STAFF REPORT

PSJA Southwest did something Friday night that the team had not done in 679 days: win a football game.

The Javelinas (1-2) downed the PSJA Memorial Wolverines (0-3) 34-21 in a battle of previously winless teams at PSJA Stadium.

“We took care of the football and didn’t give up many big plays,” PSJA Southwest coach Michael Evans said. “The kids played hard. Our option game looked good. This was our best offensive performance. We moved the ball and had a lot of success.”

Senior running back Brayan Acosta paved the way for Southwest’s offense with three touchdown runs.

The Javelinas’ victory was their first ever under Evans. In his first season leading the program, Evans coached the team to an 0-10 record last year.

The last PSJA Southwest win took place in another district game against PSJA Memorial on Nov. 4, 2016, when both teams were members of District 31-6A.

“It feels great to win against a great team and a great coaching staff that Mike Uribe has at PSJA Memorial,” Evans said. “That’s a big deal for us, to be able to compete with those guys. It hasn’t really sunk in yet.”

McALLEN ROWE 27, EDINBURG NORTH 6: At Edinburg, McAllen Rowe went up early and didn’t need to do much else in a big road win. The Warriors got a long run from Lorenzo Lopez to kick off the scoring. Joe Hernandez recovered a fumble that he took to the house to give the defense some points to claim as their own. Rowe even returned a punt for a score via the legs of Adrian Salinas.

LAREDO NIXON 26, ROMA 14: At Roma, Gladiators (1-2) coach Frank Villanueva saw a few improvements from his team’s performance a week ago, but they still dropped a home game to Laredo Nixon.

“We lost, but we did improve on our special teams from last week,” Villanueva said. “I think we gave up around 35 points last week based off of bad snaps on special team plays.”

La Joya High shut out Roma 49-0 in Week 2. While special teams didn’t leave coaches scratching their heads this week, the Gladiators were down a quarterback.

Junior Jonathan Rios suffered an injury during the game against the Coyotes, which bumped Esteban Barrera up the depth chart this week.

“Esteban’s a sophomore, and I think he did OK,” Villanueva said. “He did throw a pick-six that hurt us, but overall, he had a good game. He’s more of a scrambler than Jonathan, who’s more comfortable in the pocket.”

GRULLA 34, DONNA NORTH 3: At Rio Grande City, the Gators bounced back from a Week 2 loss to Raymondville. Grulla improved to 2-1, while the Chiefs fell to 0-3.

BROWNSVILLE HANNA AT WESLACO EAST, Ccd.: The game between the Golden Eagles and the Wildcats was canceled due to inclement weather creating travel issues.

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The Mercedes Tigers continued their struggles with a 28-0 loss to District 16-4A Division I’s La Feria Lions on Thursday at Tiger Stadium in Mercedes.

“It was Part 2 of last week,” Mercedes coach Roger Adame Jr. said. “We had some bright spots last week, but no real ones this week.”

Adame Jr. held senior quarterback Israel Alegria out of Thursday’s game due to nagging wrist and shoulder injuries. Horacio Pequeño, who saw action in each of Mercedes’ first two games, got the start in his place.

“We got a first down on the first series of the game, but I don’t think we got another first down the rest of the half,” Adame Jr. said. “They (the Lions) shut us down. We couldn’t get anything going.”

The Tigers (1-2) played Week 1 on a Saturday, Week 2 on Friday and now Week 3 on Thursday. The game against La Feria (3-0) was moved to Thursday due to concerns of heavy rain on Friday night.

“The kids were excited to go out there on a Thursday,” Adame Jr. said. “We didn’t want to lose a game because of rain. With this team, right now, we need all the reps we can get.”

VALLEY VIEW 35, BROWNSVILLE RIVERA 3: At Hidalgo, the Tigers had a historic night on the defensive side of the ball.

Valley View (3-0) forced Brownsville Rivera (0-3) into seven turnovers, notched 10 sacks and held the Raiders to 45 yards of offense.

LOS FRESNOS 42, EDCOUCH-ELSA 13: At Elsa, the Yellow Jackets fell to 0-3 with their third consecutive blowout loss to open the season.

EDINBURG HIGH 22, LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN 13: At La Joya, the Bobcats jumped out to an early lead, and the Huskies couldn’t catch up.

The Huskies missed a field goal during the first quarter that could have halved the lead, and instead the Bobcats scored a rushing TD in the middle of the second quarter to go up 13-0. Juarez-Lincoln tacked on a touchdown before the half, but it was too little, too late, as the Bobcats’ dominant defense clamped down on the Huskies. Edinburg High forced multiple turnovers, including a pair of second-half interceptions that helped seal the game.

A safety cushioned the Bobcats’ lead before the teams traded TDs to round out the scoring.

Senior quarterback Matt Cruz ran for two touchdowns and threw for another to junior Erik Cano.

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 12, LAREDO LBJ 0: At Edinburg, Economedes jumped out to an early lead, and the Jaguars’ defense clamped down to beat the Wolves.

The Jaguars notched an early field goal from Ramiro Gonzalez to open the scoring. Then, senior QB Albert Guerra found junior running back Jeremy Fernandez on a 34-yard pass for the lone touchdown of the game.

The Econ defense was unrelenting, forcing turnovers and never allowing LBJ to gain any positive field position.

During the first three weeks, the Jags have allowed only one score — a deep ball just before half last week against Corpus Christi Moody.

KINGSVILLE SANTA GERTRUDIS 12, PROGRESO 9: At Progreso, Santa Gertrudis won a low-scoring game as Progreso dropped to 1-2 on the season in a game that was originally scheduled for Friday.

The Red Ants will have a bye in Week 4 before traveling to face Hidalgo on Sept. 28.

PORT ISABEL 33, HIDALGO 6: At Port Isabel, Bryan Medina scored three touchdowns runs as part of a big night, and the Tarpons cruised to a win in a game that was originally scheduled for Friday. Hidalgo fell to 0-3 on the year heading into a matchup against Rio Hondo next Friday.

MARINE MILITARY ACADEMY 16, MONTE ALTO 13: At Harlingen, Marine Military won to drop Monte Alto to 1-2 on the season in a game that was moved from Friday.

RESCHEDULINGS

Brownsville Porter will play at La Joya Palmview at 6 p.m. Saturday. Rio Grande City’s matchup at Brownsville Lopez was almost moved to 6 p.m. Saturday.

STAFF REPORT

Shortly after Mission Veterans and Brownsville Veterans learned they’d be opponents in the Valley’s largest district, the countdown to their first regular season matchup was officially underway.

The Patriots and Chargers, who were both champions of their respective districts in 2017, will face off at 7:30 Friday night at Mission’s Tom Landry Stadium in The Monitor’s Game of the Week.

Brownsville Veterans is off to a 2-0 start following a 50-13 win over Brownsville Rivera in Week 1 and a 32-12 victory over Brownsville Lopez in Vets’ district opener last week.

The Chargers replaced Gustavo Vasquez, the Brownsville Herald’s 2017 All-Metro Most Valuable Player, with junior Liam Longoria at quarterback. Longoria completed 14 of 21 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown while also running for three touchdowns on the ground against the Raiders.

Longoria wasn’t as successful through the air in Week 2 versus a stingier Brownsville Lopez defense (3-of-10 passing, 33 yards, no touchdowns), but he was prolific on the ground, running the ball 15 times for 100 yards and four touchdowns. Junior running back Mauricio Garza was the other Charger to hit the century mark against the Lobos, piling up 149 yards and a touchdown of his own.

Brownsville Veterans’ running attack appears to be as strong as ever with 11 of the team’s 12 offensive touchdowns coming via the ground game.

Mission Veterans lost to rival Mission High in The Monitor’s Game of the Week two weeks ago. 2017 All-Area Player of the Year and senior quarterback Landry Gilpin was not his typical self on the field, completing less than 50 percent of his passes (14 of 31) and throwing two interceptions in the Patriots’ 24-12 loss. Even in defeat, Gilpin threw for 203 yards and a touchdown while also running for 106 yards and another score.

The Patriots rediscovered their identity in Week 2’s district opener on the road at PSJA Memorial. Led by Gilpin, Mission Veterans scored all of its points (41) in the first half on the way to a blowout victory. Gilpin threw for three touchdowns and ran for the other three. Junior wide receiver Mikey Garcia was the recipient of two scores, and sophomore A.J. Gonzaque caught the first touchdown of his varsity career.

Brownsville Veterans has proven to be a run-first team, and that could be an advantage against a Mission Veterans squad that struggled to stop the run in its season opener, yielding 265 rushing yards in the loss to Mission High.

The Chargers, on the other hand, haven’t faced and won’t again face a quarterback of Gilpin’s capability this season. Dynamic receivers like Garcia and Gonzaque won’t make matters easier, either.

Despite taking place in mid-September, the Patriots versus Chargers matchup will have major playoff seeding implications in mid-November. Mission Veterans’ 7-1 district record was good enough to earn a share of a district title last season. Meanwhile, Brownsville Veterans hasn’t lost a district game since Sept. 29, 2016.

The last time the Patriots and Chargers met on a football field was in the bi-district round of the 2016 playoffs. Mission Veterans won 35-14.

STAFF REPORT

Tommy Lee earned his first victory as Sharyland Pioneer’s head coach, but not without a little drama toward the end.

The Diamondbacks eventually held on for a 31-29 win over the La Joya Juarez-Lincoln Huskies, who fell to 0-2 at Richard Thompson Stadium in Mission.

“It’s been a long time,” Lee said. “It was an offense-defense-special teams game all the way.”

The Diamondbacks (1-1) held on to a two-point lead late in the fourth quarter, while the Huskies missed a field goal attempt and fumbled away a later possession after Pioneer initially coughed up the football.

“I tell you what, our defense played unbelievable in the second half,” Lee said. “Lucky for us, we were the last ones to recover a turnover in the game.”

That fumble recovery fell into the hands of Alonzo Ibarra, allowing Pioneer to kneel and run out the clock.

Pioneer’s victory was by no means pretty. The Diamondbacks trailed 29-19 going into halftime and finished the game with seven offensive turnovers.

“We could have very easily caved in,” Lee said. “We had five turnovers in the first half, and we were only down 10 points, so we thought we were still in a good enough position. The kids just fought hard for each other.”

MISSION HIGH 56, DONNA NORTH 12: At Mission, the Eagles stayed high above the competition, trouncing the Chiefs on home turf.

After what coach Koy Detmer called a slow start, the playmakers were out in full force for Mission, which is hot off a victory over rival Mission Veterans in Week 1.

Steve Villarreal had a pair of interceptions as well as a couple of catches on offense. Sebastian Gonzalez was another playmaker who impacted more than just one area of the game.

“We got going after some mishaps that held us back early, played really well offensively and defensively, and did some good things in special teams, as well,” Detmer said.

The Eagles top two running backs — Horacio Moronta and Andrew Maldonado — “popped big runs,” according to Detmer. Perimeter play was key for Mission, which gave action to both of its quarterbacks — Damian Gomez and Jeremy Duran.

“Al Tijerina had a really nice game tonight,” Detmer said. “Sebastian Gonzalez did a really nice job tonight. He had a couple of catches, a touchdown on a catch, and a kickoff return for a touchdown to start the second half, so he had a big night, as well. Everybody got involved, which is good.”

PSJA HIGH 55, CORPUS CHRISTI KING 45: At Pharr, the Bears had a big first half for a second week in a row. The Bears also took their foot off the gas for a second straight week. This time, they kept scoring and hold off their northern visitors.

“We kind of relaxed again. Kind of had that Flour Bluff syndrome, we kind of let them come back,” coach Lupe Rodriguez said. “Fortunately, we scored enough in the first half and the second to pull out the win.”

The second-year coach said the prescription to the aforementioned syndrome of letting teams creep back in during the second half is putting their foot on the gas even when up big.

“Just having that mentality in the second half of not relaxing,” Rodriguez said. “(We) just didn’t have that killer instinct to put the team away. We learned a valuable lesson again.”

“Tonight, all four of our receivers scored several times,” Rodriguez said. “It was the first time in a long time that all our receivers got into the end zone. Miguel Flores, Justin Morales, Ethan Castillo, Marco Guajardo — they all scored.”

LA JOYA HIGH 49, ROMA 0: At La Joya, the Coyotes dominated another western Valley program this week, this time against the Battle of Starr County champions.

Coach Reuben Farias said every facet of his team was clicking.

“We had a pretty good turnout. Our defense played outstanding. So did out special teams,” Farias said. “Irving Zamora returned a punt return, took it to the house. (We) picked up a fumble, almost took it to the house. Eddie (Villarreal) scored twice, I think.”

La Joya High quarterback J.R. Rodriguez is running the option well, according to Farias.

“Today, we had success both ways,” Farias said. “The expectations were high. We have a lot of returning lettermen both sides — key players. It’s good that we’re playing confident, capitalizing on the mistakes that their offense makes, and that their defense makes.”

LAREDO ALEXANDER 24, WESLACO EAST 6: At Weslaco, Alexander pulled away against East, dropping the Wildcats to 0-2 on the young season.

CORPUS CHRISTI MOODY 7, EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 0: At Corpus Christi, Moody scored with less then two minutes remaining in the first half, and the Jaguars move to 1-1 in 2018.

BROWNSVILLE ST. JOSEPH 26, PROGRESO 0: At Progreso, the Bloodhounds got back on track after a loss in Week 1, dropping the Red Ants to 1-1 on the year.

LA JOYA PALMVIEW 37, RIO GRANDE CITY 29: At Rio Grande City, La Joya Palmview jumped ahead 31-7 and held on long enough to pull an upset of Rio Grande City (0-2) in the Rattlers’ home opener.

“We knew that they had to come out and play like themselves,” La Joya Palmview coach Margarito Requenez said.

Senior running back Mario Chapa led the way for his offense with three rushing touchdowns. La Joya Palmview (1-1) will host Brownsville Porter next week.

“We’re both different teams compared to last year. They won a game last week and we won a district game this week,” Requenez said. “We’ve glad to get this monkey off our backs.”

DONNA HIGH 30, PSJA SOUTHWEST 14: At Donna, Donna High took advantage of early turnovers and quarterback Ryan Espinoza ran for two scores to help his team improve to 2-0.

“They’ve got some talent and some big boys on that team,” Donna High coach Ramiro Leal said of PSJA Southwest. “They fumbled the ball a few times running their option, so we got the ball deep in their field position, and that helped us out a lot. It wasn’t pretty, but an ugly win is better than a pretty loss.”

The Javelinas drop to 0-2 on the young season.

RAYMONDVILLE 55, GRULLA 28: At Raymondville, Grulla moves to 1-1 in non-district play.

LYFORD 20, HIDALGO 17: At Hidalgo, Hidalgo is still searching for its first win of the year, but playing Lyford close is a step in the right direction for the Pirates.

STAFF REPORT

The No. 1 and No. 2 teams are set to meet this week, and a little bad blood never hurt a great matchup.

No. 1 Edinburg Vela hosts No. 2 Brownsville Hanna at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg. The game has been selected as The Monitor’s Game of the Week.

The bout is a rematch of last year’s instant classic bi-district playoff game. Vela and Hanna faced off on Nov. 17 in Edinburg.

Hanna jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter before Vela reeled off 28 points to take a commanding lead into halftime.

Hanna bounced back in the second half and led by one point as Vela took possession of the ball for the final drive. A 54-yard walk-off field goal from senior kicker Austin Garza sealed the 34-32 win for Vela.

Both teams have changed this season. The biggest question for Vela heading into Friday is who will be under center. Sophomore A.J. Sotelo started for Vela last week against Laredo United, but he was pulled at halftime in favor of Elijah Trujillo. Vela proved against United that the team is ready to dominate this season, the same way the SaberCats have over the last few years.

Vela ran for 225 yards and totaled 366 yards of offense, beating United 48-27 in the Thursday night opener.

Hanna started the season with a statement. Coming into Week 1, Hanna was ranked fifth in the RGVSports.com poll, and McAllen Memorial entered the year at No. 3.

When they clashed on Thursday night, Hanna jumped ahead, leading 14-6 after the first quarter. The Golden Eagles never looked back against one of the most consistently dominant Valley teams, winning 49-28.

Junior quarterback Victor Campos completed 11 of 15 passes for 190 yards and 2 TDs. Senior back Cesar Mancias picked up right where he left of after running for more than 1,000 yards as a junior. On Thursday, Mancias ran for 207 yards and 3 scores.

The Vela defense will have to rely on its steady presences in the middle — senior defensive lineman Sergio Carrizales and senior linebacker Luis Gutierrez — to slow Mancias.

Senior Daniel Enriquez kicked his season off with a bang, returning a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown against United. Hanna will have to be very careful kicking to Enriquez, but he’ll probably find the end zone regardless of what the Golden Eagles do. Enriquez opened the scoring for Vela in this matchup last year with a 70-plus yard punt return touchdown.

Both teams are desperate to pick up the win, because both face a murderer’s row in non-district play. Vela will face McAllen Memorial and Los Fresnos — two playoff teams — after the matchup against Hanna. Hanna will face Weslaco East, Sharyland High and Tascosa after the game against Vela.

Most likely, the team that wins will stay at the top of the poll, while the loser may slip a bit in the rankings.

PSJA High was inches from a road upset against Corpus Christ Flour Bluff. After going up 21-7 at the half thanks to Trey Guajardo’s two rushing scores and one passing TD, the Flour Bluff Hornets stormed back with 28 unanswered points, eventually prevailing 33-28 on Friday.

The Bears didn’t run for the hills, though. PSJA High shrunk the lead to one possession and came up with a stop to earn a shot for a walk-off win.

A 60-yard drive in the final minute almost had a storybook ending, but instead the result was a cold reminder that every inch counts.

“We drove it all the way to the 1-yard line, and we thought he (Ethan Castillo) had gotten in with time running out, but they called us down at the inch yard line,” PSJA High coach Lupe Rodriguez said.

He knew that a road non-district game against Class 5A powerhouse Flour Bluff, which ended Mission Veterans’ season a year ago, would be a strong test for his group.

“Flour Bluff has had this coaching staff for a long time,” Rodriguez said. “Last year, they went three rounds deep. When I scheduled them, I wanted them to challenge us, and definitely they gave us a challenge.”

BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ 26, McALLEN HIGH 14: At McAllen, Brownsville Lopez came to this side of the Valley and didn’t let McHi come up for air. The Lobos had a 19-0 lead by halftime. The Bulldogs struggled on offense with three sacks, three botched snaps and interceptions in the first half, derailing any chance of staying in the game early.

LA JOYA HIGH 39, LA JOYA PALMVIEW 19: At La Joya, the Coyotes sent a message to their rivals. The originals are back.

Eddie Villarreal started his junior year with a bang. He scored three touchdowns. His understudy, backup Anselmo Davila, also got on the scoreboard as the second unit saw action in the lopsided win.

Quarterback J.R. Rodriguez added a 15-yard passing score.

“It was good that Anselmo (Davila) had a good night running,” Coyotes coach Reuben Farias said. “Instead of having Eddie going going going, we are able to refresh and have another young man that can run the ball and be effective.”

After giving up a kick return touchdown to start the game, the Coyotes tightened up on defense, and their first unit didn’t allow much to the Lobos.

Farias had the chance to get some of La Joya’s depth players into the fold in the win.

“The game started getting out of hand, and we started putting in some of our backups,” Farias said. “We’re trying to look at other kids.”

PSJA NORTH 44, PSJA MEMORIAL 3: At Pharr, the Raiders avenged their loss to the Wolverines from a season ago, this time in non-district play. PSJA North is looking to improve on a 2-8 season in 2017. Coach Marcus Kaufmann’s group was dominant, not allowing a touchdown in the opener.

ROMA 32, RIO GRANDE CITY 31, OT: At Roma, the Gladiators’ new-look offense played well in the annual Starr County Super Bowl.

Senior running back Felix Gomez ran for a touchdown to pace the Gladiators (1-0) in the program’s first win over Rio Grande City (0-1) since 2015.

“Special teams were big for us,” Roma coach Frank Villanueva said. “We had a kickoff return for a touchdown and our punter pinned them deep several times. Our quarterback Jonathan Rios ran the ball tough for us. He gave us some important first downs when we needed them.”

The victory over the Rattlers has significant sentimental value to Villanueva.

“It’s big, because it means beating my alma mater,” Villanueva said. “It felt good to get the first win of the season in Week 1. Last year, we lost a close game to Rio (Grande City), and this year was another nail-biter. Luckily, this went our way. We’ll take it any way we can get it.”

DONNA HIGH 58, DONNA NORTH 6: At Donna, Donna High flexed its muscles in a convincing win over their crosstown rivals from Donna North (0-1).

Donna High led 55-0 at halftime.

“There’s no way you can expect a game like this when you’re playing your rival,” Donna High coach Ramiro Leal said. “The defense played lights out.”

Donna High needed only 23 offensive plays in the first half to score 55 first-half points. Donna also forced five turnovers, including an interception return for a touchdown from senior linebacker Jay P Sandoval. Sandoval also had a fumble recovery and two sacks.

Senior quarterback Ryan Espinoza got the start for Donna High (1-0) at quarterback.

VALLEY VIEW 41, HIDALGO 7: At Hidalgo, the Tigers continued their recent dominance over the Pirates (0-1).

The seniors led the way for Valley View. Quarterback Simon Fernandez threw two touchdown passes and running back Brandon Gonzalez ran for two of his own.

Javier Lopez, who played on offense and defense for the Tigers (1-0), caught one of Fernandez’s touchdown passes and had a 104-yard interception return for a touchdown before the end of the first half.

“That play could have been a touchdown for Hidalgo and make it 21-14, but that made it 27-7 for us,” Valley View coach Elifonzo Esquivel said. “It was a huge turning point for us.”

GRULLA 41, BROWNSVILLE ST. JOSEPH 14: At Rio Grande City, Grulla got off to the perfect start, getting up big early and resting starters at the end.

Senior quarterback Dillen Salinas showed he hasn’t missed a step in his first live game action since his devastating ankle injury last year. He showed no ill effects of the injury, throwing for five touchdown passes at Joe R. Sanchez Stadium.

“You could tell it was Week 1. We had some jitters, and we weren’t as crisp as we wanted to be,” Grulla coach Abel Gonzalez III said. “We got rolling offensively, and the defense played great. They forced several turnovers. They gave us a lot of opportunities, and we didn’t take advantage of all of them, but we took care of enough.”

Senior cornerback Diego Saenz had two interceptions Friday to help get Salinas more time to work on offense.

Salinas found junior Santiago Sifuentes three times for touchdowns, and he sent two more touchdowns to junior receiver Jesse Garza.

“St. Joe’s is a good ballclub,” Gonzalez said. “They are young, but they are good, and they will only get better as the year goes on. They are going to start making some noise later on down the schedule.”

The focus of the Gators now shifts to their next opponents, Raymondville. The Gators meet the Bearkats at 7:30 next Friday in Raymondville.

“Raymondville, they have a few good kids coming back from last year’s strong team,” Gonzalez said. “Their defense is always tough. They gave us some problems last year. A lot of those kids are returning on that side of the ball. I know they are replacing their quarterback, but you know what, I have heard the new kid is good, too. We will start watching film on them tomorrow and breaking it down, but it is always a tough battle with those guys.”

PROGRESO 23, LA VILLA 12: At Progreso, the Red Ants launched the year in style, drawing a big crowd to watch Progreso top La Villa on Friday at Red Ant Stadium.

“It feels like we are on the right track,” Progreso coach Frank Martinez said. “It is a 1-0 record, and we all feel like we want to finish this off tonight and get back to the grind tomorrow morning.”

The Red Ants’ ground game was churning out yards on Friday.

Jose Medrano was the lead rusher for Progreso, and he got into the end zone once.

“I’m pretty sure he broke the 150 mark for tonight,” Martinez said. “He looked pretty good. The O-line did their job.”

Quarterback Josh San Roman, a junior, also scored for Progreso.

For Martinez, the problem wasn’t finding yards, it was finding the end zone.

“We had some good big runs,” Martinez said. “We just couldn’t finish a couple drives. We have some things we still have to work out, but we did what we do best, and that is the run game. We are doing it pretty good right now.”

RGVSPORTS.COM

Edcouch-Elsa coach Bradly Chavez sought a challenge when he set up Corpus Christi Veterans as the opener of E-E’s four-game non-district schedule. The Eagles lived up to the billing, pummeling the Yellow Jackets 38-0 Thursday at the Cabaniss Athletic Complex in Corpus Christi.

E-E was down 35-0 at halftime.

“A lot of guys were shellshocked at the varsity night lights,” Chavez said. “Aside from maybe three guys on offense and four on defense, it was their first night underneath the lights. I don’t want to put too much judgment on the guys, because I want to see the film first, but it’s going to be a great learning moment for us. It’s better to get it all out now instead of when it counts in the playoffs.”

Corpus Christi Veterans went 11-2 and marched three rounds deep in the playoffs last season. The Eagles also entered the preseason ranked No. 1 by the Texas High School Coaches Association among Class 5A Division I teams in Region IV.

“(Corpus Christi Veterans) Coach (Cody) Simper has got a well-oiled machine,” Chavez said. “He’s been there a while now, and he’s established his offense and defense. We have to take a step back as coaches and know that they (E-E players) are still adjusting to us and our style of offense and defense.”

Chavez said he saw more positives from the team in the second half, when the Eagles and Yellow Jackets began sending in their backups.

After senior Albert Treviño started at quarterback, sophomore Raven Rojas saw action in the second half.

“The funny part was we did not start changing plays or changing scheme, because we finally got something working,” Chavez said. “I talked to our offense. We called the same play eight times in a row, and every time we completed the ball. We also blocked it just like we practiced. We just have to get our guys to continue to buy in, trust what we’re doing and do what they’re coached to do.”

Special teams improvement will be another point of emphasis for the Yellow Jackets.

“We’ve got to focus more on special teams. Not that we have a lack of it, but we had a lack of mental discipline when it came to special teams,” Chavez said. “We’ll need to do a better job of that, as well.”

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 7, PSJA SOUTHWEST 0: At Pharr, senior quarterback Albert Guerra punched in a touchdown just before half to cap off a long drive by Economedes, and that was enough for the Jaguars to earn the win.

“It’s always a blessing to start it off on a good note,” Economedes coach Gabe Peña said. “Credit to Southwest. They are tough. I think Coach (Mike) Evans is doing a great job. There are not very many people who can appreciate the challenges his school and our school have. That team was ready to play, and it was a very good test for us.”

Peña said his defense gave him what he wanted all night long.

“I am very pleased with our defense right now,” Peña said. “We got some crucial stops when we needed them.”

Peña highlighted Rolando Alviso and Maro Plata as players who stood out on the defensive end.

One of those big plays was a stop on fourth down with less than three minutes remaining in the game.

“Offensively, we did what we set out to do,” Peña said. “I feel really good about our offense, because I know we are getting better. We missed out on some big plays, but I think we are very close.”

The drive that led to Guerra’s score took more than 10 minutes off the clock. Peña said the drive was the epitome of Econ’s slot-t offense.

Jesus Sanchez | Staff Writer

In spite of the effort the Lady Tarpons showed throughout their match, it was the Pace Viqueens who came out on top.

Pace swept Port Isabel 25-14, 25-18, 25-6 in the non-district match Tuesday evening.

“We needed a win just to bring up our spirits, especially at home,” Pace head coach Pamela McCumber said after the match. “It really brought up their spirits.”

The two teams went neck and neck in the match’s first game.

Yet, it was the Viqueens who maintained the momentum throughout the game with Pace middle hitter Rosa Salinas delivering the final kill to secure the first victory.

The Lady Tarpons rebounded to make the second set a more competitive one.

Although the Viqueens maintained the lead throughout the set, a 6-0 flurry by Port Isabel kept the Lady Tarpons in the game, at one point closing the gap to 18-16.

A few errors from Port Isabel and a kill from Pace’s Lyz Barrientes in the last moments of the second game put the final dagger in the Lady Tarpons.

“We had a really good fight in that second game, but I think that once we kind of let go of that, it affected it us in the third game as well,” Port Isabel head coach Julie Breedlove said.

Pace was more consistent throughout the third set, particularly on offense.

The Viqueens started off the final set with a 9-2 run and maintained their dominance throughout, allowing the visitors to score no more than four points.

“I think the girls came together, communicated well,” McCumber said. “We’ve been working on little adjustments and they showed it tonight. They came to play and they did what they had to do. We did a lot more hitting, a lot more attacking. Everything was on. Serving was good, so that benefited us.”

Down the stretch in the third and final game, Port Isabel didn’t have enough left in the tank to stop Pace as the Viqueens prevailed 25-6 to sweep the match.

“I thought the girls played hard and, you know, pushed through,” Breedlove said. “We kind of took some of our lumps but I thought the girls did well overall. It’s always tough coming over here and playing at Pace.

“Pace does a good job in getting their kids ready and I think our girls fought and, now, we just go back and work on the things we need to work on. I’m pleased where our girls are right now. They’re doing a good job. We’re young and we’re inexperienced and we’ll keep pushing and working at it.”

McCumber said the Viqueens will use Tuesday night’s win to build momentum going forward in the season.

“The focus going forward is to communicate, to talk, to be there for one another, to motivate one another,” she said.

By Jesus Sanchez | The Brownsville Herald

Brownsville Veterans Memorial and Hanna were able to see each other’s positives and negatives on offense and defense, but it was the Golden Eagles who defeated the Chargers 14-0 in Friday night’s scrimmage at Sams Memorial Stadium.

“We obviously made a lot of mistakes on both sides of the ball,” Hanna head coach Mark Guess said after the scrimmage. “We were able to overcome them at times but, I mean, as the season goes on, all teams get better. Both of us on the field tonight will be better, so are our opponents. We just got to make sure we clean up those mistakes and minimize them.”

Chargers ran the ball often during the controlled portion and live action of the scrimmage but, ultimately, failed to find the end zone on both occasions.

The Golden Eagles scored twice during the first quarter of live action.

Hanna’s Cesar Mancias and Aaron Frausto each found the end zone after successful runs down the middle.

Eagle quarterback Victor Campos was able to make big plays for Hanna, moving the ball through the air and ground multiple times.

However, Hanna had multiple pre-snap penalties, committing three false starts in four plays.

“It’s just unacceptable in our part,” Guess said. “We’ll go back and watch film and clean up those mistakes.”

During the second quarter of live action, the Chargers were able to shut out the Eagles, at one point recovering a forced fumble.

“First of all, this Hanna team we played is going to be one of the top five I believe in the Valley, just a great competitor tonight,” Chargers head coach David Cantu said. “We knew we had a long way to go and there’s going to be a video session tomorrow that’s very important for the teams.

“We’re close in a lot of things, but close isn’t good enough; that and, like every other team right now, the conditioning could be better. That’s not a bad thing. We want to peak at the right time and right now, it’s not important for us to peak but it’s important for us to get better next week.”

In Hanna’s last offensive possession, the Chargers played their best defense, allowing no more than six yards and forcing a sack.

However, the Eagles sealed the game by forcing a fumble on Veterans’ last possession.

“I’m real pleased with our defense,” Guess said. “Anytime you shut a team out, that’s always a good thing. Once again, this is early in the season, both teams are real green and making mistakes. We just got to work and get better.”

The Chargers had trouble finding a rhythm on offense at times in the controlled part of the scrimmage.

Veterans found itself in Hanna’s territory a few times, but wasn’t able to find the end zone as the clock ran out.

The Chargers used their ground attack to test the Eagles’ defense.

Jesus Sanchez | Staff Writer

With the arrival of Jason Strunk, the Tarpons new athletic director and head coach, a new era in Port Isabel football begins.

“ I’ve been coaching for about, I believe this is my 23rd year,” Strunk said. “Every day I get on the field, it’s fun, it’s exciting. It’s a feeling that never goes away when you’re a football coach. It’s like Christmas morning every day of my life. I do what I love. It’s a lot of fun, so I’m excited.”

Strunk, who has coached in Pennsylvania, Florida, Purdue University and, most recently, at Lubbock High School, said the focuses of the first few practices were repetition and growing familiar with each other.

“ (Players will) learn new terminology,” he said. “All that stuff. We’re not putting in too much right now, we’re just getting used to practicing fast, learning our system and our lingo, our terminology. (We’re) focusing on discipline, those kinds of things. Our numbers are high. Turnout is good. Everything is going smooth right now.”

The new head coach will take over the program that Jaime Infante left when he resigned earlier this summer after just one season.

Strunk said there are about 120 players attending practice, from which he hopes to carry 50 on to the varsity roster.

Several of those players, such as senior wide receiver Josue Martinez, are already seeing improvement under the new leadership.

“ I’m hyped about (starting football again),” Martinez said. “Good coach, gets us motivated. I feel he’s going to make it through with us. I have a strong feeling. It’s been amazing. He’s a good coach.”

Although he has been there for a few months, Strunk already feels a strong connection and sense of familiarity with the new team.

“ Kids are kids wherever you go, no matter what level it is,” he said. “It’s always fun. You treat them right, coach them hard and love them on and off the field. That’s just my mentality. Right now, we have a great dynamic going on. It feels like I’ve been here for five years, so it feels good be here.”

On Friday morning, the new head coach was seen working with Tarpon senior quarterback Cesar Aguilera, who said he is ready to go and work hard.

“ The team’s been doing good,” Aguilera said. “The intensity is really good. Everybody is into this. Everybody is all in. We’re looking forward to at least winning district, hopefully. That’s our goal.”

As competition draws closer, Port Isabel will kick it up a notch during practice in hopes to improve on last season’s 2-7 record.

In the meantime, Strunk and the Tarpons will work on growing stronger together.

“ I’m just excited about being here and doing good things with this great group of kids,” he said. “I’m looking forward to having fun here. It’s a great spot for my family. I’m just excited overall. It’s going to be a fun year.”