GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

WESLACO — Weslaco High’s defense has been one of the Valley’s best all season, but they’ve never seen anything like what they’ll face against Laredo United.

After a season playing in a district where passing is an afterthought, Weslaco draws an area round matchup at 7 Saturday in San Antonio against a team that threw for 4,218 yards this season.

“I can’t remember the last time we faced a team that passed the ball this much,” Weslaco defensive coordinator Ross Moore said. “A lot of our teams in our district spread, but they spread to run. This is a true spread team, and they’re good.”

The most prolific passing offense Weslaco High has faced to this point in the season — PSJA Memorial — threw for 1,431 yards on the year.

United quarterback Ignazio Tellez racked up nearly half that total during last week’s 62-7 win against La Joya High, throwing for 601 yards. In the history of the classification currently designated 6A, no quarterback has ever thrown for more yardage in a game.

“Between the quick game and the deep game and the vertical game and screens, we throw a lot of stuff out there for (the defense),” United coach David Sanchez said. “If they’re not used to it, it’s the first time they’ve seen it, it makes it tough on them.”

Weslaco High is attempting to simulate United’s spread attack in practice. The Panthers are also looking to replicate the tempo, switching out two different offensive units during drills so the defense has less time to rest and prepare.

“We’re doing a lot of passing plays, more than we’ve ever done since I’ve been here,” safety Undrae Galindo said. “It’s helping us prepare for Laredo United. Everybody is doing good.”

Galindo and the other secondary players are drawing from their experience playing 7-on-7 over the summer — the last time they faced spread concepts like United’s.

Weslaco’s defensive backs even have the advantage of having faced some of these same skill players, losing to United 53-41 during the Calallen State Quaifying Tournament.

“It’s good, because it should be a 7-on-7 game over there when we’re playing them, because it’s mostly passing,” cornerback Ethan De Luna said. “I think me playing 7 on 7 should help me this game.”

Moore called the game “7 on 7, with pads,” but coach Tony Villarreal is still worried about United’s “scramble drill.” When opponents get pressure and the play breaks down, Tellez excels at finding his receivers coming back towards the line of scrimmage.

“We’ve got to not only run the routes, but we have to stay on them when they come back to the quarterback,” Villarreal said. “That’s a whole different technique.”

The Panthers aren’t changing too much of what they do to try to counter. Maybe remove one front seven player for an extra defensive back, but that’s about it.

Villarreal is optimistic Weslaco can generate some pressure with its front four. Rene Perez has been a disruptive force all year, and Villarreal said “this game is made for” defensive end Jesus Reyna, who is a smaller, quicker pass rusher.

Moore said the players have had an easy time adapting to the new concepts they’ll face against United.

“Our football IQ on the defensive side has been tremendous all year,” Moore said.

Lastly, Weslaco is hoping to get a little help from the weather. United’s coaches pushed to play indoors at the Alamo Dome, but Villarreal opted for Alamo Stadium.

Current weather projections call for thunderstorms today, potentially subsiding by game time.

“We’re hoping we’re going to get some bad weather,” Villarreal said. “We’re hoping the elements will help us a little bit.”

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BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — Entering 2014, Freddy Villarreal and the rest of La Joya Palmview’s 30 seniors had never had a winning season. They’d never been to the playoffs, much less won a playoff game. They’d never even beaten sister school La Joya Juarez-Lincoln.

Now, the Lobos have crossed each of those items — and many more — off the to-do list. Behind a stout defense and the three-headed running attack of Villarreal, Jose Bernal and Abel Torres, Palmview upset Laredo LBJ to set up this week’s 6A Division II Area Round game against Weslaco East.

“It feels good just going from a negative season to come to this positive season,” Villarreal said. “It feels great to be a senior here at Palmview.”

The Lobos finished 1-9 last year, a mark that was overshadowed by coach Manny Flores leaving the team via a rare midseason reassignment. Coach Margarito Requenez stepped in and established a new system and a new culture. The atmosphere around Palmview football has changed substantially.

“It’s really amazing how it just changes the whole campus,” Requenez said. “It’s just something that had never been experienced here. The vibe is great.”

Villarreal, who has run for more than 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns this season, is even playing a new position.

He had worked at both running back and linebacker from youth leagues up until the start of his sophomore year, when he started playing linebacker full time. He also started at linebacker last season, until Requenez took over coaching duties and decided to give him a look on the other side.

“I forgot how to play running back for a bit,” Villarreal said. “It was tough.”

With very little feel for the position after time away, Villarreal relied exclusively on his power. His only options were stiff-arming a defender or running through him. As the season has gone on, he’s started to add to his game.

“He’s actually cutting more,” Requenez said. “He’s seeing the holes a little bit better, instead of just trying to run over you.”

The Lobos have a second power back in Bernal, who has also eclipsed 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns for the season. A shoulder injury has limited his role the past few weeks — a painful blow for a senior who missed time to injury last season, as well.

“He’s probably dying in there right now because he’s not out here practicing,” Requenez said. “Hopefully we can have him Friday night.”

With Bernal hurting and Villarreal nursing an ankle during the latter portion of the season, Torres has stepped into a larger role.

For the first six weeks, Torres wasn’t even on the roster. He had played a key role on Palmview’s lower-level teams as a freshman and sophomore, but ultimately left the sport midway through each season.

“It touched my heart knowing that I let them down for two years in a row,” Torres said. “It just clicked in my head that, ‘It’s time, Abel. It’s time.’”

So, Torres came out for his junior year, and Requenez put him on a tight leash. Torres jokes that Requenez has him “as a dog.” One slip-up with class or grades, and Torres will be off the team.

After being let down by Torres, some of the Lobos were hesitant to allow him back on in the first place.

“It took a while for him to earn the respect,” Requenez said. “It took a while for his teammates to really trust him. … As weeks go by, they do respect him.”

Torres knows earning that trust is a process. He said he’s been winning his teammates over “little by little.” His play on the field has helped. He ran four times for 94 yards and two scores in his first action against McAllen Memorial, added another 105 yards against McAllen High and scored against Laredo LBJ.

Just like the Palmview program, Torres is finally hitting his stride.

“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, man,” Torres said. “My freshman and sophomore year, it was horrible. I don’t even want to go back to that time. Right now, I’m doing awesome. I’m getting back on track.”

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GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

La Joya Palmview claimed the first playoff win in program history in the team’s first chance, upsetting Laredo LBJ 21-17 on Saturday in Laredo.

The Lobos advance to face Weslaco East in the area round of the Class 6A Division II playoffs at 7:30 p.m. Friday at La Joya ISD Stadium.

“We’re very happy right now,” Palmview coach Margarito Reqeuenez said. “The kids are very emotional. They’re proud to be in the spot that they’re in. We came in as the underdogs, and the kids played with heart tonight.”

The win means that Palmview’s historic season will continue at least one more week. A program that was 17-43 all time and had never had a winning season before this year now sits at 7-3-1. Saturday’s playoff win is the first for any La Joya school since the district split following the 2007 season.

Palmview fell behind 14-0 about midway through the first quarter, a daunting deficit for a team that relies on ball control and averaged just 17.9 points per game during the regular season.

Requenez said mistakes and misalignments put the Lobos in an early hole.

“I just told them that we needed to regroup,” Requenez said. “We needed just to focus. They were kind of shell shocked. Once they settled down, we controlled the tempo of the game. It just came down to going back to the fundamentals and keeping the ball away from them.”

Palmview started to find some success in the run game, with Jose Bernal scoring late in the first half. The Lobos drew even about a minute later on quarterback Andrew Puente’s pass to Rogelio Cantu. The touchdown pass was only the second of the season for Palmview.

Abel Torres gave the Lobos the lead with a touchdown run in the third quarter. Requenez said Torres and Freddy Villarreal were the team’s two leading rushers, as Bernal’s touches were limited due to injury.

“I rotated multiple backs, and it paid off,” Requenez said.

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BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — If McAllen High coach Kevin Brewer knows whether quarterback Fred Hover will be ready for tonight’s game against Laredo Alexander, he certainly isn’t letting on.

Hover suffered a high ankle sprain on Oct. 24 against McAllen Memorial, limping through the second half of McHi’s 42-28 loss. Even after having a bye week to rest, Hover did not play in McAllen’s 14-0 win against La Joya Palmview last Thursday. That absence leaves Hover’s status for tonight’s game in doubt.

“Fred is a day-to-day situation,” Brewer said. “We’re going to wait and see on Thursday at 7 p.m. if he’s ready to go.”

If Hover is unavailable, McHi will again lean on Caleb Youngblood, who quarterbacked the offense last week and completed 6 of 9 passes for 82 yards despite heavy rains and a stingy Palmview defense.

Youngblood was McHi’s junior varsity quarterback last year and took some of the varsity reps in the spring, when Hover was splitting time with baseball. Since the start of fall, Youngblood had mostly been working at tight end before Hover went down. Thanks to the conveniently timed bye week, Youngblood had time to get ready.

“It was pretty easy,” Youngblood said. “I remembered all the plays and stuff, so it wasn’t that bad.”

Whether Youngblood or Hover starts at quarterback won’t change what the Bulldogs want to do on offense. Brewer said McHi will run the same things they’ve run all year, which likely means another heavy dose of running back Ricky Rodriguez.

The senior is the Valley’s fourth-leading rusher with 1,207 yards. The Bulldogs’ workhorse has carried the ball 222 times, second most in the Valley to Roma’s Peter Rodriguez.

Ricky scored his 16th touchdown of the season in last week’s win against Palmview, setting a new school record with 284 career points.

“Honestly, I didn’t even know until I got to the end of the game,” Ricky said. “It felt good knowing I broke some of McHi’s all time greats’ records. My name is in the record book now, so I guess I left my mark.”

He’ll have a chance to break another mark tonight, as he needs 106 yards to reach 3,544 for his career and pass Mike de la Fuente for the school’s all-time rushing record.

“I’m proud as heck of Ricky,” Brewer said. “You talk about a true Bulldog that represents our program and this school and this city the right way. For him to get those accolades is just a testament to his career here, and the work that he’s put in, and the pride that he takes in what he does. … I hope that (scoring) record stands for a long time, because he deserves it.”

McHi hasn’t won a postseason game since 2006, and ending that streak tonight against Alexander will not be easy. Alexander is just 6-4, but coach Joel Lopez said his group is playing its best football of the year.

Alexander’s midseason three-game losing streak came as the team was without its starting right tackle, fullback and inside receiver due to injury. More importantly, star quarterback Aaron Swain was playing “at about 75 percent,” Lopez said, due to a shoulder injury. All of those players have returned to the lineup healthy, meaning the Alexander team McHi faces will look more like the group that in September handed Sharyland its only loss than the one that struggled to open October.

“I think we’re there right now,” Lopez said. “Everybody is back, and we’re hitting it strong.”

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BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

Weslaco High coach Tony Villarreal said that “nothing really was resolved” in the days following Friday’s 28-21 win against Weslaco East, after which there was no postgame hand shake.

Before the game, Weslaco High’s players huddled at midfield, some of them taunting East as the Wildcats warmed up.

When the game ended, Weslaco High’s players again gathered at midfield. Many of them looked toward the East sideline, and a few mocked the Wildcats by flexing. Linebacker Michael Torres ran to the Weslaco East Wildcats logo, stomping and wiping his feet on it. Villarreal said his team’s behavior was a result of the exuberance that comes from winning a district title against a sister school. Villarreal made an attempt to get his team lined up, but East had already broken off into its team huddle.

“I’m happy with what happened,” Villarreal said. “We tried to line our kids up. That’s it. Kids were excited. That’s it. There was nothing that I saw that I’m disapproving.”

Weslaco East coach Mike Burget declined to comment on the decision to forego the handshake when asked after the game, and again chose not to elaborate on his thought process when asked Wednesday.

“Nobody bothered to ask me why I did that last week. They made assumptions that it was all my fault,” Burget said. “I’m going to leave it like that. It happened in the past. I’m going to let it go, and I’m looking forward to playing a heck of a bi-district game against San Benito.”

LA JOYA UNDERDOGS

La Joya High and La Joya Palmview are entering their playoff matchups this week, the first for both teams since the La Joya ISD split following the 2007 season, looking to prove themselves.

The Coyotes know that Laredo United is the heavy favorite in their matchup. United boasts a prolific passing offense that pushed Sharyland High, the Valley’s best team, to the brink in a 28-23 loss.

“We’re going to come in with the role of being the underdog, and they’re going to be predicted, but that’s not going to change anything with us and the kids,” La Joya coach George Espinoza said. “Our mindset is going in there to take care of business.”

Palmview is looking to extend the best season in program history with yet another first: a playoff win. In scouting Laredo LBJ, Palmview coach Margarito Requenz sees a team that is “exactly like us.” In a battle of ground-and-pound offenses, Palmview will get a boost from the return of 1,000-yard backs Freddy Villarreal and Jose Bernal, who are back at 100 percent after nursing injury the past couple of weeks.

“I just keep throwing that if you want to keep making history, you have to win this week,” Requenez said. “If you guys win, it’ll be memories that you guys are going to talk about from now until probably you guys dies.”

FAMILIAR FACES

Weslaco East, Weslaco High and Edinburg North all have bi-district matchups against teams they faced during the non-district schedule. And all three coaches agree that those experiences are only so valuable two months down the road.

Edinburg North and coach Rene Saenz face Los Fresnos, a team North beat 22-19 in Week 1. When Saenz looks at Los Fresnos now, he sees a team that has eliminated mistakes and boasts a dominant offensive line. He anticipates Los Fresnos entering the matchup with confidence.

“They’re probably thinking, ‘If the Cougars come out and start making mistakes, we can jump on them and maybe bury them early,’” Saenz said.

Weslaco East faces San Benito, which East defeated 42-14 in Week 2. But Wildcats coach Mike Burget says the game was far from a blowout. East outgained San Benito just 427-402, and the Greyhounds have only gained confidence since.

“(Our kids) know that this team that they’re going to play Friday night is capable of beating us if we don’t play East football,” Burget said. “We don’t look at the score.”

Weslaco High will go up against Harlingen, which beat the Panthers 30-29 in Week 4 after Weslaco turned the ball over deep in its own territory on a fourth-quarter punt attempt. Villarreal said both teams have improved substantially since that game, especially on offense. He and the Panthers are treating this week as a chance at revenge.

“That’s kind of been the model for the whole playoff season,” Villarreal said. “Everybody has a second chance against everybody.”

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GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

WESLACO — After Undrae Gallindo came down with an interception on the game’s final snap, the celebration began for Weslaco High. Gallindo leapt to his feet and was joined by two teammates in the end zone. The rest of the Wildcats stormed off the sideline to meet them at midfield.

Weslaco High’s redemption story came to the most satisfying end possible Friday night, as the Panthers defeated rival Weslaco East 28-21 to claim the District 31-6A title outright.

“We’re on top of the world right now,” running back Brian Guerra said. “It means we have a lot of momentum going into the playoffs. It just feels great.”

Weslaco High (6-4, 5-1) hardly looked like a contender early in the year, starting the season just 1-4.

Coach Tony Villarreal said those growing pains were what got the team ready for Friday, and for whatever District 32-6A opponent they draw next week.

“We came out slow, and in the second half we knew we had to pick it up,” defensive end Rene Perez said. “We just fought to the end.”

Both Perez and Guerra said winning the title against East made the feeling that much sweeter. With the win, Weslaco High takes a 2-1 lead in the all-time series.

Tensions were obviously running high after the game. Weslaco High appeared to line up for the handshake line after a brief period of celebration, but Weslaco East instead broke into their postgame team huddle.

“We were lined up, ready to go,” Villarreal said. “That’s the coach’s discretion. Maybe they thought there was going to be a situation where he decided not to. But in my case, if there’s a young man or two that’s kind of acting up, I’ll pull him off to the side and we’ll still shake hands. Especially if you’re a sister school.”

Weslaco East coach Mike Burget declined to comment on the specifics of the situation.

“We’re able to do the right things at Weslaco East and shake hands and represent WISD in a positive way,” Burget said.

Panthers Guerra and Perez were both confused by the situation.

“I honestly have no clue,” Perez said. “We respect them, and I hope that they respect us. They played a great game. There’s no reason to be like that.”

PANTHERS OFFENSE

Weslaco High found success the same way it has all season: running the football. The Panthers carried 37 times for 349 yards.

The slot-T attack has produced four potent options, and Friday was Brian Guerra’s night. He carried 10 times for 160 yards, including second-half touchdowns of 73 and 57 yards.

“We kind of thought that was our X factor,” Villarreal said. “We faked a lot of stuff to (leading rusher) Eric (Gonzalez), and Brian Guerra did his magic.”

Jonathan Martinez carried 13 times for 114 yards and a touchdown. He also hauled in a 15-yard touchdown on Weslaco’s only pass attempt.

Gonzalez had 11 carries for 63 yards.

SLOWING EAST

East running back Lupe Moron, the district’s leading rusher, ran for 98 yards and two touchdowns in the first half before picking up just 26 yards in the second. He did reach the end zone during the third quarter, but he was slowed by an ankle injury suffered during the opening period.

Quarterback Darren Rivas was also slowed by an ankle injury that forced him to sit out much of the game’s final drive. He finished with 20 carries for 92 yards.

“That sort of hurt us a bit,” Burget said, “but I don’t make any excuses.”

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GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

With 15,000 fans expected in the Bobby Lackey Stadium and the outright District 31-6A title on the line, Weslaco High coach Tony Villarreal knows his team won’t need any extra motivation for Friday’s game against Weslaco East.

The Panthers have been hearing it all week from their friends, family and everyone else in the community: this game is for bragging rights and the series lead in the cross-city rivalry.

“I try not to tap into that, because they’re already emotionally to the brink,” Villarreal said. “If you have to fire these kids up for this game, they probably shouldn’t be in the locker room.”

Weslaco East coach Mike Burget has also chosen not to treat this game differently from any other district opponent. Yes, it’s for the district title, and that’s important. But any cross-city implications?

“I don’t think so,” Burget said. “A rivalry? The third time we’ve played them? If they want to call it a rivalry, I guess.”

Weslaco High certainly reacted like it was a rivalry game after their win last season, with linebacker Michael Torres saying the Panthers had “taken the town back.” Running back Eric Gonzalez remembered the feeling of losing to Weslaco East the first time the two schools met, in 2012.

“Any time a school that’s been open for 80 years, 100 years, 2000 years, compared to a school that’s been open about 10 years, I guess that would be a bad feeling,” Burget said. “But we just took it as another district game.”

For Weslaco High, this game is about more than bragging rights or even the title. After the team started the year 1-4, this game is about redemption.

“The kids feel like, for everything we went through, with people doubting us, they’ve got something to prove,” Villarreal said.

The Panthers knew they came into the season with high expectations, and Villarreal said they felt the weight of the negativity during the slow start.

During the first five weeks, the Panthers lost to Harlingen South, Corpus Christi King, Harlingen High and PSJA North. The only win came against Donna High, a 1-point victory that could have been thwarted were it not for a missed last-second field goal.

As the doubt increased, so did the Panthers’ focus.

“Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen some real good teams, and we’ve had some good focus, but I’ve never seen this type of drive and this type of focus since I’ve been here,” said Villarreal, who is in his 10th year at Weslaco High.

The past four games, that focus has paid off. Weslaco High is on a four-game winning streak to move to 5-4, and 4-1 in district play. East is 8-1, and also 4-1 in district.

The Panthers’ offense, which averaged 210.2 yards per game during the slow start, is gaining 472.5 per game during the stretch.

Villarreal credited the improvement to the group’s high football IQ and the starting experience they gained during the early going.

Weslaco High suffered three injuries on the offensive line during the preseason, and the players who were forced to step in have grown into competent starters. Burget said he sees an improved Weslaco High offensive line with each game he watches on film.

“We’re peaking at the right time,” Villarreal said.

Also peaking at the right time is the Weslaco East defense. Weslaco East was allowing 362.1 yards per game through seven weeks but has yielded just 179.5 yards per game the past two outings in wins against PSJA North and Edinburg High.

On film, Villarreal has seen an improved defensive tackle group and linebacker corps. He also credited Burget’s willingness to use offensive studs Lupe Moron and Darren Rivas on that side of the ball when the team needs critical stops.

Burget said the keys are simply getting off blocks and tackling better now that a young group has had time to mature.

“Any time you play young guys at the beginning of the year, it takes time to grow up,” Burget said. “But we’re going into the 10th game. So even though it’s a freshman, we don’t consider him a freshman anymore.”

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BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

Although McAllen Memorial is already locked in as the No. 1 seed in District 30-6A Division I, coach Bill Littleton has no plans to rest his players entering Friday night’s game against Mission High.

The Mustangs (8-0, 5-0 in district) still need a win to secure the district title outright. A loss would mean a shared title with the winner of Thursday’s game between La Joya Palmview and McAllen High.

“We’re going after the district championship. We want to try to win the thing outright,” coach Bill Littleton said. “So we’re going to play people.”

That means perhaps another full workload for running back Trevor Speights, who has carried 203 times for 2,330 yards and 27 touchdowns so far this season.

Bradley Stephens holds McAllen Memorial’s single-season rushing record, having posted 2,633 yards in 2005. That mark is the third best in Valley history, behind Weslaco’s Mishak Rivas’ 3,306 yards in 2007 and Weslaco East’s Bobby Gonzalez’s 2,763 yards in 2010.

“If we get out ahead, we’re not going to play him in the fourth quarter,” Littleton said. “Once the game gets where we feel comfortable with it, we’ll probably pull him. But we’re going to start him and play him.”

EMERGING WEAPON

When La Joya Palmview coach Margarito Requenez was considering letting junior Abel Torres back on the roster, some of his players came out against the idea.

Torres had been a part of the program as a freshman, but then “he became a troublemaker,” Requenez said. Torres quit the team and didn’t return for his sophomore year. Entering his junior season, Torres wanted a second chance.

“Some of the kids, he let them down during his freshman year,” Requenez said. “So some of the kids were, ‘Coach, why would you let him back on? He’s probably going to do the same thing.’ But then I had the other side saying, ‘Coach, everybody deserves a second chance.’”

So, after meeting with the team captains, Requenez decided to give Torres that opportunity. At the start of the year, Requenez gave Torres a clear list of expectations: things like going to class, making good grades and staying out of trouble. After six weeks of good behavior, Torres rejoined the varsity roster. Last week against McAllen Memorial he got his first taste of action, rushing four times for 94 yards and two touchdowns in Palmview’s 34-14 loss.

“He showed that he was ready to step up and play for us on the varsity level,” Requenez said.

Torres is still on a tight leash, but he figures to remain in the mix as long as he behaves well. Torres is a small, quick back who should complement a Palmview offense that already boasts a pair of the district’s top four rushers in bruisers Jose Bernal (1,130 yards, 10 TDs) and Freddy Villarreal (1,062 yards, 12 TDs).

“He’s special, because he’s actually a true running back,” Requenez said. “Now that we have No. 20 and we kind of feel comfortable with him, I think it’s going to be harder for teams to prepare for him.”

SECONDARY STAR

Edinburg North’s Joey Benitez hauled in 11 interceptions last season and was a critical piece of a dominant Cougars defense. Entering 2014, coach Rene Saenz thought there was no way Benitez could reach that mark again.

Benitez probably won’t get to 11, but he’s at least giving it a run. He has seven through nine games of 2014, including three in the past two weeks.

“The last couple of games, he’s really found his niche,” Saenz said. “He’s coming back strong.”

Opportunities at interceptions are hard to come by in District 31-6A, which is one of the most run-heavy in the Valley.

Weslaco High attempted just six passes against North in Week 8, but Benitez managed to pick one of them off.

Benitez has also taken a step forward in run support as the front seven has dropped off from last year, leading the team with 72 tackles, including 51 solo.

Saenz plans to use Benitez at corner this week against Edinburg Economedes to get him more involved in stopping the run.

“He hasn’t made excuses or found a reason not to get his nose dirty,” Saenz said. “He’ll get in there and mix it up.”

Benitez is also the quarterback of the secondary, and Saenz said the Cougars are “really limited when he’s not in the game.”

Despite that, Benitez’s leadership has been perhaps his biggest strength, and something North desperately needed with no other starters returning from last year.

“That is really the most valuable part that he’s left on this team, is his leadership skills,” Saenz said.

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BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

LA JOYA — Last year, La Joya High defensive end Erik Marroquin heard a lot of negative things about being a football player.

“You guys are going to lose,” he remembers people taunting. “What do you even go to practice for?”

The Coyotes haven’t won more than three games in a season since the La Joya ISD split after 2007, so criticism was to be expected. But now, in the third year under coach George Espinoza, the team is starting to earn some respect. Last week’s 23-6 win against McAllen Rowe clinched a playoff berth, and on Friday La Joya High has a chance at its best win total since the split if it can take care of business against winless La Joya Juarez-Lincoln.

As a result, many of the doubters have been coming around.

“Now it’s, ‘OK, you guys are pretty good. You guys are doing work on the field,’” Marroquin said. “People lay off you a little bit more.”

Espinoza has been critical to the team’s improvement, taking his first head coaching job three years ago after working as an assistant at San Benito and Mission High under coach Mario Peña.

Rebuilding the once-proud program — a perennial playoff contender before the split — was a massive undertaking. Not even 30 kids were taking part in the athletic period during Espinoza’s first season.

“I knew that they were going through some tough times, but I didn’t actually know how bad it was until I got here,” Espinoza.

The current crop of seniors, who were sophomores when Espinoza came aboard, saw the difference he made right off the bat. He was more of a motivator. He had higher expectations, and was willing to push every player to his limits.

“From the very beginning when coach came, I noticed the change,” quarterback Julio Garcia said. “It was slow, but it was a change from previous seasons. It started little by little. … The mentality was changing throughout the players. We were buying in.”

Marroquin said players used to regularly skip practice, and that “We weren’t really committed.” Now, students are lining up to play for La Joya High. Some are still joining even this late in the year to have a chance to go through offseason workouts.

“People actually care now more about the team,” defensive lineman Tony Cerda said. “People are not more individuals now. They’re not just playing for themselves.”

One of Espinoza’s biggest changes was implementing a power lifting program not just at La Joya High, but throughout the school district. Beyond obviously making the players stronger, Espinoza believes power lifting helped reduce the number of shoulder, quad and back injuries. It also gave the players a glimpse of the type of strength they’d face against some of the Valley’s top teams.

Across the board, players said they have more muscle now. Wideout Joel Casas said he enjoys the more complex workouts better than anything he had done previously.

“That’s what made us a little bit bigger, because we weren’t that big of a team to start off with,” Marroquin said. “But power lifting helped us a lot.”

Still, La Joya High took its lumps last season, starting a lot of underclassmen and finishing the year 1-9. But Espinoza saw the attitude change he was looking for. And, after another strong offseason of workouts, he knew his team would be improved.

“That’s when we decided: We’ve got to face some stiffer competition in order for them to experience some success,” Espinoza said.

So, after two years of scheduling Brownsville schools Lopez and Porter in non-district, Espinoza stepped it up, playing Weslaco East and Edinburg Vela before the start of district play this season.

The Coyotes were blown out by Vela, but taking a lead into the fourth quarter against Weslaco East and the next week against McAllen Memorial, even in eventual losses, showed La Joya High that it could play with anybody.

“I know at the beginning of the season, all of the guys were worried,” Garcia said. “But we saw it as a great challenge and an opportunity to improve. … Facing tougher opponents and just learning from the outcome: That’s what made us better.”

La Joya has shown that improvement the past two games, collecting wins against Mission High and McAllen Rowe to secure that elusive playoff berth and recapture some respect.

“Last week changed a lot,” senior linebacker Yonny Villarreal said. “People were not so prideful when you say Coyote. ‘Coyote, oh, losing streak.’ That changed a lot last week. Playoffs. So what do you have to say now?”

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BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

LA JOYA — While 200-plus yard, four-touchdown games like Friday’s have become commonplace for McAllen Memorial running back Trevor Speights, he did secure a significant first in the Mustangs’ win: his first district title.

After a 34-14 victory against an upstart La Joya Palmview team that gave the Mustangs a stiffer test than the final score shows, Memorial can finish no worse than tied for the District 30-6A championship.

“I’m grateful, obviously. I have the best teammates in the world,” Speights said. “I wouldn’t change this moment for anything.”

At 8-1 overall and 5-0 in district, McAllen Memorial needs only to avoid what would be a shocking upset at the hands of Mission High next week.

Were the Mustangs to somehow fall, they would still share the title with the winner of next week’s matchup between Palmview (6-2-1, 4-1) and McAllen High. Memorial last won a district title in 2011, before the current crop of seniors had cracked the varsity roster.

“This senior class had never won a district title, so it was important,” coach Bill Littleton said. “You love to see those seniors accomplish some of those goals. Our slogan this year was, ‘Bring back the gold.’ That’s what we’ve done so far. We brought back part of the gold, anyway.”

The Lobos did everything they could to keep the Mustangs from that goal. Palmview was clearly fired up coming out of the gate, forcing Memorial to punt on each of its first three possessions.

The powerhouse Mustangs offense hadn’t been forced to punt more than twice in an entire game since Week 1, when Sharyland High forced four.

“We told our kids coming into the ball game that they were going to be sky high,” Littleton said. “You always have to weather those storms. You have to weather those emotions until the game comes down to just playing. You can’t have that emotional high for 48 minutes.”

Palmview’s offense came out equally strong and scored on its opening possession, when Abel Torres scored from 22 yards out with 3:14 remaining in the first quarter to put the Lobos ahead 7-0.

Torres finished the game with four carries for 94 yards and two scores. Jose Bernal ran 20 times for 133 yards as Palmview racked up 315 yards on the ground.

“That was our game plan,” Palmview coach Margarito Requenez said. “We did what we wanted to do. There were a couple of mistakes there that really came back and haunted us. …. We had the momentum, and I think we killed ourselves.”

Palmview fumbled three times and lost all three. Those miscues hurt the Lobos down the stretch, as Speights scored touchdown runs of 57, 61 and 2 yards, respectively, between 4:03 in the third quarter and 5:40 in the fourth to stretch Memorial’s lead to 34-7 and put the game out of reach.

“It was a lot closer than that,” Requenez said. “We just broke down at the end.”

The Lobos limited Memorial to 266 rushing yards — the Mustangs fewest in a game by 90. Memorial’s first two possessions amounted to minus-6 rushing yards.

“We came into this game kind of underestimating them,” Speights said. “We woke up in the second half, we played Mustang football, and we left with the win.”

JOHNSON’S REDEMPTION

As Palmview sold out to take away Speights, Memorial wideout DJ Johnson faced one-on-one coverage for the majority of the night.

Johnson struggled to take advantage in the early going, dropping what looked to be a sure 56-yard touchdown pass as Memorial was trailing 7-0.

“I was pissed,” Johnson said. “I was thinking about last game. The last game I did pretty bad, I was dropping balls and everything. The second one I got, I had to go get it.”

That’s exactly what he did, scoring an 82-yard touchdown on a deep ball from quarterback Fabian Pedraza on the first play of Memorial’s fifth drive. The score gave the Mustangs a 13-7 lead. Johnson finished with four catches for 145 yards, plus a two-point conversion on a jump ball from 13 yards out following a penalty.

SCRAPPY GAME

Both teams picked up multiple personal foul penalties as emotions ran high given the district title implications.

One particularly chippy sequence came with 5:25 remaining in the fourth quarter, when Memorial’s Michael Garza and Palmview’s Arturo Gutierrez were disqualified from the game after a small shoving match following a turnover.

LOBOS BANGED UP

La Joya Palmview lost a pair of offensive linemen and running back Freddy Villarreal to injury during the game, but Requenez said he expected they’d all be back by next week.

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