The PSJA High Bears and Weslaco High Panthers both finished atop their districts a season ago. The Bears captured the 31-6A title with relative ease, going 5-0 during district play en route to their first outright championship since 2018. Meanwhile, the Panthers put together a memorable season, winning the 32-6A title for their first district championship since 2015.
Realignment during the offseason put the two teams in the same district for the next two years, setting the stage for a potential clash between the 2023 champs to decide this year’s 31-6A champion.
The long-awaited matchup is finally here, with the No. 5 Bears (5-2, 2-0) set to take on the No. 7 Panthers (5-2, 2-0) at 7 p.m. Friday at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco in the third of a rare RGVSports.com Game of the Week triple-header.
“They’re a great football team coming from that district they were in,” PSJA High head coach Lupe Rodriguez said. “We knew that was going to make our district a little more challenging. It is something we’ve been looking forward to and it’s finally here. It is hard to imagine the season has gone by already, but these are the types of games you want to be in. Those games that mean something.”
The Bears and Panthers both entered the 2024 campaign with question marks at key positions.
PSJA High was tasked with replacing four-year starter Jaime Lopez following his graduation. Enter former Edinburg Vela quarterback Myles Lopez.
The senior signal-caller has helped the Bears offense transition almost seamlessly this season. PSJA High has an uptick in passing yards and total yards per game, jumping up from 301.9 to 325.3 and 411.3 to 431.9, respectively, while averaging 28.3 points per game, just below last year’s average of 33.7.
“He (Myles) came in at the right time,” Rodriguez said. “He came in the spring last year which helped him go through spring football with us and play 7-on-7. He’s done a great job learning our system. He’s a student of the game. He studies a lot and watches a lot of film. It has been great watching him grow. He’s just gotten better with each game.”
Lopez has benefited from a plethora of weapons during his first year with the Bears. PSJA High’s receiving corps is among the best in the area, with four different receivers with over 200 yards this season.
Senior wideout Ryan Vallejo has emerged as Lopez’s go-to target this season, hauling in 66 catches for 837 yards and nine touchdowns. Seniors Caleb Salas and Emiliano Fraga add in another pair of speedy wideouts for Lopez, with Salas hauling in 32 catches for 450 yards and three touchdowns and Fraga adding 42 catches for 320 yards and one score.
The return of running back Jorge Alanis adds another weapon to an already dangerous PSJA High offense. The senior ball carrier made an instant impact during his return to action last week, turning two of his five carries into touchdowns.
“Playing in the trenches for a team like this is amazing and fun,” PSJA High offensive lineman Miguel Maynez said. “We got an explosive quarterback in Myles Lopez. His arm is explosive man. He throws it off and just gives it to our receivers Ryan Vallejo and Caleb Salas. Then our running back, Jorge, he’s phenomenal. Shoutout to Red (Gabriel Ramirez) coming in and stepping up for Jorge when he was injured. Now we have Jorge back and we should get the ball rolling even more behind this offensive line.”
Weslaco High’s offense had several holes to fill of its own offensively, graduating their starting backfield in quarterback Andres Sepulveda and 2023 All-Area Player of the Year running back Eli Rodriguez. The Panthers also needed a new face to step up as the team’s leading receiver, with last year’s leader making the move to quarterback this year.
After a 0-2 start to the year, the Panthers have found their guy at every position, with the offense starting to fire on all cylinders en route to five straight wins.
Senior Franky Treviño has emerged as a dual-threat behind center for the Panthers after switching positions from receiver to quarterback this season, throwing for 1,084 yards and 10 touchdowns, while rushing for a team-high 569 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Meanwhile, junior David Garcia has taken over the RB1 role for Weslaco High, rushing for 540 yards and seven touchdowns on 94 carries this year.
“I wouldn’t say it was an easy thing,” Trevino said. “The coaches trusted me though, so I had to come and do my job. I’d say it was pretty tough in the beginning. It was something new to me, but I knew I had to take that challenge. Now I feel confident though.”
The Panthers’ biggest playmaker this season, however, has been two-way star Chris Luna. Last year’s District 32-6A newcomer of the year showed a knack for a big play as a sophomore, none bigger than his game-sealing interception during the district title deciding finale against San Benito.
The junior has taken his game to another level this season, emerging as the team’s top receiving option (36 catches, 610 yards, seven touchdowns) and a lockdown defender in the secondary (seven tackles, one interception).
“It’s been amazing man,” Luna said. “To always have an answer for Coach Stroman, it feels amazing. Wherever he needs or feels we have a problem, he can put me wherever that is. I don’t have a favorite position as long as I am on the field.”
“When he gets the ball in his hands, that kid has one gear and that is 100 miles per hour,” Weslaco High head coach Roy Stroman added. “From practice it goes over to games on Friday nights. You’re starting to see that. Chris is very impactful, especially when he has the ball in his hands.”
Both units are loaded with big-time players on the defensive side of the ball as well. PSJA High’s senior linebacker duo of Armando Davila and Cody Longoria captain the Bears’ defense, both ranking in the top 5 in the RGV in total tackles.
The senior playmakers are a part of a senior-heavy defense which has pitched two shoutouts this season, while allowing just one score in two other games.
“I’m only sophomore but this group of seniors has been working hard for the past four years,” PSJA High defensive back Matthew Azuara said. “I’m just glad to be a part of this. Their chemistry is unmatched. Those guys are so put together that it just makes us better every single day. I look up to all of them. Since freshman year they’ve taught me the ropes. I’m just trying to live up to it.”
Meanwhile, senior Devin Estevanes commands the Panthers’ defense in the middle of the field, while defensive backs Ryan Gonzalez and Beau Cuellar provide a pair of lock down defenders in the secondary.
The Panthers’ defense has buckled down since allowing a combined 66 points during their first two contests, with team’s averaging just 15.6 points against Weslaco High during their five-game winning streak.
“During those losses our offense shined out for us,” Cuellar said. “I feel like those losses were on us as a defense. We were a young group and were still trying to figure out who our guys were and who was going to be in certain positions. Our offense just told us they got us, so we just started playing for the team and for each other. I think we just trust each other a little more now. I think we’re getting more comfortable with each other. Some of these guys were first-year starters. We just trust them more and are playing with a fire inside us.”
After each team won their respective district’s title last season, Friday’s contest will likely decide this season’s 31-6A champion.
The winner of the contest heads into the final two games of the regular season needing just one more win to secure at least a share of the title. Running the table, however, means back-to-back outright district title for whoever comes out on top Friday.
“To defend our title, it is going to come down to our mindset,” PSJA High offensive lineman Angel Martinez said. “Our mindset can kill the tempo of our game. Our tempo and mindset have to be to score first and score fast.”
“Coach Stroman has four goals for us,” Weslaco High defensive back Ryan Gonzalez said. “Those are making playoffs, win a district championship, practice in November and play in December, which is state. We’re taking it week by week. Winning a district championship would be nice, but we’re trying to not look too far ahead. If all goes well though, hopefully we’ll be holding a gold ball at the end of the year.”