Raider Curtain: PSJA North defense aims to keep the pressure up into the area round

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

PHARR — In Greek Mythology, Orthrus is a vicious two-headed dog obviously capable of an attack on two fronts.

PSJA North football is no myth, but they do have players on both sides of the ball ready to bite down and dictate the outcome of a game.

In the area round Friday afternoon against San Benito, the Raiders aggressive defense will be just as vital as their dynamic offense.

Senior Zeth Arevalo has played both offense and defense at the varsity level; this year he’s an anchor in the linebacker core with 54 tackles, seven for a loss.

His team takes pride in plays that disrupt an offense in their backfield.

“They’re game-changing,” Arevalo said. “We get a sack, it drops them back 10 yards max, maybe more. It just opens up a lot more opportunities for our defense and especially our offense.

PSJA North was second only to PSJA High’s high-flying offense in points scored and yards per game in 30-6A end of season statistics.

On defense, the Raiders were second-to-none. Thanks to their Week 11 shutout of McHi, where they only allowed 140 yards, North overtook La Joya as 30-6A’s best defense through the regular season.

“It feels great,” senior defensive end Albert Elizondo said. “It was one of our goals this year, to be the top defense and just keep going and not stop.”

In the bi-district round against Laredo United South, the defense recorded six sacks, 10 total tackles for a loss and a late interception to seal the one-possession victory.

After a disappointing 2-8 season a year ago, the Raiders had a lot to prove. The team allowed more than 28 points just one time in 2017 but lost a handful of close games. That led the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football to pick the Raiders to finish last in the district; a selection that’s served as a rally point for North.

“We wanted to show what we are capable of and when the prediction came out of us being last, we took that to heart,” Arevalo said. “So we put our work in the weight room and when football came around we just stayed focused.”

The Raiders have their share of players having outstanding seasons on offense. Arturo Beltran has scored 23 touchdowns in 11 games, quarterback Iziaah Rangel has 1,570 yards passing and 1,331 yards rushing.

The defense also boasts some studs on their “black shirt defense.” Junior Aaron Alvarez has 16 sacks and fellow junior Seven Sanchez is the team leader in tackles with 167 plus six sacks and three interceptions, including the aforementioned pick to secure the bi-district win.

“If you can (bring pressure) with the front four, then you got something,” Raiders coach Marcus Kaufmann said. “With Aaron, we knew he was going to be good, but we had no idea that he was going to become what he was going to become. He was another one of those quiet kids that didn’t say much and now he’s over there dancing.”

Defensive coordinator Will Littleton credited his d-line for playing with “relentless effort” to be a catalyst for the entire unit.

“One thing about football, no matter what style of football you’re playing against—whether you’re playing against spread teams or against power football teams, it starts up front,” Littleton said. “If you don’t have a defensive line, you can’t control the line of scrimmage it’s very hard to control offenses. We put a lot of muscle up there. Those guys had a great off-season.”

Through 11 games that defensive front has been a force. The team has 42 total sacks, many of them made by linemen or just made possible due to the constant pressure.

After North’s bi-district win, safety Sanchez summed up the connection between secondary, linebackers and their powerful line in a tweet. “Big shout out to my d-linemen, they some dawgs.”

The Orthrus Raiders will fight to fend off Hercules for another week when they host San Benito at 2 p.m. Friday afternoon at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

PHARR — PSJA North already held a 13-6 lead and were pushing to extend its advantage to two possessions over visiting Laredo United South in the Class 6A DI Bi-District round in the second quarter.

Then came the whistle. A whistle that shouldn’t have been blown and nearly derailed the Raiders train to the second round.

Senior quarterback Iziaah Rangel faked a handoff to running back Isaac Gonzalez and fooled almost all of PSJA Stadium, including the officials who blew the play dead, by holding onto the football.

Meanwhile, Rangel was standing in the end zone for a touchdown that didn’t count.

The Raiders made sure that moment wasn’t the defining play of the game by beating United South 25-17 to advance to the area round.

PSJA North didn’t punch the ball in for a touchdown on the next two plays and missed the field goal attempt on fourth down.

“We were kind of shaky about it, but we just came together as a team and got it done,” Rangel said after the win.

Directly after the missed field goal, the Panthers marched downfield to take advantage of the situation. Brian Benavides scored the touchdown and two-point conversion to put United South up 14-13.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Raiders made a memorable moment of their own. Nathan Salinas began the return but the ball came loose. The ball landed in the hands of his brother, Marco Salinas who went the remaining 70 yards for a score and quick response.

“He’s my brother so I knew I had to be there for him,” Marco Salinas said. “I saw the ball come out and my instinct was just to take it and go. The hole was already there it was just those two guys.”

The Raiders retook the lead that they only relinquished for mere seconds and never let go.

“We needed to score so that our team could know we were going to win and that we could come out harder in the second half,” Marco Salinas said.

The first 24 minutes was full of special teams adventures. North kicker Jose Alvarez was battling through a toe injury which contributed to two missed extra points and a missed field goal.

United’s Robert Ortiz missed an extra point but nailed a field goal during the game.

Arturo Beltran scored PSJA North’s first two touchdowns on drives set up by a balanced attack of Rangel’s passing and rushing ability.

Rangel led his team in scoring with 117 yards on the ground. In the second half, he finally found himself in the end zone with a one-yard rushing score.

“It feels good, especially if the linemen keep blocking for me like they’re doing,” Rangel said. “We can give a break to the other good runners we have on our team.”

Rangel was 8 for 14 through the air.

Even though the first half was an offensive onslaught, the second half delivered much tighter action.

North’s defense played strong to slow Benavides, who had gashed the defense in the first half for two scores.

“This is what we’ve been training for all year,” Senior linebacker Ryan Reyna said. “When we work together this is the turnout we get. This is all we’ve been working for and we got it.

The Panthers were held to just a field goal in the second half. Aaron Alvarez, Albert Elizondo and Zeth Arevalo all recorded sacks on Efrain Hernandez.

Seven Sanchez clinched the win with an interception on fourth down.

“The first half was really anyone’s ball game. In that third and fourth quarter that’s when we really started picking up,” North senior Arturo Beltran said.

The win marks the first time PSJA North advances in the postseason since 2009.

“What’s good about what happened to us early in the year, the fumbles and those type of deals, is the fight back, no matter what happens,” Raiders coach Marcus Kaufmann said. “(The called-back touchdown) wasn’t caused by us in that situation, but we had to persevere and come back.”

The Raiders keep chugging in the 6A DI playoffs. They will host San Benito at 2 p.m. Friday. The Greyhounds knocked out Edinburg High in bi-district.

“If you were in the stands right here it got pretty loud,” Kaufmann said. “Hopefully it’s even more people here next week helping us out. Our kids are real emotional kids and they feed off that.”

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

PHARR — With 2:50 to play and their season on the line, the PSJA High Bears were given new life. A pass interference against visiting Eagle Pass gave PSJA a first down, and less than a minute later wide receiver senior Miguel Flores caught a ball in stride thrown by fellow senior Trey Guajardo for a 50-yard score. The two-point conversion was good, the game was knotted at 28.

The 30-6A district champion Bears had momentum heading into overtime but the visiting Eagles were composed, resilient and a 21-yard touchdown pass from Ricardo Luna to Oscar Castillon became the game-winning points.

Eagle Pass prevailed 34-28 in overtime to advance to the area round against bi-district victors Brownsville Hanna.

“It hurts a little bit but I’m just proud of the way we came out and fought toward the end,” Guajardo said. “They never gave up toward the end. I gave them a little motivation at halftime that ‘We’re in this game, we’re here for a reason, there’s no doubt.’ Hats off to Eagle Pass, they played a great game.”

Guajardo was not at 100 percent all night; neither were many of his teammates.

The Bears lost a lineman and Marco Guajardo battled through an obvious ankle injury that was limiting his mobility. Miguel Flores played hurt until he had to leave the game during PSJA’s overtime drive.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t want to be part of another team,” Trey Guajardo said. “Here with coach Lupe (Rodriguez) and here with the Bears, I’ve had a great four years. It’s been a great ride.”

Eagle Pass jumped out to an early lead after stopping PSJA on a fourth-down attempt on its own side of the field.

Even after the Bears tied the game and took a 10-7 lead on a 42-yard Jared DeLeon field goal, Eagle Pass kept coming in the first half.

“It was a tough game, we knew PSJA is a district champion, they’re a very strong football team,” Eagle Pass coach Tom Gonzalez said. “We knew we had to play one of our best games of the year. I think our kids came out on fire in the first half.”

Eagle Pass quarterback Ricardo Luna was a difference maker all night. In the first half, he hit Rey Mendoza on similar fade routes from 29 yards in the first quarter and 22 in the second.

He finished the night with four touchdown passes, including the winner.

Junior running back J.R. Vasquez was important for the Bears. He scored the first two touchdowns for PSJA, including one in the final minutes of the second quarter to cut the deficit to 21-17 at the break.

“The way we rebounded from the first half, we knew we were struggling a little bit,” Guajardo said. “We knew that’s an opportunity. For us seniors, we knew this was an important game not only for us but for our families. With my family right now, it really hit me a little bit.”

Trey Guajardo was knocked out of the game for one drive in the fourth, but returned the next series with under five minutes to play.

“He was cramping real bad and that last drive he told me ‘Coach no, the team needs us, let’s go – let’s score,’” Rodriguez said of his quarterback. “I had no doubt he was going to come back, no matter how hurt he was. I knew he didn’t want to end his career on the sideline.”

The late game-tying drive was set up by Jared DeLeon’s second field goal of the night to make the score 28-20. PSJA defensive back Andrew Listz gave the Bears a huge lift with their first takeaway, an interception near midfield.

Guajardo had 357 passing yards. Not surprisingly both Flores and Marco Guajardo each had over 100 receiving yards, Marco led the way with 184.

Marco was his cousin Trey’s go-to target most of the night and frequently got the ball when the Bears needed a first.

“That’s the bond that few teams have,” Trey Guajardo said. “There’s no doubt that I’m going to miss playing with these guys, Marco especially. The bond that we had on and off the field was amazing, we knew each other like the back of our hand.”

Unfortunately for PSJA the season ended on a rare missed connection between the pair. Trey had Marco available on a slant route but the ball was behind the speedy receiver.

“It’s been a very special year and year long our kids have stepped up to the challenge,” Rodriguez said. “Tonight was a challenge. I told them it was going to be a battle. It’s the playoffs and everybody is going to come ready to play. I’m real proud of them. I’m not proud of the outcome but I am proud of their performance tonight.”

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

PHARR — PSJA North wide receiver Arturo Beltran is blonde. His platinum hair is no fashion statement; instead, it’s a colorful badge of honor to signify that the Raiders are back in the postseason after a two-year absence.

He’s one of many football players roaming the halls on the Pharr campus with bright dyed hair to remind the student body North is still alive.

The Raiders will host Laredo United South at 5 p.m. Saturday at PSJA Stadium.

“It feels good because when we were sophomores and freshmen we wanted to be in the playoffs. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen our time when we were freshmen, sophomores or juniors,” Beltran said. “Now, it’s our senior season and it means a lot because it’s our year, the 2019 year. We came a long way since the cellar and since day one freshman year.”

After a few seconds of talking to Beltran, it’s almost hard to picture him as an intense competitor.

At 6-foot-1, the size is there, but he’s soft-spoken and his smile never seems to leave his face. But when the lights are on during game night, he puts on his silver and black No. 3 and he transforms into ‘Turi,’ which is what his teammates call him.

Turi is anything but soft on the field. The senior accounted for 21 of the Raiders 41 touchdowns in 2018 to finally fulfill his potential in Marcus Kaufmann’s offense.

“Ever since I came to Raiders, I always knew that my name was going to be up there and my face was going to be out there exposed,” Beltran said. “It was just patience from sophomore year I wasn’t really playing that much and junior year I didn’t really get the ball that much. But senior year: last time, best time. I’m glad I’m able to compete with the best. It all starts with summer workouts, being here early and playing with my brothers.”

Twelve of his scores came on the ground and another eight came receiving passes. One of his scores came on special teams as he jumped on a muffed punt in the end zone.

The key to unlocking the player that can seemingly do it all for North is not forcing him. With the addition of quarterback Iziaah Rangel, who transferred from Edinburg North and Isaac Gonzalez who transitioned from middle school to high school, the Raiders have become multi-dimensional.

Rangel rushed for 1,198 yards to lead the team, Gonzalez added 793 on the ground. In the passing game, Beltran led the team with 634 receiving yards but four of his teammates also had more than 100 yards.

Kaufmann has enjoyed watching Beltran come out of his shell off the field and become explosive on the field.

“He was a real quiet kid when I got here, real to himself, real shy but now he’s the homecoming king for the school,” Kaufmann said. “He’s scoring touchdowns, smiling, running around having a blast and everyone’s following him. He’s a great kid, he’s fun to watch.”

The turnaround from last year’s 2-8 season couldn’t have been complete without the defense clamping down. Fellow senior Ryan Reyna has been an anchor on that side of the ball.

Multiple Raiders stand out as hard hitters and aggressive ball pursuers, but Kaufmann identified Reyna as their leader.

“With the defense, we talk about 11 hats to the football, you hear them yelling ‘bang, bang’ cause those are the shots we’re going to take on people,” Kaufmann said. “Ryan has pretty much been the headhunter for that entire group. He’s not the fastest guy, but he plays fast on the field. He’s not afraid of anything and the kids kind of feed off of that.”

Reyna has 112 tackles (37 solos) this season, behind only Seven Sanchez. He also had a pair of sacks, an interception and a forced fumble.

In the final game of the season, PSJA North surpassed La Joya High as 30-6A’s best defense in terms of yards allowed. (270.9 per game) after the Coyotes held the position all year.

“When we see yards coming up on us we don’t like that so we want to meet the contact, we want to drive them back, make their heads pop up,” Reyna said. “When we go back and watch film we get hyped when we see that.”

Seven Sanchez led the team with 154 tackles (62), three forced fumbles and two recovered. Defensive lineman Aaron Alvarez had 16 sacks.

“He’s very special, we’ve been playing together since freshman year, he’s been working and grinding ever since then,” Reyna said of Beltran. “To see (the offense) when I’m on the sidelines it makes us on defense want to work hard for our offense. As soon as they come back in we want to show them you help us out, we’ll help you out. We work together.”

Ryan’s older brother Randy was the Raiders quarterback until he graduated; now Ryan is carrying the flame and passing tradition to his non-blood ‘blackshirt’ brothers.

“It means a lot to all of us because we started a tradition to be in the playoffs every year,” Reyna said. “We want the older ones to build up this bond we have.”

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — McAllen Rowe outside hitter Jackie Alanis slammed home her last emphatic kill in the RGV in the playoffs. On Wednesday afternoon Alanis was able to look forward to her next chapter of volleyball as she signed to Division I Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La.

The Warriors standout had 890 kills as a senior to help Rowe into its third postseason appearance in her three years at the high school.

Even with the college selected months in advance, the ceremony brought a mix of emotions

“I was nervous at first but in the end, it turned into excitement and happiness,” Alanis said. “I realized that my work and whatever all my coaches told me to do paid off and this day I’m going DI. I want to thank my parents, my coaches and all my friends and family. Without them, I don’t think I’d be able to do it.”

In Alanis’ three seasons at Rowe and one season at PSJA High, she recorded more than 2,000 kills to become one of the most feared attackers in Valley volleyball.

“It’s very fulfilling to see that one of our players is going up to the next level,” Rowe coach Magda Canales said. “I had no doubt. Jackie has always been so assertive and she knows what she wants. It’s very exciting to see her go to the next level; I can just imagine the things she’s going to do out there.”

Her father, Jose Garcia, could be seen at every Warriors volleyball game. His daughter’s full-ride scholarship was an accomplishment and a relief for him.

“It’s a dream come true,” Garcia said. “Honestly, it was her goal since middle school, to hopefully get seen by somebody and play at the highest level. All that hard work, all those years she put in, all those hours, it’s well-deserved for her.”

Alanis was happy to have a chance to give back to her family who has helped her emotionally and financially as she competed on travel teams and played the sport year round.

“It was hard. They did everything possible to get me where I am today. By me signing today it’s me repaying for everything you’ve done for me. This is me showing them thank you for pushing me and believing in me. I’ll pay you back cause you’re going to see me in college and I’m going to get my career and I’m going to take care of you.”

Nicholls State plays in the Southland conference which means league matches against Sam Houston State, Houston Baptist, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Lamar, Incarnate Word and Abilene Christian within Texas.

The Colonels have played non-conference matches against Texas A&M, Memphis, Miami and Oklahoma in the past two seasons.

“It’s going to be fun because we are going to play some hard teams and I know that we’re not going to win all of them,” Alanis said. “I know it’s going to be fun games competing against them.”

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MISSION — A year ago Mission High didn’t play any games at the newly renovated Tom Landry Hall of Fame Stadium. This year, on their home turf, Mission celebrated their first playoff appearance since the 2012 season with a 21-14 win over La Joya High on Friday.

The Eagles (8-2, 5-2) were able to hang onto a narrow lead all evening to keep the Coyotes out of postseason play.

Impactful defense and the combination of junior Tito Moronata and freshman quarterback Jeremy Duran on offense was enough to hold off La Joya (6-4, 3-4).

Even though the Eagles were led by a freshman under center, Detmer gave a shout out to his senior group that gets a taste of the postseason in their final run.

“It’s really special,” Detmer said. “That group has been through a tough stretch. They hadn’t had a winning season let alone seeing a playoff season. Every year that they’ve experienced has been losing more games than you win. So to see those guys and all the hard work that they put, they were freshman when (the coaching staff) first got here in the spring, to see them finally get over the hump and put together a good season, it’s a big deal.”

Moronta scored a rushing touchdown to give Mission a 6-0 heading into halftime. Fellow running back, who doubles as a linebacker, Andrew Maldonado had an interception in the red zone with time running out in the second quarter to preserve the lead.

“The defense was awesome all night and they’ve been great all year. Particularly the last three weeks they’ve been outstanding. La Joya is a really good offensive team. They’re tough to stop, big offensive line, big (running) back and they run the ball well on everybody. For our defense to go out there and have the night they did was really special.”

Duran found Moronta in the air for a passing score and hit his big tight end Rey Garcia for his second passing touchdown.

Mission High will play Laredo United on the road next Friday in the Class 6A Div. 1 playoffs.

DISTRICT 31-6A

WESLACO HIGH 57, EDINBURG NORTH 6: At Weslaco, junior receiver Jaden Cavazos returned the game’s opening kickoff for a touchdown and the Panthers (9-1, 5-1) never looked back.

The Panthers clinched the first seed in Division I and will face Harlingen High in the opening round. The game is set for 7:30 Friday night at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco.

DISTRICT 16-5A DI

PSJA MEMORIAL 17, DONNA HIGH 14: At Donna, PSJA Memorial (4-6, 4-5) ended the year with its fourth district win in five games, led by its senior tailback.

Senior running back Joaquin Sanchez ran for both of the Wolverines’ touchdowns to help PSJA Memorial to a 17-0 lead.

Donna High (6-4, 5-4) needed to win to make the postseason, but they end the year on the outside looking in.

PSJA SOUTHWEST 46, BROWNSVILLE PORTER 7: At Pharr, the Javelinas (4-6, 4-5) ended the season with their fourth district win over the Cowboys.

Brownsville Porter finished 1-9 overall and an 0-9 district record.

DISTRICT 16-5A DII

VALLEY VIEW 35, LAREDO CIGARROA 0: At Laredo, Valley View exorcised several demons in Week 11. The Tigers made up for losing to the Toros in the 1-9 campaign last season, Valley View won its program-best seventh game of this season and clinched its first-ever playoff spot all in one night.

“When our seniors started playing varsity ball, the previous team was 0-10,” Valley View coach Elifonso Esquivel said. “We started three years ago together and we improved every year. These boys took our program from 0-10 to 7-3 and a spot in the state playoffs. We’re still fired up. We had a great turnout of Valley View fans here in Laredo.”

One of Esquivel’s seniors, wide receiver/safety Javier Lopez, caught his fourth touchdown pass of the season.

“Javier played on an all-district level all season,” Esquivel said. “He’s the No. 1 receiver in yards and (quarterback) Simon Fernandez will end the regular season as the No. 1 passer.”

Valley View, the No. 4 seed in District 16-5A DII, will play in its first playoff game at Corpus Christi Calallen next Friday at 7:30 p.m.

MERCEDES 28, ROMA 18: At Roma, the Tigers overcame a halftime deficit to clinch a playoff spot in Roma.

Mercedes (5-5, 4-2) jumped out to a 14-0 lead before the Gladiators (3-7, 2-4) roared back to take a 18-14 lead into the locker room.

“I reminded my players about Mercedes making the playoffs 12 seasons in a row,” Mercedes coach Roger Adame Jr. said. “They worked really hard to get to this point. A lot of people didn’t give you a chance to be at this point. We knew they had this in them.”

The Tigers got a second-half touchdown from sophomore Josiah Cantu to retake the lead. Sonny Vela’s second touchdown of the game vaulted Mercedes to a double-digit lead and the No. 3 seed in District 16-5A DII.

Mercedes will take another long bus ride north to face San Antonio Southside next Friday at 7:30 p.m.

DISTRICT 16-4A DI

ZAPATA 28, GRULLA 13: At Zapata, the Gators (3-7, 1-3) will face La Vernia in the bi-district round, with the site and time still to be determined.

KINGSVILLE KING 48, HIDALGO 0: At Kingsville, the Pirates (2-8, 0-4) are officially eliminated from the playoffs.

DISTRICT 16-2A DII

LA VILLA 35, PREMONT 6: At La Villa, the Cardinals (6-4, 3-1) got rolling early and were able to put the ballgame away quickly.

“It is a great feeling,” La Villa coach Daniel Perez said. “This is my second year, and both years we have gotten second. The kids are excited and the whole community is excited.

The Cardinals will face Runge (3-7, 2-3) in a bi-district matchup with a neutral site and the day and time still to be determined.

“We have been working on the same thing all year, and they came out and executed the way we wanted to,” Perez said. “We are not going to change anything now, we like what we have and we like how we are playing, heading into the playoffs.”

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — Just like McAllen Memorial junior running back Campbell Speights on his 18-yard run to opening the scoring against McAllen Rowe, the Mustangs wouldn’t be denied a ninth straight playoff appearance.

Memorial turned a halftime deficit to a comeback victory as the Mustangs topped the Warriors 21-14 on Friday night at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

After heading into the halftime break trailing by a score, Speights said his head coach didn’t need to yell or lose his temper. His team knew one of the two remaining playoff spots in District 30-6A entering Friday evening was at stake.

“It took reality,” Speights said. “Coach (Bill) Littleton walked in and he said “I could yell at you all I want…but it’s going to come down to who wants to be in the playoffs.’ We knew that this game was that deciding factor. That sprung us and we were like ‘You know what? We need to win if we want to keep on playing.’ So that’s what we did in the second half.”

Speights found the end zone on runs from 4 yards in the third quarter and 7 yards with 7:44 to play in the game.

As the game went on, Speights found more success than when Rowe was able to contain the team’s top rusher in the first half. He ended the night with 187 yards on 31 attempts.

Speights took time to thank the big bodies of Memorial’s offensive line for allowing the offense to flourish.

“They’re really what get us going,” Speights said. “Me and (fullback) A.J. (Castro) and (quarterback Joseph) Lara, we get all this praise but really it comes down to what they do. It’s crucial in our offense because we like to control the line. When they allow us to do that and they play bully ball like they did today it makes it really easier for us backs to make plays.”

The road to the Mustangs win had plenty of speed bumps. Speights’ first touchdown was set up by a muffed punt that Quaid Murray recovered right outside of the red zone. A strong individual effort and multiple broken tackles put Speights in for the score.

Rowe wasn’t deterred and played strong on both sides of the ball.

Lalo Bosquez punched in a 7-yard scoring run on a long drive powered by a strong push at the line of scrimmage.

All signs pointed to 7-7 deadlock at the intermission, but Warriors sophomore quarterback James Gamez completed a perfect pass in stride to Ruben Salinas as time expired for a lead.

Unfortunately for the Warriors, who were also fighting for their playoff lives, they weren’t able to bottle that attack and score in the second half.

Gamez had 140 yards on 15 for 27 passing. Jonas Ortiz, Rowe’s starter for most of the season was out with an injury.

“We knew it was going to be a tough battle with Memorial and the kids fought hard,” Rowe coach Bobby Flores said. “We preached that all week, that it was going to be a challenge and I can’t be prouder as a coach. It’s a hard loss but we’re going to learn from it.”

Rowe was without senior running back Lalo Bosquez because of an ejection after a post-whistle personal foul. He had a touchdown and interception in the first half.

Littleton, the veteran Mustangs coach, was wearing a smile after the game but didn’t shy away from the improvements he wants his team to make heading into the postseason.

“We didn’t have much of a passing attack because of the weather but we know we can,” Littleton said. “We have a lot of weapons and our kids are getting better every week. We have to block a little better and we missed major assignments tonight but hopefully, we’ll get this corrected this week.”

Mustangs senior offensive lineman Daniel Domian was glad that the team’s slow start didn’t cost Memorial to miss the playoff for the first time since 2009.

Memorial started 1-2 in non-district with losses to Edinburg Vela and Brownsville Hanna. They got off to a 1-2 start in 30-6A play with losses to La Joya High and PSJA High before closing the regular season on a four-game winning streak.

McAllen Memorial will represent 30-6A in Div. II as the second seed. The Mustangs will travel to take on Laredo Alexander on the road in the bi-district round.

“We just wanted it, we just wanted it so much more,” Domian said. “We had a rough start this season and we had to come out on top. We had to do it for each other, for our family for our coaches, everyone who put work into us and who we put work into we had to do it.”

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

SAN JUAN — PSJA High senior Trey Guajardo has always been an outstanding athlete. He has earned varsity reps at quarterback since his freshman year and then switches gears in spring to varsity baseball.

He’s thrown for more than 1,000 yards every year since his sophomore campaign.

Like a fancy locked door, Guajardo has always been impressive but until someone came by with the key some of that rare talent was locked up behind a run-heavy offense.

Enter Lupe Rodriguez. Head coach of the Bears, former 4,000-yard passer at Mission High and the key to unlocking Guajardo’s arm and opening up the Bears offense.

When Rodriguez took the reigns after the 2016 season, when PSJA finished 3-7 overall and 1-6 in 31-6A, life changed for the Bears. The offense changed “drastically” according to the gunslinger who had to get into a learning mode to adjust.

“When (Rodriguez) came in my junior year we did so much studying and film,” Guajardo said. “It took a lot, I remember the first day he showed me all these signs I was like “oh my gosh” but it became easier every step of the way. Now I know the offense like the back of my hand and it’s making a difference.”

He ran for 1,009 yards as a sophomore and threw for 1,323. The yardage was solid but his 11 touchdown to nine interception ratio and 52-percent completion percentage is nothing like the quarterback he’s become as an upperclassman.

“He’s come a long way in such a short time,” Rodriguez said. “This offense allows him to be creative, allows him to use his skills. I knew being a baseball player those mechanics and all the things he’s worked on have allowed him to do that.”

Rodriguez’s changes helped the offense reach the 2,500 plus passing mark and drastic win-loss improvement. Last year was a breakout season for PSJA’s offense. The Bears finished second in 31-6A, scored 89 more points than 2016 and qualified for the playoffs.

Guajardo said that he’s privileged to play under one of the Valley’s best passers in his day. Rodriguez was inducted into the RGVSports Hall of Fame in 2015.

“He’s still remembered for the things he did in high school, as a hall of famer down in the Mission area,” Guajardo said of his coach. “I’m just so blessed to be not only part of this team but a quarterback in this situation.”

As a junior, Guajardo broke out with 2,919 yards and 29 touchdowns in 11 contests. He’s put up 2,645 yards and 27 touchdowns in nine games so far as a senior. PSJA High is in position to claim its first district championship since the 2005 season.

Twice this season, against Corpus Christi King and La Joya High, Guajardo has matched the RGV single-game record of seven touchdown passes in a game.

“The kind of offense we run is hard but at the same time it’s fun,” Guajardo said. I’m pretty sure the fans going out seeing the ball throwing left to right, down field, it’s awesome to see. It’s rare to see here in the Valley, there’s not a lot of teams that do that. Being a quarterback here at this high school it’s a tremendous honor.”

Senior guard David Chapa towers at six-feet, four-inches and has served as protection for Guajardo for many of their years together.

“Our sophomore year, the offense was kind of limited,” Chapa said. “With Lupe Rodriguez coming in it enabled our players to showcase their abilities, their strong points.”

When asked if the offensive line prefers to be pushing bodies on a run play or keeping Guajardo off the turf in the pocket Chapa didn’t have to choose.

“We still run the ball, it’s not like we completely go away from it but we really throw the ball about 90 percent of the time,” Chapa said. “It’s fun, we like it. As long as we win football games it doesn’t matter what we do.”

The offensive line composed of Chapa, Moi Vazaldua, Albert Jackson, Jacob Lopez, J.D. Vera and Josh Sanchez has been an integral part of the Bears prolific attack.

Junior Miguel Flores leads the receiving core with 832 yards. He’s tied with Trey’s cousin Marco Guajardo for the team lead of 10 touchdowns.

When the top three receivers by yards graduated the passing game didn’t miss a beat.

A core of juniors including Flores and Marco Guajardo but also joined by Ethan Castillo and Justin Morales keeps the team rolling.

“When (Rodriguez) first got here, everything was brand new to us but his offense worked and has been working,” Flores said. “To this day this offense has been doing well thanks to Trey.”

Flores says that the plethora of options for Guajardo to find in the passing game or run game makes stopping the Bears a headache.

“I just feel like we have the best receivers in the Valley, we have the best running back in the Valley, we have the best quarterback in the Valley and we have a good line so when you combine all that we’re a tough team to play against,” Flores said.

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

The stage is set for the final week of the most unpredictable district in the Rio Grande Valley, District 30-6A.

If the top team in the district, PSJA High (5-1), can beat winless La Joya Juarez-Lincoln (0-6) Thursday night the Bears will secure the outright championship.
PSJA North (4-2) is in an enviable spot with a Thursday meeting at home against 1-5 McAllen High. A Raiders win leaves them in the postseason and even with a loss, they own head-to-head wins over McAllen Rowe, La Joya High and Mission High.

Most of the drama will unfold Friday night. Mission High and La Joya High will fight for a playoff spot at Tom Landry Hall of Fame Stadium.

The Eagles are hot off their 24-7 win over PSJA High. If Mission can beat La Joya for a second-straight season the Eagles will be playoff bound.

La Joya Coach Reuben Farias knows another game impacts their fate, but to his players the message is clear.

La Joya (3-3) at Mission High (4-2)

“We need to win, bottom line, win and worry about whatever happens happens,” Farias said.

The Coyotes will hope for Memorial to continue its dominance over Rowe in Week 11 and of course, take care of business on their end.

“If (McAllen) Memorial wins, Rowe is eliminated,” Farias said. “But if Rowe wins and we win, it would be Mission and Rowe (in) and us and La Joya eliminated. It all depends on the points but it’s pretty much cut and dry.”

The Coyotes will look to improve hanging onto the football; the lack of that skill hurt their chances to stay out of the drama last week in a 35-31 overtime loss to Rowe.

They gave the ball away five times, including two interceptions.

“We just need to avoid the big play, and play Coyote football, bottom line. At the end of the night if they give me everything they got and we got beat it says we got beat by a better ball club. But if we’re not ready to play then that’s when the questioning and they start second-guessing themselves and so forth.”

La Joya High and McAllen Rowe are 3-3 but if they defeat their 4-2 opponents things can get messy.

McAllen Memorial 4-2 vs. McAllen Rowe 3-3

The rivalry between the Warriors and Mustangs goes to a new level with both teams fighting to reach the postseason.

Win and in for Memorial. If Rowe wins, the Warriors still will need to wait to see if the scenarios are in their favor. Coach Bobby Flores says there’s no reason to overthink what they can’t control.

“We’re going to take it as win and get in,” Flores said. “That’s what we can control and that’s what we’re going to go for.”

Memorial has made the rivalry one-sided over the course of the last seven season. Rowe’s last win was a 27-13 win back in 2010.

“As seniors, this is their last shot as far as playing Memorial,” Flores said. “It’s an opportunity for all of our team. It’s a challenge that we need to take. We know that we have to come out and play hard, seniors, juniors and sophomores.”

With city championships, playoffs and a streak on the line, Flores is glad last week’s win put them in a position for a meaningful finale.

“This year it holds a lot more weight on it. We’re playing for hopefully a spot in the playoffs so the energy’s up. They’ve earned it.”

McAllen Memorial is playing its best football of the season in recent weeks but coach Bill Littleton knows it must continue.

The Mustangs won the turnover battle against PSJA North 2-0 and won the game 42-21. Rowe won the turnover battle as well and hanging onto the football will be a focus from the start.

“I think anytime you’re in a ball game when two teams are equal, if you can win the turnover battle you definitely have a chance to win the ball game,” Littleton said. “It doesn’t always turn out that way but defensively you have a chance to win. We feel like both teams are equal this week. So we’re going to try to win the turnover battle, play smart football not get unnecessary penalties and do the little things that make you a championship football team.”

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Tuesday, Nov. 6

Class 5A Regional Quarterfinals

Mission Veterans vs. Flour Bluff at Falfurrias High School, 6:30 p.m.

Class 6A Regional Quarterfinals

McAllen Memorial vs. Laredo Alexander at Roma Middle School, 6:30 p.m.

McAllen High vs. Laredo United 7 p.m. at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln