District play is right around the corner for most of the RGV and Coastal Bend teams.
Class 5A DII is home to some of the hottest teams in the area heading into league play, with eight teams entering Week 5 with one loss or less, including one undefeated squad.
In District 16-5A DII, Brownsville Pace sits atop the pack with a 4-0 record, its best start to a season since 2011. The Vikings have picked up wins over Hidalgo (44-21), Bishop (23-17), La Joya High (44-42) and Edinburg Economedes (31-17) to start the year.
Right behind the Vikings are a trio of 3-1 teams in Brownsville Lopez, Edcouch-Elsa and Mercedes. The Tigers are the hottest of the bunch, taking down Donna High (38-17), McAllen Rowe (20-19) and Edinburg North (28-7) in consecutive weeks after dropping their season opener to Edinburg High. Junior running back Robert Sanchez and quarterbacks Aaron Cortez and Diego Bravo have powered the offense during that stretch, with Sanchez pacing the ground game with 561 rushing yards and four touchdowns. The quarterback duo has combined for 737 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Over in 15-5A DII, Roma and Sharyland Pioneer both sit at 3-1 through four weeks, each on mini win streaks. The Gladiators have reeled off two straight since losing to La Joya Palmview in Week 2, taking down Grulla (17-6) in convincing fashion in Week 3, followed by a nail-biter against Zapata (35-28) in Week 4.
Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are winners of three straight after a blowout loss to PSJA High in Week 1, beating Rio Grande City (21-14), Edinburg North (31-14) and Brownsville Hanna (20-7) since then.
The Gladiators will put their two-game winning streak on the line against unbeaten Brownsville Pace (4-0) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville. The Diamondbacks will look to close out non-district play with a fourth straight win at 7 p.m. Thursday at Richard Thompson Stadium against Brownsville Porter.
District 14-5A DII fields a pair of 3-1 teams of its own, highlighted by the No. 1 team in the RGVSports.com Coastal Bend rankings, Corpus Christi Miller. The Buccaneers bounced back from a Week 3 loss to state-ranked DeSoto in dominating fashion, crushing the Cuero Gobblers 56-21 behind a 235-yard, five-touchdown performance by running back Broderick Taylor.
The Corpus Christi Moody Trojans are the other 3-1 team in the district. After dropping their season opener to Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway 28-14, the Trojans have taken down Laredo Cigarroa (19-3), PSJA Southwest (42-14) and Robstown (56-28) to right the ship. Sophomore Kayden Dufour has been a catalyst for Moody’s win streak, rushing for 434 yards and six touchdowns during that span.
For a full look at the district standings, stats and schedules for the Valley and Coastal Bend’s teams, visit www.rgvsports.com.
TOP TACKLERS
The top-five list of leading tacklers in the RGV entering Week 5 features three defenders straight out of Districts 15-5A DII and 16-5A DII.
Mission Veterans senior linebacker Aiden Uribe is tied for the lead in total tackles with 56 stops and 10 tackles for loss through four games this season. He also has one sack and one forced fumble.
Edcouch-Elsa senior linebacker Troy Barco ranks third in the Valley with 52 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery to lead the Yellow Jackets’ “Thunder Defense.”
Roma senior defensive back Eusebio Lopez comes in at fifth in total tackles with 46, two forced fumbles and two tackles for loss.
GAMES TO WATCH
The 10th-ranked Edcouch-Elsa Yellow Jackets (3-1) are set to take on the Valley’s top sub-5A squad in Port Isabel (3-0) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Tarpon Stadium in Port Isabel.
Mission Veterans (0-4) will look to break into the win column with a road test against No. 5 Harlingen High (3-1) scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Boggus Stadium in Harlingen. The Patriots’ run against tough non-district opponents is designed to build a team that can peak once district play rolls around, which begins in Week 7 for Mission Veterans in District 15-5A DII.
Rounding out the 5A DII games to watch in the RGV this weekend is a matchup between the Sharyland High Rattlers (2-2) and Mercedes Tigers (3-1) scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Tiger Stadium in Mercedes.
The complete Week 5 schedule and scores can be found at RGVSports.com.