NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — During Mission Veterans’ Class 5A Area match against Victoria West on Friday, the Patriots were locked in.

The team knew that if it could put a busy morning and uncertainty about their homecoming plans, just hours away, on the back burner everything would work itself out.

So, the Patriots did what they’ve done all season – make quick work of their opponents. They won in three sets; the closest game was a seven-point margin.

Senior captain Jackie Howell did her part to advance Mission Veterans to the third round against Flour Bluff. She led the match with 20 kills and tied fellow senior Makenzie Gerlach for the lead with 12 digs.

After the match, it was a race against the clock to make the two-plus hour trip down 281 from Bishop back to Mission then prepare for the homecoming festivities. Howell wasn’t just watching the game in the crowd, she was nominated for Homecoming Queen.

“That day was pretty hectic,” Howell said. “I woke up and it was the end of the six weeks so I had four or five tests in the morning before we had to leave at 10. We went to the game, we did really well. We finished in three then we drove back home, got ready. The girls were calling me that they were already letting people on the field (for the halftime show) and I was still at home getting ready.”

Volleyball in the Valley is normally played on Tuesdays and Saturdays and rarely forces student-athletes to choose between supporting their football team and playing, but the opposing team was looking for an avenue to get the Patriots off their game.

Howell knew her priorities: Volleyball first. Making it to the game in the nick of time and being there in person to accept the crown as queen was an added bonus on what’s been already been a special senior season.

Coach Diana Lerma was glad to that nothing came before this playoff run.

“After she won and I went to go congratulate her I asked her she felt,” Diana Lerma said. “She said the best thing I could feel was winning that game. Her biggest accomplishment was winning the (playoff) game. That’s good to hear because we have (tonight’s) game and we need to go through because our plans are to go to state.”

As Howell approaches 1,500 kills for her career and the team returns to the regional quarterfinals where they haven’t been in three seasons, it’s easy to see why this experience is second to none.

“We had a good team every year, but every year everything changes,” Howell said. “This year is probably the best. Everyone I grew up with is older now. We already passed the round we usually get knocked out at. I know we can go farther.”

Howell has grown up around volleyball, around the Patriots program, around the Lerma family and her cousin Kassy Lerma her entire life.

“When we were kids, everything was competition,” Kassy Lerma said. “Ever since we were small, we always had a volleyball with us so it’s always been compete, compete.”

Volleyball was a big part of her mother Sonia Trevino’s life. Trevino was a national player of the year at San Jacinto junior college and played two seasons at Florida State as the Seminoles went on to win the Metro Conference championship in 1989.

Trevino spoke to the Patriots before the postseason; since then Howell’s been wearing mom’s ring. It’s been a good-luck charm of sorts.

“Everybody sees it and they always remember I’m supposed to be having it,” Howell said. “If I’m not wearing it they’re like “Where’s your ring?”

The competitive nature that Howell brings is contagious and a powerful asset for a team that’s been strong all season and is hitting a peak confidence level.

The tools are in place for a special run.

On offense, the hitting trio of Gerlach, Howell and Lerma have been too much to handle so far. On defense, Bella Dominguez has been a strong libero to put up the first pass. Senior setter Valerie de la Fuente has been in the 30+ assist range, even in three-set wins.

“When (Howell) ups her game, we all want to do it together,” Kassy Lerma said. “When she does better, we all want to be level with her. The higher she, the higher we go. So she literally pushes us to do better.”

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VALLEY HS VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE

Thursday’s Games

Class 6A Area

Laredo United def. Los Fresnos 25-20, 25-17, 25-14

Class 4A Area

Pleasanton def. La Feria 25-15, 25-19, 25-17

Friday’s Games

Class 6A Area

Friday, Nov. 2

McAllen High def. Harlingen South 25-14, 25-16, 25-20

McAllen Memorial def. Brownsville Rivera 25-6, 25-27, 25-11, 25-9

Laredo Alexander def. Brownsville Hanna 25-15, 25-11, 25-19

Class 5A Area

Gregory Portland def. Brownsville Veterans 25-9, 25-18, 25-15

Mission Veterans def. Victoria West 25-18, 25-13, 25-17

Corpus Christi Veterans def. Donna High 25-22, 25-15, 25-22

Corpus Christi Flour Bluff def. Edcouch-Elsa 25-7, 25-23, 25-15

VALLEY HS VOLLEYBALL BOX SCORES

Friday’s Games

Class 6A Area

McALLEN HIGH DEF. HARLINGEN SOUTH 25-14, 25-16, 25-20

McALLEN HIGH: Lexi Gonzalez 27 kills, 12 digs, 2 aces, 2 blocks; Damaris Llanas 12 digs, 9 kills, 2 assists; Madison Helmcamp 38 assists, 8 digs, 2 blocks, 1 ace

Class 6A Area

McALLEN MEMORIAL DEF. BROWNSVILLE RIVERA

25-6, 25-27, 25-11, 25-9

McALLEN MEMORIAL: Jocelynn Everage 17 kills, 13 digs, 3 aces; Valeria Trevino 17 digs, 13 kills; Natalie Silva 9 kills; Demy Banks 7 kills, 7 blocks; Dylann Guerra 21 digs; Sydney Marbuger 47 assists

Class 5A Area

MISSION VETERANS DEF. VICTORIA WEST

25-18, 25-13, 25-17

MISSION VETERANS: Jackie Howell 20 kills, 12 digs, 1 ace, 1 block; Makenzie Gerlach 15 kills, 12 digs, 3 aces, 1 block; Kassy Lerma 13 kills, 11 digs, 2 aces, 3 blocks; Valeria de la Funete 38 assists, 5 digs, 4 aces; Ronnie Cantu 4 assists, 1 ace, 1 dig; Bella Dominguez 10 digs

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

Mission Veterans Volleyball makes quick work, stands as Valley’s last 5A.

The Patriots had an early, 4 p.m. start in Bishop Friday for their area round match against Victoria West.

The RGV’s No. 1 ranked volleyball team made quick work of the Warriors. Vets won 25-18, 25-13, 25-17

Coach Diana Lerma knew her team wanted to be back in Mission to watch their No. 3-ranked football team on homecoming night.

“We were definitely focused,” Lerma said. “The girls wanted to come back. Jackie (Howell) made the finalist for homecoming queen. I said ‘Look if we can stay focused, concentrate on the points and take them down in three we could get on the bus, eat on the bus and head back.”

“I’m like golly girls you girls are playing awesome,” Lerma said. “The girls were serving, they were hitting, they were passing. In fact, in the first game we broke away 10 points. Thank God we had that lead because one girl (from Victoria West) served up five or six points. Other than that the girls controlled the net very well.”

Mission Veterans will continue their playoff run against Flour Bluff, who swept Edcouch-Elsa in the same gym.

Class 6A Area

McAllen Memorial def. Brownsville Rivera 25-6, 25-27, 25-11, 25-9: At San Benito,

Jocelynn Everage led the way with 17 kills and three aces, Valeria Trevino added another 13 kills. Rivera took a rare set off of the Mustangs but Memorial clamped down for decisive wins in set three and four. Demy Banks was tough on the block with seven total blocks.

Class 5A Area

Corpus Christi Veterans def. Donna High 25-22, 25-15, 25-22: At Kingsville, Donna High had their strong season come to an end at the hands of Veterans Memorial. The Eagles were the 30-5A district champions with a 14-2 record.

Class 5A Area

Flour Bluff def. Edcouch-Elsa 25-7, 25-23, 25-15: at Bishop,

District 32-5A champions Edcouch-Elsa were ousted at the hands of the Flour Bluff Hornet in a sweep.

STAFF REPORT

McAllen Rowe’s Lalo Bosquez bruised his way into the end zone for the winning score in overtime at La Joya ISD Stadium Friday night.

The running score came in the bottom of the first overtime after La Joya had kicked a field goal. Rowe (5-4, 3-3) walked off the field winners 35-31 in overtime over La Joya High (6-3, 3-3).

“It was a battle from start to finish,” Rowe coach Bobby Flores said. “The Coyotes are a tough team, it could have gone either way, we’re happy it went our way.”

Sophomore James Gamez had a strong night at quarterback in for injured Warriors QB Jonas Ortiz. Ruben Salinas did what he does best, make a tough catch and score a touchdown. Ruben Saenz also had a receiving touchdown for Rowe.

Lorenzo Lopez also had a one-yard touchdown run.

“I had to give credit to my coaching staff,” Flores said. “They got these kids going after we had some kids go down. They worked extremely hard to get a game plan ready and a couple of our young kids stepped up. Gamez came in and started tonight, played the whole game and did a great job running our offense.”

Rowe’s defense did what they could to limit powerful Coyotes running back Eddie Villarreal. The defense made an impact earning extra possessions.

“I don’t want to forget about our defense,” Flores said. “They had several turnovers. They had an interception return to the house by Jorge Pena. Josiah Alonzo had an interception at middle linebacker.”

Rowe had a 28-14 lead but La Joya stormed back to tie the game. In the final minute, the Warriors had a chance to win in regulation but the Coyotes defense stopped the red zone opportunity.

La Joya took the lead in OT after a Sergio Jimenez kick but Rowe was able to manage more points in the extra period.

Both teams now have 3-3 records heading into Week 11. The Warriors play 4-2 McAllen Memorial while La Joya faces 4-2 Mission High.

District 30-6A

McAllen High 14, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 10: At McAllen: Only one team could emerge out of Friday’s contest between La Joya Juarez-Lincoln and McAllen High with their first district win.

McAllen High (2-7, 1-6) did everything in their power to make sure they were the team celebrating after their homecoming game at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

“It was special for our kids,” McHi coach Kevin Brewer said. “We won the second game of the year and that was back in early September so it’s been a while. We’ve had so much adversity this year that the kids had to battle through.”

The Bulldogs won with defense and on offense, their run game finally propelled instead of hindered the unit. McHi rushed for 205 yards.

“Our defense actually has been playing very well all year and we just have been struggling on their other side of the ball. I was extremely proud we were able to limit them to 10 points,” Brewer said. “We’ve been very inconsistent running the football, really all through district. We just kept plugging away at it. We know for our offense to work we have to be able to run the football.”

Sadge Diaz and Franklin Arellano scored the rushing tallies for the Bulldogs. Joshua Briones had the lone touchdown for the Huskies (0-9, 0-7).

DISTRICT 31-6A
EDINBURG NORTH 23, EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 21: At Edinburg, the Cougars (2-7, 2-3) jumped out to a big lead on the Jaguars (4-6, 1-5), but Economedes wasn’t going to concede without a fight.
“The kids came out hot,” North coach Damien Gonzalez said. “Obviously having two weeks to prepare for a team really helps. The kids did a good job of understanding the game plan. We came out firing on all cylinders.”
All three North running backs, Jacob Peralez, Moises Maldonado and Mando Ramirez, got going early and helped to open things up for the passing attack.
The Cougars kicked things off with a field goal, before senior quarterback Maxanthony Aguilar completed touchdown passes to Tony Garcia and Roel de Leon. Despite the fast start, the Cougars’ halftime lead was just three, 17-14.
“We ate up a lot of the clock. We were able to run the ball, but we also came out throwing.” Gonzalez said. “We knew they were going to put a lot of pressure in the box, and we knew we had some favorable matchups outside. Max did a great job of getting the ball out to the receivers.”
Economedes took the lead on a touchdown from senior running back Abel Moreno, but a late field goal form senior kicker Jose Zamora sealed the game for the Cougars. Miguel Contreras had a huge kick return, and Econ shot themselves in the foot with poorly timed penalties to set up the go-ahead kick.
The winning kick came with plenty of time left, so ENHS needed a defensive stand to clinch the game.
“They made a big stop,” Gonalez said. “We put a lot of pressure on the quarterback. We flushed him out of the pocket. We defended a couple of passes extremely well.”
The win means the Cougars go into Week 11 with an outside shot to make the playoffs.
“It means a lot to the kids, and it means a lot to this program,” Gonzalez said. “We have been telling them all year, just keep doing the things that you are doing. We are doing things right, and we are headed in the right direction. It basically makes everything we have been telling them stand for something. It gives us something to play for. We have a chance, and that is all you can ask for.”

DISTRICT 16-5A DI

MISSION VETERANS 55, LA JOYA PALMVIEW 38: At Mission, sophomore wide receiver A.J. Gonzaque caught three touchdown passes in the Patriots’ victory over the Lobos (5-4, 5-3). Gonzaque’s three scores bumps his touchdown receptions to 12, which is most among any Class 5A receiver in the Valley.

In total, senior quarterback Landry Gilpin threw for six and ran in the other two. By virtue of Brownsville Pace’s loss to Brownsville Veterans, the Patriots (8-1, 8-0) locked down the outright district title on Friday night.

“We’re bringing home a gold ball which means we’re right where I think we should be at this point in the year,” Mission Veterans coach David Gilpin said. “I know we still have quite a bit of work to do to get where I think we could be, but (Brownsville) Pace has two losses, Brownsville Vets has two losses and we’re outright district champs with one game to go. That’s exciting. The kids are excited about it. I’m excited about it.”

La Joya Palmview is now tied in the loss column with Donna High, who plays its Week 10 game at Brownsville Porter this afternoon. If La Joya Palmview and Donna end the regular season with the same district record, Donna High would leapfrog the Lobos and into the playoffs.

RIO GRANDE CITY 44, PSJA SOUTHWEST 41: At Rio Grande City, the Rattlers never trailed against the Javelinas, but there were some nervous moments.

Rio Grande City (3-6, 3-5) had a 26-7 in the second quarter, but PSJA Southwest (3-6, 3-5) rallied to tie the score at 41 late in the fourth quarter.

“I remember telling our kids at halftime that they’ve (PSJA Southwest) been in a lot of games like these and won,” Rio Grande City coach Aaron Garcia said. “They’ve been in two overtime games and won one of them. We knew that they would play until the end and they did.”

Rattler kicker Joshua Vela knocked in a field goal attempt with under a minute to go in the game.

“I’m so proud of our kids,” Garcia said. “Josh had been having a little trouble after we lost our long snapper, but I told him earlier in the year that he was going to be in for a game-ending situation. The opportunity presented itself and he hit it right down the middle.”

DISTRICT 16-5A DII

SHARYLAND PIONEER 27, ROMA 7: At Mission, the Diamondbacks (6-3, 4-1) clinched the No. 2 seed for the upcoming playoffs after defeating the Gladiators (3-6, 2-3).

“Our kids came to play defensively,” Sharyland Pioneer coach Tommy Lee said. “We talked about not only securing a playoff spot, but also getting a home playoff game which we’ve never had before. We did enough to get it done on Homecoming.”

Roma, who remains in the playoff hunt, hosts Mercedes next week.

MERCEDES 21, LAREDO CIGARROA 0: At Mercedes, coach Roger Adame Jr. made a change at quarterback and it paid dividends for the Tigers (4-5, 3-2).

Horacio Pequeño got the start over Israel Alegria, the senior who began this season as the Tigers’ top quarterback on their depth chart.

“I felt Horacio gave us a better chance against their (Laredo Cigarroa) scheme,” Adame Jr. said. “Since he’s had his injuries, I don’t think Florida (Alegria) has been the same. He’s done a good job for us, but sometimes it acts up on him. Horacio had a good week of practice. He did some things we liked last week against Sharyland (High).”

Pequeño threw for a touchdown while running back Sonny Vela and wide receiver Josiah Cantu ran for a score each versus the winless Toros (0-9, 0-5).
DISTRICT 16-4A DI
LA FERIA 55, HIDALGO 21: At Hidalgo, the Lions (9-1, 4-0) remained perfect in district, handing the Pirates (2-7, 0-3) their third district loss of the year.
DISTRICT 16-4A DII
RAYMONDVILLE 42, PROGRESO 7: At Progreso, the Bearkats (8-1, 3-0) topped the Red Ants (3-8, 0-4) to continue a dominant season for Raymondville.
DISTRICT 16-2A DII
WOODSBORO 42, LA VILLA 38: At Woodsboro, the Eagles (9-0, 4-0) zoomed out to a large lead and led 28-14 at the half. The Cardinals (6-4, 3-1) did everything they could to come back, including a 16-point third quarter, but the comeback attempt fell just short on the road.

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

PHARR — PSJA High drew first blood on homecoming night, but Mission High had plans to spoil the party in a dominant upset victory at PSJA Stadium Friday night in Pharr.

Mission rode huge gains on offense, big stops on defense and a momentum-shifting special teams play to a 24-7 win in front of a big crowd.

The Eagles (7-2, 4-2) improved their playoff chances and handed the Bears (6-3, 5-1) their first loss since falling on the road to San Benito before district matches began.

Trey Guajardo was dynamic on the Bears first drive. He moved the chains with designed runs in the early going, then made something out of nothing on a screen pass to running back J.R. Vasquez, who turned a great individual effort with a 62-yard receiving touchdown.

Not many in attendance expected the Bears offense, which had been averaging 36.8 points per game entering Week 10, to stop scoring after their first drive, but the Eagles stood tall.

Following the opening score, both teams traded empty possessions.

Then came the block.

With Jared DeLeon in position to boot away his second punt, Mission’s Justin Soto broke loose and rejected the kick. DeLeon landed on the ball at his own 20-yard line.

“The main thing we want to do is make it to the playoffs, that’s the reason we played how we did. I just want to do everything I can to help the team,” Soto said. “That block felt amazing.”

Soto wasn’t done there. He put in a monster effort including two sacks of Guajardo.

“We just talked about staying in that one-week-at-a-time mentality,” Mission coach Koy Detmer said. “Down this stretch run, there’s a lot of talk about playoff standings and all those kind of things, and being able to block all that out and stay focused on that one week at a time. I’m really proud of my guys for doing that and they played one heck of a game.”

Getting to Guajardo was vital to Mission’s success. The prolific passer rarely had a chance to sit in the pocket and did most of his work rolling out of pressure. He was sacked six times and was slow to get off the turf on a couple of occasions.

The Bears often faced third- or fourth-and-long situations that became predictable, incomplete passing attempts.

“It was just shutting down their receivers and being disciplined on defense,” Mission running back and linebacker Tito Moronta said. “(The key was) staying with our assignments and knowing what we had to do to stop them.”

Moronta was a big catalyst on offense for the Eagles. He started the scoring with a 5-yard run that he bounced to the outside on the drive set-up by the blocked punt.

Everything else he did was on big plays. At the end of the third quarter, Mission quarterback Jeremy Duran hit Moronta in stride on a slant route that became a 44-yard scoring play.

The Eagles’ scoring flurry arrived in crunch time.

Rene Rodriguez kicked home a 26-yard field goal then Moronta sealed the game with a long run from midfield to send the visiting crowd into a frenzy.

The freshman quarterback, Duran, was efficient at 12-for-18 passing and 189 yards. He and the Eagles were turnover free.

“It wasn’t about outpacing them, it was just trying to outsmart them,” Eagles quarterback Jeremy Duran said. “We knew they were going to come in here a little bit cocky-ish because they were 6-0 and nobody had really given them a test. We just tried to do our best and tried to outsmart them. We came out humbled-minded and we just came to play.”

PSJA High is still in prime position to win 30-6A outright. They are the only one-loss team in the district and face winless La Joya Juarez-Lincoln in Week 11.

Mission High, McAllen Memorial and PSJA North have identical 4-2 records but all three from that group have already met head-to-head.

The Eagles take on La Joya High next week, which will look to bounce back from an overtime loss to McAllen Rowe.

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — The first drives for McAllen Memorial and PSJA North were snapshots of how the game between two surging units would unfold.

A fast start, strong defense and home cooking was the recipe for McAllen Memorial’s 42-21 win over No. 7 PSJA North Thursday night at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Mustangs started with good field position and drove the ball downfield for a 13-play drive that lasted over six minutes. Campbell Speights capped the drive with a short rushing touchdown.

When the Raiders (5-4, 4-2) got the ball they couldn’t muster a first down and gave the ball right back.

Starting strong was a point of emphasis for the Mustangs, who have been plagued by slow starts on different occasions this season. That’s part of the reason Memorial came into the game tied with La Joya High and Mission High with 3-2 district records, with work to be done to reach the playoffs.

“This season we’ve struggled with coming out big in the first half,” junior defensive back turned linebacker Michael Morales said after the win. “Tonight the team did a great job overall, offense and defense, of coming out with some intensity and I think it showed.”

The opening drive was proof the Mustangs (5-4, 4-2) meant business as they converted two fourth downs to maintain possession.

First Speights spun and backed up for a gain on fourth and one, then junior receiver Zyan Gregory sold out on a slightly high through to convert a 4th and seven.

“I think finally for the first time this year our kids came out and played really good in the first half,” Mustangs coach Littleton said. “We played four quarters of football tonight in all three phases of the game. We beat a good football team, don’t let the score surprise you, they’re a good football team.”

Memorial converted all four fourth-down conversions in the first half and five overall in the contest.

“Our offense is designed to control the ball,” Speights said. “When we can control the ball and take the ball five yards, five yards and run down the clock and score then get the ball back it makes it hard tough for the other team.”

Memorial’s defense was the epitome of tough on PSJA North’s offense which had been potent of late. The Raiders averaged 39.6 points per game during their three-game winning streak that included victories over McAllen Rowe, Mission and La Joya.

The Raiders were a skeleton of the offense that had propelled them during the streak.

In the first half, they only could muster 56 yards of total offense. Quarterback Iziaah Rangel was intercepted on a pass attempt thrown up for grabs on their most promising drive of the first half.

Memorial junior Diego Villarreal came up with the pick and was quickly bestowed with the oversized “M” the Mustangs use as their turnover chain.

“It was huge,” Villarreal said. “They’re a big passing team and coach does a good job of always having film for us and we just got prepared for them.”

Gregory wasn’t done in the first half after his fourth-down reception. His second catch was made in stride with one defender to elude. He took the contact but stayed up for the junior’s first touchdown of the season.

“I’ve been working hard all offseason,” Gregory said. “They’ve been trying hit me but it didn’t work out. It finally worked out and we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing.”

Mustangs quarterback Joseph Lara was a strong leader for the offense all night. He was 7 for 9 with 128 passing yards. In the first half he had a one-yard, quarterback sneak touchdown and in the second half, he found Ethan Bazan for his second passing TD.

Contributions on offense were all over the field for the Mustangs offense in the route. Fullback A.J. Castro went over 110 yards to give the Raiders defense another runner to worry about.

“It felt like my freshman year when we had Emilio (Mendez) and all those other guys that could be dangerous with the ball,” Speights said. “We finally found what it takes. We can share the ball and everybody’s effective with the ball. It makes our offense much easier because the defense has to keep guessing.”

The Raiders scored right away after halftime with a 74-yard run from Rangel but the hill was too tall to climb. Isaac Gonzalez added two rushing scores.

North will have a chance to bounce back before the postseason in Week 11 when it takes on the McAllen High Bulldogs who are still without a district win.

McAllen Memorial will finish the regular season with a rivalry game against McAllen Rowe. The Mustangs have owned the head-to-head, winning the last seven contests.

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — Wednesdays after school is a mad dash for Jorge Barrera. The senior defensive end leaves his last class at McAllen Rowe High School a few minutes early to grab his instrument and hurry to mariachi practice.

“Every Wednesday, instead of going to (football) practice first I go to rehearsal for mariachi and then after 30 minutes I go straight to practice,” Barrera says. “I actually run to the field so I won’t be late. After practice, I get my guitar and come back home.”

El guittarón is obviously not a small instrument, its name translates to “bigger guitar.” There are still six strings, but it has a deeper body to provide bass in mariachi music.

The size is no problem for Barrera, who spends his Friday nights trying to get around offensive linemen. Plus he has experience with large strings from playing the stand-up bass in the orchestra after moving up from the cello.

His first year playing music officially was in sixth grade when students select an art elective. Orchestra and the cello came easily because those notes echoed through his house since a young age from his older brother.

“I had been introduced with it before, but I started reading music and getting more into it in middle school,” Barrera said.

Mariachi from orchestra or band is an easy transition for a lot of players musically but for Barrera, the music was part of his upbringing and culture.

“I’m from Reynosa, my whole family is Mexican,” Barrera said. “It’s in my roots – that’s what I’m trying to say.”

Even though the mariachi group at Rowe and the musically inclined, Mexican-born football player sounds like a match made in heaven, he needed to find the time in the day.

“This is my first year doing mariachi. I always wanted to be in it but I couldn’t fit in in my schedule but this year I had a free class and I was happy to put mariachi in,” Barrera said. “I had to learn the new instrument, the guitarrón. I had to learn it in like two weeks to try to get familiar with the instrument. It’s the same thing as the double bass but with two extra strings. Luckily I got the hang of it so now I’m part of the mariachi group for Rowe.”

“I have a schedule,” Barrera said. “After (football) practice I usually practice my instruments slash do my homework and just start the next day again.”

On the football field, Barrera has 26 tackles and six for a loss in his senior season. He has five sacks and eight quarterback hurries.

Rowe coach Bobby Flores couldn’t break down his orchestra film but he said on the gridiron his talents are easy to notice.

“The main thing he brings is he’s a very hard guy to block,” Flores said. “He’s a big guy but he has good speed, he doesn’t tire. He has a lot of endurance. Putting him on one end has always given teams trouble.”

He’s strong just as a product of playing such a physical sport at a demanding position but as if he doesn’t have enough on his plate he competes in powerlifting in the spring.

Flores said he’s an example and influence to his relatively young varsity team.

“Jorge is a three-year letterman,” Flores said. “He’s earned it, ever since he’s been a sophomore, he’s been a hard worker. I think that just defines him in general. He’s here every day, he never misses. He’s dedicated to his craft whether it be D-line, whether it be in the orchestra, mariachi. He gives it 100 percent in everything he does.”

Barrera laughed when talking about how he handles so many activities, passes all of his classes and makes an impact on the field.

“Yeah that’s always been me,” Barrera said. “I try to juggle everything. I try not to fall behind but I don’t that much time in the world to make it work.”

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VALLEY HS VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE

Thursday, Nov. 1

Class 6A area round

Los Fresnos vs. Laredo United at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 7 p.m.

Class 4A area round

La Feria vs. Pleasanton at Corpus Christi Calallen, 7 p.m.

Class 6A area round

Friday, Nov. 2

Harlingen South at McAllen High, 5 p.m.

McAllen Memorial vs. Brownsville Rivera at San Benito, 6:30 p.m.

Brownsville Hanna vs. Laredo Alexander at Roma High School, 6:30 p.m.

Class 5A area round

Brownsville Veterans at Gregory-Portland, 2 p.m.

Mission Veterans vs. Victoria West at Bishop, 4 p.m.

Edcouch-Elsa vs. Flour Bluff at Bishop, 7 p.m.

Donna High vs. Corpus Christi Veterans, at Kingsville High, 6 p.m.

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

The leadership from both PSJA North (5-3, 4-1) and McAllen Memorial (4-4, 3-2) have an inseparable connection. Mustangs coach Bill Littleton is facing Raiders coach Marcus Kaufmann who served as his offensive coordinator until the 2016 season when Kaufmann was named head man at PSJA North.

Also on PSJA North’s sideline is Bill Littleton’s son, defensive coordinator Will Littleton. Kaufmann and the elder Littleton coached Will together at Cuero High School before Will moved onto a successful four seasons on UTPA’s track team as a high jumper. That’s when the long-time Mustangs coach made his move south.

This isn’t a time for reminiscing and family reunions, however, Week 10 is an important game for the Mustangs who sit at 3-2, the same record as playoff hopefuls Mission High and La Joya High.

Bill Littleton didn’t expect the Raiders to have the same type of season as a year ago when they went 2-8 and missed the playoffs. Last week, PSJA North clinched a postseason berth with a 40-14 win over La Joya High.

“I’m not surprised at all, they’re a very good football team, they’re well-coached,” Bill Littleton said. “I’m very impressed with them; we’re going to have our hands full with them.”

Memorial has won its last two games after starting district play 1-2 with losses to PSJA High and La Joya High.

“It’s a game with a lot of importance for the Mustangs. We need to try to come up with a win to help ourselves try to make the playoffs,” Littleton said. “We just tell them we control our own destiny and we got to do what we have to do. We need to take care of the football and be as turnover and penatly-free as we can.”
Campbell Speights took charge against Juarez-Lincoln in the Mustangs last outing. After a slow start for the offense, he had three of his four touchdowns in the second half. Speights is up to 1,327 yards and 20 touchdowns through eight games.
Kaufmann has a similar approach with not letting the matchup become bigger than just a game.

“We try to make every game a big ballgame because when we started the season that’s pretty much all we’ve talked about — every game is going to be a close ball game,” Kaufmann said. “That hasn’t happened the last couple of weeks, but that’s the way we’re looking at it.”

At the same time, the third-year Raiders coach is making sure his players savor their past few games.

“I’ve been telling the kids to make every play count, make every game count, because you don’t have very many,” Kaumann said. “You only have 40 football games to play and we have seniors with three more left unless you earn some more. We earned some more this year so keep on earning them because a lot of these kids will never play the game again.”

Senior Iziaah Rangel busted out for his biggest performance of the season against La Joya. He had two passing touchdowns and two on the ground as part of his 204-yard rushing night.

While the Raiders coach is focused on the game at hand, he knows that on a personal level it will be interesting to face off against his old program for the first time.

“That’s like a family,” Kaufmann said. “I’ve been with them since back in Cuero. I coached Will back when he was in high school. It’s going to be a weird feeling, seeing that Columbia blue on the other sideline and to see Bill over there. It’ll be weird to start with but then we start playing football and it will be right back to normal.”

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

Class 5A bi-district

Mission Veterans def. Brownsville Lopez 25-15, 25-9, 25-18: At Mission,

The Patriots gave their crowd a show Tuesday as they swept the visiting Lobos in dominant fashion.

“We got the opportunity it was a home crowd so of course the girls were excited about that,” Veterans coach Diana Lerma said. “It was a new beginning for us because we got knocked down by McAllen Memorial (in Saturday’s playoff tune-up match) but I think that was a good loss allowing us to understand that you can’t let your shield down.”

The usual suspects Jackie Howell and Makenzie Gerlach were on their game with 12 kills each. The third member of the Patriots offensive trio Kassy Lerma had the team lead with 15 kills.

“They always key on Jack and Mak and that’s how on the power side. Like I told my setter as we go to the playoffs the attack has to come off the middle. Either we move Jack or Mak to the middle or Kassandra has to come through. She did very well today so she displayed good consistency.”

Mission Veterans almost had their schedule in place with Tuloso-Midway but since TM fell to Victoria West the date and time of their area match is up in the air.

Area matches can be scheduled any day from Thursday through Saturday and coach Lerma is hoping her team won’t be too concerned with how that will affect their homecoming plans.

“Victoria West wants–tomorrow we’re going to flip–of course they want Friday at 6 o’clock, they know that’s our homecoming,” Lerma said. “Usually volleyball players are up there (in homecoming festivities). You know they have to think of what’s important and how they’re going to be remembered for life. That’s why we have to flip tomorrow to see what’s in the best interest of our mental game.”

Class 5A bi-district

Donna High def. Sharyland High 25-19, 15-25, 25-14, 25-16: At Pharr

Two teams from strong districts went head-to-head at PSJA Southwest. Donna High, the third team out of 32-5A knocked off Sharyland High, District 31-5A’s second seed.

“The team played really well today,” Cindy Viesca said. “The girls stepped up today offensively. I know (Sharyland) had some pretty good hitters and our defense also played well. Nicole Rodriguez is our middle blocker and she had a really good game today.”

“Our district was pretty competitive this year with Edcouch and Brownsville Veterans and that really helped us prepare for this district round,” Viesca said.

Donna draws Corpus Christi Vets in the area round.

“The next challenge, of course, is going to be a little bit harder,” “We know that Corpus Christi Veterans is a higher intensity, higher tempo type of game. We need to get ready for them in the next couple of days. I always tell the kids this is the best time of the year, being in the playoffs.”

Donna and the Corpus Veterans Memorial Eagles will face off at 6 p.m. Friday at Kingsville High School.

Class 6A bi-district

McAllen Memorial def. Laredo United South 25-10, 25-21, 25-19: At Roma,

The District 30-6A champions McAllen Memorial didn’t disappoint on a neutral court Tuesday night to start the postseason. The Mustangs cruised to a first-set win which was essential to taking their opponents out of the match early according to coach Lorena Lopez.

“That was the goal to kind of stay in control of the match the whole time,” Lopez said. “I think the team has been playing pretty consistently as of late.”

United South’s support traveled well to Starr County according to the veteran coach but Memorial handled any threats.

“Honestly the first we controlled the match pretty much,” Lopez said. “They did have a huge crowd and I know a lot of that fanfare kind of played a factor in the next two sets. But we talked about and I said “The crowd doesn’t win the game, you do. So take care of business.”

McAllen Memorial will face Brownsville Rivera in the area round of the postseason. The Raiders are fresh off a Monday upset of No. 1 seed and co-district champions Edinburg North.

Class 6A bi-district

McAllen High def. Laredo LBJ 18-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-9: At Roma,
McAllen High dropped the first set but never looked back as they eliminated Laredo LBJ in four sets.

Junior Lexi Gonzalez led the way with 23 kills while freshman Celina Saenz pitched in 12 kills and three blocks.

Senior Damaris Llanas had 10 kills, 8 digs and pair of aces to help lift the Bulldogs. Madison Helmcamp had 42 assists

McHi will face Harlingen South in the area round. The Hawks knocked off 31-6A No. 1 Edinburg High Tuesday evening.

Class 6A bi-district
Laredo Alexander def. PSJA North 25-10, 25-16, 25-21: At Corpus,

The Raiders season came to an end at the hands of a powerful Laredo United unit. Alexander will continue with Valley opposition in area when they face Brownsville Hanna. The Golden Eagles prevailed over Edinburg Vela in five sets.

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