NON-DISTRICT
SAN BENITO
AT WESLACO EAST
WHERE: Bobby Lackey Stadium, Weslaco
WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m.
RECORDS: San Benito (1-0); Weslaco East (1-0)
GAME NOTES: A matchup of two teams with game-changing, big-play running backs. … Weslaco East’s Lupe Moron burst onto the 6A scene as a transfer from La Villa, racking up 260 yards and four touchdowns on 16 carries. … San Benito’s Gabriel Vasquez also had four touchdowns, but on just eight attempts. He racked up 154 yards. … San Benito had the largest margin of victory in the Valley in Week 1, blasting Edinburg High 53-7. … San Benito was among the Valley’s most prolific passing teams in Week 1, amassing 271 yards. Weslaco East, on the other hand, had 0 yards through the air. … Weslaco East has won the past two meetings — and three of the past four — between the teams.
PREDICTION: Weslaco East, 28-20
— Greg Luca
NON-DISTRICT
MISSION VETERANS
AT ODESSA PERMIAN
WHERE: Ratliff Stadium, Odessa, WHEN: Saturday, 2 p.m.
RECORDS: Mission Veterans (1-0); Odessa Permian (1-0)
GAME NOTES: For a second week in a row, a Valley program will travel to take on Odessa Permian. This time it’s Mission Veterans, which will make the eight-hour-long trip to Odessa. … Mission Veterans beat rival Mission High 14-7 in Week 1 with Santos Villarreal leading all District 31-5A QBs in passing yards with 300 on 23 of 35 passing for one TD. … Permian is coming off a 35-7 win over McAllen High, applying a stifling defense that held quarterback Fred Hover to just 92 yards on 16 of 28 passing, the bulk of that coming on a 68-yard TD pass. Permian held the Bulldogs to just 3.6 yards per play and forced three turnovers. … Mission Veterans will be challenged trying to defend Permian’s Brandon Bailey, who scored two touchdowns and rushed for 155 yards on 16 carries.
PREDICTION: Odessa Permian, 42-17
— Mario Aguirre
NON-DISTRICT
EDINBURG ECONOMEDES
AT McALLEN MEMORIAL
WHERE: McAllen Memorial Stadium, McAllen
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Edinburg Economedes (1-0); McAllen Memorial (0-1)
GAME NOTES: Although McAllen Memorial has been the better team the past two years, Edinburg Economedes won the 2013 meeting 28-21 and came out ahead 24-21 in 2012. … Expect a lot of running. Economedes racked up 273 yards on the ground in a Week 1 win against Brownsville Hanna, while Memorial amassed 366 yards rushing in a Week 1 loss to Sharyland High. … 2013 All-Valley MVP Trevor Speights will obviously be the go-to guy for the Mustangs. He gained 257 yards and scored three touchdowns on 25 carries last week. … Economedes will take more of a committee approach in the ground game. In Week 1, converted tight end Doroteo Arreola had six carries for 94 yards and a score, Cresencio Izaguirre had 12 carries for 63 yards, and Jesse Gonzalez had seven carries for 29 yards as 10 different players toted the ball.
PREDICTION: McAllen Memorial, 35-20
— Greg Luca
NON-DISTRICT
McALLEN HIGH
AT EDINBURG HIGH
WHERE: Cat Memorial Stadium, Edinburg
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: McAllen High (0-1); Edinburg High (0-1)
GAME NOTES: A matchup of two teams that were blown out in Week 1, but under highly different circumstances. … Against state power Odessa Permian, McAllen High lost 35-7. … Facing a San Benito team that finished last season 3-7, Edinburg High fell 53-7. … McAllen is one of the Valley’s more experienced teams, returning 12 starters from a group that won a district title last year. Edinburg brings back only five starters, and just one on offense. … McHi quarterback Fred Hover, who is in his third year as a starter, looked as strong as ever against Permian, rushing for 112 yards and a touchdown and passing for another 92 even as his team was clearly overmatched.
PREDICTION: McAllen High, 42-6
— Greg Luca
NON-DISTRICT
BROWNSVILLE RIVERA
AT EDINBURG NORTH
WHERE: Cat Memorial Stadium, Edinburg
WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m.
RECORDS: Brownsville Rivera (0-1); Edinburg North (1-0)
GAME NOTES: Brownsville Rivera was crushed on the ground last week, giving up 403 rushing yards in a 41-28 loss to Weslaco East. The run defense won’t have a much easier time this week against Edinburg North, which ran for 206 yards in a 22-19 win against Los Fresnos. … Matthew Whitesides led the way for North, churning out 148 yards on 26 carries. … Edinburg North quarterback Martin Rodriguez completed 5 of 18 passes for 89 yards with a touchdown and an interception while running for 48 yards on 16 carries in his debut last week. Rodriguez left the game in the fourth quarter with a minor ankle sprain, and it is unclear whether he or sophomore backup Christian Espinoza will start.
PREDICTION: Edinburg North, 26-18
— Greg Luca
NON-DISTRICT
EDINBURG VELA
AT HARLINGEN SOUTH
WHERE: Boggus Stadium Stadium, Harlingen
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Edinburg Vela (1-0); Harlingen South (1-0)
GAME NOTES: Harlingen South looks to keep up the momentum after a big Week 1 win over Weslaco High. … Edinburg Vela put up 56 points in a win over Brownsville Pace to start their season. … South coach Lanny Wilson will be looking for his team to adjust to defending a spread offense this week. … Edinburg Vela hopes to be cleaner and avoid turnovers. It lost two fumbles in Week 1. … South will look to running back Steven Rodriguez to have another big night (two touchdowns against Weslaco), but it also has confidence that its team can serve up a balanced attack with Jimmy Morton at quarterback. … Vela quarterback Ebher Lopez threw for five touchdowns while the running game balanced out the attack with more than 200 yards.
PREDICTION: Harlingen South, 26-20
— Mark Molina
NON-DISTRICT
DONNA HIGH
AT WESLACO HIGH
WHERE: Bobby Lackey Stadium, Weslaco
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Donna (1-0); Weslaco High (0-1)
GAME NOTES: A matchup of two teams that produced surprising results in Week 1. … Playing without starting quarterback Amonte Bowen, who is out for at least six weeks with a broken collarbone, Donna beat Brownsville Veterans 28-24. … Weslaco High was returning 12 starters going up against a team that was starting almost entirely from scratch in Harlingen South, but South pulled out a 28-18 win. … Weslaco was stout against the pass in Week 1, allowing only 42 yards through the air. Donna QB Edward Dougherty threw for 119 yards in Week 1. … Weslaco’s Eric Gonzalez continued to look like the all-district performer he is, amassing 123 yards rushing and 54 receiving in Week 1. … Gonzalez and Weslaco’s slot-T face a run defense that allowed 194 yards against Brownsville Veterans.
PREDICTION: Weslaco High, 21-18
— Greg Luca
NON-DISTRICT
LOS FRESNOS
AT EDCOUCH-ELSA
WHERE: Benny Layton Sr. Memorial Stadium, Elsa
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Los Fresnos (0-1); Edcouch-Elsa (0-1)
GAME NOTES: Who would’ve thought these two traditional Valley powers would each be 0-1 at this point? … The Falcons fell in a nail-biter to Edinburg North, while the Yellowjackets were manhandled by McAllen Rowe. … Los Fresnos has four starters returning on each side of the ball. It led North 19-0 early in the third quarter before collapsing late when it had four turnovers in the second half, and a muffed punt. … E-E coach Joe Marichalar will stick with sophomore QB Marco Aguinaga. Aguinaga had a poor first half against Rowe, but turned it around with a stellar second half. More than anything, Marichalar wants to see more maturity and a stronger sense of urgency from his players. … Keep an eye on E-E’s linebackers and secondary, which struggled mightily against Rowe. The Falcons could have easy pickins’ if that if happens again.
PREDICTION: Edcouch-Elsa, 24-14
— Dennis Silva II
NON-DISTRICT
McALLEN ROWE AT MERCEDES
WHERE: Tiger Stadium, Mercedes
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: McAllen Rowe (1-0); Mercedes (0-1)
GAME NOTES: Can McAllen Rowe top last week’s 48-28 offensive smothering of Edcouch-Elsa? Looks like the Warriors have a plethora of weapons in the stable that will test a veteran Mercedes defense. … It’s hard to gauge Mercedes, which lost 28-0 last week to regional power Calallen. But coach Roger Adame Jr. emphasized winning the third-down battle this week, so that’s something to watch out for. … Rowe defensive coordinator Michael Uribe spent the last five seasons at the helm of the Tigers, and he returns to his old stomping grounds. Could be an emotional evening, and you bet the fiery Uribe will be more fired up than usual. … Rowe saw a run-heavy E-E team last week, and now goes against a dangerous aerial team in Mercedes led by QB Rene Presas and WR Joshua Garza. Both will be looking to avenge subpar outings versus Calallen.
PREDICTION: Mercedes, 28-21
– Dennis Silva II
NON-DISTRICT
PSJA MEMORIAL VS. PSJA HIGH
WHERE: PSJA Stadium, Pharr
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: PSJA Memorial (1-0); PSJA High (0-1)
GAME NOTES: Déjà vu for PSJA High: The Bears walked into last week’s rivalry game against PSJA North and lost 14-7. Now comes another rivalry game, and Bears coach Steve Marroquin is hoping his team learned not to take anyone for granted. … Memorial had a strong season-opener last week, routing La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 33-0 behind the play of junior QB Michael Gonzalez, who passed for two touchdowns and threw for two more. The 6-foot, 240-pound Gonzalez could be a nightmare matchup for the Bears’ young defensive line. … PSJA High needs to find consistency at quarterback. Starter Andrew Castañeda struggled last week, and Marroquin used four signal-callers. None stood out. … The Wolverines are once again going up against a young offensive line, and their front seven made Juarez-Lincoln pay the price last week.
PREDICTION: PSJA Memorial, 21-14
— Dennis Silva II
NON-DISTRICT
PSJA SOUTHWEST
AT LA JOYA PALMVIEW
WHERE: La Joya Stadium, La Joya
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: PSJA Southwest (1-0), La Joya Palmview (1-0)
GAME NOTES: A matchup of two teams that have already equaled their win totals from all of last season. … Both are hoping this is the year for their first playoff appearance, and this will be the first meeting between the two schools. … La Joya Palmview gained 1,811 yards and scored 101 points all of last season, but has put up 550 yards and 46 points through only one game in 2014. … Of those yards, 521 came on the ground, as Jose Bernal racked up 185 on 13 carries and Freddy Villarreal had 161 on 11 carries. … PSJA Southwest also figures to be run heavy after putting up 213 yards on the ground in Week 1.
PREDICTION: La Joya Palmview, 20-18
— Greg Luca
NON-DISTRICT
HIDALGO AT PROGRESO
WHERE: Red Ant Stadium,
Progreso
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Hidalgo (0-1);
Progreso (1-0)
GAME NOTES: Hidalgo has work to do after falling to first-year varsity program Sharyland Pioneer last week 21-10, but Progreso is flying high after starting its season with a 7-0 win over Class 5A Brownsville Porter. … Progreso was outgained in total yardage 286-232, but forced seven turnovers, including gathering two interceptions. Indeed, Progreso’s lone score came on a 69-yard interception return by Danny Muñoz. … Dagoberto Zamora is the Red Ants’ dynamo. The quarterback threw for 71 yards and ran for 73 more. … Still, Progreso is going against a Pirates team that will be stronger, bigger and has more quality depth. If the Red Ants can pull off this win, it will surely be an eye-opener.
PREDICTION: Hidalgo, 20-14
— Dennis Silva II
NON-DISTRICT
BROWNSVILLE PACE
AT SHARYLAND PIONEER
WHERE: Richard Thompson Stadium, Mission,
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Brownsville Pace (0-1); Sharyland Pioneer (1-0)
GAME NOTES: Brownsville Pace is coming together offensively with plenty of three-year players on its squad. Sharyland Pioneer, on the other hand, is coming off a 21-10 win over Hidalgo in its first-ever varsity game. … The Vikings’ aerial attack accounted for 213 of their 292 offensive yards, with Alex Cisneros leading all 32-5A QBs with 193 yards and three TDs. … One-quarter of Pioneer’s offense (411 yards total) comes on the ground (301). Alec Garcia, who rushed for 210 yards on 10 carries and two touchdowns, led that attack.
PREDICTION: Sharyland Pioneer, 21-14
— Mario Aguirre
NON-DISTRICT
LA JOYA HIGH
AT DONNA NORTH
WHERE: Bennie LaPrade
Stadium, Donna
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: La Joya High (0-1); Donna North (0-1)
GAME NOTES: La Joya was impressive defensively in last week’s 14-7 loss to Roma, but has a ways to go offensively. The Coyotes mustered just 92 yards, including a meager 28 rushing. … Donna North showed some promise offensively late in last week’s loss to La Feria, particularly running the ball, but defense will be a struggle. … This could be a high-scoring affair, but who that favors is a toss-up. … Donna North is making its home debut for the first time in program history. … Each team has quality playmakers, like WR Victor De Hoyos at La Joya and RB Dominic Ochoa at Donna North.
PREDICTION: La Joya High, 28-24
— Dennis Silva II
NON-DISTRICT
MONTE ALTO AT BRUNI
WHERE: Badger Stadium, Bruni
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Monte Alto (0-1); Bruni (1-0)
GAME NOTES: Bruni is coming off a 36-0 win over Pharr Oratory. Monte Alto lost 26-6 to Corpus Christi London. … Monte Alto amassed 105 total yards offensively and gave up 280. … The Blue Devils did, however, force three turnovers. … Bruni returns 11 starters from a team that went 9-2 last season. In all, the Badgers return 23 lettermen and lost six. … Hector Carlos led Monte Alto with 53 rushing yards on six carries last week, 50 of those yards coming on a long TD run. … The Badgers simply have the experience and depth that the Blue Devils don’t at this point.
PREDICTION: Bruni, 28-7
— Dennis Silva II
NON-DISTRICT
BROWNSVILLE HANNA AT
MISSION HIGH
WHERE: Tom Landry Stadium, Mission
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Brownsville Hanna (0-1); Mission High (0-1)
GAME NOTES: A matchup of two teams that dropped their openers to legitimate playoff contenders: Mission fell 14-7 to Mission Veterans, and Brownsville Hanna fell 35-13 against Edinburg Economedes. … The status of Mission High quarterback Jesus Cuellar will be key. Cuellar suffered a strained ACL just before halftime of Mission’s opener. The Eagles gained 158 yards in the first half and only 9 in the second. … Hanna was gashed on the ground during Week 1, as Economedes racked up 273 rushing yards. Mission, on the other hand, ran for just 28 yards in its opener. … Mission defeated Hanna 13-7 during their last meeting, in 2012.
PREDICTION: Mission High, 20-14
— Greg Luca
NON-DISTRICT
PSJA NORTH
AT BROWNSVILLE VETERANS
WHERE: Sams Memorial Stadium, Brownsville
WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m.
RECORDS: PSJA North (1-0);
Brownsville Veterans Memorial (0-1)
GAME NOTES: PSJA North defeated PSJA 14-7 in Week 1. After a winless season one year ago, the Raiders got off to a better start to the new season thanks to their defense. The Raiders frustrated PSJA High all evening with their speed and the defensive unit scored what proved to be the game winner on an interception return. … Brownsville Veterans Memorial lost to Donna High 28-24 in the Week 1 opener. The Chargers were in control late in the third quarter before some key turnovers allowed Donna High to comeback. … Derrik Rodriguez did a little of everything for Brownsville Veterans. The senior running back/receiver led the team in rushing yards, caught a touchdown pass and threw for one as well. … The game could come down to which offense can move the ball and the Chargers will be able to do that.
PREDICTION: Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 24-20
—Andrew Crum
NON-DISTRICT
BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ
VS. BROWNSVILLE PORTER
WHERE: Sams Memorial Stadium, Brownsville
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Brownsville Lopez (0-1); Brownsville Porter (0-1)
GAME NOTES: Brownsville Lopez was defeated by La Joya Palmview 46-14. …The Lobos had a tough time on both sides of the ball. Lopez looks to regroup quickly to prepare for the the annual battle with its neighbors. …Porter lost to Progreso 7-0. Despite a big day on the ground from George Gutierrez (14 carries for 158 yards), the Cowboys had too many turnovers, including an interception that was returned for a touchdown and the only score of the game. … Regardless of both teams play last week, each is ready for the latest installment of the Battle of Southmost. … No longer a district game due to realignment, but nonetheless still important to both squads to get a win against one another.
PREDICTION: Lopez, 20-17
—Andrew Crum
NON-DISTRICT
RIO GRANDE CITY AT PORT ISABEL
WHERE: Tarpons Stadium, Port Isabel
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Rio Grande City (0-1); Port Isabel (1-0)
GAME NOTES: Rio Grande City was defeated by Ingleside 41-14 in Week 1. … The task for the Rio Grande City defense doesn’t get any easier against a run-first Tarpon offense that rushed for 283 yards last week. … Port Isabel defeated Grulla 29-9 last week. Despite a huge loss of talent on both sides of the ball, the Tarpons proved that they still have plenty of both. Senior running back Jaime Gonzalez amassed 167 yards on 16 carries to lead the way for Port Isabel. …The Tarpons are now ranked 19th in the latest top 25 poll for Class 4A. … Port Isabel will look to keep running until someone can stop them.
PREDICTION: Port Isabel, 28-10
— Andrew Crum
NON-DISTRICT
LA VILLA AT TAFT
WHERE: Greyhound Stadium, Taft
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Taft (1-0); La Villa (1-0)
GAME NOTES: La Villa proved it could move the ball on the ground still, despite the loss of some key ballcarriers to graduation and transfers, racking up 263 yards on 49 carries against Lyford last week, but the Greyhounds also moved the ball just as well, gaining 205 yards from 34 attempts. … La Villa passed for 49 yards on three attempts while Taft also only threw for 55 yards on 14 attempts. … Both teams showed they prefer the running game, but if one gets ahead expect the other to start throwing it up.. … Taft returns 12 starters from an 8-3 team last season.
PREDICTION: La Villa, 28-7
— Freddy Gonzalez
NON-DISTRICT
LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN
AT RIO HONDO
WHERE: Bobcat Stadium, Rio Hondo
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Rio Hondo (1-0); La Joya Juarez-Lincoln (0-1)
GAME NOTES: The Rio Hondo Bobcats are coming off a 35-0 win over Santa Rosa, while the Juarez-Lincoln Huskies suffered a painful 33-0 loss at the hands of PSJA Memorial. … Rio Hondo’s offense looked balanced with Alan Alfarro rushing for 84 yards and three touchdowns on eight carries. … Meanwhile, the Huskies managed only 126 total yards with 81 coming on the ground and 45 through the air… La Joya Juarez-Lincoln will also be fighting to stay healthy as injuries continue to pile up. The Huskies are woefully thin on the offensive line.
PREDICTION: Rio Hondo, 21-7
— Freddy Gonzalez
NON-DISTRICT
ROMA AT LAREDO CIGARROA
WHERE: Shirley Field, Laredo
WHEN: Saturday, 7 p.m.
RECORDS: Roma (1-0); Laredo Cigarroa (1-0)
GAME NOTES: Roma enters the week with some momentum, after having beaten La Joya High 14-7 in its opener despite injuries. … Laredo Cigarroa, too, won last week, topping Zapata 62-36. Despite a brief scare in which Zapata cut it to 42-36, Cigarroa won comfortably. … Defense will be the key for Roma, which faces a Cigarroa team capable of filling the stat sheet. The line and the secondary should be plenty busy trying to contain QB Eddie Guzman, who paced the aerial attack last week with 452 yards on 24 of 30 completions, and five capable receivers, led by J.J. Salas (7 carries, 158 yards, 2 TDs) and Julio Terrones (8, 143, 1). In all, Cigarroa produced 490 yards of offense. … By comparison, Roma is spread thin, with workhorse RB Peter Rodriguez (26 carries, 130 yards, 2 TDs) accounting for a bulk of the offense (190 yards) and scoring.
PREDICTION: Laredo Cigarroa, 31-28
— Mario Aguirre
NON-DISTRICT
ZAPATA AT VALLEY VIEW
WHERE: Tiger Stadium, Pharr
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Zapata (0-1); Valley View (0-1)
GAME NOTES: Zapata is coming off a 62-36 loss to Laredo Cigarroa in its opener. Valley View was blanked by PSJA Southwest 42-0. … Zapata, which has missed the postseason the past three years, is more of the more experienced teams this year in its district with 17 returners in the fold. …Valley View has its share of returners back, as well, but many were hurt last season and missed a significant portion of its schedule. … Zapata’s Slot-T offense could boast a problem for a Valley View team will looking to find its way. Quarterback Raul Ruiz, a dual threat who scored 10 TDs last season, and running back Rolando Ibanez and Orlando Villarreal led the offensive attack.
PREDICTION: Zapata, 36-7
— Mario Aguirre
NON-DISTRICT
NO. 2 HARLINGEN HIGH
AT SAN ANTONIO REAGAN
WHERE: Heroes Stadium, San Antonio.
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Harlingen (0-0); Reagan (0-1)
GAME NOTES: The Harlingen Cardinals and coach Manny Gomez are looking to get out on the field after a Week 1 bye. … San Antonio Reagan is looking to get in the win column after falling in its Week 1 game with San Antonio O’ Connor. … Gomez will once again focus on a solid defensive unit this year and will have a good test for their secondary against Reagan, which had two quarterbacks throw for at least 125 yards and a touchdown during last week’s defeat. … Reagan quarterback Cade Bormet split time with Kellen Mond, but threw three picks that cost his team. Mond passed and threw for a touchdown. … Harlingen quarterback Bowie Davis and running backs Fidencio Gonzalez and Jon Hernandez will look to get the Harlingen offense going early against a Reagan team that held O’Connor to 264 total yards.
PREDICTION: Reagan, 35-28
— Mark Molina