STAFF REPORT
They might be down a quarterback and have several key offensive players doubling on defense, but the Mission High Eagles aren’t letting those things prevent them from consideration as one of the best teams in the Valley.
The Eagles (7-2) were out of the top 10 poll heading into Weeks 9 and 10, but they are back after a 24-7 statement win against PSJA High at PSJA Stadium in Pharr. Freshman Jeremy Duran (12 of 18 completions, 189 yards, one touchdown pass) continues to show rare maturity at the quarterback position while running back Horacio Moronta V ran for two scores in the victory.
Mission High went from not receiving any votes in last week’s poll to the No. 5 spot. PSJA High fell six spots to No. 10.
The eight voters are the writers and editors who cover RGV high school football for AIM Media’s three newspapers: The Monitor, The Valley Morning Star, and The Brownsville Herald.
No. 1 Edinburg Vela, No. 2 Brownsville Hanna and No. 3 Mission Veterans remained steady atop the poll with each team clinching some share of a district title during Week 10. The SaberCats (9-0) and Golden Eagles (7-1) are guaranteed a piece of a district championship while the Patriots (8-1) locked in the District 16-5A DI title outright Friday.
Weslaco High was able to scoot by Weslaco East 23-21 in the closest Tinaco Bowl in the rivalry’s history last week. The Panthers moved up to No. 4 this week while the Wildcats shared the No. 5 position with Mission High.
San Benito remains a game behind Brownsville Hanna in the District 32-6A standings, but the Greyhounds jump to No. 7 after making quick work of the Brownsville Rivera Raiders 71-13.
No. 8 Sharyland High finished its regular season on a six-game winning streak to win District 16-5A DII outright while No. 9 Raymondville earned a share of its district title following an emphatic win against Progreso.
The following are the teams in the RGVSports.com top 10 poll, with first-place votes in parentheses and total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through 1 point for a 10th-place vote. The eight voters are the writers and editors who cover RGV high school football for AIM Media’s three newspapers: The Monitor, Valley Morning Star, and Brownsville Herald.
Team Record Points Previous
1. Edinburg Vela (8) 9-0 80 1
2. Brownsville Hanna 7-1 70 2
3. Mission Veterans 8-1 62 3
4. Weslaco High 8-1 57 5
T-5. Mission High 7-2 37 NR
T-5. Weslaco East 5-3 37 6
7. San Benito 5-4 26 8
8. Sharyland High 7-3 24 10
9. Raymondville 8-1 18 8
10. PSJA High 6-3 17 4
Other teams receiving votes: PSJA North (7), McAllen Memorial (3), Brownsville Veterans (1), La Joya High (1).