BROWNSVILLE — The Brownsville Rivera Raiders’ winning streak was short-lived.
Sharyland Pioneer, a team on the rise in Valley football, dispatched the Raiders 50-28 on Friday night at Sams Memorial Stadium one week after Rivera ended a 21-game losing skid dating back to 2017.
The Raiders were hoping to add to their win column this season after beating Valley View 32-0 at Brownsville Sports Park last week under new head coach Beto Leal.
Instead, Pioneer improved to 3-1 on the season with Friday’s non-district victory. Rivera slipped to 1-3.
Rivera scored on its first possession on a 5-yard run by Ramiro Vega to lead 7-0 at the 7:25 mark of the opening quarter, and the Raiders even led 7-3 by the end of the first period. But after that, the Diamondbacks came alive and took control of the game behind the five touchdown passes and two running scores of Pioneer quarterback Eddie Lee Marburger.
Pioneer led 24-7 at halftime and 50-14 going into the final period before the Raiders added a pair of fourth-quarter scores.
Pioneer draws an open date next week. Rivera continues non-district action next Friday at La Feria.
DISTRICT 16-5A D1
LA JOYA PALMVIEW 19, DONNA HIGH 16: At La Joya, the Lobos duked it out with their district rivals in a game that came down to the final possession.
“It was tough fought battle,” La Joya Palmview head coach Margarito Requenez said. “Donna was a very tough opponent and whoever had the ball last was going to win.”
Although Donna High was marching downfield on its final possession towards the end of the fourth quarter, it was the Palmview defense that stepped up in the closing minutes to win the game.
Defensive back Freddy Flores came down with the game-deciding interception in the end zone to rob Donna of a potential go-ahead score. The Lobos’ defense was lights out and chipped in with some points of its own after defensive lineman Miguel Alaniz added a safety.
Palmview running back Carlos Peña tallied two rushing touchdowns and added a field goal kick to help lead his team to a big district win, outscoring Donna by himself.
“It felt great,” Requenez said. “We’re right in the mix where we wanted to be. I’m proud of where we are right now.”
The Lobos will be poised to keep momentum rolling when they face another run-heavy offense in PSJA Southwest in Week 5.
NON DISTRICT
HIDALGO 35, RIO HONDO 17: At Rio Hondo, the Pirates dished out a big serving of revenge to spoil Rio Hondo’s homecoming.
Hidalgo dominated time of possession throughout the contest behind a sturdy offensive line that anchored the Pirates in their win. Junior running back Zachary Carrera followed the big men up front to a huge night on the ground, accumulating 141 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
“It was a good game, the intensity was real,” Carrera said. “Last year they blew us out, but we got them this year. It’s a blessing. I couldn’t do anything without those linemen.”
Hidalgo’s senior quarterback Angel Lopez had a big night as well. He threw two touchdown passes — one to senior receiver Gus Sanchez and another to junior tight end Jonathan Treviño — and scored on a quarterback keeper from the half-yard line.
The only true downside to Hidalgo’s game was drops. The Pirates had four would-be interceptions fall through the hands of defenders, and some of Lopez’s receivers failed to haul in some impressive throws he delivered.
“I’m really proud of our kids. They’re playing hard every week and they’re believing in what we’re trying to do, and that’s the main thing,” Hidalgo coach Monty Stumbaugh said. “We did well on defense. We ran the ball really well. Our lines did a fantastic job, and we just hope to get better every week.”
EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 28, ROMA 21: At Roma, the visiting Jaguars outslinged the Gladiators 21-15 in the fourth quarter to capture their first win of the season.
Economedes’ three losses heading into the game were to PSJA Southwest (21-14), CC Moody (20-16) and Laredo LBK (16-7).
Roma was coming off a 36-35 loss to Laredo Nixon and is now 0-4 on the season.
Roma hosts Valley View on Friday, while Economedes travels to Bobby Lackey Stadium for a District 31-6A matchup against Weslaco High.
VALLEY VIEW 24, DONNA NORTH 6: At Pharr, the Tigers utilized stellar offensive performances from Damian and Alexander Gomez en route to a blowout home victory over the winless Chiefs.
The Gomez brothers carried Valley View’s offense in this one and helped spark their team while leading it to its first win since the season opener.
Quarterback Alexander Gomez threw for more than 100 yards and rushed for more than 100 more, scoring on a 1-yard quarterback sneak. Alexander, his twin, added a rushing touchdown of his own and adding another score on a reception from his brother behind center.
Tigers head coach Elifonzo Esquivel was proud of his team’s ability to score on the ground and through the air, and praised his young team for bouncing back from a pair of tough losses to end its non-district slate on a high note.
“Overall our kids had a pretty good showing on offense and the kids have gotten some confidence,” Esquivel said. “We’re in a little slump we have some kids who are a little inexperienced and it showed against Port Isabel. We said let’s keep working hard and stay focused and that’s exactly what happened this week and we got a big win for the community at home on parent’s night.”
WESLACO HIGH 41, HARLINGEN SOUTH 35: At Harlingen, after trailing by 21 points at halftime, the Hawks put together quite the comeback and managed to send a game that featured just about every twist and turn into overtime.
After a 37-yard touchdown from Jacob Cavazos to Jaden Cavazos in overtime gave the Panthers a six-point lead, their defense came up with a stop on fourth down at the 1-yard-line to hold on for a wild overtime win at Boggus Stadium.
“We made the plays when we needed too,” Weslaco High coach Roy Stroman said. “I thought they were going to do a quarterback sneak, and our defensive tackle did a good job and made the play. That was the most important play, and these kids played hard. We called a timeout before that play and we stayed low and got leverage, and we stopped them.”
The Panthers missed an attempt at a game-winning field goal as time expired to send the game into overtime.
The Panthers meet Edinburg Economedes next Friday, and Harlingen South hits the road to take on Odessa High next Saturday.
GRULLA, 61, ORANGE GROVE 35: At Orange Grove, JT Trujillo opened the game with a 96-yard Grulla touchdown reception to Jesse Garza.
“We were able to ground and pound the ball all game,” head coach Abel Gonzalez said. “We are no looking forward to our game against Rio Hondo next week.”
Grulla moves into week five 2-2 on a two-game winning streak. Orange Grove (0-4) continues to look for their first win of the season.
Grulla hosts Rio Hondo at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26 at home.