District 30-6A
LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN AT McALLEN HIGH
WHERE: McAllen Memorial Stadium, McAllen
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: La Joya Juarez-Lincoln (0-6, 0-2); McAllen High (5-2, 3-0)
GAME NOTES: La Joya Juarez-Lincoln closes out the gauntlet of McAllen schools this week after losing to McAllen Memorial 45-7 in Week 7 and falling to McAllek Rowe 28-21 in Week 5. … McAllen High has been been as hot as any team in the Valley through the first three games of district play, outscoring Mission High, La Joya High and McAllen Rowe by a combined 152-28. … For the season, Juarez-Lincoln has been outscored 216-54. The Huskies rank last in the district in both total offense and defense, with 169 yards per game gained and 400 yards per game allowed. … McHi’s Ricky Rodriguez (78 points) and Fred Hover (60 points) have both scored more individually than Juarez-Lincoln has as a team.
PREDICTION: McAllen High, 42-8
— Greg Luca
LA JOYA HIGH AT MISSION HIGH
WHERE: Tom Landry Stadium, Mission
WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m.
RECORDS: La Joya High (1-6, 0-3); Mission High (1-5, 0-2)
GAME NOTES: Keep an eye on Mission. Coming off last week’s bye, coach Mario Peña left open the possibility of trying new players in new positions to try to bring life to a stagnant offense. The Eagles have averaged just 9.7 points and 194 yards per game in 2014. … La Joya may be 0-3 in district, but don’t count the Coyotes out yet. They’ve already played the district’s three unbeatens and could make the playoffs if they can run the table against Mission, McAllen Rowe and La Joya Juarez-Lincoln. … La Joya’s Julio Garcia overtook Rowe’s Hector Bosquez as the district’s leading passer this week. Garcia has completed 64-of-136 passes for 787 yards with three touchdowns and five interceptions.
PREDICTION: La Joya High, 18-6
— Greg Luca
McALLEN ROWE AT LA JOYA PALMVIEW
WHERE: La Joya ISD Stadium, La Joya
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: McAllen Rowe (2-5, 1-2); La Joya Palmview (4-1-1, 2-0)
GAME NOTES: La Joya Palmview is 1-11 in school history against teams from McAllen. That mark includes a 1-3 record against Rowe, with the only win coming 32-31 in 2010. … A win for Palmview would clinch the first winning record in school history. … Palmview’s defense, statistically, has been by far the best in District 30-6A. The Lobos are allowing just 166.3 yards per game. … That figure is less than half of what Rowe allows, as the Warriors have the district’s second-worst defense with 391.6 yards per game allowed. … Rowe has allowed a district-worst 1524 yards rushing, and Palmview ranks second in the district with 1966 rushing yards. … Rowe has allowed at least 58 points in three of its past four games.
PREDICTION: La Joya Palmview, 20-16
— Greg Luca
DISTRICT 31-6A
EDINBURG NORTH AT WESLACO HIGH
WHERE: Bobby Lackey Stadium, Weslaco
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Edinburg North (4-3, 2-1); Weslaco High (2-4, 1-1)
GAME NOTES: Edinburg North is expected to start sophomore Cristian Espinoza at quarterback after giving him the nod last week against Edinburg High. … While Espinoza fared well against Edinburg High, the district’s worst defense, he’ll be in for a much stiffer test this week. … Weslaco ranks first in the district on defense, allowing only 200.2 yards per game. … Where Weslaco has struggled this year has been offensively. The Panthers rank sixth in the district, picking up only 252.2 yards per game. But, Weslaco is coming off a bye following its best offensive performance of the year, when it picked up 462 yards and scored 46 points against Edinburg. … North’s defense has been questionable this year, allowing 348.6 yards per game. … These teams last met in 2007, when Weslaco beat Edinburg North 62-49.
PREDICTION: Weslaco High, 20-18
— Greg Luca
EDINBURG ECONOMEDES AT PSJA NORTH
WHERE: PSJA Stadium, Pharr
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Edinburg Economedes (2-4, 0-2); PSJA North (4-3, 2-1)
GAME NOTES: Economedes believes in spreading the ball around on offense, perhaps now more than ever since the group is as healthy as it’s been all year. … Despite ranking in second in the district in rushing yards per game, Economedes has none of the top five individual rushers. Doroteo Arreola leads the team with 384 yards and six touchdowns on 49 carries. … PSJA North ranks third in the district in rushing yards per game but boasts two of the top five rushers in quarterback George Olivarez (136 carries, 640 yards, 11 TDs) and Rene Ramirez (107 carries, 545 yards, 6 TDs). … Olivarez, who ranks third in the district in passing, will be looking to bounce back in this game after throwing for 0 yards last week.
PREDICTION: PSJA North, 24-12
— Greg Luca
EDINBURG HIGH AT PSJA MEMORIAL
WHERE: Cats Stadium, Edinburg
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Edinburg High (1-5, 0-2); PSJA Memorial (4-3, 2-1)
GAME NOTES: Edinburg High has scored just 29 points this year. PSJA Memorial’s Jonathan Treviño has scored 68. … Treviño ranks second in district in rushing, carrying 156 times for 823 yards and 11 touchdowns. As a team, Edinburg High has gained 812 yards this season. … Last week, Treviño also saw significant time at linebacker for an injury-ravaged Wolverines roster. Despite the depletion, Memorial managed to defeat PSJA North, the last remaining unbeaten in district play. … Edinburg has won three of the past four meetings and four of the past six. Memorial won the most recent matchup, however, defeating Edinburg 38-34 in 2011.
PREDICTION: PSJA Memorial, 30-6
— Greg Luca
District 32-6A
HARLINGEN HIGH AT LOS FRESNOS
WHERE: Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium, Los Fresnos
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Harlingen High (3-3, 2-1); Los Fresnos (4-2, 2-1)
GAME NOTES: Harlingen High lost to San Benito 25-21 in Week 7. The Cardinals held a late 21-3 lead in the Battle of the Arroyo before the Greyhounds scored 22 unanswered points in the comeback. … Harlingen High’s offense averages just 237 yards per game and the defense allows 318 yards. … Los Fresnos defeated Harlingen South 42-23 last week. … The Falcons average 35 points per game, second to only Brownsville Veterans. Quarterback Pierce Ruiz continues to fuel the Falcons offense, he’s thrown for 608 yards and six touchdowns and has run for 474 yards and four more scores. … Los Fresnos’ defense has allowed 300 yards and 21 points per game.
PREDICTION: Los Fresnos, 24-21
— Andrew Crum
SAN BENITO AT BROWNSVILLE VETERANS
WHERE: Sams Memorial Stadium
WHEN: Saturday, 7 p.m.
RECORDS: San Benito (4-2, 3-0); Brownsville Veterans (5-1, 3-0)
GAME NOTES: San Benito defeated Harlingen High 25-21 in the Battle of Arroyo in Week 7. The Greyhounds overcame a 21-3 deficit by scoring 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. … San Benito’s offense averages 403 yards and 29 points per game. The Greyhounds have the top rusher in district, Gabriel Vasquez, with 656 yards and eight touchdowns thus far. … Brownsville Veterans defeated Brownsville Hanna 51-42 last week. … The Chargers have the second-best offense and defense in the district. … Brownsville Veterans continues to put up the numbers with its ground game, averaging 307 yards per game. … With the top two offenses and with both defenses in the top 3, both squads are able to do a lot on both sides of the ball. The Chargers get a slight edge because the Greyhounds defense allows 242 yards per game on the ground.
PREDICTION: Brownsville Veterans, 28-24
— Andrew Crum
BROWNSVILLE HANNA AT BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ
WHERE: Sams Memorial Stadium, Brownsville
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Brownsville Hanna (1-4, 0-3); Brownsville Lopez (0-6, 0-3)
GAME NOTES: Brownsville Hanna lost to Brownsville Veterans 51-42 in Week 7. … Hanna boasts the district’s top passer, Andy Lopez. He has thrown for 1044 yards and six touchdowns. … The Eagles defense has allowed 375 yards per game this season. … Brownsville Lopez lost to Brownsville Rivera 24-9 last week. … The Lobos are still looking for their first win of the season. … Lopez continues to look to get its offense on track, scoring just 9 points and averaging 192 yards per game.
PREDICTION: Brownsvillle Hanna, 28-17
— Andrew Crum
District 31-5A
ROMA AT SHARYLAND HIGH
WHERE: Richard Thompson Stadium, Mission
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Roma (3-3-1, 1-2); Sharyland High (5-1, 2-0)
GAME NOTES: Roma is searching for its first-ever postseason berth. Coming up with what some would concern an upset win would certainly do wonders for the Gladiators. … Roma is coming off a 14-0 loss to a Santos Villarreal-less Mission Veterans squad. On Friday, they go up against one of the better quarterbacks in district in Sharyland High’s Lance Madden, who has flourished in the past three games, taking the majority of the snaps. … The top-ranked Rattlers are coming off a bye. Before that, they had beaten Mission Veterans 37-20 after edging Edinburg Vela 27-24. … Sharyland High has passed arguably its two toughest tests, though Roma boasts one of the better defenses in district in terms of yards allowed. That could give the Rattlers some fits as they look to get their legs back after missing a week of action. … While Roma will look to chew up large portions of the clock with its ground-and-pound game, look for Sharyland to try to put this game away early with utilizing Madden, a dual threat, to ignite an attack both on the ground and in the air.
PREDICTION: Sharyland High, 35-0
— Mario Aguirre
VALLEY VIEW AT EDINBURG VELA
WHERE: Cats Stadium, Edinburg
WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m.
RECORDS: Valley View (1-5, 1-1); Edinburg Vela (6-1, 2-1)
GAME NOTES: Week after week, Edinburg Vela puts on an offensive display unlike any other team in district. Fans could expect much of the same going up against a Valley View squad that has largely struggled this season. In six out of seven games, the SaberCats have scored at least six touchdowns, matching that total last week in a 42-15 win over Sharyland Pioneer. … By defeating Rio Grande City 14-13 in Week 7, Valley View snapped a nine-game losing streak dating back to last season. For the record, that puts the Tigers even at 1-1 in district with seventh-ranked Mission Veterans. … Valley View understands it has a way to go to reach that level, and Thursday’s contest provides the Tigers an opportunity to go up against one of the district’s best teams. … Having lost to Sharyland High in the district opener, Vela will more than likely be shooting for second place in district when it squares off against Mission Veterans in the regular-season finale. Until then, the SaberCats will try to follow through coach Michael Salinas’ goal of going 1-0 in each week.
PREDICTION: Edinburg Vela, 49-7
— Mario Aguirre
SHARYLAND PIONEER AT MISSION VETERANS
WHERE: Tom Landry Stadium, Mission
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Sharyland Pioneer (3-4, 1-2); Mission Veterans (4-2, 1-1)
GAME NOTES: Mission Veterans QB Santos Villarreal is listed as day-to-day following an ankle sprain in Week 6. Sophomore Diego Hernandez has emerged as a suitable replacement, passing for more than 100 yards in the final quarter of the Sharyland High game in which Villarreal went down. And last week, in his first game starting, Hernandez passed for two TDs and nearly 300 yards. … Sharyland Pioneer will almost certainly have to plan for either signal caller, judging by Villarreal’s status, though Mission Vets has maintained that it won’t rush the senior to get back on the field. … Pioneer is coming off a 42-15 loss to Edinburg Vela, the highest-scoring team in district. The Diamondbacks have been outscored this season 99-156, so they will more than likely need a stout defensive effort to win this game. … Pioneer is vying for a playoff spot, and trying to take advantage of what could be a game played without Villarreal could be one of the Diamondbacks’ best shots of earning a berth.
PREDICTION: Mission Veterans, 24-14
— Mario Aguirre
District 32-5A
EDCOUCH-ELSA AT MERCEDES
WHERE: Tiger Stadium, Mercedes
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Edcouch-Elsa (4-2, 3-0); Mercedes (5-1, 3-0)
GAME NOTES: The 63rd meeting between these two in what many regard as the Valley’s top rivalry. … Edcouch-Elsa has won 15 of the last 18 meetings, including last year’s 20-17 decision. … After starting 0-2 this season, the Yellowjackets have won five in a row. Mercedes has won five straight since its Week 1 28-0 loss to Calallen. .. The Tigers have one of the Valley’s top quarterback in Rene Presas, who has thrown for 1,367 yards and 13 touchdowns. Senior receiver Joshua Garza (571 yards, 5 TDs) is second amongst Valley receivers. … Edcouch-Elsa’s offense ranks first in the district, but the ’Jackets don’t rely on a specific player. From Marco Aguinaga to Lino Sanchez to Chon Hernandez to Tay Valdez, there is a bevy of playmakers at coach Joe Marichalar’s disposal. … The key to this one will be how healthy Mercedes RB Isaac Vela is. Vela was cleared to practice this week after suffering a leg injury Sept. 15. He hasn’t played a game since.
PREDICTION: Edcouch-Elsa, 21-17
— Dennis Silva II
PSJA HIGH AT DONNA HIGH
WHERE: Bennie La Prade Stadium, Donna
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: PSJA High (4-2, 2-1); Donna High (2-3, 1-2)
GAME NOTES: Since going to Troy Flores at quarterback two games agin, PSJA High’s looked like a completely different team offensively. The Bears are averaging 34 points on 289 yards since the move. … Flores’ ability to run and extend plays gives the Bears’ receiving threats more time to make plays. … Add that to a defense that is arguably the biggest and strongest in the district, and you have a team that can make a lot of noise now. … RB Andrew De La Cerda leads PSJA High with 561 total yards and seven touchdowns. … Donna is tough defensively, but offensively it relies almost exclusively on junior quarterback Edward Dougherty. … Dougherty leads the district in carries per game with 21.
PREDICTION: PSJA High, 35-14
— Dennis Silva II
DONNA NORTH AT PSJA SOUTHWEST
WHERE: PSJA Stadium, Pharr
WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m.
RECORDS: Donna North (0-6, 0-3); PSJA Southwest (4-2, 2-1)
GAME NOTES: It has been a rough for Donna North in its inaugural season of varsity football. The Chiefs are last in the district in offense and second to last in defense. … Donna North’s core offensive players are sophomore quarterback Manny Ramirez and sophomore running back Dominic Ochoa. This season has been a steep learning curve for both. … Southwest has already doubled the most wins it has had in a season and is inching closer to an unexpected playoff berth. The Javelinas have the district’s top back in junior Jesus Acosta, who has rushed for 861 yards and 14 touchdowns. … Southwest has the district’s third-best offense, trailing on Edcouch-Elsa and Mercedes.
PREDICTION: PSJA Southwest, 28-7
— Dennis Silva II
BROWNSVILLE PORTER AT BROWNSVILLE PACE
WHERE: Sams Memorial Stadium, Brownsville
WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m.
RECORDS: Brownsville Porter (2-4, 1-2); Brownsville Pace (1-5, 0-3)
GAME NOTES: Brownsville Porter lost to PSJA Southwest 21-14 on a late score in the fourth quarter in Week 7. … The Cowboys’ offense is one of the top rushing teams in the district with 1,028 yards on the season, good enough for third behind Edcouch-Elsa and PSJA Southwest. … The Porter defense is second in passing yards allowed with just 429 yards given up through six games. … Brownsville Pace lost to PSJA High 42-14 last week. … The Vikings boast one of the top passers in the district, Alex Cisneros. He has thrown for 848 yards and eight touchdowns. Pace averages 21 points per game, but it hasn’t been enough to get more wins thus far. … The Vikings defense has struggled, allowing 359.2 yards per game.
PREDICTION: Brownsville Porter, 24-23
— Andrew Crum
DISTRICT 16-4A, DI
LA FERIA AT HIDALGO
WHERE: Pate Stadium, Hidalgo
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: La Feria (5-1, 1-0); Hidalgo (1-6, 0-1)
GAME NOTES: Hidalgo’s only win this season was a Week 2 47-13 decision against Progreso. … But injuries have doomed the Pirates, the biggest being a foot fracture to starting running back Adrian Ruiz. Hidalgo has also lost a starting safety for the season because of injury. … The Pirates have been outscored 201-153 this season. They’ve been competitive, but have fallen short more often than not. … La Feria is outscoring opponents 199-87. The Lions won their district opener last week, 36-17 over Grulla. … La Feria’s only loss this season was a 28-14 defeat to Mercedes. … Last season, La Feria shut down Hidalgo 31-0.
PREDICTION: La Feria, 35-7
— Dennis Silva II
DISTRICT 16-4A, DII
PROGRESO AT ORANGE GROVE
WHERE: Bulldog Stadium, Orange Grove
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Progreso (1-5, 0-1); Orange Grove (5-1, 1-0)
GAME NOTES: Progreso has lost five in a row since its Week 1 win over Brownsville Porter. … The Red Ants have been outscored 213-52 this season, including 83-19 in the last two games. … Orange Grove’s only loss this season was 28-20 to Rockport-Fulton. … The Bulldogs have outscored opponents 221-97. … Orange Grove won its district opener over Raymondville last week, 41-23. … The Bulldogs are a passing team, completing 66.4 percent of their passes this year for 1,610 yards and 14 touchdowns. Junior quarterback Hondo Harris is the man behind the attack. His top target is Christian Webb (27 receptions, 548 yards, 6 TDs).
PREDICTION: Orange Grove, 42-0
— Dennis Silva II
DISTRICT 16-2A, DI
LA VILLA AT CORPUS CHRISTI LONDON
WHERE: London High School, Corpus Christi
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: La Villa (1-5, 0-1); C.C. London (6-0, 1-0)
GAME NOTES: It’s been a rough go for La Villa, which has lost five in a row since its 26-14 Week 1 win over Lyford. … The Cardinals have been outscored 190-83. … La Villa lost its district opener last week, 38-10 to Three Rivers. … Injuries have marred La Villa’s defense, leaving them searching for answers in what was already a young, raw group. … London, meanwhile, is unblemished this season, having outscored opponents 214-48. … London is thriving in its second year of varsity play after not fielding a team last year because it did not have enough players. … The Pirates opened district play with a 49-8 win at Santa Maria last week.
PREDICTION: Corpus Christi London, 35-7
— Dennis Silva II