District 16-5A DII kicks off this week with a matchup of high-powered offenses and district title contenders as Sharyland Pioneer hosts Mission Veterans in the RGVSports.com Game of the Week. The Diamondbacks and Patriots are slated for 7:30 p.m. kickoff Friday at Richard Thompson Stadium in Mission.
Both the Diamondbacks and Patriots are coming off bye weeks and bring identical 3-2 overall records to the table.
Sharyland Pioneer’s offense has been hot this season, averaging 34.6 points per game led by junior quarterback Julian Valdez (1,431 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns, 274 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns).
Meanwhile, Mission Veterans has played one of the toughest non-district schedules after being battle-tested against the likes of powerhouses Harlingen High and San Benito. Junior quarterback Vince Abrego leads the Patriots’ offensive attack with 641 yards passing, 10 passing touchdowns, 120 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
The crosstown rivals have played six times with Mission Veterans holding a 4-2 edge in head-to-head matchups while outscoring the Diamondbacks 199-150. Their most recent meeting between the two ended in a 35-0 Patriots win last season.