When crosstown rivals like the Edinburg Bobcats and Vela SaberCats collide, it’s hard to escape the overplayed clichés of sibling rivalries. This game is bigger than that. Vela staked their claim for city superiority during the latest battle Friday with a 44-13 win over the Bobcats.

The Bobcats and SaberCats are two perennial playoffs teams always in the mix for a district title in their respective districts. They schedule each other to ensure they are testing and challenging the best teams in the Valley; the fact that they share the same zip code is mere coincidence.

“It was going to be a tough ball game, crosstown rival. That’s a playoff team we played, but we did what we had to do tonight. We can be very explosive and we played good defense tonight,” Vela head coach Ernesto Alonzo said.

Explosive may be an understatement. On the third play of the game, Geoffrey Lefevre opened the scoring for the Sabercats with a 70-yard touchdown pass to June Garza. Lefevre’s strike up the left side found Garza, who out raced the defender. They connected a second time on a shorter but impressive pass in the back of the end zone.

“He has a lot of reps under his belt and a great quarterback; he’s fun to watch. From the cerebral standpoint, he knows the offense like the back of his hand,” Alonzo said.

Lefevre stood tall in the pocket with the confidence of an experienced quarterback. He was calm even with Bobcats defenders bearing down on him. On his 21-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Rodriguez, Lefevre was smothered and taken down while still delivering the most delicate of passes.

The Bobcats defense matched the energy. They forced turnovers and wreaked havoc early. They were led by their big man, Diego Gonzalez. After recovering a fumble at the SaberCats 41-yard line, the offense pounced. Quarterback JT Santa Maria invaded the Vela secondary while Oscar Jasso carried the offense into the red zone. The Bobcats called a timeout to rethink a 34-yard field goal attempt and lined up in the ‘Swinging Gate’ offense. Jude Vega scrambled out of the unorthodox formation and found Orly Martinez for a 16-yard touchdown pass.

“We had a great game plan, but we have to execute better. They were clicking on all cylinders, and we can’t make mistakes in big ball games…we made too many of them,” Bobcats’ head coach Rene Guzman said.

By the end of the first quarter, the Edinburg powerhouses were tied at 7. Each defense held serve through most of the second. The Bobcats proved their mettle and held the explosive SaberCats at the 2-yard line. Later, they held again and forced a 23-yard field goal. Again, Gonzalez ruled the middle and swarmed Vela’s Jonathan Flores on goal to go situations.

Even though Vela’s offense struggled early, there was a sense they were finding their rhythm. Flores is like an old man’s pocket knife, sharp and versatile. His razor cuts got the team 8 yards when they needed 1, and his ability to bounce off tacklers like a pinball created challenges for the defense. Flores shrugged off a tackler, spun and sprinted for a 21-yard touchdown. Later, he rocketed past defenders seemingly untouched for a 41-yard touchdown.

“He’s got big shoes to fill. He runs really well and doesn’t get the credit he deserves. He’s a special back and is finally getting his opportunity,” Alonzo said.

HARLINGEN — Tone setter.

That is the best way to describe Harlingen High junior running back Noah Huerta over the past two weeks. Last week the junior broke off a 61-yard touchdown run on his first carry en route to a two-touchdown performance and a 42-28 win.

Huerta set the tone out of the gate once again this week, breaking loose for a 53-yard run on his first carry before rumbling in from 13 yards on the next play for the first of four touchdowns during a 29-24 victory over Harlingen South in the 32nd Bird Bowl on Friday at Boggus Stadium in Harlingen.

“It is in his bloodline,” Harlingen High head coach Manny Gomez said. “His family gives him great support. His brother was a beast defensive player for us and is playing at Texas State now. It is just in his blood to compete. He’s always smiling no matter what the situation. We handed him the ball tonight and it was game over. He’s a phenomenal kid. Just super excited for him, but the offensive line did a tremendous job to do what they needed to do to make those holes. He’ll be the first one to tell him it’s not just him.”

Huerta’s touchdown run to start the game was only the beginning of the junior’s big night. He added a 26-yard touchdown reception in the second, followed by a 53-yard touchdown run in the third and a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth to put the Cardinals up 29-17.

Huerta’s big night brings him to six total touchdowns on the year. He finished Friday night with 218 yards and three scores on 24 carries, also hauling in one reception for 26 yards and a score.

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“Its just the experience from last year,” Huerta said. “The team, we’ve built that chemistry heading into this year. We’ve gotten a whole lot better. We’ve been putting in that work. Those early runs set that momentum. My O-line, they set it all up for me. My receivers and quarterbacks too. They set it all up for me.”

Despite Huerta’s big night, Harlingen South wouldn’t go down without a fight, cutting the lead down to six twice during the second half. A 12-yard touchdown pass from Austin Shroyer to Dylan Anaya during the third made it 23-17, while a one-yard touchdown run by Shroyer in the fourth brought South within five again following Huerta’s fourth touchdown of the night.

The junior quarterback’s touchdown run proved too little too late, however, with Huerta sealing the Cardinals victory with a five-yard carry to run out the clock during the final moments of the fourth quarter.

Shroyer finished the night 14-of-22 for 143 yards and one touchdown, completing passes to five different receivers on the night. Anaya added 13 touches for 72 yards and one score.

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“All the glory to God. You have to understand you have to competitors as head coach here at Harlingen CISD,” Gomez said. “This is what you’re going to see as long as we’re both here. It is what we do and who we are in Harlingen. It is always going to be competitive. Kudos to the South Hawks, but I just want to say I have the best staff in all the state of Texas. They work extremely hard, and I just want to give that shoutout to all my coaches.”

The victory marked the third straight in the rivalry series by Harlingen High, moving it to 27-5 all-time against its intracity rival.

The Hawks (1-1) turn their attention to district play, kicking it off at 7 p.m. Friday against Corpus Christi Flour Bluff at Hornet Stadium in Corpus Christi.

Harlingen High (2-0) is set to face off against another RGVSports.com Top 10 team next week, taking on Edinburg Vela (2-0) at 7 p.m. Friday at Boggus Stadium in Harlingen.

“We just have to keep on going,” Huerta said. “We’re undefeated right now, but we can’t take it for granted. We have to keep on working hard and giving all the glory to God.”

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PORT ISABEL — Port Isabel junior running back Luis Ramos found the end zone from 22 yards out in overtime and the No. 2 Tarpons took down the No. 3 Rio Hondo Bobcats 27-24 in a non-district thriller Thursday at Tarpon Stadium in Port Isabel.

“Honestly, I knew I had it (in overtime),” Ramos said. “I practice hard. That’s honest and true. That is all I do. I keep going and going. I go full speed every day.”

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After trading haymakers during the first three quarters, a torrential downpour during the fourth shifted gears in the contest, with both teams unable to get much going.

A late punt by the Tarpons set up the Bobcats with a chance to win the game, getting all the way down to the 25 before attempting the would-be game-winning field goal.

The attempt proved no good, sending the game into overtime.

“We dug ourselves in a hole,” Port Isabel head coach Tony Villarreal said. “We fumbled two or three times in the first half. We just had to really regroup, settle down and play some football. Fortunately, the weather came, and we feel like that is to our advantage. We feel like we have the mud offense.”

The Tarpons did just that in overtime, buckling down on defense and holding Rio Hondo to just three points to set up Ramos’ game winning score on the ensuing drive.

Ramos finished the game with over 200 rushing yards and three touchdowns, also adding the game-tying 2-point conversion during the third.

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“The key word is trust,” Villarreal said. “He had 229 yards last week. I don’t know what he had tonight. He also blocks like a son of a gun. We just have a lot of trust in him.”

Early on the Bobcats and Tarpons looked like a pair of heavyweights trading blows, with Port Isabel drawing first blood on a three-yard touchdown run by Ramos. The Bobcats came right back and took the lead on a six-yard touchdown pass from senior Ruben Atkinson to Nate Sosa.

Port Isabel answered with some trickery, calling a wide receiver pass on fourth down from senior Christian Smith to Cleveland Smith to put the Tarpons back on top 13-7 midway through the second.

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“I just saw it was the perfect situation,” Villarreal said. “They weren’t expecting it. I called that one. I stepped in there for the offensive coordinator on that one.”

A quick strike from Atkinson to senior Keyan Lopez put the Bobcats on top at the break, extending their lead to 21-13 early in the third on a 10-yard touchdown reception by Sosa.

Rio Hondo would only lead once more, going up 24-21 in overtime thanks to a 42-yard field goal by Leo Quezada, but it proved to not be enough, with Ramos sealing the Bobcats fate with his third touchdown run of the night.

The Bobcats (1-1) will look to bounce back on the road against Hidalgo (1-0) at 7:30 p.m. next Friday at Bill Pate Stadium in Hidalgo.

The Tarpons (2-0) will look to make it three straight wins to start the season when they take on the Valley View Tigers (0-2) at 7:30 p.m. next Friday at Tiger Stadium in Pharr.

“We’re going to build off of this,” Villarreal said. “It was a short week with it being Labor Day weekend. It was tough to get these kids going after an emotional win against Lyford last week. That is back-to-back emotional wins. We have some extra days though so we’ll be ready for next week.”

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Week 1 of the 2024 Texas high school football regular season has come and gone, with some teams making impressive statements to start the season, while others left with questions.

Los Fresnos was the biggest riser in the RGVSports 5A/6A Top 10 poll, moving up two spots from No. 7 to No. 5 after a dominating 43-10 win over McAllen High. Roma and Edcouch-Elsa also made moves, jumping into the top 10 after starting the season on the outside looking in.

The Sub-5A poll saw minimal change, with the top three teams all remaining the same. Santa Maria and Santa Rosa were the only change to the poll, making their first appearance in the poll with a tie at fourth place.

The Coastal Bend Top 4 saw a pair of teams drop out and be overtaken by Calallen and Alice, both who picked up wins in Week 1. The two newcomers to the rankings will face off this week.

Check out the rest of this week’s rankings below.

 

5A/6A Top 10
Rank	Team	Record
1	PSJA North	1-0
2	Brownsville Veterans	1-0
3	PSJA High	1-0
4	Harlingen High	1-0
5	Los Fresnos	1-0
6	Edinburg Vela	1-0
7	McAllen Memorial	1-0
8	Harlingen South	1-0
9	Roma	1-0
10	Edcouch-Elsa	1-0

 

Sub-5A Top 4
Rank	Team	Record
1	Brownsville St. Joseph	1-0
2	Port Isabel	1-0
3	Rio Hondo	1-0
T4	Santa Maria	1-0
T4	Santa Rosa	1-0

 

Coastal Bend Top 4
Rank	Team	Record
1	Corpus Christi Miller	1-0
2	Flour Bluff	1-0
3	Calallen	1-0
4	Alice	1-0

Two of the Valley’s top ranked teams take centerstage Friday, as the No. 1-ranked PSJA North Raiders take on the No. 3-ranked PSJA High Bears in the RGVSports.com Game of the Week.

The tri-city rivalry is slated for 7:30 p.m. Friday at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.

Both the Bears and Raiders are coming off impressive Week 1 performances, both winning their season openers by more than two scores.

PSJA High put together an all-around dominant performance, blanking Sharyland Pioneer 34-0 last week. Senior quarterbacks Myles Lopez and wideout Ryan Vallejo put on a show throw the air, connecting 12 times for 196 yards during the win. Lopez finished the game with 381 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Meanwhile, senior running back Jorge Alanis powered the Bears on the ground, carrying the ball 15 times for 128 yards and one score. He also added four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown.

At San Benito, the Raiders roared to life during the second-half, outscoring San Benito 28-8 during the final two periods en route to a 42-22 win.

Junior quarterback Daren Garcia shone during the win, throwing for 79 yards and one touchdown, adding 130 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

The Raiders’ vaunted “Blackshirts Defense” did its part during the win, holding the Greyhounds to just 213 total yards.

PSJA North enters the contest with a four-game winning streak over the Bears, with PSJA High last coming out on top in 2019.

BY ADRIAN F. TREVINO

SPECIAL TO RGVSPORTS.COM

With each team’s logo adorning opposite end zones, the Battle of Conway could not be more clearly defined: the Vets logo fills the east side, and the Eagles’ mascot flies in the west.

Friday, the Mission Eagles claimed their dominance with a 23-21 win over crosstown rival Mission Veterans Patriots off an 18-yard field goal by freshman Angel Gabriel Leyva.

Even though the stage was set for another rivalry, this year’s matchup was delayed because of lightning. While everyone’s patience was tested, head coach Daniel Longoria and the Mission Eagles held fast.

“Today’s character lesson was patience: be patient with yourself when you make mistakes, be patient with yourself and control your emotions; it’s a very emotional game, and I think our boys did a fantastic job making plays when we needed to. Our expectation was to play good, sound football and let the score take care of itself,” Longoria said.

The lesson of the day may have been patience, but the Eagles’ defense seemed eager to make their mark on the game. Even though the opening kick off sailed into the end zone, there was a violent clash that leveled a couple Vets players on kickoff coverage. Four plays later, the Eagles’ defense captured their first turnover of the game, a fumble by a Vets receiver.

The Eagles would have to wait for their second possession to score the first points of the game. Senior quarterback, Diego Salinas, threw a quick screen off the right side, and Shelby Sital turned it into a 59-yard scamper for a touchdown.

Vets bounced back on its third possession with a healthy dose of quarterback Cameron Sarinana and running back Benjamin Martinez. Martinez was solid all night, adding a 16-yard run to the drive that Sarinana ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Rodriguez.

Vets head coach David Gilpin framed the loss through a lens of positivity. “Our quarterback is a junior, and he did so many good things…he really threw the ball with consistency,” Gilpin said. “Benji (Martinez) had a really good game tonight, he showed he was capable to be our RB1.”

Both teams put together impressive drives that highlighted the last three minutes of the first half. The Eagles used a six-play, 57-yard drive to take the lead as Christopher Kirk snagged a 37-yard touchdown pass putting the Eagles ahead 14-7.

Unfazed, Sarinana found Robert Sharp for a 27-yard pass that set up a first and goal. Julian Guerra scored with a one-handed catch and Hector Perez added the point after, and the teams went into halftime tied at 14.

The Eagles relied heavily offensively on their senior leadership. While many others offered contributions, the work of Salinas, Kirk and running back Thomas J. Aparicio carried the offense. Salinas’ experience and game management kept the Eagles on track offensively. His 75-yard bomb to Kirk in the third put the Eagles ahead 20-14 after a missed extra point. Aparicio ran tough and seemed on the verge of breaking a long run. He was relied on heavily to seal the game in the fourth.

The Patriots would not relent. In the fourth, they drove 74 yards to take the lead 21-20. Sarinana connected with three different receivers, and Martinez added a 16-yard run that crossed midfield. Rodriguez split the Eagles defense for a 38-yard touchdown.

With 7:33 left, the Eagles drove to the 1-yard line and set up Leyva’s game winning field goal.

“Senior leadership helped dig us out of that hole we dug. We don’t give up,” Aparicio said.

CORPUS CHRISTI — On most nights, Corpus Christi Miller’s offense is the catalyst behind their big wins. The night belonged to their defense on Friday.

Led by five takeaways and one defensive touchdown, the Buccaneers delivered a statement win to open the season, taking down Corpus Christi Veterans 41-7 during a non-district contest Thursday at Buccaneer Stadium in Corpus Christi.

“We were sluggish to start,” Corpus Christi Miller head coach Justen Evans said. “With the 106 degree weather, then we have what feels like 1000-pounds of sleeves and clothes on, we were kind of running in mud to start the game. At halftime we came out and made some great adjustments. Just shoutout to our defense. They played lights out today.”

The Buccaneers were jolted to life after a sluggish start to the season, with senior outside linebacker George Simmons providing the spark on a pick-6 of Corpus Christi Veterans quarterback Noah Endres.

A 20 yard catch-and-run by senior running back Broderick Taylor added to the Buccaneers lead during the second quarter, giving them a 13-0 lead heading into the break.

Then, the floodgates opened.

A pair of third quarter takeaways helped the Buccaneers balloon their lead to five scores during the period, with a fumble recovery by senior linebacker LaMarcus Cullum turning into an eight yard Eathan Vela touchdown and an interception by Donovan Cristan leading to a 51-yard touchdown reception by Roderick Taylor.

“Six of our guys on defense have been starting since they were freshman,” Evans said. “Those are four-year starters now since they’re seniors. We have a veteran defensive line. Our coordinator has done a phenomenal job getting them ready to play so hats off to them.”

The Buccaneers put the final touches on the game early in the fourth, with Cristan’s second interception of the day setting up a three yard touchdown run by quarterback Trevor Long.

Long’s touchdown marked the sixth Buccaneers’ athlete to find the endzone during the contest.

Corpus Christi Veterans got on the board late, with running back Andrew Charlebois breaking a 47-yard touchdown run during the final two minutes to make it a 41-7 ball game. He finished with 120 yards and one score on 24 carries.

Long led Miller’s offensive onslaught, completing 20-of-32 passes for 254 yards and three scores, adding one carry for three yards and a touchdown.

Running back Broderick Taylor and do-it-all athlete Corey Holmes combined for 149 rushing yards, while Roderick Taylor paced the wideouts with five catches for 95 yards and a score. Vela added 81 yards and one touchdown on five catches.

“Its a blessing to have so many offensive weapons,” Evans said. “At the same time, we have to do a better job of punching it in. We left like three scores out there. I’m not happy about that, but we’ll fix it this week and be ready to go. It starts tomorrow. We’re going to come in and flush today out and lift. That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to take it one day at a time and not look ahead.”

The Buccaneers (1-0) turn their attention to Seguin next week, hosting the Matadors at Buccaneer Stadium at 7 p.m. on Sept. 6.

The Chargers (0-1) will look to bounce back at 7 p.m. Thursday against intracity rival Corpus Christi Carroll.

For more pictures from yesterday’s game, click here.

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