rivera guards the plate for Tarpons

By LARRY GAGE

Some high school athletes specialize in one sport. Oth­ers compete in several, often two at the same time. One of Port Isabel High’s multi-sport men is Victor “Bucky” Rivera.

From August to Novem­ber it’s all football for Ri­vera, who played on the of­fensive line for the Tarpon’s 2010 co-district champion team. The week after the last football game was played he reported for basketball prac­tice. And when the final buzzer sounded to end the last game of the year on the hard court in March, it’s off to the baseball diamond.

Rivera plays catcher for head baseball coach Robert Holland’s squad. Since en­tering high school, though, he hasn’t always been the one player on the team who wears a mask. “I’ve played catcher since I was a fresh­man,” he said last week be­fore practice. “Last year I played in the outfield a little. I enjoy being behind the plate, making the calls.”

So, of the three sports, do you have a favorite? “I like them all but baseball is re­ally fun for me, because I’ve been playing it since I was about four.”

One skill a catcher needs to have is the ability to throw out opposing runners attempting to steal second base, and Rivera has nailed a few this season. “My arm has come along as I got old­er,” Rivera said. “It wasn’t that great my freshman year. You’ve got to be accurate, throwing to second.”

So how are you at the plate when it comes to hitting, any home runs this season? “No sir, I haven’t hit a home run this season. I’m more of a contact hitter. I get on base and a courtesy (pinch) run­ner comes in for me, because I’m not that fast.”

For more on this story, pick up a copy of the Apr. 18 edition of the Port Isabel South Padre Press or check out our E-edition by clicking here.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2011/04/18/rivera-guards-the-plate-for-tarpons/

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