LAREDO — Despite having the Laredo Cigarroa Toros and the Mission Veterans Patriots sitting closely behind them in the standings, Rattlers boys track head coach Eladio Bermudez knew his team was moments away from being crowned district champs going into the 1600-meter run.

“After the 200, we had a good idea,” Bermudez said. “We knew going into the mile that we had a really strong runner that would come up with the win for us. Mission Vets were right on the Toros heels. They were both up there on points. But, realistically, right before the mile, we knew that we pretty much had it in the bag.”

Bermudez hit the nail right on the head, with senior long-distance runner Alex Canales posting a personal best 4:35.59 time in the 1,600 to bring home an individual gold medal and the District 30-5A title on Wednesday night at Shirley Field.

Canales, who also earned first in the 1,600 and third in the 800, is one of five seniors who helped carry the Rattlers to their fifth district title in program history.

Seniors Marc Perez, Kevin Rodriguez, Ricky Falcon and Michael Chapa joined Canales at the podium.

Perez, Rodriguez and Falcon made up three of the four spots on the 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams, which took home the gold at the district meet, as well.

The senior trio fared well individually, as well, with Perez, Rodriguez and Falcon taking first place in the 100, 110 hurdles and long jump, respectively.

“It starts with our coaches,” Falcon said. “They’re a big part of our success. They push us everyday both on and off the track. But also, my team and I made sacrifices to be out there everyday, working hard for that district championship.”

While senior leadership helped carry the team, sophomore Victor Cardenas was crucial to the Rattlers’ victory, serving as the first leg of the 4×100 relay team, while also taking second place in the 100 dash with a time of 11.65 seconds, two-hundredths of a second behind Perez.

Cardenas also left his mark during the 200, qualifying for the area meet after finishing fourth. While Cardenas’ success might come as a surprise to others, Bermudez knew going into the season what he was capable of.

“Last year, he was a pretty big part of our team before COVID hit,” Bermudez said. “He was actually part of the 4×100 last year, as well. He’s also a jumper, but he didn’t have as good of a year jumping as we would have liked, but he more than made up for it in the running events. We expected it though.”

Although running events reigned supreme for the Rattlers, pole vaulter Michael Chapa also contributed to their win, taking home first place with a vault of 14 feet, four feet higher than the second-place finisher.

In total, the Rattlers send seven individual athletes and two relay teams to the area meet, with the five seniors accounting for six individual and two relay gold medals.

“They (the seniors) have been extremely important and a big part of the team,” Bermudez said. “In addition to them, you can add sophomore Victor Cardenas to the bunch. They were primarily the ones who did a majority of the scoring for us in bulk and really carried us to the district championship to be honest.”

Roma Gladiators freshman Diego Rodriguez, who took first place in the 20 after posting a personal best time of 23.25 seconds. Meanwhile, Gladiators senior Jose Lopez earned the district crown in the discus throw, beating La Joya Palmview Lobos freshman Ezequiel De Hoyos with a throw of 126 feet, 3 inches.

Finishing in second in the overall standings were the Toros with 133 points, with the Patriots sitting at third place with 132 points. The Lobos came in fourth place, tallying 89 points.

The competitors for the Region IV-5A area meet are set, with the time, date and location yet to be determined.

MERCEDES — After colliding with Sharyland High Rattlers’ goalkeeper Alejandro Del Marte in the penalty area, Brownsville Porter Cowboys forward Julian Gallegos lined up for a penalty kick.

Without hesitation, Gallegos fired a shot down the middle and through the net, securing his hat trick and helping his team claim a 7-1 victory over the Rattlers on Friday night.

“He (Gallegos) always wants the ball,” Cowboys head coach Jose Espitia said. “He’s one of those players that has a lot of character. When the game gets tough, he always wants the ball at his feet. So, he looks for the ball and he believes in himself. He carries the team on his back. When he’s on fire, like tonight, we let him get the ball.”

Going into the second half with a 4-0 lead — thanks to goals by Isaiah Garza, Brandon Montes and a pair of goals by Gallegos — the Cowboys didn’t let up, looking to put the nail in the coffin.

Despite finding themselves in a five-goal hole following Gallegos’ third goal of the night, the Rattlers continued fighting, finding the back of the net off a shot by Jose Sanchez to cut into the Cowboys’ lead.

The Cowboys responded promptly, adding a pair of goals in the final five minutes, sending them to the Region IV-5A semifinals with a win.

“The kids came out motivated for the match before the game,” Espitia said. “They were excited about it. Fortunately for us, the goals came early and that always helps control the tempo of the game. That forced Sharyland to have to push a little, leaving us with spaces to take advantage of them. That’s how the goals kept coming. We knew they were tough and they weren’t going to give up. We saw that in their game against Lopez. So, we told the kids they couldn’t relax or let up. They kept at it the whole 90 minutes and the goals kept coming in.”

With that, the Rattlers’ season ends, finishing with a 9-6-4 overall record. Despite the loss, Rattlers head coach Reveriano Hernandez remains optimistic about his team.

“Nothing went wrong,” Hernandez said. “They were just a better team. They were more mature and faster than us. Overall, they were just a better team. We have a couple of guys graduating, but most of our kids are coming back next year. So, these guys are going to be back.”

Meanwhile, the Cowboys advance to round 4 of the Region IV-5A postseason, taking on the Dripping Springs Tigers at a time, date and location yet to be determined.

MERCEDES — After the Brownsville Veterans Chargers tied the game with less than two minutes left, the Chargers and Valley Voew Tigers seemed headed to overtime.

The Tigers didn’t get the memo, though, going on the attack seeking the game-winning goal.

With one minute left on the clock, Tigers forward Diego Ontiveros took the ball deep into the penalty area before slipping and nearly losing the ball. After getting up and recovering, Ontiveros crossed the ball to the middle of the field.

Meeting the ball in the middle was Peter Yanez, who cocked his foot back and fired a shot through the back of the net for the go-ahead goal, sending his team to the Region IV-5A semifinals with a 2-1 victory over the Chargers on Friday at Tiger Stadium.

“It feels great to score that goal,” Yanez said. “The match was pretty close all game. It’s just so exciting that I got that goal to send the team to the semifinals.”

The Tigers went into the matchup with a chip on their shoulders, looking to avenge their 2-0 loss to the Chargers earlier this season, their last loss of the year.

“That’s all the team talked about after we beat Rio Grande City,” Salazar said. “They beat us 2-0 last time. We didn’t have a full team, but no excuses. They beat us fair and square. My hats go off to my players. We didn’t have any subs because our starting 11 asked to play the whole game. So, that’s what they did and they brought the win to us.”

After a back-and-forth 75 minutes, the Tigers broke the tie when Ontiveros created some space in the penalty area, before putting the ball over the goalkeeper to give his team a 1-0 lead.

Trailing by one goal, the Chargers pushed the ball, getting the equalizer with 1:55 left in regulation. Finding paydirt was Parsa Setayesh, who put the ball into a wide-open net off a bobble pass by the Tigers’ goalkeeper.

The tie lasted less than 30 seconds, with Ontiveros finding Yanez for the golden goal during the final minute of the match.

“It was all hustle,” Salazar said. “I saw the clock and it was less than two minutes. When I saw Ontiveros take it, he’s one of our best kids, I knew he wasn’t going to shoot the ball. I knew he was going to pass it. He fell down, but he got up. It was all hustle. I don’t want to call it lucky. I just want to call it good hustle by our team. My hat goes off to Coach Vasquez and his team. He always has a good team. So, it’s always tough against them, especially in the playoffs.”

With that, the Chargers’ season ends with an 11-4-3 overall record, after being crowned the district champions and winning their first- and second-round playoff games.

Meanwhile, the Tigers advance to the Region IV-5A semifinals, taking on the San Antonio Southwest Dragons at a time, date and location yet to be determined

Following the recent death of his grandfather, Hidalgo Pirates sophomore forward Rey Cantu took the field with extra motivation during Thursday night’s Region IV-4A quarterfinals matchup.

Despite his recent loss, Cantu decided to join his teammates on the pitch, with the goal of making his grandpa proud.

The sophomore striker excelled in his goal, scoring twice to carry the Pirates to a 4-2 victory over the Brownsville IDEA Riverview Rockets at H-E-B Park.

“Sadly, I lost someone close to me recently,” Cantu said. “That weighed heavy on my heart. I felt he was with me at every moment, though. That’s why I dedicate these two goals to him. That’s why I pointed to the sky after each of them.”

Cantu’s biggest score of the night came 22 minutes into the second half. With the game deadlocked at 1, the Pirates crossed the ball into the penalty area.

Locked in on the ball, Cantu slid to where it was landing, tapping the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net with his left foot to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead.

Following Cantu’s goal, the rout was on with senior defender Angel Lopez and junior midfielder Ernseto Moreno netting goals during the 71st and 75th minutes of the match to give the Pirates a 4-1 lead.

“We were losing a lot of easy balls in the middle and making a lot of mistakes in the middle of the field,” Pirates coach Zeke Morales said. “So, we made a couple of adjustments and corrections. Luckily, we have a couple of forwards out there who are pretty fast and pretty talented. With them, we were able to execute in the end and were able to make that run.”

Following a back-and-forth start to the match, the Pirates broke the tie with nine minutes left during the first half.

After taking a pass near midfield, Pirates junior midfielder Edgar Guerra got crafty with his footwork, losing multiple Rockets defenders along the way.

Near the penalty area, Guerra tapped the ball back to a wide-open Rey Cantu. The sophomore forward did the rest, firing a powerful shot past and Rockets’ goalkeeper to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead.

The advantage was short-lived though, as Rockets sophomore forward Haziel Mejia showed off his moves, losing the goalkeeper and finding an empty net for his seventh goal of the postseason, sending the game into the break at 1-1.

After a three-goal scoring explosion by the Pirates, the Rockets cut into the deficit following a goal by sophomore defender Antonio Soto with six minutes left in regulation.

With that, the Rockets historic season comes to an end, earning their first-ever district title and playoff appearance along the way, all without a single senior on their roster.

“It all comes down to the bond that they created,” Rockets head coach Rodolfo Rodriguez said. “It all started with the practice. It’s been a tough year because of COVID, but we made it happen. They learned how to deal with the challenges of having a smaller team. I think that’s what made them the strongest, knowing they’d be going up against bigger teams. And mentally, they did it.”

Meanwhile, the Pirates march forward into familiar territory, returning to the Region IV-4A semifinals after losing in the area round during the 2019 season.

The Pirates take on the Taylor Ducks in Round 4 of the postseason at a time, date and location yet to be determined.

McALLEN — PSJA Memorial Wolverines senior Wiliams Macias never envisioned becoming a track star. Duringg his sophomore year, Macias joined the track team to stay in shape for soccer season.

During his first year, Macias showed promise, coming in second place in one of his first meets ever. Still, he was not ready to commit to the sport, stating it was too tiring for his liking.

Not convinced by his own success, his teammates tricked him into attending another meet, inviting him to come “practice” with the team. What Macias didn’t know was that he would be taking part in another meet.

“I didn’t like the sport,” Macias said. “So, they tricked me. They called me and told me to come to the stadium for some practice. So, I said yes and that I would be right there. Once I got there, I saw it was a meet, but I had to run it.”

After the deception by his teammates, Macias admits he began to like the sports, eventually hanging up his cleats for a pair of running shoes.

The decision by Macias has proven to be a wise one, establishing himself as one of the top distance runners in Texas, not losing a race since the 5A regional meet during his sophomore year.

On Wednesday night, Macias made strides toward his goal of a state title, taking home the gold in the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs at the District 31-5A meet at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium. In doing so, Macias earned MVP honors for the meet, scoring 30 points for his team.

With that, Macias also advances to the Region IV-5A area meet, hoping to make his return to the regional meet in April.

During his sophomore season, Macias shared the track with current Texas Longhorns and former Wolverines standout Cruz Gomez.

Macias said he learned a lot watching Gomez run that season, but nothing stuck with him more than his work ethic.

“I learned, from him, that talent exists, but it’s more important to have heart,” Macias said. “You have to want to learn and be great at your sport. I can have the talent, but I am not going to win with talent alone all the time. I have to keep training and go to practices. So, the most important thing is to have heart.”

Going into his junior year, Macias had his eyes set on breaking Gomez’s records and getting to the state meet after falling just short the previous year. The talented senior was on pace to reach his goal, placing first in each of his three meets, before the COVID-19 pandemic prematurely ended his year.

Now in his final year of high school track, the goals remain the same for Macias, with his eyes set on the No. 1 spot in the PSJA Memorial record books in the 1,600 and 3,200 races. Currently, the talented senior sits at No. 2 in the record books in both races.

“My goal this year is to beat my personal records from last year,” Macias said. “It’s not easy to beat your times, but I’m the only one who can do it. I also want to beat his (Cruz Gomez’s) records this year. But, more importantly, I want to win state because I feel like I was so close last year.

While Macias shone in the running events, McAllen High Bulldogs senior Olivia Tite etched her name into the District 31-5A meet record books, crushing the pole vault record of 10 feet with a vault of 10 feet, 6 inches.

Tite, who earlier this year broke the school record with a vault of 10-7, was one of the nine girls earning gold medals, helping the Bulldogs claim the District 31-5A title with an overall score of 215. Sharyland High, McAllen Memorial, and Sharyland Pioneer finished in second, third and fourth places, respectively.

On the boys side, the McAllen High Bulldogs claimed the District 31-5A title, outscoring the second-place Sharyland Pioneer Diamondbacks by 69 points. The PSJA Memorial Wolverines and the McAllen Memorial Mustangs finished in third and fourth place, respectively.

Helping the Bulldogs claim the title was the 4×400 relay team, which earned its sixth gold medal of the season in as many races. Led by Jose Rios, Kolton Ottmers, Michael Gower and Jonah Corona, the Bulldogs go into the area meet with the sixth-fastest time in Class 5A this season with a time of 3:25.44.

With that, the Region IV-5A area meet has its qualifiers from District 31-5A, with details on the date, time and location of the meet pending.

DONNA — Holding a 1-0 lead over the Donna North Chiefs with 1:15 left during the second half, the Los Fresnos Falcons’ Adrian Longoria lined up for a free kick from 30 yards.

With the wind behind him, Longoria sailed the ball over the goalkeeper’s outstretched arms and into the net to seal a 2-0 victory for the Falcons on Wednesday morning at Donna North High School.

“We knew they were going to come at us with everything they had because they were fighting for their playoff lives,” Falcons head coach Michael Miller said. “So, we knew we’d get their best shot. I just told my guys that they had to want it more. This was our chance. This district has been so hard this year. We went through so much from games being postponed, to the freeze and back-to-back games. These boys stayed with it and fought hard and found a way today. It wasn’t pretty, but we found a way to get those three points we needed.”

One win away from the district crown, the Falcons wasted no time getting on the board. Five minutes into the match, Gilberto Garza corralled a pass inside the penalty area and put the ball through the goal before the goalkeeper had a chance to react.

Following Garza’s goal, the Chiefs’ defense tightened up, holding the Falcons scoreless the remainder of the half.

Needing a win to keep pace with Brownsville Rivera for the fourth playoff spot in the district, the Chiefs came out of the break on the attack, looking to erase their deficit.

The equalizer nearly came for the Chiefs when defender Alan Chavez found a streaking Enrique Rodriguez inside the box with five minutes left during regulation.

After controlling the ball, Rodriguez was met by a familiar site, a trio of Falcons defenders swarming to the ball, as the Falcons held on for a 2-0 win.

With that, the Falcons extend their winning streak to nine games, while securing the District 32-6A title. Meanwhile, the Chiefs’ loss puts their postseason berth in jeopardy, needing Brownsville Rivera to drop their final two games to have a chance to get in.

“We are going to keep fighting until the end,” Chiefs head coach Andres Sanchez said. “Anything can happen. We just have to be ready and take our chance. If they (Brownsville Rivera) drop the ball, we’re going be ready to pick it up. We can’t afford to give up yet. There is still one more game. They still have to win four points. It’s not over until it’s over.”

The Chiefs (6-7) host the San Benito Greyhounds in their regular season finale at 6 p.m. Monday. Meanwhile, the Falcons (12-0-1) face off against the visiting Harlingen High Cardinals at 6 p.m. Monday, as well.

McALLEN — With 1:46 left in regulation, PSJA Memorial’s Jovanny Balderrama took control of the ball just outside the box.

After creating some space, Balderrama fired off a 30-yard strike past the goalkeeper to give the Wolverines the lead late during the match.

With 12 seconds left, the Mustangs made one final attempt to tie the game. Following a throw into the penalty area, a group of Mustangs attempted to head the ball into the goal.

The attempt sailed wide left and out of bounds, as the Wolverines held on for a thrilling 2-1 victory in the District 31-5A regular-season finale Tuesday at McAllen Memorial High School.

The Wolverines went into the game in fourth place, trailing the Mustangs by one point in the standings. With the win, the Wolverines jumped into third place in the district, dropping the Mustangs to fourth.

“We have been telling our boys that every game we play is a big game,” Wolverines head coach Javier Gonzalez said. “Finishing off district with a win was very important to keep ourselves motivated for our playoff game. In our first matchup, we had five starters out. I knew that with a full team the game could go our way.”

After a scoreless 29 minutes to open the match, the Wolverines’ Jesus Flores broke the tie, putting the ball through the middle of the net to give his team a 1-0 lead.

Late during the half, the Mustangs’ Marcos De La Cruz knotted the game up, muscling past a Wolverines defender before ricocheting a shot off the goalkeeper’s gloves and into the net.

The Wolverines held off multiple Memorial attacks during the second half, including a diving save with 12:38 left in regulation by goalkeeper Esdras Rivera, who was the last line of defense for the Wolverines, coming away with a 2-1 victory.

The Wolverines go into the postseason as one of the hottest teams in the Valley, winning five of their final seven game while climbing up to No. 3 in the district.

“This season hasn’t been a normal season, not even close,” Gonzalez said. “We didn’t start practice until Dec. 7. Most of the boys weren’t even playing in leagues before that. It took time to get them up to speed. We practiced four days and had our first scrimmage. As the days and games went by, our players started to get used to the game plan and we started getting better outcomes.”

The Wolverines (7-3-4) await the end of District 32-5A play, facing off against the runner-up in the first round of the playoffs at a time and date TBD. Meanwhile, the Mustangs (7-5-2) open the postseason against the District 32-5A champion at a time and date to be determined, as well.

PHARR — The last time the Valley View Tigers and the Sharyland High Rattlers met on the field, the Tigers needed penalty kicks to come out victorious.

This time, the Tigers scored three times during the first half on their way to a dominating 4-1 win in their District 31-5A regular season finale Friday night at Valley View High School.

Despite already having the district title locked up, the Tigers were determined to finish the season with a perfect district record.

Leading the charge for the Tigers was junior captain Pablo Torre. With 16:13 left in the first half and his team up 2-0, Torre took a pass and made a move on a Rattlers defender before flying past another pair of defenders and finding the back of the net to give his team a commanding 3-0.

Despite being the third Tigers player to score, Torre made his presence felt all night long. Nine minutes into the match, Torre used his chest to intercept a free kick attempt by the Rattlers.

After controlling the ball, Torre took the ball 60 yards down field, outmaneuvering multiple Rattlers defenders along the way, before winding up and firing a shot that ricocheted off the goalkeeper’s hands.

With the defense focused on Torre, Tigers forward Peter Yanez found the ball off the rebound with an empty net in front of him and hammered in his first goal of the night to give Valley View a 1-0 lead.

With his goal, Torre finished district play averaging 2.6 goals per game, scoring 37 goals in 14 games, while leading his team to a District 31-5A title.

“He (Torre) came into this year a totally different horse,” Tigers head coach Gerardo Salazar said. “His parents told us he had been working hard all summer. He looks like a senior but he’s only a junior. We’re lucky that we have him. But also, as a captain, he has been very vocal in practices and stuff like that. We’re lucky to have him. He’s our best player by far.”

Coming out of the half with a 3-1 lead with goals by Yanez, Torre and midfielder Diego Ontiveros, the Tigers slowed the ball down in the second half looking to hold their lead.

Yanez scored his second goal of the night with 3:20 left in the match to help the Tigers finish the season with a 4-1 win with their focus now shifting to the playoffs.

“Playoffs are playoffs,” Salazar said. “Coach Magallan had teams in the past who were super good and lost in the first round. Soccer is soccer. You have to score to win. Our goal is to go to state and that should be our goal. We’re just going to take it one game at a time. We don’t know who we are going to play, but we are going to concentrate on us.”

The Tigers finish the season as the undisputed District 31-5A champions, beating every team in the district twice along the way. Meanwhile, the Rattlers finish the season as the runner-up.

With both teams locked in for the playoffs, they now sit back and wait for their opponent as well as the time and date of their match.

McALLEN — The McAllen High Bulldogs track teams put on a dominating performance with both the boys and girls cruising to first place at the eighth annual McAllen ISD Invitational track meet Saturday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Bulldogs senior pole vaulter Olivia Tite came away with gold after clearing a height of 10 feet, 7 inches. With the mark, Tite vaulted into the McAllen High School record books, breaking Sarah Solis’ school record of 10-6 set in 2017.

Tite holds two of the top three spots in the McHi pole vault record books, with her mark of 9-7 from 2018 sitting at No. 3 on the list.

Sharyland Pioneer’s Daisy Monie also stood out in the girls’ field events. While her team did not place in the overall standings, Monie captured first in both the shot put and discus.

Monie, who signed her letter of intent to continue her track and field career at the University of Houston, broke meet records in both of her events, throwing for 134-1 in the discus and 40-6 in the shot put.

On the boys’ side, another Bulldogs competitor claimed the top spot in the pole vault with senior Gavin Britton winning gold after clearing 12-6, tied for his personal best from last year and third in Bulldogs’ history.

On the track, the Bulldogs were no strangers to the podium with the boys’ team, claiming the top spot in the 400- 800- and 1,600-meter relays. The girls fared just as well, taking gold in the 400- and 800-meter relays, while running to second in the 1,600-meter relay behind the Weslaco High Panthers, who placed second overall in both the boys and girls overall team standings.

Individually, the Bulldogs continued their dominating day with Holden Hood and Caleb Killian blazing past the competition to earn gold in the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles, respectively.

On the day, the Bulldogs took the gold in sixteen events, while also earning eight silver medals and nine bronze medals, on their way to the overall team win, with both teams demolishing the next-closest team by nearly 70 points.

The girls team finished with 204.33 points, with the Weslaco High Panthers coming in second with 136 points and Sharyland High finishing third with 101.16 points. Meanwhile, the boys team came out on top with 189 points. The Panthers finished No. 2 in the overall standings with 118 points, while the Sharyland Pioneer Diamondbacks left with the bronze after scoring 98 points.

With the win, the Bulldogs girls team has now placed first in both of their meets this season, while the boys came away with their first overall team win on the year after placing second at the 14th Annual Bobby Morrow Relays.

The Bulldogs will hit the track again Feb. 27 at the Jacket Invitational at Benny Layton Senior Memorial Stadium in Elsa.

EDINBURG — With his team up 2-0 late in the game, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln Huskies midfielder Alan Zaleta wound up and unleashed a shot from 45 yards. All eyes turned to the ball as it floated through the air before finding its way into the net.

The goal, Zaleta’s second of the night, was the final statement of the night as the Huskies cruised to a dominating 3-0 victory over the Edinburg North Cougars on Friday at Richard R. Flores Stadium.

The Huskies opened the game looking to attack the stingy Edinburg North defense. With all 10 Cougars playing back, the Huskies had a hard time getting through early.

Zaleta finally broke free, scoring his first goal of the match with 22:05 remaining in the first half as he fired a shot from 25 yards out that was swatted away by the Cougars’ goalkeeper.

Moments later, Zaleta earned redemption. After receiving a pass from the corner, Zaleta maneuvered his way around the Edinburg North defense to create space before delivering a strike to give his team a 1-0 lead.

Six minutes later, the Huskies scored again as Marco Veliz curved a shot over the goalkeeper for a 2-0 advantage going into the break.

The Cougars moved away from their defensive game plan and went on the attack during the second half. With 30:54 left in the match, Axel Saenz, the District 31-6A leading scorer, outran the Huskies defense with only the goalkeeper to beat. Huskies goalkeeper Bryan Martinez dove and blocked Saenz’s shot to save the shutout. It was Martinez’s second big save of the night to preserve the shutout.

The Huskies have won six straight games since their season-opening tie with the Edinburg High Bobcats. During the win streak, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln has been anchored by its defense, having allowed only one goal.

“We have been consistent with practices,” Huskies head coach Victor Ramos said. “The guys have been getting to know more of each other on the field and getting confidence, as well.”

The Huskies sit alone atop the District 31-6A standings at the end of the first round play as they seek to capture their fifth straight district crown. Sitting closely behind La Joya Juarez-Lincoln is Edinburg High.

“We knew that this game was very crucial for us to allow us to distance ourselves from Edinburg High who is right behind us,” Ramos said. “It’s also crucial to be close to the fifth consecutive district title.”

The Huskies (6-0-1) travel to Edinburg High at 8 p.m. Tuesday. The Cougars (4-2-2) will crosstown rival Edinburg Economedes, also at 8 p.m. Tuesday.