Nothing better than a rivalry game to kick off District 16-5A Division I action.
The McAllen High Bulldogs (0-1, 0-0) and McAllen Memorial Mustangs (0-1, 0-0) are set to clash Friday night to open district play with a crosstown rivalry.
The Bulldogs lost 27-14 to Mercedes in their season opener last week, but flashed signs of progress and potential this season.
McHi quarterback Hunter Curl impressed in the Bulldogs’ season opener as he threw for 214 yards, ran for 95 and accounted for two touchdowns against Mercedes. Curl’s No. 1 and No. 2 targets also had big days. Felipe Magana had three catches for 108 yards and a touchdown, and Quinllion Canada Jr. had six catches for 62 yards.
McAllen Memorial had a wild season opening week. Its game against Sharyland Pioneer was canceled last than an hour before kickoff, but Memorial head coach Bill Littleton found a way to get a game in as Harlingen High agreed to a non-district matchup with the Mustangs on 24 hours’ notice.
With little preparation or practice for each other, Harlingen High earned a 21-6 win over Memorial in what was both teams’ 2020 debut. Andrew Salinas and Max Alaniz-Choy emerged as the Mustangs’ leading rushers with 63 yards and 54 yards, respectively, while Ethan Garcia found the end zone for Memorial’s only touchdown on 8 carries for 28 yards.
The last time McHi and Memorial met on the football field, the Mustangs cruised to a 41-7 victory. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
RIO GRANDE CITY VS SAN ANTONIO SOUTHWEST LEGACY
The Rattlers (0-2, 0-0) will look to get into the win column this week as they open District 14-5A DI action against Southwest Legacy (3-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
RGC has dropped its first two non-district contests — a 31-20 loss on the road to Zapata, and a 34-28 heartbreaker last week at home against Edcouch-Elsa.
Despite starting the season 0-2, RGC has one of the Rio Grande Valley’s top players in senior running back Marc Perez. Through two games, Perez has run for 450 yards and four touchdowns on 43 carriers for an average of 10.5 per carry. He’s also brought in eight catches for 108 yards and a receiving score.
Now, Perez and the Rattlers hope another big day for their playmaker translates into RGC’s first win of the year.
SHARYLAND PIONEER AT ROMA
After last week’s matchup against McAllen Memorial was canceled less than an hour before kickoff due to COVID-19 concerns, the Sharyland Pioneer Diamondbacks (1-0, 0-0) will be back in action in Starr County to face the Roma Gladiators (0-0, 0-0) at 7:30 p.m. at Gladiator Arena.
Roma is making its 2020 debut as the Gladiators are set to compete in the West Zone of District 16-5A DII. They’ll have their work cut out for them as Pioneer has established itself as one of the RGV’s top teams this season led by the play of all-state quarterback Eddie Lee Marburger.
In Marburger’s first action of the year, a 49-28 win over McAllen Rowe, the senior QB threw for 428 yards and four touchdowns, and ran for another 115 yards and two more scores.
MERCEDES AT PSJA MEMORIAL
The Mercedes Tigers (2-0, 0-0) have a shot to keep rolling early on as they’ll face the PSJA Memorial Wolverines (0-1, 0-0) in what is the District 16-5A DII opener for both East Zone teams.
The Tigers’ offense has been seemingly unstoppable through two games, averaging more than 415 yards per game. Defensively, Mercedes and all-state linebacker Brandon Adame have held its first two opponents — PSJA North and McHi — to 14 or fewer points.
Meanwhile, PSJA Memorial fell 4 yards shy of taking down Brownsville Lopez on the road last week. Now, the Wolverines are hoping for an upset headed into Friday night’s matchup against the Tigers.
Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. at PSJA ISD Stadium in Pharr.
PSJA SOUTHWEST AT PORT ISABEL
The Javelinas (0-1, 0-0) rushed for more than 300 yards in their season opener last week, but fell short in a 14-13 loss to Brownsville Veterans.
Southwest’s Angel Hernandez led the Javelinas with 95 yards, while Cesar Bocanegra chipped in 89 yards on the ground. Defensively, Javelinas linebacker Luis Banda racked up the stops with 24 total tackles.
Now, PSJA Southwest gets to welcome Port Isabel (0-0, 0-0) to the 2020 football season as it is the Tarpons first game of the year. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Tarpon Stadium in Port Isabel.