DISTRICT 30-6A
McALLEN MEMORIAL at LA JOYA PALMVIEW
WHERE: La Joya Stadium, La Joya
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: McAllen Memorial (7-1, 4-0); La Joya Palmview (6-1-1, 4-0)
GAME NOTES: With 1-7 Mission High on the docket for Week 11, McAllen Memorial can all but secure an outright district title with a win. … La Joya Palmview is entering the most difficult part of its schedule, facing Memorial and McAllen High in consecutive weeks. With two wins, Palmview will be outright district champion. … Palmview is 0-4 all time against Memorial. … The six teams Palmview has beaten are a combined 11-38. … A matchup of the district’s top two rushing attacks and bottom two passing attacks. Memorial ranks first in rushing (399.5 yards per game) and sixth in passing (66.9 yards per game). Palmview ranks second in rushing (313.6 yards per game) and last in passing (38.4 yards per game). … Palmview has allowed just 576 rushing yards this season. Memorial gained 633 yards in one game during Week 2 against Edinburg Economedes.
PREDICTION: McAllen Memorial, 30-18
— Greg Luca
LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN at MISSION HIGH
WHERE: Tom Landry Stadium, Mission
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: La Joya Juarez-Lincoln (0-8, 0-4); Mission High (1-7, 0-4)
GAME NOTES: One of these teams will come away with its first district win. … Mission eclipsed its scoring from the previous four weeks combined in a 34-29 loss against McAllen Rowe last week. The Eagles entered averaging just 198.4 yards per game before exploding for 348. … Juarez-Lincoln is coming off its closest loss of the season, a 24-19 defeat at the hands of Palmview. Entering the week, Juarez-Lincoln had been outscored 257-60. … La Joya Juarez-Lincoln’s Carlos Barrera had one catch for 6 yards in the first four games. In the most recent four, he has 15 catches for 204 yards. … These teams have played twice in school history and not since 2009. Mission won both previous encounters.
PREDICTION: Mission High, 12-6
— Greg Luca
McALLEN ROWE at LA JOYA HIGH
WHERE: La Joya Stadium,
La Joya
WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m.
RECORDS: McAllen Rowe (3-6, 2-3); La Joya High (2-6, 1-3)
GAME NOTES: A win for Rowe guarantees the Warriors a playoff spot. A win for La Joya puts the Coyotes on the brink. … Both teams are assured of missing the playoffs with a loss. … La Joya High has lost 12 consecutive games against McAllen schools, including three straight to Rowe by an average of 33.7 points. The Coyotes last beat a McAllen team in 2008, when it took down Rowe 42-28. … La Joya has played a difficult schedule to this point. The six teams to beat the Coyotes have a combined record of 37-11-1. That being said, the two teams La Joya has beaten are a combined 1-15. … This matchup features the district’s top three receivers in Rowe’s Joseph Moreno and Victor Adames and Palmview’s Joel Casas.
PREDICTION: McAllen Rowe, 34-20
— Greg Luca
DISTRICT 31-6A
WESLACO EAST at EDINBURG HIGH
WHERE: Cats Stadium, Edinburg
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Weslaco East (7-1, 3-1); Edinburg High (2-6, 1-3)
GAME NOTES: The district’s top offense in Weslaco East (396.8 yards per game) goes up the district’s worst defense in Edinburg High (371.5 yards per game). … Weslaco East’s Lupe Moron is the district’s leading rusher, racking up 1,480 yards this season. Edinburg High as a team has gained 1,152 yards. … Edinburg High’s 144 yards per game rank last in the district and is less than half of anyone else. Edinburg North ranks sixth with 305.5 yards per game. … Moron has scored 19 touchdowns this year, good for 114 points. Edinburg High has scored 53 points as a team. Weslaco East scored 62 points in a Week 7 win against Economedes.
PREDICTION: Weslaco East, 42-6
— Greg Luca
EDINBURG ECONOMEDES at WESLACO HIGH
WHERE: Bobby Lackey Stadium, Weslaco
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Edinburg Economedes (3-5, 1-3); Weslaco High (4-4, 3-1)
GAME NOTES: An upset by Economedes could throw a wrench in an already muddled district playoff race. The 1-3 Jaguars are tied for last and the 3-1 Panthers are tied for first. … Economedes’ leading rusher, Doroteo Arreola, is expected to return for this game after missing the previous two. Arreola has carried the ball 49 times for 384 yards and six touchdowns this season. … Weslaco High has allowed just 146.8 yards per game on the ground this season, best in the district by a margin of more than 60 yards. … Economedes quarterback David Garcia is averaging 21.3 yards per completion this season. Weslaco High’s Desi Rodriguez averaged 22 yards per completion, but will miss the remainder of the year after suffering a broken collarbone last week.
PREDICTION: Weslaco High,
32-16
— Greg Luca
PSJA MEMORIAL at EDINBURG NORTH
WHERE: Cats Stadium, Edinburg
WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m.
RECORDS: PSJA Memorial (4-5, 2-3); Edinburg North (4-4, 2-2)
GAME NOTES: Both teams need a win to stay alive in the district playoff race. Edinburg North is currently fourth at 2-2, while PSJA Memorial is fifth at 2-3. … PSJA Memorial limps into the final game of its season with a slew of injury concerns. Last week, the Wolverines had eight players out due to injury. … The attrition is starting to show. Memorial dropped a 17-7 decision to previously winless in district Edinburg High in Week 8 before being dominated 35-17 by Weslaco High in Week 9. … Edinburg North has also been trending the wrong direction. After handing Weslaco East its only loss of the season, Edinburg North sandwiched blowout losses to PSJA North and Weslaco around a win against Edinburg.
PREDICTION: Edinburg North, 22-18
— Greg Luca
DISTRICT 32-6A
BROWNSVILLE VETERANS AT LOS FRESNOS
WHERE: Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium, Los Fresnos
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Brownsville Veterans (5-3, 3-2); Los Fresnos (5-3, 3-2)
GAME NOTES: Brownsville Veterans lost to Harlingen High 26-6 in Week 9. The Chargers struggled offensively against the Cardinals, finishing with only 76 total yards. … Brownsville Veterans has the top rusher in the district, Derrik Rodriguez, who has run for 1,093 yards and 13 TDs. … The Chargers have lost two straight games. … Los Fresnos lost to Brownsville Rivera 25-14 last week. … The Falcons defense is now third in the district allowing 300 yards and 22 points per game. … Los Fresnos’ offense rushing attack has twice as many yards as the passing game. Quarterback Pierce Ruiz now has 1,526 yards of total offense and accounted for 15 TDs for the Falcons.
PREDICTION: Los Fresnos, 24-21
— Andrew Crum
HARLINGEN HIGH AT BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ
WHERE: Sams Memorial Stadium, Brownsville
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Harlingen High (4-4, 3-2); Brownsville Lopez (0-8, 0-5)
GAME NOTES: Harlingen High defeated Brownsville Veterans 26-6 in Week 9. The Cardinals defense stymied the Chargers offense last week; they allowed just 76 yards of offense and a mere six points. Harlingen High is now ranked second in the district. … The Cardinals’ offense averages 253 yards and nearly 21 points per game. … Brownsville Lopez lost to San Benito 55-15 last week. … The Lobos are still looking for their first win of the season. … Lopez continues to look to get its offense on track, scoring just 10 points and averaging 209 yards per game. … The Lobos defense has struggled throughout the season, allowing 358 yards and 43 points per game, last in district.
PREDICTION: Harlingen High, 28-7
— Andrew Crum
DISTRICT 31-5A
VALLEY VIEW AT SHARYLAND HIGH
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Richard Thompson Stadium, Mission
RECORDS: Valley View (1-7, 1-3); Sharyland High (7-1, 4-0)
GAME NOTES: Sharyland High completed the toughest part of its schedule by Week 6, when it was unofficially crowned district champions following wins over Edinburg Vela and Mission Veterans. Now, the Rattlers hope to stay in rhythm as they keep on eye on the playoff picture. … The Rattlers won their fourth consecutive game last week, a 58-6 blowout over inner-city rival Sharyland Pioneer, clinching a playoff berth. … Valley View has lost two straight, including a 49-0 thumping at the hands of Mission Vets. Still, the Tigers are in the playoff chase, tied for No. 4 with two other teams. They can snag that spot with the mother of all upsets on Friday. … Sharyland will be shooting for its third consecutive perfect district record and third straight district crown. It’ll need a victory Friday to stay in line with that goal, considering Vela trails Sharyland by a half-game in the standings.
PREDICTION: Sharyland High, 49-6
— Mario Aguirre
RIO GRANDE CITY AT MISSION VETERANS
WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Tom Landry Stadium, Mission
RECORDS: Rio Grande City (3-5, 1-3); Mission Veterans (6-2, 3-1)
GAME NOTES: Mission Veterans will play its second straight game with Santos Villarreal back under center. The senior quarterback, who missed two games due to an ankle sprain, returned to top form in Week 9. He threw for three touchdowns and 361 yards. … Rio Grande City is coming off a moral victory of sorts, losing 21-20 to Edinburg Vela, the No. 4-ranked team in the Valley. If the Rattlers can sustain that level of play, they can certainly be competitive against a Patriots squad that’s third in district, behind Vela. … RGC has arguably the toughest schedule in district — if not, the Valley — to close out the regular season, facing Vela, Mission Vets and Sharyland High, respectively. That’s why they seem like an unlikely player for a postseason berth, despite a three-way tie for fourth place with Roma and Valley View. … Mission Vets will look to win its fourth consecutive game heading into Week 11, when they’ll take on Vela, more than likely for the runner-up spot in 31-5A.
PREDICTION: Mission Veterans, 28-14
— Mario Aguirre
SHARYLAND PIONEER AT ROMA
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Gladiator Arena, Roma
RECORDS: Sharyland Pioneer
(3-6, 1-4); Roma (3-4, 1-3)
GAME NOTES: For all intents and purposes, this matchup will more than likely determine the fourth and final playoff spot in district. For that to happen, Sharyland High and Mission Veterans must prevail in their respective matches against teams with only one district win to their credit. … Roma has been one of the stronger defensive teams, and that might very well be the deciding factor in Friday’s game. … For a fourth straight year, the Gladiators’ playoff hopes hinge on the final two games of the regular season. Roma’s hoping to secure its first playoff berth. It’ll be challenging, to say the least, in one of the strong districts in the Valley. … Pioneer, the first-year program, has been up and down, at times. Just as quickly as the Diamondbacks started 2-0, they fell to .500.
PREDICTION: Roma, 14-7
— Mario Aguirre
DISTRICT 32-5A
PSJA SOUTHWEST AT MERCEDES
WHERE: Tiger Stadium, Mercedes
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: PSJA Southwest (5-3, 3-2); Mercedes (7-1, 5-0)
GAME NOTES: After clinching a postseason berth with last week’s win over PSJA High, Mercedes can clinch at least a share of the district title with a win over PSJA Southwest. … This is a huge game for Southwest. If it can pull off a win, it all but seals its ticket to the postseason with lowly Brownsville Pace looming next week. … The Javelinas have seen nice progress in their passing game. Senior QB Carlos Portales earned the program’s first 1,000-yard passing season last week. He now has 1,004 yards and seven TDs passing. … Portales’ emergence as a threat with his arm has opened up the running game. Southwest has the district’s top rusher in Jesus Acosta, who has 1,013 rushing yards and 16 TDs. … But Mercedes has been too much to handle this season, and QB Rene Presas and WR Joshua Garza have been lights out this second half of the regular season. For the second straight year, Presas (1,878 yards, 16 TDs) and Garza (751 yards, 7 TDs) are tops in the Valley, statistically, in their respective positions.
PREDICTION: Mercedes, 35-14
— Dennis Silva II
BROWNSVILLE PORTER AT PSJA HIGH
WHERE: PSJA Stadium, Pharr
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Brownsville Porter (2-6, 1-4); PSJA High (4-4, 2-3)
GAME NOTES: Porter is the second-worst offense and second-worst defense in the district. PSJA High is so-so offensively, but has the district’s second-best defense. … Right now, the Bears are on the outside looking in at the playoffs, an all-too familiar sight after they ended 2013 in the same boat. They need to win out to get back in the conversation. … Though this game looks lopsided on paper, Porter has had its competitive moments, and PSJA High’s offense has been anything but stable this season. … PSJA High was overwhelmed by Mercedes last week, and this is a prideful Bears team. That doesn’t bode well for the Cowboys. When at its best, there’s arguably not a better defense in the Valley than PSJA High’s. … A big key for PSJA High: don’t turn the ball over. PREDICTION: PSJA High, 27-6
— Dennis Silva II
DONNA NORTH VS. DONNA HIGH
WHERE: Bennie La Prade Stadium, Donna
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Donna North (0-8, 0-5); Donna High (4-3, 3-2)
GAME NOTES: The inaugural game between the two sister schools. Donna will be rockin’ on Friday night. … Every game is essential for Donna High, which is barely holding onto a playoff spot with two games left in the regular season. The Redskins are in fourth place in district, but just a game ahead of PSJA High. … First-year Donna North is simply looking to play the role of spoiler. It’s been a trying year for the Chiefs, who have been outscored 260-88 and are last in the district in offense. … The Redskins had three players rush for over 100 yards apiece during last week’s win over Brownsville Porter. They also have two of the district’s top six rushers in QB Edward Dougherty (670 yards, 11 TDs) and RB Paul Guerra (522 yards, 4 TDs). … PREDICTION: Donna High, 42-14
— Dennis Silva II
EDCOUCH-ELSA AT BROWNSVILLE PACE
WHERE: Sams Memorial Stadium, Brownsville
WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m.
RECORDS: Edcouch-Elsa (5-3, 4-1); Brownsville Pace (3-5, 2-3)
GAME NOTES: Edcouch-Elsa defeated PSJA Southwest 33-21 in Week 9. … The Yellowjackets offense is the top in the district, averaging 348 yards per game, including a league-best 1,822 rushing yards this season. … Edcouch-Elsa has pretty stout defense, third in the district, allowing 257 yards per game. … Brownsville Pace defeated Donna North 23-7 last week. … The Vikings offense is fifth in district, averaging 246 yards and nearly 24 points per game. … Pace has now won two straight games. … The Vikings defense has improved lately, but is last in district, allowing 318 yards per game.
PREDICTION: Edcouch-Elsa, 35-24
— Andrew Crum
DISTRICT 16-4A, DI
GRULLA AT KINGSVILLE KING
WHERE: Javelina Stadium, Kingsville
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Grulla (1-6, 1-1); King (4-4, 2-0)
GAME NOTES: King is at the top of the district with a 2-0 standing. The Brahmas have been outscored 186-139 this season. … King started the season losing four of its first six games. … Grulla is expected to return star athlete Troy Trillayes from injury this week. Trillayes missed last week’s win against Hidalgo, which all but assures the Gators a playoff spot in a district with four of the five teams qualifying. … It’s been an injury-riddled season for Grulla. But if it can gather some momentum, the Gators could still be a darkhorse in the playoffs, particularly considering the emergence of QB Eddie Anzaldua and the expected return of No. 1 receiver Leo Martinez.
PREDICTION: King, 35-27
— Dennis Silva II
DISTRICT 16-4A, DII
C.C. WEST OSO AT PROGRESO
WHERE: Red Ant Stadium, Progreso
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: West Oso (1-7, 0-3); Progreso (1-7, 0-3)
GAME NOTES: Progreso has lost seven in a row since its Week 1 win over Brownsville Porter. … The Red Ants have been outscored 320-59, and 164-14 in district play. … West Oso is not much better. It has been outscored 253-137 this season and has lost six games in a row. … West Oso’s only win was a 21-13 Week 2 win over Bishop. … West Oso is coming off a 42-24 loss to Port Isabel. .
PREDICTION: West Oso, 21-7
— Dennis Silva II
DISTRICT 16-2A, DI
LA VILLA AT BEN BOLT
WHERE: Barrera Stadium, Ben Bolt
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: La Villa (2-6, 1-2); Ben Bolt (6-2, 2-1)
GAME NOTES: Ben Bolt is a game behind first in the district. … Ben Bolt has won five of its last six games. The Badgers are outscoring opponents 307-131. … Ben Bolt is the second-best defense in the district, allowing 16.4 points … After a big upset of Corpus Christi London two weeks ago, La Villa suffered a 32-27 setback against Riviera-Kaufer and pretty much took itself out of the district title race. … The Cardinals have been outscored 255-151 this season. … Now La Villa finds itself battling with London for the fourth playoff spot La Villa has Bruni and 0-3 Santa Maria left. London has 2-1 Riviera-Kaufer and Ben Bolt and could miss the playoffs after starting the season 6-0.
PREDICTION: Ben Bolt, 35-28
— Dennis Silva II
DISTRICT 16-3A, DII
MONTE ALTO AT HEBBRONVILLE
WHERE: Longhorn Stadium, Hebbronville
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Monte Alto (2-5, 0-2); Hebbronville (6-2,2-0)
GAME NOTES: With two games left, Hebbronville looks like the frontrunner for the district title, a game ahead of Dilley. … The Longhorns have outscored opponents 253-248. … The Longhorns have won six of their last seven games. … But Hebbronville is just 3-2 at home. … Monte Alto is 1-3 on the road. … The Blue Devils likely missed a shot at a playoff berth this season with last week’s 32-24 loss to previously winless Freer. Now Freer has the upper-hand on the fourth and final postseason spot. … Monte Alto has been outscored 215-83 this season.
PREDICTION: Hebbronville, 35-13
— Dennis Silva II