The Hidalgo Pirates (2-0, 2-0) will host the La Feria Lions (3-0, 3-0) in The Monitor’s high school football Game of the Week in a matchup that will involve heavy regular season and postseason implications.
La Feria, the reigning District 16-4A DI champion, has rolled through its first three district contests and will be looking to cap off a perfect year in its regular-season finale.
The Lions’ high-powered offense has averaged 42.7 points per game through the opening month of the season in wins against Grulla, Kingsville King and Zapata.
On the opposite sideline, Hidalgo enters this matchup after having its non-district game against the Raymondville Bearkats canceled last week due to COVID-19 concerns at Raymondville ISD.
Before that, however, the Pirates rolled to back-to-back season-opening wins over Grulla and Kingsville King while averaging 31.5 points per game. Hidalgo has also held its opponents to no points in both its games, becoming the only team in the Rio Grande Valley to pitch multiple defensive shutouts this season.
The Lions and Pirates’ matchup should also serve as the de facto District 16-4A DI championship game with both teams playing for the district’s top seed entering the Class 4A Division I state playoffs and bragging rights in one of the Valley’s top sub-5A rivalry games on the gridiron.
La Feria topped Hidalgo 28-12 when the two teams last met in 2019. The Pirates, meanwhile, will be looking for their first win over the Lions since 2012.
Hidalgo 1-0 in The Monitor’s Games of the Week this season after topping the Grulla Gators in a 32-0 season-opening victory that also served as the first high school football game to be played in Hidalgo County during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Lions and Pirates will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bill Pate Memorial Stadium in Hidalgo.
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