PSJA North and Corpus Christi Veterans are two years removed from their fourth-round playoff collision in the 2022 Region IV-5A DI final.
The game ended in a 20-14 Eagles win.
Now, due to the latest UIL realignment and reclassification, PSJA North and Corpus Christi Veterans are slated to battle head-to-head in District 15-5A DI, one of the toughest districts across South Texas, with seven of the nine teams reaching the playoffs a season ago.
The last time the Raiders and Eagles met, it was a spot in the state semifinals on the line. This time around, PSJA North (3-0, 1-0) and Corpus Christi Veterans (3-1, 2-0) will battle for an early lead in the District 15-5A DI title race.
PSJA North enters its Week 5 meeting against Corpus Christi Veterans scoring 40.3 points per game while allowing just 11 points per game defensively. The Raiders, who are coming off their bye week, have started the season with wins over San Benito (42-22), PSJA High (21-11) and Donna North (58-0).
Corpus Christi Veterans, meanwhile, is averaging 39 points per game while giving up 14.5 points per game defensively. The Eagles have won three-straight since losing their season opener against Corpus Christi Miller (41-7), with victories against Corpus Christi Carroll (35-17), Brownsville Rivera (37-0) and Donna North (77-0).
Kickoff between the Raiders and Eagles is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.
While the Raiders and Eagles meet Thursday, PSJA Memorial (1-2, 0-1) is set to visit Corpus Christi Flour Bluff (4-0, 2-0) for a road test at 7 p.m. Friday at Hornet Stadium in Corpus Christi. The Wolverines are coming off a 23-22 overtime loss against Weslaco East, but PSJA Memorial proved it can hang with the big dogs in District 15-5A DI.
WARRIORS WIN
The McAllen Rowe Warriors secured their first victory of the season by winning their District 15-5A DI opener 21-17 against La Joya Palmview in a comeback effort.
The Warriors (1-3, 1-0) trailed 17-0 before storming back in the second half with 21 straight points against the Lobos.
Rowe ripped off back-to-back scores on a 10-yard run by quarterback Adrian Botello and followed it up with a 19-yard run from running back Samuel Liguez to pull within three at 17-14 with 5:44 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Warriors needed one more stop, and they got it on a fourth-and-1 fumble by Palmview at its own 42-yard line to give Rowe the ball with 3:25 to play.
A 1-yard touchdown run by Liguez gave the Warriors their first lead of the evening with 1:47 remaining. Palmview pushed the ball to the Rowe 46-yard line, but a Hail Mary attempt fell incomplete as time expired for a 21-17 Warriors win.
Next for the Warriors is La Joya Juarez-Lincoln (1-3, 0-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen.
WILDCATS ENTER BYE WEEK
Weslaco East has gone from unranked to start the season to the fourth-ranked team in the Rio Grande Valley following its 4-0 start to the 2024 campaign.
The Wildcats (4-0, 2-0) are on their bye week and coming off a 23-22 overtime win against PSJA Memorial in Week 4.
East is the only team in the Rio Grande Valley with two players ranking in the top 20 in rushing yards, with freshman Malachi Rodriguez and senior Margarito Pompa. Rodriguez has handled a team-high 77 carries for 507 yards and seven touchdowns, and Pompa has rushed for 481 yards and four touchdowns on 56 carries, also adding 122 receiving yards on eight catches.
The Wildcats return to action in Week 6 with a big-time matchup against fellow district title contender Corpus Christi Flour Bluff (4-0, 2-0) on Oct. 4 at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco.
NEXT UP
McAllen Memorial has jumped out to a 3-1 overall record and played its first three games of the season without returning leading rusher JP Garza.
During that time, sophomore Braxton Speights and junior Jaydin Soliz handled the majority of touches out of the Mustangs’ backfield and emerged as offensive weapons
Speights is the younger brother of former McAllen Memorial greats Trevor and Campbell Speights, who played college football at Stanford and Navy, respectively.
Braxton has carried the ball 41 times for 219 yards and four scores, and has caught three passes for 49 yards and two more touchdowns.
With Garza making his return to action during Memorial’s most recent win, a 42-0 victory over Rio Grande City in Week 4, the Mustangs have another weapon to add to the mix.
The Mustangs are set to take on the Mission High Eagles (2-2, 0-1) in the RGVSports.com Game of the Week at 7:30 p.m. Friday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.