NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER
PSJA North has been competitive in most of their games this season as they enter week 7 with a 2-4 record and 1-1 in district play.
After a 10-7 defeat to RGVSports.com No. 6 PSJA High last week, the Raiders are in a familiar spot: Taking the positives from a heartbreaking loss and getting set to try to get back on the winning path.
“It’s a very big ballgame for us,” Kaufmann said. “We’re going to have to start winning some of these close ballgames that we’re in right now if we want to get into that playoff race.”
During their eight-loss 2017 season, four losses came by one possession, another two were 10-point defeats.
The attitude is still focused for third-year coach Marcus Kaufmann, whose team will host McAllen Rowe who is 2-0 so far in 30-6A play.
“We’re playing all the big dogs right now; it started with the Bears then we’re playing Rowe and after that it’s Mission.”
Kaufmann’s team is motivated to prove their abilities against the top units in the district.
“That’s the only reason we do this,” Kaufmann said. “We want to be the best and the only way to be the best is to beat the best. After the game (a 34-29 win) against Juarez-Lincoln, we talked to the kids and coaching staff and said ‘every single ballgame the rest of the way is going to be one score’ we just have to be the ones to win by the one score.”
House divided
The Kaufmann name has different meanings depending on where you are in the Upper Valley.
Marcus is the head coach of PSJA North, he formerly coached on Bill Littleton’s staff at McAllen Memorial before his appointment as the Raiders bench boss.
His children, Matthew and Madeline, both starred as student-athletes for the Mustangs before they moved onto to collegiate athletic careers.
His daughter is now coaching track at North after starting her coaching career at McHi.
Monica Kaufmann, his wife, is a high school principal at none other than North’s Week 7 opposing campus: McAllen Rowe.
“If we’re playing Rowe, it’s a lot of smack talk just like it’s going to be against all those McAllens,” Kaufmann said while laughing. “As soon as the game was over with, she started saying now it’s her kids turn to beat up on us.”