Friday featured a matchup between two of the Valley’s oldest programs going head-to-head, with McAllen High and Edinburg High clashing in a non-district contest.
The Bobcats avenged last season’s loss to the Bulldogs, taking down McHi 21-13 to kick off the 2022 campaign with a win.
Senior running back Noel Serna spearheaded the Bobcats’ rushing attack, giving the Bobcats their first lead of the game on a 62-yard touchdown burst down the sideline in the third. He added the game-sealing score on a 3-yard touchdown plunge with 1:48 left.
Sophomore quarterback Jae Santa Maria connected with senior wideout Rivers Martinez for a 26-yard touchdown pass during the first half for the Bobcats’ first score of the night.
Edinburg High (1-0, 0-0) turns its attention to a non-district tilt against intracity rival Edinburg Vela (1-0, 0-0) on Friday at Richard Flores Stadium in Edinburg.
SHARYLAND PIONEER 24, McALLEN ROWE 21: At Mission, the Diamondbacks and Warriors traded blows throughout the contest, with McAllen quarterback Issac Sotuyo giving McAllen Rowe the lead on a 13-yard touchdown run late in the fourth.
On the ensuing drive, Sharyland Pioneer quarterback Julian Valdez connected with Antonio Carrizales for a 31-yard go-ahead touchdown with 4:05 left, putting the Diamondbacks up for good.
Up next for Pioneer is a road tilt against Rio Grande City on Friday. McAllen Rowe continues its three-game homestand against La Joya High on Thursday.
PSJA NORTH 49, PSJA HIGH 0: At Pharr, junior quarterback Ale Aparicio accounted for four touchdowns to lead the Raiders past the Bears in the 31st Tri-City Classic, their third straight victory over PSJA High.
Aparicio finished with a pair of touchdowns on the ground, adding a pair of touchdown throws to Julius Arredondo.
PSJA High (0-1, 0-0) will look to rebound Thursday, hosting Weslaco East (0-1, 0-1) in a non-district clash. PSJA North (1-0, 0-0) host District 32-6A’s Los Fresnos (1-0, 0-0) on Friday at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.
DONNA HIGH 42, LA FERIA 21: At Donna, sophomore quarterback Geoffrey Levre threw three touchdown passes to lead the Redskins past the Lion.
“All these guys played tough,” Donna head coach Mike Gonzales said. “Overall, we played well, we had a lot of guys touch the ball. I think we moved the ball pretty well and our offensive line came out to play tonight.”
Donna High hosts Valley View (0-1, 0-0) during their next contest Friday at Bennie La Prade Stadium in Donna.
“We got to clean up some things,” Gonzales said. “It was a good win for our program, but now we got to concentrate on Valley View, they are coming to Donna and are going to ready.”
SANTA ROSA 34, HARLINGEN MARINE MILITARY 0: At Santa Rosa the Warriors were another team at home that started the season with a win, routing the Leathernecks.
The shutout and multiple players being targeted offensively were key points the second-year head coach highlighted.
“We saw some positives and some negatives that is for sure,” Santa Rosa coach Joe Marichalar said. “I like our team chemistry, how our kids played together. It was a whole team effort, that is what I liked about our performance tonight.”