Shaine Casas has spent the past three seasons dominating the pool for Texas A&M. This season, however, Casas could be wearing burnt orange, as the former McAllen High swimmer is hitting the transfer portal and heading to the University of Texas.

According to SwimSwam.com, Casas informed his teammates that he would be entering the transfer portal Monday, with sources later indicating his intent to join the Longhorns.

Casas is coming off the best season of his career, sweeping all three of his events during the 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming Championships in March 2021. He finished first in the 200-yard individual medley, 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard backstroke, making him just one of two swimmers to go three-for-three individually at the meet.

After the collegiate season, Casas competed for a spot in the 2020 Olympics, finishing third in the 100 backstroke with a time of 52.76 seconds, less than three-tenths shy of an Olympic berth.

Although his eligibility date is currently unclear, Casas could face off against his former team this season, as the Aggies and Longhorns are set for a dual meet Oct. 15.

The Monitor’s Week 2 Game of the Week features Edinburg Vela taking on Harlingen High in a matchup of defending district champions and two of the top Class 6A programs in the Rio Grande Valley.

Edinburg Vela (1-0, 0-0) is coming off a 42-6 victory over McAllen Memorial in The Monitor’s Week 1 Game of the Week. Running back P.J. Rivera broke through with a four-touchdown game to lead the SaberCats over the Mustangs. The stakes are just as high in Week 2 as they’ll go toe-to-toe against Harlingen High.

The Cardinals (1-0, 0-0) cruised past Laredo United South 34-10 in their season opener last week on the road. Harlingen racked up more than 500 yards of total offense.

The SaberCats and Cardinals have met just once before — in the bi-district round of the 2019 Class 6A playoffs. Edinburg Vela finished as District 31-6A’s No. 3 seed, while Harlingen High earned 32-6A’s No. 2 seed. The SaberCats won the playoff matchup 42-35, ending the Cardinals’ season.

Kickoff between Edinburg Vela and Harlingen High is slated for 7 p.m. Thursday at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

The Monitor’s sports writers Ivan Palacios and Bryan Ramos recap the Rio Grande Valley high school football Week 1 action, including The Monitor’s Game of the Week Edinburg Vela vs. McAllen Memorial, Mission High vs. Mission Veterans, McAllen High vs. Edinburg High and more.

The Monitor’s Ivan Palacios and Bryan Ramos are back with the RGVSports.com Football Podcast previewing Week 1 of the high school football season in the Rio Grande Valley. The episode begins with a breakdown of the first RGVSports.com top 10 football poll of the year, followed by a few interesting storylines entering the 2021 season. Finally, Palacios and Ramos preview the Week 1 schedule along with must-see matchups across the RGV this week.

For more, visit RGVSports.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @rgvsports.com

McAllen High climbed to No. 6 in Class 5A and San Isidro debuted at No. 13 in Class 2A in the most recent Texas Girls Coaches Association volleyball poll released Tuesday.

Neither team were ranked in the preseason poll, but the Bulldogs (13-1) came in at No. 7 last week before winning the San Antonio ISD tournament to improve their ranking one spot. The Bulldogs, led by first-year head coach Michael Smith, have been ranked for most of each of the past two seasons and have advanced to the Sweet 16 in the sate in each of those years.

Perennial power Corpus Christi Flour Bluff is ranked No. 14 in Class 5A with a 9-2 record, its most recent loss coming at the Sinton volleyball tournament during the weekend at the hands of tournament champion Sharyland High, one of five teams expected to battle for four playoff spots in District 31-5A. Sharyland Pioneeer, also from District 31-6A showed the district’s depth, winning the Mission High volleyball tournament, defeating Mission Veterans in three sets.

Meanwhile, San Isidro is 12-3 on the season, according to Tuesday’s poll.

Class 2A (includes Class 1A)

1. Fayetteville 14-0

2. Bosqueville 11-0

3. Beckville 17-2

4. Bremond 15-2

5. Iola 11-6

6. Benjamin 9-0

7. Wink 9-1

8. Thrall 13-5

9. Crawford 9-6

10. Schulenburg 11-7

11. Cayuga 10-2

12. Plains 9-2

13. San Isidro 12-3

14. Tom Bean 8-2

15. D’Hanis 8-2

Class 3A

1. East Bernard 12-0

2. Lorena 17-2

3. White Oak 10-0

4. Harmony 10-0

5. Boyd 7-0

6. Shallowater 12-1

7. Holliday 15-2

8. Bushland 7-1

9. Anderson-Shiro 10-2

10. Scurry-Rosser 6-1

11. Gunter 11-2

12. Hallettsville 9-2

13. S & S Consolidated 8-2

14. Paradise 8-2

15. Breckenridge 4-1

Class 4A

1. Celina 12-0

2. Pleasanton 16-1

3. Kennedale 13-2

4. Farmersville 16-1

5. Hereford 12-2

6. Argyle 12-3

7. Wimberley 11-3

8. Carthage 10-2

9. Rockport-Fulton 10-2

10. Aubrey 8-1

11. Bellville 12-9

12. Decatur 7-5

13. Alvarado 8-1

14. Stephenville 11-2

15. Benbrook 9-2

Class 5A

1. Barbers Hill 17-1

2. Highland Park 10-3

3. Lucas Lovejoy 10-4

4. College Station 16-2

5. New Braunfels Canyon 16-4

6. McAllen 13-1

7. Frisco Independence 14-4

8. Lufkin 12-1

9. Frisco Lone Star 11-1

10. Gregory-Portland 13-4

11. Pflugerville Hendrickson 15-2

12. Leander Rouse 13-5

13. Greenville 14-2

14. Corpus Christi Flour Bluff 9-2

15. Dripping Springs 13-9

Class 6A

1. The Woodlands 18-0

2. Flower Mound 12-1

3. San Antonio Brandeis 16-0

4. Plano West 11-3

5. Cypress Ranch 16-1

6. Coppell 14-1

7. V.R. Eaton 14-1

8. Austin 14-3

9. McKinney Boyd 12-1

10. Arlington Martin 11-1

11. Ridge Point 11-1

12. Pearland Dawson 10-1

13. San Antonio Clark 14-3

14. Round Rock Cedar Ridge 17-3

15. San Antonio Reagan 15-4

Friday’s matchup between Donna High and Donna North has been canceled, Donna ISD extracurricular administrator Ramiro Leal confirmed to The Monitor on Monday, marking the second consecutive year the rivalry has been called off.

The decision comes with the “healthy and safety of our players and staff at the forefront,” a statement from Donna ISD read.

“Students on both teams have worked especially hard to get to this point, and we do not want to jeopardize any opportunities for district play,” the statement continued.

For now, both teams are scheduled to resume action Friday, Sept. 3, with Donna High kicking off District 16-5A DI play against Weslaco East at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco, while Donna North hosts La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at Bennie La Prade Stadium in Donna.

The cancellation is the first in the RGV this season, while becoming the 11th matchup to be cancelled or postponed in UIL 11-man football as of Monday evening.

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The Edinburg Vela SaberCats were a unanimous selection at No. 1 in the RGVSports.com Top 10 Poll entering Week 1. The defending District 31-6A champions return 15 starters from a season ago and will receive a boost from Chase Campbell, their new starting quarterback. The SaberCats are set to open the regular season against McAllen Memorial at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen.

Mercedes comes in at No. 2 after receiving three second-place votes. The Tigers high-flying offense led by quarterback Michael Cisneros, running back Miguel Jimenez and receiver Tyrell Treviño has its eyes on a District 16-5A DII title, while the Mercedes defense brings back a loaded group led by linebacker Roan Galvan.

Harlingen High starts the year at No. 3 in the top 10 after reaching the area round of the playoffs a season ago. The defending District 32-6A co-champion Cardinals are poised for another big year in 2021.

McAllen Memorial has 17 starters back in the fold and come in ranked No. 4 in the RGVSports.com Top 10 Poll. Although former head coach Bill Littleton retired during the offseason, expect first-year head coach and former defensive coordinator Moses Patterson to have the Mustangs prepared to pick up where they left off.

PSJA North rounds out the Top 5, returning 11 offensive starters, including senior running back Isaac Gonzalez, who led the RGV in rushing yards last season, and quarterback Ale Aparicio, who will look to build off a breakout freshman campaign. The Raiders eye a return to the postseason after being knocked out during the area round due to a positive COVID-19 case within the program.

Weslaco East sits at No. 6, coming off its eighth straight postseason appearance under head coach Mike Burget to extend the team’s streak to 14. Despite returning only four starters on each side of the ball, Burget has the Wildcats primed for another postseason appearance, with quarterback Javi Garza (297 total yards) and running back Jay Vasquez (371 all-purpose yards) stepping into starting roles.

Mission High opens at No. 7 in the preseason poll after coming up a two-point conversion short of advancing to the third round of the postseason last year. The Eagles are retooled and ready for another postseason run, led by first-year head coach Danny Longoria and quarterback Kevin Guerra, a Rio Grande City transfer.

McAllen High and Mission Veterans follow the Eagles, ranking No. 8 and 9, respectively. The Bulldogs will look to earn their first postseason berth under third-year head coach Patrick Shelby, while the Patriots eye a return to the playoffs after their first losing season since 2011.

Brownsville Hanna rounds out the Top 10, returning 12 starters from last season’s District 32-6A co-championship squad. All-state honorable mentions Anthony Ambriz, a defensive back and Humberto Garcia, a defensive lineman, will lead the defense, while running back Kriz Peña serves as the focal point on offense.

RGVSPORTS.COM TOP 10

The following are the teams in the RGVSports.com top 10 poll, with first-place votes in parentheses and total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through 1 point for a 10th-place vote. The five votes are the writers and editors who cover RGV high school football for AIM Media’s three newspapers: The Monitor, Valley Morning Star, and Brownsville Herald.

Team   Records Points Prv.

1. Edinburg Vela (5) 0-0   50 N/A

2. Mercedes   0-0   42 N/A

3. Harlingen High 0-0   41 N/A

4. McAllen Memorial 0-0   31 N/A

5. PSJA North   0-0   26 N/A

6. Weslaco East   0-0   23 N/A

7. Mission High   0-0   18 N/A

8. McAllen High   0-0 9 N/A

9. Mission Veterans  0-0   7 N/A

10. Brownsville Hanna 0-0   5 N/A

PSJA Southwest’s Mike Evans resigned from his position as football head coach and athletic coordinator Wednesday to take a role as co-defensive coordinator at Weslaco East.

The move comes eight days before the Javelinas are scheduled to kick off the regular season against Edinburg Economedes next Thursday.

Evans was instrumental in PSJA Southwest’s success during his four years at the helm of the program. After an 0-10 start to his tenure, he turned the Javelinas around and led them to 11 wins over his final three seasons. He helped last year’s Southwest team make program history by clinching the first playoff berth since the school opened in 2010.

“I want to thank the PSJA ISD Administration, Board and Athletic Director Orlando Garcia for believing in me to lead this program for the last four years. I feel that our staff and I have set this program in the right direction. Our playoff appearance last season is proof that we have talented student-athletes here in our community and I’m proud we were able to work together to make school history,” Evans said in a statement. “I’m aware of the unfortunate timing of my departure, but I feel stepping down is the right move for me and my family at this point in my life and career. I also feel that the program will be in good hands with the staff currently in place. I know they and the great student-athletes we have will continue to build on what we’ve done so far. PSJA ISD has granted me my release and we are leaving this relationship on good terms.”

He joins a Weslaco East program led by ninth-year head coach Mike Burget that has built a reputation as one of the strongest defensive units year in and year out. The Wildcats have qualified for the playoffs in 14 straight seasons and won back-to-back district titles in Class 6A and Class 5A in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

The defensive coordinator position at Weslaco East opened after former defensive coordinator Rene Guzman accepted the head coach and athletic coordinator position at Edinburg High in March.

Weslaco East is slated to open the season with “The Tinaco Bowl”, the rivalry game against the Weslaco High Panthers, at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 27 at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco.

The Rio Grande Valley landed several stars on the Texas Sports Writers Association’s (TSWA) 2021 All-State Baseball Teams, which were unveiled throughout the week. The all-state teams are comprised of the top players across Texas as voted on by the TSWA.

CLASS 6A

La Joya High’s Salvador Lopez led the Class 6A selections with a spot on the TSWA All-State Second Team. Lopez hit .493 with 24 runs and 23 RBIs on the year.

The Class 6A all-state third team included La Joya High pitcher JC Gutierrez, Edinburg Vela catcher Jaime “Mito” Perez Jr., La Joya High catcher Jose “Guti” Gutierrez,” and PSJA High third baseman Viggo Lopez.

Honorable mentions included Edinburg Vela’s Rudy Gonzalez and Carlos Peña, La Joya’s Alan Delgado and Angel Solis, Los Fresnos’ Victor Loa and PSJA High’s Julius Ramirez and Diego Villescas.

CLASS 5A

Sharyland High’s Kiké Cienfuegos was named to the TSWA Class 5A All-State First Team after a strong senior season. Cienfuegos posted a 10-1 record as a starter with a 0.77 ERA and 106 strikeouts on the year.

Weslaco East catcher Tonio Balboa and Sharyland Pioneer designated hitter David Lopez made the all-state second team. McAllen Rowe second baseman Ivan Salinas and Pioneer’s Juan Rivera and Oscar Serna earned spots on the all-state third team.

Class 5A all-state honorable mentions included McAllen High’s Tristan Cavazos, Caleb Killian, Noah Villarreal, Ethan Whatley; Rio Grande City’s Eden Barrera, Emmanuel Garza, Eddie Garza and Marc Perez; La Joya Palmview’s Chris Chapa and Esai Puente; Pioneer’s Angel Larranaga; Sharyland High’s Jose Garcia; and Weslaco East’s Alex Solis.

CLASS 4A

Raymondville’s Darren Ramirez earned a spot on the TSWA Class 4A All-State First Team, while Derick Ramirez was named an honorable mention as a pitcher. Ramirez, who played shortstop for the Bearkats, hit .667 with 26 RBIs, 22 runs and six home runs.

THE MONITOR’S ALL-AREA BASEBALL TEAMS
All-Area Superlatives
Player of the Year: Tristan Cavazos, McAllen High
Offensive Player of the Year: Jaime Perez Jr., Edinburg Vela
Defensive Player of the Year: Juan Rivera, Sharyland Pioneer
Co-Pitchers of the Year: Kiké Cienfuegos, Sharyland High; JC Gutierrez, La Joya High
Newcomer of the Year: Chris Chapa, La Joya Palmview
Coach of the Year: Mario Flores, La Joya High

All-Area First Team
P – David Lopez, Sharyland Pioneer; Mike Ramos, Rio Grande City
C – Emmanuel Garza, Rio Grande City
1B – Andy Gamboa, PSJA High
2B – Alex Solis, Weslaco East
SS – Marc Perez, Rio Grande City
3B – Oscar Serna, Sharyland Pioneer
OF – Jose Garcia, Sharyland High
OF – Angel Solis, La Joya High
OF – Noah Villarreal, McAllen High
DH – Eden Barrera, Rio Grande City

All-Area Second Team
P – Carlos Peña, Edinburg Vela; Esai Puente, La Joya Palmview
C – Tonio Balboa, Weslaco East
1B – Jonathan Treviño, Hidalgo
2B – Ivan Salinas, McAllen Rowe
SS – Diego Villescas, PSJA High
3B – Eduardo Garza, Rio Grande City
OF – Jorge Salinas, Edinburg High
OF – Rudy Gonzalez, Edinburg Vela
OF – Salvador Lopez, La Joya High
DH – Victor Sanchez, Sharyland High

Honorable Mention
P – Vince Cavazos, Weslaco High; Emilio Duque, PSJA Southwest; Austin Flores, PSJA High; Randy Marroquin, Roma
C – Chris Bernal, McAllen High; David Benitez, Sharyland Pioneer; Jose Gutierrez, La Joya High; Julius Ramirez, PSJA High
1B – Hugo Cantu, La Joya High; Kyle Perales, Hidalgo; Nathan Rivas, Weslaco East; Jacob Torres, McAllen Rowe
2B – Caleb Killian, McAllen High; Angel Larranaga, Sharyland Pioneer
SS – Chris Casares, Weslaco High; Damian Cortez, McAllen High; Alan Delgado, La Joya High
3B – Damain Cortez, Mission High; Viggo Lopez, PSJA High; Cole Gerlach, Sharyland High
OF – Diego Duque, PSJA Southwest; Zachary Gonzalez, PSJA North; Jorge Molina, Hidalgo; Mario Salinas, La Joya High; Saul Soto, Sharyland High
DH – Diego Gomez, PSJA High; Josiah Gonzalez, La Joya Palmview

*Note – The Monitor’s coverage area ranges from Roma – Mercedes