RGVSports.com
Brownsville Rivera has surged into the RGVSports.com Top 10 football poll. The Raiders, who are ranked No. 9, have been one of the hottest Valley teams to end the regular season.
After starting the season 0-5, Rivera has won its last five games, including a win over San Benito in Week 11 to claim a share of the District 32-6A title. Rivera (5-5) opens the playoffs Friday against PSJA North at PSJA Stadium in Pharr. It is Rivera’s first showing in the top 10.
Rio Hondo is also making its first appearance in the top 10. The No. 10 Bobcats have arguably been the most consistent sub-5A team in the Valley. Rio Hondo is 8-2 and takes on Cuero in Class 4A bi-district action Friday at Cabaniss Stadium in Corpus Christi.
Sharyland High finished the regular season at No. 1. The Rattlers (9-1) have been No. 1 all but one week this season. Sharyland received five first-place votes. Sharyland plays host to Edcouch-Elsa on Friday in Round 1 of the Class 5A playoffs.
Second-ranked McAllen Memorial received one first-place vote. The 9-1 Mustangs open the playoffs Friday against Del Rio in Laredo.
Mercedes (9-1) checks in at No. 3. The Tigers have a date with the Roma Gladiators on Friday in La Joya.
Edinburg Vela, which made the playoffs for the first time in program history, is No. 4. The SaberCats (9-1) open the playoffs Saturday against PSJA High at PSJA Stadium.
The fifth-ranked McAllen High Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 14-0 win over La Joya Palmview last week. The Bulldogs improved to 7-3 with the victory and face Valley playoff nemesis Laredo Alexander on Thursday in Laredo.
Similar to Rivera, Weslaco High (6-4) has been on a roll to end the season. The Panthers, who are ranked No. 6, have won five in a row and beat city rival Weslaco East last week to win the District 31-6A championship. Weslaco High travels to take on Harlingen on Friday. Weslaco High moved up three spots in the poll from No. 9
Weslaco East (8-2) and Mission Veterans Memorial (7-3) are ranked No. 7 and No. 8, respectively. East opens the playoffs Friday at home against San Benito while Veterans plays host to Donna High at Tom Landry Stadium.
This is final Top 10 poll until RGVSports.com reveals its 2014 All-Valley team in December.
The following are the teams in RGVSports.com’s 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:
Record Pts Pvs
1, Sharyland High (5) 9-1 59 1
2, McAllen Mem. (1) 9-1 54 2
3, Mercedes 9-1 45 3T
4, Edinburg Vela 9-1 43 3T
5, McAllen High 7-3 35 5
6, Weslaco High 6-4 32 9
7, Weslaco East 8-2 21 6T
8, Mission Veterans 7-3 13 6T
9, Brownsville Rivera 5-5 12 NR
10, Rio Hondo 8-2 10 NR
Others receiving votes: Harlingen High (5 points); San Benito (4); Donna High (1); Los Fresnos (1).