BROWNSVILLE — For two quarters the Brownsville Veterans Chargers and Sharyland Pioneer Diamondbacks traded blows, going into the break deadlocked at 21.

The second half proved a different story, with the Chargers outgaining the Diamondbacks 300-108 and outscoring them 24-0 en route to a dominating 45-21 victory at Chargers Stadium in Brownsville.

“A phenomenal effort by our kids in the first half and second half,” Brownsville Veterans head coach JC Ramirez said. “Our offense came out with something to prove. I don’t know what our stat line is, but I know we had a good night tonight versus a very good Sharyland Pioneer defense. They hang their hat on what they do defensively. To come out with this win, it’s a great sense of pride.”

A five-play, 69-yard scoring drive to open the second half set the tone for the Chargers during the final two periods, with fullback Alvin Trevillion capping the possession with a 29-yard rumble to the end zone to make it 28-21 early in the third quarter.

The touchdown marked the second of the night for the senior, also scoring on a 28-yard run during the second quarter. He finished a game-high 209 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.

“Coach told us to forget about everything,” Trevillion said. “We came out the second half like it was a 0-0 game. We forgot about all the mistakes and just executed the second half. Honestly, this year I wasn’t even expected to come back until mid-October. It was all God though. I couldn’t have done this without our Lord and savior and my teammates. I just thank them.”

The Chargers’ defense put their stamp on the third quarter moments later, with defensive back Mickey Rodriguez coming up with an interception to end a potential Diamondbacks scoring drive on the next drive, followed by a forced turnover on downs on the next possession.

Senior kicker Roman Reyna helped the Chargers capitalize on their defensive unit’s turnovers, converting a 40-yard field goal after the turnover on downs to make it 31-21 after three.

“I’ll be honest with you man, we really challenged our coaches and kids at halftime,” Ramirez said. “We told them if we needed to, we’d make some wholesale changes. But honestly, what we needed was an attitude adjustment. We know we have the pieces. They just needed to come up and perform. This is an emotional ball game, especially with 16 and 17 year old boys. They’re battling and giving their all, but sometimes you just need to remind them of who you think they are. Once they believe, you get the results that we had.”

A 13-yard touchdown run by Calvin Trevillion during the fourth put the Chargers well in control, taking a 38-21 lead with 8:30 remaining.

Still, Brownsville Veterans left nothing to chance, going for and recovering an onside attempt on the ensuing kickoff to get the offense the ball back immediately.

The Chargers’ offense turned the drive into a quick three-play drive ending in a two-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Storm Montoya. The rushing touchdown secured the Chargers win, while marking career touchdown No. 56 of Montoya’s career, making him the all-time touchdown leader at Brownsville Veterans.

He finished the game with 12 carries for 78 yards and two touchdowns, adding 119 yards through the air.

“I had no idea I was near that mark,” Montoya said. “I give all my credit to my team and my linemen. They put in the work every morning. I’m really proud of them and what they did.”

Sharyland Pioneer traded blows with the Chargers early on, answering each of the Chargers’ first half touchdowns with one of their own. A 12-yard rushing touchdown by running back Marcus Perales tied the game early in the second, before back-to-back touchdowns by Brownsville Veterans put them up 21-7.

The Diamondbacks came back swinging, with back-to-back touchdown runs of over 50 yards tying the game at 21-21 heading into the break.

Quarterback William Goodloe scored the first long run of the night for the Diamondbacks, taking it 50 yards on fourth down to make it 21-14, with running back Dylan Tijerina tying the game on a 51-yard touchdown run later in the quarter.

That would be the last time they’d find the endzone, with the Diamondbacks mustering just 85 yards on the ground over the final two periods after rushing for over 200 in the first half.

Goodloe led the Diamondbacks rushing attack with 116 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries, while Tijerina added 112 yards and one score on 11 carries.

The loss snaps a four-game winning streak by the Diamondbacks, falling to 4-2 on the year. They’ll turn their attention to the start of District 15-5A DII play next week, opening against Alice at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Richard Thompson Stadium in Mission.

Meanwhile, the Chargers finish non-district play with back-to-back wins to finish with a 4-2 record. They’ll look to keep rolling as they kick off District 32-6A play at 7:30 p.m. Thursday against Harlingen High at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville.

“We’ll never be naïve enough to say we’re guaranteeing a victory in 32-6A because we know it’s the real deal,” Ramirez said. “The ball bounces in funny ways. We’re hoping with preparation we’ll eliminate risks. We’ll see what happens. We start off with a bang against the perennial standard for Valley football in the Harlingen Cardinals. They’re always mean and pissed off. We’ve got to match that energy. It should be a good game here next Thursday at Sams Stadium.”

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The first five weeks of the Texas high school football season has come and gone, with teams across the Valley reaching the midway point of their regular season.

District 31-6A’s teams wrapped up non-district play last week and are entering a district-wide bye week before kicking off league play next week.

Meanwhile, 32-6A enters its final week of non-district play before diving into district play next Thursday.

Here’s a look at some of the biggest surprises, top performers and more across the Valley’s 6A football teams as the midway point.

WIDE OPEN

The District 31-6A title is up for the taking this season, with several of the league’s teams looking like contenders at the midway point. Four of the district’s six teams hold records above .500 entering the bye week.

Edinburg Economedes, Edinburg High, PSJA High and Weslaco High all enter the start of league play with 3-2 records in tow.

District newcomer and last year’s 32-6A champion Weslaco High is the hottest of the group, closing out non-district play with three straight wins to erase an 0-2 start.

Standing in the way of another district title for the Panthers is the preseason favorite to win the 31-6A crown, the reigning champion PSJA High Bears. Though 3-2, PSJA High remains one of the top teams in the area, with both their losses coming against top-ranked teams in No. 1 PSJA North and No. 6 Brownsville Veterans.

Darkhorse contenders Edinburg Economedes and Edinburg High won’t make it a walk in the park for either the Bears or Panthers, with both the Jaguars and Bobcats looking like playoff-caliber teams during the first part of the season.

Edinburg North (2-3) and La Joya High (0-5) are on the outside looking in heading into the season, but don’t count out either team, with the Cougars coming off a win to close out non-district play and the Coyotes fielding one of the top backs in the area in Mauricio Mendoza.

District 31-6A play begins Thursday, Oct. 10, with PSJA High taking on Edinburg High and Weslaco High taking on La Joya High. A matchup between Edinburg North and Edinburg Economedes wraps up the first week of league play at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

POWERHOUSE DISTRICT

While 31-6A gets a week off, District 32-6A is gearing up for one final tuneup before diving into league play next week.

The five-team district features some of the Valley’s top powers, with three of those squads ranked in the latest RGVSports.com 5A/6A poll.

The race for the district title remains wide open, however, with no team establishing itself as the clear cut favorite.

The No. 4 Cardinals are the highest-ranked team of the bunch, holding a 4-1 record this season with their lone loss coming to No. 2 Edinburg Vela earlier this year. They’ll close out non-district play against Cuero on Friday.

The Chargers (3-2) are the next 32-6A squad in the latest poll, fresh off a 35-23 win over then-No. 3 PSJA High a week ago. Last year’s 5A DI semifinalist wraps up its non-district slate at home against Sharyland Pioneer on Thursday.

The third team in the rankings this week is the Los Fresnos Falcons, who sport a 4-1 record and sit at No. 8. The Falcons bounced back from their first loss of the season in dominating fashion, taking down previously ranked Edinburg High 38-14 on Thursday.

Not to be counted out are San Benito Greyhounds or Brownsville Hanna Eagles. The Greyhounds sit at 0-5 halfway through the season but will be battle tested by the start of district play after taking on some of the toughest opponents in the state during non-district play. They’ll face off against another powerhouse to close out their non-district slate, hitting the road for a tilt against nine-time state champion Carthage on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Eagles are coming off a Week 5 win over La Joya High and will look to make it two straight when they travel to Mission Veterans on Friday.

For a full schedule of games, visit www.football.rgvsports.com.

MIDSEASON STANDOUTS

With the RGV’s 6A district filled with some of the area’s top teams, it makes sense that some of the area’s top players also come from those two districts.

The Valley’s leading passer resides in District 31-6A, with PSJA High quarterback Myles Lopez sitting atop the leaderboard with 1,619 passing yards and 13 touchdowns through five games.

Los Fresnos junior Robert Pineda joins Lopez in the top 10 passing leaderboard, throwing for 856 yards and eight touchdowns in five appearances. He’s also been a threat on the ground, leading the team with 549 yards and nine touchdowns on 71 carries.

La Joya running back Mauricio Mendoza and Harlingen High running back Noah Huerta have made strong cases for postseason superlative awards, each ranking in the top 10 in the area in rushing.

Mendoza enters Week 5 as the No. 3 rusher in the area, with 786 yards and six touchdowns in five games. Meanwhile, Huerta ranks seventh in the area with 664 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. His 60 points also rank him in the top 10 in scoring this year, sitting at No. 9.

The Valley’s top wideout also resides at PSJA High, with senior Ryan Vallejo ranking No. 1 with 655 yards and six touchdowns on 54 receptions. Weslaco High’s Chris Luna also ranks in the top 10, holding the No. 9 spot with 19 catches for 413 yards and five touchdowns.

For a full look at the RGV’s stat leaders in every category, visit www.football.rgvsports.com.

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PHARR — The Brownsville Veterans Chargers are used to being the underdogs. Each of the past two seasons they’ve started the year with 2-2 records, leading to few outside of their inner circle believing in the team.

This year started out the same, with the Chargers opening the year at No. 2 in the RGVSports.com 5A/6A Top 10 poll before dropping out altogether following a 2-2 start once again.

The Chargers sent out a reminder to the entire Valley on Friday, however, taking down No. 3 PSJA High 35-23 on the road during a non-district contest at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.

“Last year and the year before we lost two games to start the season also,” Brownsville Veterans quarterback Storm Montoya said. “This year, we’re kind of repeating the same steps, losing to St. Joe’s and Laredo (Alexander). We’re not going to let that become a setback. We’re just going to come back stronger. Next week we got Sharyland Pioneer. We’re just going to keep playing smashmouth football.”

Like most games, the Chargers came into Friday’s contest looking to set the tone with a physical playstyle on both sides of the ball.

Brownsville Veterans did just that, marching 73 yards down the field on their opening drive to take a 7-0 advantage five minutes into the game.

The drive was only the beginning for the Chargers, controlling the time of possession during the opening half with over 200 yards and two touchdowns on the ground during the first two quarters.

“The gameplan was we wanted to keep their offense off the field because they’re so explosive,” Brownsville Veterans offensive coordinator Mike Evans said. “We wanted to sustain some drives. We’ve scored well this year, but it’s been on explosive drives. We sustained some good drives today. That was the big difference.”

The defense matched the offense’s intensity during the opening half, with defensive back Eroz Pineda setting the tone with a huge hit to force an incompletion on fourth down and give the ball back to his offense.

The Chargers offense capitalized on the turnover on downs, scoring just a few plays later on a 50-yard touchdown pass from Montoya to Marc Samano to take a 21-10 lead into the break.

“I saw the receiver coming in from the corner of my eye,” Pineda said. “I saw the quarterback looking right at him. I knew I had to go in and do what I had to do.”

The Bears offense started finding its stride during the second half, outgaining the Chargers 287-126 over the final two quarters.

Their offensive explosion led to a pair of touchdowns during the second half, including a one-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Myles Lopez to tight end Alek Flores to make it 28-23 with 2:31 remaining.

The Chargers were unphased by the score, however, with fullback Alvin Trevillion taking the first play of the ensuing drive 50 yards to the end zone and Pineda coming up with his second interception of the night on the following drive to seal their victory.

“We came in and wanted to just play back,” Brownsville Veterans defensive coordinator Lawrence Ellison said. “We gave up a couple of intermediate throws, but I think we got that corrected. … Our kids executed the gameplan. We controlled the run. If they broke one, we just played the next play. The kids never got down or discouraged. They never got scared. They just played. You could see it in their eyes. They were ready to play.”

Trevillion led all rushers with 10 carries for 113 yards and one touchdown. Fullback Cesar Belmontes added 13 carries for 75 yards and two scores, while quarterback Storm Montoya rushed for 77 yards and one touchdown, also adding a 50-yard touchdown pass.

Lopez led the Bears offense with 355 yards and one touchdown through the air. Senior Ryan Vallejo led all receivers with 11 catches for 97 yards, also adding one carry for a touchdown.

The Bears head into a bye week following the loss, looking to regroup before starting district play at 7 p.m. Oct. 10 against Edinburg High at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

The Chargers (3-2) will look to make it two straight wins to close out non-district play, taking on Sharyland Pioneer in their non-district finale at 7 p.m. next Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville.

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EDINBURG — Roughly one week ago the Los Fresnos Falcons found themselves on the wrong side of a second-half onslaught, getting outscored 33-7 by PSJA High en route to their first loss of the season.

This week the Falcons were the ones pouring it on in the second half, scoring five touchdowns during the final two periods to take down the Edinburg High Bobcats 38-14 during a non-district game Thursday at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

“We had a big third quarter,” Los Fresnos head coach David Cantu said. “We came off a game last week in a game last week where PSJA outscored us 21-0 in that same quarter. That was big for us tonight. In the locker room, yes, we were down, but really everybody showed a lot of love for each other at the half. We had a good feeling we were going to come out and play great that third quarter.”

Trailing 7-3 to start the second half, Los Fresnos looked to its defense to turn the tide of the game. The Falcons unit stepped up to the task, with defensive end Zachary Segovia coming up with a third down sack to force the quick punt.

The Los Fresnos’ offense capitalized on its defense forced three-and-out, making quick work of a short field and turning it into a two-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback Robert Piñeda for the Falcons first touchdown of the night.

Piñeda’s touchdown was the first of four scored by the dual-threat signal caller during the second half, adding scoring runs of 1, 1 and 38 yards during the final two quarters to spark the Falcons offense.

He finished with 23 carries for 110 yards and four touchdowns, also going 11-of-19 through the air for 110 yards.

“Robert Piñeda is special,” Cantu said. “He’s a guy that can do it with his legs or his arm. He’s just the hardest worker probably in the whole school. To have that sort of guy, its special. We’re blessed.”

Piñeda was complemented in the backfield by sophomore running back Tyler Stachowiak, who stepped into the starting role after injuries to the Falcons first- and second-string running backs.

The 5-foot-7 ball carrier fought his way between the tackles and around the edges en route to the first 100-yard game of his career.  Stachowiak toted the rock 16 times for 105 yards and a touchdown.

“Tyler is our No. 3 running back,” Cantu said. “Our No. 1, JC Fuentes, got hurt in August before we started. He’s coming back next week. Diego Torres, who was doing a great job as a sophomore, got banged up. Now tonight Tyler as a sophomore too is stepping up. Coach (Alfonso) Senteno has the running backs and does a great job with them. He’s got about two or three more ready to go if we need them.”

The Falcons opened the scoring during the first quarter thanks to 42-yard field goal by kicker Ethan Nolasco on their first drive.

The Bobcats responded with a scoring drive of their own, marching 75 yards on the ensuing possession and capping it off with a three-yard TD run by senior quarterback JT Santa Maria.

Back-to-back touchdowns by Piñeda during the third dug the Bobcats into a 17-7 hole, but a 32-yard touchdown run by Santa Maria brought them back within three heading into the final period.

The Bobcats would get no closer, however, with Piñeda and Stachowiak combining for three touchdowns and the defense holding the Bobcats to just 24 total yards in the final period to secure the win.

“We weren’t focused in the first half honestly,” Piñeda said. “We just had to group together and show that chemistry we’ve always had on offense. We wanted to show that we are a powerhouse and offense, and we could play with any team in the Valley.”

The loss drops the Bobcats to 3-2 on the year, snapping a small two-game winning streak. They’ll get one week off before beginning district play against at 7 p.m. on Oct. 10 at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

The Falcons improve to 4-1 on the year with one final tune up before starting district play. They’ll close out non-district play against Sharyland High (2-2) at 7 p.m. Friday at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium in Los Fresnos.

“We’re hoping to clean up the mistakes and clean up the penalties next week,” Piñeda said. “We just want to play with intensity and that grit to win. That’s what we want to see next week.”

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RGV football fans will be treated to potential playoff matchups as non-district play nears its end this week, with four matchups pitting 31-6A teams against 32-6A competition slated for Week 5.

Kicking things off is a battle between RGVSports.com Top 5A/6A Top 10 teams, as No. 9 Edinburg High (3-1) hosts No. 6 Los Fresnos (3-1).

The Bobcats are coming off their second straight win of the year, taking down previously undefeated Edcouch-Elsa 12-9 on the road to vault them into the top 10 poll for the first time this season.

Meanwhile, the Falcons dropped their first contest of the season last Friday, falling 40-24 to PSJA High in the RGVSports.com Game of the Week. The loss tumbled them down the rankings from No. 3 to No. 6 with the loss.

Kickoff for the game is slated for 7 p.m. today at Richard Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

Another bi-district matchup on deck pits the Brownsville Veterans Chargers (2-2) against the No. 3 PSJA High Bears.

The Chargers are coming off a heartbreaking loss to Laredo Alexander in Week 4, losing 44-42 to the Bulldogs last Friday at home. Still, Brownsville Veterans has the makings of a postseason contender, with a dominant ground attack paving the way. Junior Cesar Belmontes has emerged as the team’s lead back, eclipsing the 100-yard mark during each of the Chargers’ first four games. He’s tallied 499 yards and three touchdowns in four appearances.

On the opposite side, PSJA High is set to deploy the Valley’s most lethal aerial assault, with the Bears averaging 316.3 yards through the air. Senior quarterback Myles Lopez and wideout Ryan Vallejo pace the Bears’ aerial assault, with Lopez ranking No. 1 in the RGV in passing yards (1,265) and Vallejo leading the Valley in receiving yards (555).

Kickoff between the Chargers and Bears is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.

Other Class 6A cross-district clashes during Week 5 include Brownsville Hanna (0-4) taking on La Joya High (0-4) and San Benito (0-4) taking on Weslaco High (2-2).

The Eagles are set to host the Coyotes at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville, and the Greyhounds travel to Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco at 7 p.m. Friday for their game against the Panthers.

For a full look at this week’s upcoming games, click here.

COMING ALIVE

The Weslaco High Panthers have roared to life after an 0-2 start to the season, picking up back-to-back wins to move to .500 on the year.

The Panthers open the season with two straight opponents ranked in the RGVSports.com 5A/6A Top 10, taking on then-No. 3 Harlingen High and then-No. 5 McAllen Memorial to start the year.

A 42-28 loss to the Cardinals and a 45-38 loss to the Mustangs resulted in an 0-2 start, but the Panthers haven’t been deterred, taking care of business at home in Week 3 against Laredo LBJ (27-8) and picking up a close 24-21 victory over Laredo United in Week 4.

Senior quarterback Frankie Trevino, who transitioned from receiver last year, has been pivotal to the Panthers’ success, completing 30-of-52 passes for 636 yards and six touchdowns through the air, and adding 299 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in his first four starts.

Do-it-all athlete Chris Luna has been arguably the team’s biggest weapon this year, hauling in 18 catches for 410 yards and five touchdowns on offense, and also seeing some time at defensive back when needed. His fourth-quarter interception during last week’s game against Laredo United ultimately sealed the Panthers’ second straight win.

Weslaco High will look to make it three straight to close out non-district play, hosting San Benito at 7 p.m. Friday before kicking off district play the following week against La Joya High.

SCORING PROWESS

Some of the Valley’s top scorers this year reside at the Class 6A level, with four of the RGV’s top 20 coming from either District 31-6A of 32-6A.

Brownsville Veterans senior quarterback Storm Montoya and Harlingen High running back Noah Huerta enter Week 5 tied for eighth with 48 points each. Montoya has eight rushing touchdowns to his name this season, with Huerta finding the end zone seven times on the ground and once through the air.

Weslaco High’s Luna is tied for 12th in the area with seven total touchdowns, including two during last week’s win over Laredo United.

Meanwhile, PSJA High wideout Ryan Vallejo vaulted himself into the top 20 with a five-touchdown performance against Los Fresnos in Week 4, bringing his season total to six touchdowns scored.

For a full list of all the area’s stat leaders, click here.

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PHARR — PSJA High’s offense moved the ball with relative ease during the first half against Los Fresnos, racking up over 200 total yards of offense and moving deep into enemy territory on multiple drives.

Penalties and failed fourth down attempts doomed the Bears early, however, entering the second half trailing 17-7.

The second half proved a completely different story, with No. 3 PSJA High exploding for 337 total yards and 33 points en route to a 40-24 comeback victory over the No. 2 Falcons during the RGVSports.com Game of the Week at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.

“We were killing ourselves the first half with penalties,” PSJA High head coach Lupe Rodriguez said. “We were moving the ball but every time we got momentum, we got penalties that would send us back. At halftime I just told them we had to stop killing ourselves. We picked up our tempo a little bit in the second half. I noticed they were getting a little tired so that really helped in the second half.”

PSJA High deployed an aerial assault during the comeback victory, with senior quarterback Myles Lopez throwing for 273 and five touchdown passes during the final two quarters.

On the receiving end of a majority of Lopez’s yardage during the comeback was senior Ryan Vallejo, with the wideout hauling in eight catches for 122 yards and four touchdowns during the second half alone.

Lopez finished the game with an unofficial stat line of 28-of-59 for 459 yards and six touchdowns, while Vallejo hauled in 19 catches for 224 yards and five touchdowns.

“It feels good to ball out with my teammates,” Vallejo said. “All that practice we put in; it showed out. Me and Myles, we’re all there now. We’re coming.”

The Falcons came out firing out of the gate, with running back Diego Torres taking the game’s first carry 75 yards to the end zone to give Los Fresnos a 7-0 lead less than 30 seconds into the contest.

The Bears responded shortly after, with Lopez finding Vallejo for a 10-yard touchdown with 4:31 remaining in the first, their first connection of the game.

A 75-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback Robert Pineda during the second quarter put the Falcons back on top early in the third, with a 20-yard field goal by Ethan Nolasco adding to the lead and sending Los Fresnos into the break with a 17-7 advantage.

The third quarter belonged to the Bears, however, with the Bears scoring three touchdowns during the period to take a 27-17 advantage into the final period. Vallejo scored on catches of 17 and 24 yards during the period, with Ramze Arroyo adding a 42-yard touchdown reception.

A 27-yard touchdown pass on fourth down put the Bears well in control during the fourth, with the score marking the fourth of the day for Vallejo and the fourth straight by the Bears.

“We came out a little slow in the first half, but I told them at the half to trust in me and I’ll trust in them as well,” Lopez said. “I told them we could win this ball game for sure. We’ve been building this chemistry since summer. Almost every day we were out there for hours throwing routes. We were trying to build this chemistry and I think it’s coming around well.”

The Falcons made one final push late during the game, with Pineda finding senior tight end Joshua Laster over the middle for a 21-yard touchdown pass, but it proved too little too late, with the Bears icing the game on a 36-yard touchdown pass from Lopez to Vallejo on the ensuing drive.

Pineda finished the game with 63 passing yards for one touchdown, adding 22 carries for 227 yards and one score.

“The key on defense was them staying patient,” Rodriguez said. “They were over running a lot of plays in the first half that was creating holes for them. We just told them to be patient and keep the quarterback in front of them because we knew how dangerous he is. They did a great job in that second half.”

The loss marks the first of the year for the Falcons, dropping to 3-1 on the season. They’ll look to bounce back on the road next week, taking on Edinburg High (3-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Richard Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

The Bears improve to 3-1 on the year, with the winning marking their second straight. They’ll look to continue rolling at home against Brownsville Veterans (2-2) at 7 p.m. Friday at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.

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MISSION — Sharyland High’s offense executed to near-perfection Thursday, scoring on seven of its eight offensive possessions en route to a dominating 50-11 victory over PSJA Southwest during a non-district contest at Richard Thompson Stadium in Mission.

The Rattlers finished with 441 total yards and seven touchdowns, while also going 6-of-9 on third downs and 2-of-2 on fourth downs.

“I think we dished the ball around,” Sharyland High head coach Craig Krell said. “The first five touchdowns we had were each by different guys. … I think just spreading the ball around helped. We got quite a few guys that can help us out. We don’t need to focus on one guy and I think that makes us harder to defend. Then you got Calvin (Harris) who can run the ball too.”

Leading Sharyland High’s offensive onslaught Thursday was junior quarterback Calvin Harris. The Rattlers gunslinger shared the wealth during the game, connecting with five different receivers for touchdowns during the win.

Harris opened the game with a 39-yard bomb to senior tight end Santiago Longoria for a touchdown during the Rattlers’ opening drive before capping his day with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Mauricio Garza during the fourth.

The junior quarterback added touchdown passes to Francisco Gomez (39 yards), Bruno Cavazos (36 yards) and Mario Mendoza (18 yards) in between. Harris finished the game 21-of-28 for 300 yards and five touchdowns, adding nine carries for 51 yards. Longoria led all receivers with 10 catches for 119 yards and one touchdown.

“First of all, it starts with my line,” Harris said. “None of my passes happen if the line doesn’t block good. Then the receivers. I got to get the ball to them in the right spot at the right time. So, it’s not only me. It’s about my linemen and receivers too.”

Sharyland High’s defense shut down the Javelinas for a majority of the contest, keeping them out of the end zone for three quarters before a 15-yard touchdown pass from Joshua Jorge to Carlos Luna during the fourth.

That’d be the only time the Javelinas would find the end zone, with the offense mustering just 246 total yards and seven first downs on the night.

“You know I thought we cleaned up some things from last week,” Krell said. “Last week we had a ton of penalties. We had a ton of touchdowns called back because of penalties. I thought we needed to clean that up first and foremost. Defensively, we needed to tackle a lot better. We still missed some tackles, but we got a little better today and that was the whole point.”

The loss drops the Javelinas 1-3 on the year with just one more non-district contest remaining on their schedule. They’ll close out non-district play against Edinburg North at 6 p.m. Saturday at Richard Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

Meanwhile, the Rattlers improve to 2-2 on the year with two games remaining on their non-district schedule.

They’ll look to continue rolling on the road next week against Mercedes (2-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Tiger Stadium in Mercedes.

“I just want to see us get better every week going into the last two non-district games,” Krell said. “I want to see us get ready for district play. We have a tough district. We have four opponents who were all district champs last year. We had a three-way tie on our side and Alice was district champs over there. So, our big thing is we have to stay healthy and get better every weekend. We got a bit better today, so we just have to keep doing that every week.”

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