McALLEN —The return of Texas high school football is less than two weeks away, with programs across the Rio Grande Valley gearing up for their first official practice Aug. 2.
The feeling of those Friday night lights was in the air Friday, as players from Hidalgo and Starr County flocked to McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium for The Monitor’s 16-5A DI and Sub 5A Media Days.
McAllen High’s senior quarterback Hunter Curl, who was named the preseason offensive MVP of District 16-5A DI, said the return of football feels normal this year after a season filled with uncertainty.
“It feels great just getting back into the groove, grinding every day to get back to that groove,” Curl said.
The Weslaco East Wildcats return only eight starters from last season’s District 16-5A DI championship team. Still, new starting quarterback Javy Garza believes his team is primed for another championship run.
“Our offense starts with the O-line,” Garza said. “As long as we have an O-line, our skills players will come through. We have running back Jay Vasquez, athlete Ashton Guajardo and full back Jon (Valdez). We have a receiver in Omari (Bowen). We have a bunch of players ready that are weapons.”
Meanwhile, new head coach Moses Patterson has McAllen Memorial eyeing another postseason appearance, emerging as favorites to dethrone the Wildcats with 17 returning starters from last season’s playoff squad.
Tight end Eric Rodriguez said the team has not skipped a beat since Patterson took over as head coach for the recently retired Bill Littleton.
“It’s like nothing ever happened,” Rodriguez said. “Coach Littleton left, and Coach Patterson took over. We’re going to ball out. We’re going to keep playing. We’re going to play for Coach Littleton this year under Coach Patterson, but nothing else has changed at all.”
McAllen Rowe starting quarterback Mateo Llanes said the Warriors will challenge for the District 16-5A DI crown, with a plethora of weapons at his disposal, including 6-foot-4 tight end Marco Cisneros.
“We’re about to go off,” Llanes said. “Just watch out for us this next year. The speed is there. The connection is great. We’ve just been working a lot. We’re ready for this next season. Expect speed, quickness and a lot of points on the board. We’re just going to get out there and attack.
Donna High linebacker Evan Frias, who led the team in tackles one year ago with 71, captains a veteran defense that returns eight starters from last season as the Redskins eye a return to the playoffs, with their last appearance coming in 2015.
La Joya Palmview also seeks a return to the postseason after missing the playoffs last year with multiple key players opting out of the season, including running back A.J. Chapa and linebacker Daniel Guillen. Chapa and Guillen are back for the Lobos, with the duo ready to hit the ground running.
While some players opted out, programs such as Progreso and Monte Alto had little to no chance at a season last year, with Progreso opting out and Monte Alto playing in only one game before having its season end.
Now, the two programs are back and fired up for the return of football.
“There was kind of like jealously last year,” Progreso two-way player Alex Mascorro said. “We weren’t able to do anything except watch other people play and reminisce. We’re excited to come back and hopefully do more than we did in previous years.”
Hidalgo and Grulla both hope to contend for a District 16-4A DI title this year, with Grulla returning 16 starters from last season and Hidalgo anchored in the trenches by Texas Sports Writers Association All-State offensive/defensive lineman Saul Hernandez.
Grulla two-way player Josue Barrera, who earned all-district recognition as both a receiver and linebacker last season, said the Gators are hungry for a return to the postseason after having last season ended due to COVID before they could play their firstround game.
“We want to come back stronger,” Barrera said. “We only got one win last year. But then again we only had four games and we had momentum in the end. Had it been a full season, we would have gotten a whole lot better. This season we’re looking to prove everyone wrong.”
La Villa was picked to finish fourth in District 16-2A DI by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. Still, returning linebacker Jerry Reyes said the Cardinals are ready make some noise.
“Last year, we were dead on the field,” Reyes said. “We couldn’t practice, workout or condition. Well, this year we’ve been doing all that. We feel good coming into this season. We feel strong. We’re ready to knock some heads.”