By DAVE FAVILA
Valley Morning Star
After eight long months of waiting, high school football is finally back and Santa Rosa at Rio Hondo is the Valley Morning Star’s Week 1 Game of the Week.
The Warriors, who went 8-3 and were district champions last year, hope to start things off on a high note by beating the Bobcats, who were Class 3A Division II bi-district finalis last year.
Led by linebacker/running back Wally Olivarez, the Warriors should be contenders in their new-look district, which now includes Lyford.
Meanwhile the Cats, led by quarterback Eli Pitones and all-star offensive lineman John Reyes, hope to improve on a 4-7 record, wrestle the league title away from Port Isabel and make a deep run in the postseason.
Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bobcat Stadium in Rio Hondo.
Other Week 1 contests in the area include Harlingen South at Weslaco, Edinburg North at Los Fresnos, Calallen at Mercedes, Donna North at La Feria, Lyford at La Villa and Santa Maria at Marine Military Academy and, last but not least, Edinbug at San Benito.
Harlingen South, which looks to field a very young team this season, will have its hands full against a Panthers squad that is expected to contend for the District 31-6A title.
Mercedes, meanwhile, would love to open the new season with a win for new head coach Roger Adame. However, Calallen is always tough and the Tigers may have a hard time with the state-powerhouse Wildcats.
San Benito also begins the 2014 campaign with a new head coach as Dan Gomez looks to lead the Greyhounds back to the playoffs. A win over Edinburg would go a long way in establishing the Gomez era in Greyhound Country.
Some area teams that are on the road this week include Port Isabel, which is at Grulla, and Raymondville, which is at Brownsville St. Joseph.
One team noticeably absent from Week 1 competition is the Harlingen Cardinals, who open the new season with a bye and don’t begin action until Week 2 when they travel tp the Alamo City to take on San Antonio Reagan.