GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

Although Weslaco High racked up 35 points without passing for a single yard last week, losing starting quarterback Desi Rodriguez to injury still hurts.

Rodriguez will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a broken collarbone last week when a defender fell on him as he attempted to block during a running play. He ranks as District 31-6A’s fifth-leading passer, having completed 18 of 44 attempts for 396 yards and five touchdowns with four interceptions.

“Any time you lose a starting quarterback, it has to impact your offense,” coach Tony Villarreal said.

In his place, the Panthers will start senior pocket passer Paul Rodriguez, who has been used in limited action this season.

He has yet to complete a pass, going 0 for 5 with an interception, but he has at least gained some experience running the offense late in games as Weslaco built large leads during its current three-game win streak.

“He’s gotten a lot of quality reps,” Villarreal said. “Although we lost our No. 1, I think we’re going to be OK. In fact, I know we’re going to be OK.”

Weslaco’s offense had been on a roll in recent weeks, averaging 501.3 yards per game over the past three after picking up just 210.2 yards per game prior to that point.

Most of that success has come on the ground. Last week, backs Eric Gonzalez, Aaron Sanchez, Jonathan Martinez and Brian Guerra all eclipsed 100 yards rushing — the first time Villarreal has ever seen a team boast four 100-yard rushers in the same game during his 24-year coaching career.

RETURNING TO FORM

Mission High’s struggling offense has finally started to show some signs of life, putting together its best output of the season with 348 yards in a 34-29 loss to McAllen Rowe last week.

The loss of quarterback Jesus Cuellar to a strained ACL during Week 1 was a crippling blow. Cuellar returned against Edinburg High in Week 4, but he needed time to round back into form.

“He came back a little, kind of shaky,” Mission High coach Mario Peña said. “He’s gotten a little better the past couple of weeks.”

Mission threw for 294 yards last week after also eclipsing 200 in Week 8 against La Joya High.

Although Cuellar is a senior who had been out of football for three years prior to rejoining the team this season, he’s proven to be far and away the Eagles’ most potent passing threat.

“He’s the guy that can throw the ball for us,” Peña.

With the Eagles out of contention at 1-7 and 0-4 in district play, Peña has taken the opportunity to build for next season by giving some younger players more time. Mission will return nine offensive starters in 2015.

PROMISING SIGNS

Although La Joya Juarez-Lincoln remains winless, last week’s 24-19 loss to La Joya Palmview was the Huskies’ best result to date.

Palmview coach Margarito Requenez said on Sunday that he thought Juarez-Lincoln played better than it had all year up to that point. Before losing by just 5 points to the Lobos, the Huskies average margin of defeat had been 28 points.

Senior wideout Carlos Barrera has been one of the players who has come on strong of late, hauling in 15 passes for 204 yards in Juarez-Lincoln’s past four games after catching just one pass for 6 yards in the first four.

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GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

WESLACO — Last season, first-team All-District 30-5A linebacker Michael Torres felt like he was flying all over the field, making play after play. When asked about his play this season, he hesitates.

Coach Tony Villarreal will tell you Torres is playing as well as ever, and that the senior is one of the best linebackers he’s coached in his 24 years. But, with so many players stepping up this year, Weslaco High doesn’t need Torres to be Superman.

“They know what they’re doing now, so I don’t have to cover as much space,” Torres said. “It’s kind of weird for me, coming from someone who is just always aware, to having people take care of the job and just be like, ‘Oh, OK.’”

As Torres has continued his top-notch play and an experienced group has developed around him, Weslaco High has transformed into one of the best defenses in the Valley. A unit that gave up 308.5 yards per game last season to rank in the middle of the pack now sits atop District 31-6A, allowing just 227.9 yards per game.

“Everybody is on the same page now, so the defense is doing great,” Torres said.

Torres has been as key as ever. During the summer, he bulked up from 180 pounds to 210. The change has allowed him to manage blockers and mangle rushers.

Villarreal gave him additional freedom by making him the team’s bandit linebacker this season, a position that allows Torres to be wherever the ball is.

“He’s too good of an athlete to just be sitting there taking care of one gap,” Villarreal said. “He hit a couple of good running backs at the line, and those kids have bounced back. That’s how hard he hits.”

Torres wants to be a physical education teacher some day, and he puts those talents to work each week. He said he’s always quarterbacking the defense on the field, and simply asking his teammates how they’re doing off it.

“When we’re kind of getting out of hand, I’ll tell them, ‘Let’s get focused. Let’s get serious,’” Torres said. “We know what’s at stake.”

Much of Torres’ success can be attributed to the defensive line in front of him, a group that is both talented and deep.

Defensive end Rene Perez stands out with his physicality. He said his favorite move is the classic push and pull — “nothing fancy.”

The linemen free up space not just for Torres, but for Jordan Nichols, a sophomore who Villarreal said “is as good as (Torres) was as a sophomore.”

Behind them is the secondary — a group that Villarreal was mildly concerned with coming into the season. But, with safety Undrae Galindo returning after missing most of last season due to a torn labrum and Ethan De Luna emerging as a shutdown corner, the group has held its own.

All that defensive talent has helped Weslaco go from 1-4 to 4-4, including 3-1 in district. It’s also led to a fresher, healthier, unburdened Torres.

“At this time of the year, I was pretty tired, and I was kind of fatigued mentally and physically,” Torres said. “But I feel great this time around. I feel I can help my team a lot more, especially with the playoffs coming up. It’s going to be great. So we’ll see what happens.”

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BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — After McAllen Memorial quarterback Fabian Pedraza took a knee and the final seconds ticked off the clock, running back Trevor Speights stood tall at about the 40-yard line with his arms crossed, nodding to the Mustangs fans.

Those fans, who nearly filled the home side of McAllen Memorial Stadium on Friday, moments before had been chanting “This is our house,” celebrating Memorial’s 42-28 win against McAllen High — the Mustangs’ fifth consecutive victory in the rivalry.

“Since I’ve been here, the mission is not to lose to purple,” Speights said. “We kept that going today.”

The victory puts the Mustangs (7-1, 4-0) one step closer to a District 30-6A championship.

Memorial will have a shot to clinch the title next week when it squares off against La Joya Palmview, which moved to 4-0 in district with a win against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln on Friday.

“We still have Palmview, so I don’t want to say it’s in the bag, but it’s almost in the bag,” Speights said.

Speights continued his Player of the Year caliber season, rushing 27 times for 306 yards and a touchdown. He now has 2,101 yards and 23 rushing touchdowns on the year, and has run for more than 200 yards in every game this season.

Aaron Villarreal also had a big night for Memorial, rushing 11 times for 64 yards and three touchdowns. He entered with just three rushing scores on the year.

“It felt amazing,” Villarreal said. “If it takes one carry a game or if it takes 15, I’ll do anything that comes out with the win.”

Memorial scored on its first five possessions to jump out to a 35-7 lead before McHi started to mount a comeback.

Bulldogs quarterback Fred Hover found Justin Gonzalez for a 57-yard touchdown with 2:04 left in the second quarter. Then, after McHi got a stop on defense, Hover threw up a desperation heave from 37 yards out on the final play of the half. The ball was tipped by a group of players and grabbed by Gonzalez, who narrowly toed the line in the back of the end zone to pull McHi within 35-21.

The Bulldogs got the ball first to start the second half and quickly scored again, as Ricky Rodriguez punched it in from 2 yards out to bring McHi within 7. Rodriguez finished the game with 25 carries for 171 yards.

“We got momentum on our side there for a little bit, and then couldn’t quite keep it going,” McHi coach Kevin Brewer said.

McAllen High forced stops on Memorial’s first two possessions of the second half, but couldn’t convert either into points. Memorial took over at its own 42 with 4:28 remaining and drove 58 yards to ice the game. Villarreal capped the possession with a 10-yard touchdown.

“We’ve been down before, we know how to fight through adversity,” Speights said. “That’s one of the things we preach in practice: Play through adversity. Bad things are going to happen, but you have to keep playing.”

MEMORIAL’S PASS THREAT

While Memorial dominated on the ground to the tune of 390 rushing yards, the Mustangs were also efficient through the air. Quarterback Fabian Pedraza completed 5 of 6 passes for 74 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown to DJ Johnson.

Johnson also had a 61-yard touchdown catch called back late in the first half because of an ineligible man down field.

HOVER GUTS IT OUT

McHi’s Fred Hover picked up 59 yards on seven carries in the first half but was clearly limited by a twisted ankle over the final 24 minutes, rushing just twice for 2 yards.

Hover entered the game as the district’s fourth-leading rusher but became more of a pocket passer in the second half.

“He’s such a competitor,” Brewer said. “He did a heck of a job. He’s a warrior.”

Hover finished the night 10-of-23 passing for 208 yards.

ROLLS OUT

The Bulldogs played Friday’s game without leading tackler and punter Ashton Rolls, who suffered an injury during a practice leading up to Friday’s game.

McHi (6-3, 4-1) has a bye in Week 10, and Brewer said Rolls is expected to be back for the team’s Week 11 matchup with La Joya Palmview.

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BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

When Weslaco East coach Mike Burget looks at PSJA North, he sees a very different team than he saw last year. Those Raiders finished 0-10, including a 47-10 loss to the Wildcats.

But entering Week 9 of 2014, PSJA North is atop the crowded District 31-6A standings with a 3-1 record. Weslaco East sits at 2-1 and looks to overtake North when the teams meet at 7:30 tonight at Bobby Lackey Stadium.

“I think they have a lot more confidence in what they’re doing,” Burget said. “You can see that on film. The kids are playing together.”

Under first-year coach Jorge Peña’s spread offense and three-stack defense, the Raiders have been a force in district play. The potent duo of quarterback George Olivarez and running back Rene Ramirez have PSJA North ranked second in the district in rushing with 248.3 yards per game.

North will often deploy four wideouts to keep opposing defenses from stacking the box.

“They try to take advantage of the numbers game, so we know it’s going to be a big challenge for us,” Burget said. “We know our defense is young, and they’re growing up this year. … We think our defense is getting better every week.”

That young defense has also dealt with injury. Although the unit ranks second from last in the district with 362.1 yards per game allowed, Burget said the defense has been key to the Wildcats’ 6-1 start. And, coming off a bye week, Burget said his team is “99 percent healthy.”

“We’re 6-1 not because we have the No. 1 offense in the district, but because our defense has put is in the opportunity to be successful offensively,” Burget said. “I know we aren’t ranked very high defensively, but I still like our defense.”

East’s offense has indeed been a force, racking up a district-best 381.7 yards per game this season. More than 90 percent of that production has come on the ground, as running back Lupe Moron leads the district with 1,261 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns. When Moron isn’t working the perimeter, quarterback Darren Rivas will often keep up the middle, picking up 539 yards and 12 scores so far this year.

“I don’t think it’s a big secret what they’re going to do,” Peña said. “Obviously, we have to stop the run. In order to do that, we have to play very aggressive and very disciplined football.”

If any team is fit to slow East it figures to be North, which ranks second in the district with just 247.3 yards per game allowed. The Raiders are coming off what Peña called a “lights out” performance in a win against Edinburg Economedes. The defensive front of Joziah Treviño, Dylan Montemayor and Matt Garza will be critical, as will strong safety Nico Jaime and the rest of the supporting cast.

“Without question, I see all 11 defensive players executing their roles to the best of their abilities being the key to slowing these guys down,” Peña said.

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BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

During consecutive weeks to close out September, Weslaco High had a game-tying touchdown overturned by penalty and surrendered a late lead because of a bad snap on a punt attempt. Even as the pair of miscues helped drop the Panthers to 1-4, the team stayed true to what coach Tony Villarreal calls the “Panther Brotherhood”.

“We lost the games, but their confidence never wavered,” Villarreal said. “They always believed. They really believed in each other and what they’re doing. I’m real proud of those kids, especially the seniors, for keeping it together.”

Against Harlingen in Week 4, Weslaco led 29-23 before an errant snap on a punt gave Harlingen the ball at the 16-yard line with 2:30 on the clock. Harlingen would punch it in to hand Weslaco a 30-29 loss Villarreal called “gut wrenching.”

Villarreal said the Panthers played well the next week against PSJA North, and late in the game Weslaco believed it had tied the score at 14 on Undrae Galindo’s interception return for a touchdown. But Galindo was flagged for pass interference, and North prevailed 14-7.

Despite the tense losses, Weslaco bounced back with a 46-0 trouncing of Edinburg High. Then, last week, Weslaco dominated Edinburg North 62-10. Villarreal said he thought the team played well in all three phases.

“Those seniors, they always believed that they could put a whole game together,” Villarreal said. “After the PSJA North game, they’ve kind of done that. They’ve put it all together, and it’s been a good little run the last few weeks.”

Weslaco will be looking to keep that run going against PSJA Memorial at 7 tonight at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.

Nearly every game is critical at this point in the District 31-6A season. PSJA North tops the standings at 3-1, with Weslaco East and Weslaco right there at 2-1. PSJA Memorial and Edinburg North both sit at 2-2.

Weslaco hardly looked like a contender at 1-4, but PSJA Memorial coach Gus Cavazos knows the Panthers have been getting better with each game.

“They’re getting healthy at the right time,” Cavazos said. “They’ve been moving the ball well. Coach Tony always has those guys ready to play. So it’s going to be a tough ball game.”

Villarreal said Weslaco is as healthy as it’s been since Day 1 of the regular season. The Panthers have also learned how to replace the two players lost during the preseason — offensive tackle Jose Margo and center Jacob Rodriguez.

“Roy Cantu at center has been doing an amazing job, and Nick Hinojosa has done an amazing job at quick tackle,” Villarreal said. “Those two guys have really stepped it up with no experience.”

Villarreal described Cantu and Hinojosa as overachievers who have gotten better week-to-week, a process Villarreal has stressed for every player at every position.

“Even though there for a while we were losing quite a few games by a point here or a touchdown there, we just kept telling the kids, ‘Improve in your area,’” Villarreal said. “And they did.”

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GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

La Joya Palmview’s defense has statistically been the best 6A unit in the Valley this season, allowing just 209.4 yards per game. The centerpiece of that group is senior outside linebacker Amador Garcia, a three-year starter.

“He’s been the heart and soul of our defense,” coach Margarito Requenez said. “For being one of the smartest players on the field, he also has the biggest heart out there.”

Requenez said Garcia has made big plays in every game, just as he’s done throughout his career. He ranks third on the team with 56 total tackles and has forced a team-high four fumbles. As Palmview has shifted to a more aggressive defense, Garcia’s ability to diagnose offenses has been key.

“He knows what’s going to be run at him based on the formation that they’re in,” Requenez said. “He’s one of those athletes that if you tell him to go watch film, he’s going to go do it, and he’ll pick up on those little hints and keys.”

Palmview has been one of the Valley’s biggest surprises this season, jumping out to a 5-1-1 record and an undefeated 3-0 start in District 30-6A. The next step is topping La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, which is 4-0 all-time against Palmview.

“Our focus is making sure that we get that goose egg off our board,” Requenez said.

DIAZ’S APPROACH PAYS OFF

Edinburg High quarterback Angel Diaz has spent most of his career in the shadows. Last season, he was the backup to starter Michael Harrison. He entered his senior year as the starter, but a combination of injuries and ineffective play led to him losing the job to junior Efrain Borrego.

Regardless, Diaz’s approach never changed.

“He was still coming to work, had a great attitude, and I think that’s what it takes,” Edinburg High coach Joaquin Escobar said. “He’s a great leader, and we finally decided to give him the reins back. … He’s really stepped it up.”

Diaz started Friday against PSJA Memorial and helped lead previously 1-5 Edinburg to a 17-7 win in one of the biggest upsets of the Valley football season. He completed 10 of 18 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown.

“Being in that position, there’s a lot of people that would fold,” Escobar said. “That’s why I was happy for him.”

Escobar said Diaz will again lead a vastly improved Edinburg team into this week’s game against Economedes. The Bobcats have been playing better as the team has been getting more acclimated to first-year coach Escobar’s schemes — a process that became easier when the staff simplified things on the offensive side. The group has also started to find answers on the offensive line, which is yet to start the same five in consecutive weeks. Against Memorial, center and junior leader Matt Basquez was flanked by two sophomores and converted defensive lineman Raul Rodriguez.

“He’s really brought a different attitude to our o-line,” Escobar said.

TAKING ITS TOLL

Despite losing starter after starter to injury during the first eight weeks of the season, PSJA Memorial kept winning, jumping out to a 4-3 start, including a 2-1 mark in District 31-6A. But last week against Edinburg High, the roster depletion became too much to overcome.

“With as many kids as we’ve lost, we’ve had to kind of scramble,” coach Gus Cavazos said. “The kids played above their means a couple of weeks ago to overcome those injuries. We just weren’t able to do that last week.”

Down so many key contributors, Memorial was unable to surmount penalties and a pair of turnovers that gave Edinburg the ball inside the Wolverines’ 20-yard line. The result was a 17-7 loss.

To make matters worse, Memorial does not have a bye until Week 11. Cavazos has resorted to using some players on both offense and defense, although that makes keeping everyone fresh and healthy an even greater challenge.

“It’s catching up to us,” Cavazos said. “We’re trying to tone down practices a little bit so that we don’t have as much contact and whatnot, so hopefully that will help us out a little bit this coming week.”

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GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

LA JOYA — As the final notes of La Joya Palmview’s alma mater sounded, a group of players sprinted to surround coach Mage Requenez. The Lobos lifted their coach off the ground to ensure he couldn’t escape as a second group ran to grab the Gatorade cooler and give him a celebratory bath.

Palmview had plenty to be excited about Friday night, clinching the first winning season in school history and all but securing a playoff berth with a 21-17 victory against McAllen Rowe at La Joya Stadium.

“Basically, we just made history here at Palmview,” running back Jose Bernal said. “That’s what we always wanted here: To start a tradition. And we’ve started a tradition.”

At 5-1-1 overall and 3-0 in District 30-6A, Palmview can finish no worse than a third-place tie.

The Lobos can also finish no worse than 5-4-1 in the regular season, ensuring the school’s first winning year. This from a team that was 1-9 last year and is playing under a coach in his first full season. Palmview’s preview best record was 5-5 in 2010. The school was 17-43 all-time before this year.

“It was a dream to make the playoffs here in Palmview,” running back Freddy Villarreal said. “I wanted to make it happen.”

Despite being 4-1-1 coming in, Palmview felt it had a lot to prove. Yes, the Lobos had the top-ranked defense and third-ranked offense in the district, but they had only defeated one team with a winning record: PSJA Southwest.

With a win against Rowe — even though the Warriors are 2-6 — Palmview feels it has shown it can play with a team from McAllen and a group that was widely projected to make the playoffs before the season began.

“We proved a lot of people wrong about how we weren’t going to make it this year, we had just played some teams that weren’t at the level of the McAllen schools,” quarterback Aaron Gonzalez said. “We played our hearts out and proved them wrong.”

Villarreal and Jose Bernal continued to get it done on the ground for the Lobos. Villarreal carried 15 times for 86 yards and three touchdowns, while Bernal added 16 carries for 111 yards.

Villarreal now has 1011 yards and 12 touchdowns on the year, while Bernal has 865 yards and eight scores.

“(Rowe’s) shifts were killing us, but we managed to keep our composure, and we started running good,” Villarreal said. “It ended up working.”

Behind a defense that forced enough turnovers to limit Rowe’s offense, Palmview has now accomplished two of its preseason goals: reach the playoffs, and post a winning season.

“One is done, two is done, and now we’re going for No. 3, which is the district title,” said Requenez, water still dripping from his drenched outfit. “That’s our main goal right now.”

But doing that would mean topping McAllen High and/or McAllen Memorial, teams Palmview has never beaten and units that defeated Rowe by 49 and 39 points, respectively.

“Everybody is beatable in our district,” Requenez said. “It just depends who is going to show up that night.”

PALMVIEW QUARTERBACK

When quarterback Andrew Puente went down to an ankle injury after Palmview’s third drive, Gonzalez stepped in and kept the offense rolling. He completed just 1 of 2 passes for 11 yards and carried the ball 10 times for 31 yards, but it was enough.

“I just had to step it up a notch,” Gonzalez said. “My teammates had confidence in me bringing this win.”

ROWE’S OFFENSE

Rowe moved the ball effectively on the arm of quarterback John Perez, who finished the game 33-of-46 passing for 413 yards and two touchdowns. Joseph Moreno caught 8 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown, Victor Adames caught nine passes for 121 yards, and Hector Bosquez — the district’s leading passer through six weeks — played exclusively wide receiver and caught nine passes for 142 yards and a touchdown.

COSTLY MISTAKES

While Perez shined for the Warriors, penalties and turnovers ruined a number of Rowe’s drives. The Warriors lost a pair of fumbles while driving to attempt to take the lead in the final four minutes, one of which easily could have been ruled an incomplete pass. In all, Rowe turned the ball over on three occasions and was flagged nine times for 67 yards.

“When we needed to make plays, sometimes we just didn’t get it done,” Rowe coach Paul Reyes said. “Just didn’t get it done in certain areas.”

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