NATHANIEL MATA | THE MONITOR
Must-win games don’t happen until the end of the season, but some early season games feel like they hold extra weight.
In the first crosstown rivalry game of the 30-6A season, La Joya Palmview and La Joya Juarez-Lincoln will clash on Friday. If it were the final game of the season with both teams out of playoff contention, it would still mean a lot to both campuses.
Last year, Palmview edged Juarez-Lincoln 14-7. This year, the Lobos have a different roster and vastly different expectations.
This game won’t just count for bragging rights. The teams had very different non-district seasons, but a win in this game could erase all of that.
Palmview had a 2-2 non-district record with disappointing losses to Edinburg High and Economedes. The Lobos were beaten easily by McAllen Memorial last week, but the Mustangs are a tall order for all of 30-6A.
Juarez-Lincoln had a near-perfect four games in non-district play. The team’s only loss came by one point at Edcouch-Elsa on a failed two-point conversion.
Huskies coach Tommy Garcia was disappointed after a 38-21 loss at McAllen Rowe last week but quickly turned his sights to the La Joya ISD showdown.
“We just gotta get ready to go,” Garcia said after the game. “We have Palmview next week. It’s our sister school. I told them that there’s no easy game in our district.”
Both squads are coming off a loss in their first district game, putting them on even footing despite their non-district differences. The outcome of this game will have a massive impact on which team is in the playoff race come November.