ROY HESS | Staff Writer
Brownsville will be an important site for this weekend’s District 16-5A Division I openers.
Among the 10-team conference’s district openers matching crosstown rivals are Brownsville Veterans Memorial vs. Lopez at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium and Porter vs. Pace at 7 p.m. Saturday, also at Sams.
Other 16-5A Division I openers find Donna High at PSJA Southwest at 7 p.m. today, Rio Grande City at La Joya Palmview at 7:30 p.m. Friday and PSJA Memorial at Mission Veterans at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Mission Veterans won the district in decisive fashion last year, but appears to be in a rebuilding mode after losing last week’s regular-season opener 37-0 to Mission High.
It figures to be a wide open district race this time around with the two games in Brownsville this weekend having an important bearing on what follows the rest of the way.
That’s why winning will be such a big plus, even though there are still plenty of district games to be played.
The Porter Cowboys got a taste of winning by defeating Port Isabel 20-14 in overtime to open the regular season last Friday at Sams. The night earlier at Sams, Pace lost its season opener 27-13 to Sharyland High.
Getting the victory was a quite a boost for Porter.
“Winning that game gives us a bit more confidence,” Porter coach Carlos Uresti said. “We faced adversity and came out on top against a good team like Port Isabel.
“Pace presents many challenges for us,” he added. “They have a dynamic quarterback who can run and throw in Jose Banda. Pace has a big offensive line and their defense has been more physical the last couple of years. We have to be ready. We have our work cut out for us.”
The Pace-Porter game figures to feature experienced QBs for both teams. While Pace has Banda, Porter has Kevin Garcia, a three-year starter who can also pass and run.
Pace coach Danny Pardo is complimentary of the Cowboys.
“Porter’s defense is looking pretty good,” Pardo said. “One of their players, No. 25 (sophomore linebacker Erik Melendez), flies to the ball and is in on every tackle. They have a good quarterback (in Garcia) and their running game looks solid.
“It’s not going to be easy,” Pardo added. “We’ll have our hands full.”
Pardo said the Vikings came out clean regarding injuries against Sharyland High, but they’re still awaiting the return of standout defensive end Jay Gomez, who was hurt in a scrimmage against Edinburg Economedes a week earlier and is out four to six weeks.
On Friday at Sams, opening district one night earlier than Pace and Porter, will be Lopez and Brownsville Veterans. The Lobos are coming off last Saturday’s 49-7 loss at Sams to McAllen High, while the Chargers won a back-and-forth contest 26-21 against Rivera last Friday.
Brownsville Veterans now plays its second city rivalry game in a row, only this one against Lopez counts for district.
“Lopez football teams are known for their effort and competitiveness, and this year’s team is no different,” Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu said. “They are a team that hangs its hat behind a tough and big offensive line and the run game.
“It turns out we struggled versus the run against Rivera, so it will be a good test to see if we have improved,” Cantu added. “Offensively, we’re looking to get off to a better start as we definitely played our best in the fourth quarter last week.”
Late in the game, with Rivera up 21-20, Brownsville Veterans QB Liam Longoria threw a 70-yard scoring pass down the sideline to Mauricio Garza to lift the Chargers over the Raiders 26-21. The game was played on the Brownsville Veterans campus.
Meanwhile, things get started at 7 p.m. today for Metro Area teams as Hanna plays host to the Valley’s top-ranked Edinburg Vela Sabercats and Rivera travels to play Edinburg High at Richard Flores Stadium.
The Hanna-Vela matchup is The Brownsville Herald’s Game of the Week.
Besides Brownsville Veterans and Lopez at 7:30 p.m. Friday, non-district games that night at the same time involving Metro Area teams find Austin LBJ at Los Fresnos, Progreso at St. Joseph Academy and Valley View at Port Isabel.
Los Fresnos and SJA each captured dynamic victories playing at home in their season openers last week. The Falcons rallied to defeat El Paso Montwood 28-27 after trailing 20-0. The Bloodhounds won at Canales Field 39-33 in overtime against Grulla.