BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
Teams who are locked in a postseason race six games into the season are typically in an enviable position. They’ve played most of their schedule already and have a strong possibility to finish in the first half of a district race is very much in play.
La Joya Palmview (3-3) sits in fifth place in the 10-team District 16-5A Division I and are a half-game away from forcing a tie for fourth place, which both sound good.
Palmview’s three district victories are two more than the next four teams behind them in the district standings, which paints a picture that the Lobos might look forward to their first playoff game in two seasons.
But the Lobos sit in a kind of postseason no man’s land after falling on the road last week to Brownsville Pace 35-14 at Sams Stadium. The Vikings improved to 5-0 in district and are now in a virtual tie for first place with Mission Veterans (4-1, 4-0).
“They were the more prepared team,” La Joya Palmview coach Margarito Requenez said. “We tried to do what we do and it didn’t quite work out. We were also plagued by turnovers, which really sealed our fate. I knew they were fast and physical, but I underestimated them. We tried to run (the ball) at them on the outside, but they’re a very good defensive team. They have a lot of speed.”
La Joya Palmview is on a bye this week before it restarts Week 8 at PSJA Memorial and then against Brownsville Lopez in Week 9, both 1-5 clubs. The Lobos will then have two of the district’s toughest opponents to close the season when they play at first-place Mission Veterans on Nov. 2 followed by their home finale versus third-place Brownsville Veterans.
Additionally, if La Joya Palmview happens to be in a tie with current fourth-place Donna High at season’s end, Donna owns the tiebreaker over Palmview because of a head-to-head win Sept. 20.
“That’s our luck of the draw with our new district,” Requenez said. “We needed to win at least four of our first five district games in order to put ourselves in a good situation. Because we failed to do that, now every game is a must-win. Some teams still have five district games left. We have to make sure we take care of our business from here on out.”