The first five weeks of the Texas high school football season has come and gone, with teams across the Valley reaching the midway point of their regular season.
District 31-6A’s teams wrapped up non-district play last week and are entering a district-wide bye week before kicking off league play next week.
Meanwhile, 32-6A enters its final week of non-district play before diving into district play next Thursday.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest surprises, top performers and more across the Valley’s 6A football teams as the midway point.
WIDE OPEN
The District 31-6A title is up for the taking this season, with several of the league’s teams looking like contenders at the midway point. Four of the district’s six teams hold records above .500 entering the bye week.
Edinburg Economedes, Edinburg High, PSJA High and Weslaco High all enter the start of league play with 3-2 records in tow.
District newcomer and last year’s 32-6A champion Weslaco High is the hottest of the group, closing out non-district play with three straight wins to erase an 0-2 start.
Standing in the way of another district title for the Panthers is the preseason favorite to win the 31-6A crown, the reigning champion PSJA High Bears. Though 3-2, PSJA High remains one of the top teams in the area, with both their losses coming against top-ranked teams in No. 1 PSJA North and No. 6 Brownsville Veterans.
Darkhorse contenders Edinburg Economedes and Edinburg High won’t make it a walk in the park for either the Bears or Panthers, with both the Jaguars and Bobcats looking like playoff-caliber teams during the first part of the season.
Edinburg North (2-3) and La Joya High (0-5) are on the outside looking in heading into the season, but don’t count out either team, with the Cougars coming off a win to close out non-district play and the Coyotes fielding one of the top backs in the area in Mauricio Mendoza.
District 31-6A play begins Thursday, Oct. 10, with PSJA High taking on Edinburg High and Weslaco High taking on La Joya High. A matchup between Edinburg North and Edinburg Economedes wraps up the first week of league play at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.
POWERHOUSE DISTRICT
While 31-6A gets a week off, District 32-6A is gearing up for one final tuneup before diving into league play next week.
The five-team district features some of the Valley’s top powers, with three of those squads ranked in the latest RGVSports.com 5A/6A poll.
The race for the district title remains wide open, however, with no team establishing itself as the clear cut favorite.
The No. 4 Cardinals are the highest-ranked team of the bunch, holding a 4-1 record this season with their lone loss coming to No. 2 Edinburg Vela earlier this year. They’ll close out non-district play against Cuero on Friday.
The Chargers (3-2) are the next 32-6A squad in the latest poll, fresh off a 35-23 win over then-No. 3 PSJA High a week ago. Last year’s 5A DI semifinalist wraps up its non-district slate at home against Sharyland Pioneer on Thursday.
The third team in the rankings this week is the Los Fresnos Falcons, who sport a 4-1 record and sit at No. 8. The Falcons bounced back from their first loss of the season in dominating fashion, taking down previously ranked Edinburg High 38-14 on Thursday.
Not to be counted out are San Benito Greyhounds or Brownsville Hanna Eagles. The Greyhounds sit at 0-5 halfway through the season but will be battle tested by the start of district play after taking on some of the toughest opponents in the state during non-district play. They’ll face off against another powerhouse to close out their non-district slate, hitting the road for a tilt against nine-time state champion Carthage on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Eagles are coming off a Week 5 win over La Joya High and will look to make it two straight when they travel to Mission Veterans on Friday.
For a full schedule of games, visit www.football.rgvsports.com.
MIDSEASON STANDOUTS
With the RGV’s 6A district filled with some of the area’s top teams, it makes sense that some of the area’s top players also come from those two districts.
The Valley’s leading passer resides in District 31-6A, with PSJA High quarterback Myles Lopez sitting atop the leaderboard with 1,619 passing yards and 13 touchdowns through five games.
Los Fresnos junior Robert Pineda joins Lopez in the top 10 passing leaderboard, throwing for 856 yards and eight touchdowns in five appearances. He’s also been a threat on the ground, leading the team with 549 yards and nine touchdowns on 71 carries.
La Joya running back Mauricio Mendoza and Harlingen High running back Noah Huerta have made strong cases for postseason superlative awards, each ranking in the top 10 in the area in rushing.
Mendoza enters Week 5 as the No. 3 rusher in the area, with 786 yards and six touchdowns in five games. Meanwhile, Huerta ranks seventh in the area with 664 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. His 60 points also rank him in the top 10 in scoring this year, sitting at No. 9.
The Valley’s top wideout also resides at PSJA High, with senior Ryan Vallejo ranking No. 1 with 655 yards and six touchdowns on 54 receptions. Weslaco High’s Chris Luna also ranks in the top 10, holding the No. 9 spot with 19 catches for 413 yards and five touchdowns.
For a full look at the RGV’s stat leaders in every category, visit www.football.rgvsports.com.