For the start of the Texas high school football playoffs for Class 5A-6A teams across the state, The Monitor’s Game of the Week heads back to Edinburg for a monumental matchup between two of the Rio Grande Valley’s perennial powers in 6A.
The Edinburg Vela SaberCats (5-0) will host the Weslaco High Panthers (3-1) in what will be the third appearance for both teams in The Monitor’s Game of the Week during the 2020 high school football season in the only matchup between two Hidalgo County teams during the bi-district round.
The SaberCats, who enter this contest as the No. 1-ranked team in the RGVSports.com poll, are 2-0 in The Monitor’s Game of the Week appearances this season, defeating the Mission Veterans Patriots on the road 47-15 in their season opener and topping the Mission High Eagles at home 24-7 in the District 31-6A championship game.
The Panthers are 1-1 in The Monitor’s Game of the Week appearances this season after falling to the No. 3 Harlingen High Cardinals in a back-and-forth 13-10 loss and beating the Los Fresnos Falcons 24-18 with a second-half rally to win their 32-6A zone play-in game and advance to the playoffs.
Vela and Weslaco have split the last two meetings between them in the season series after sharing District 31-6A with one another during the last two seasons with the road team winning both games.
The Panthers defeated the SaberCats in Edinburg 44-28 during the 2019 regular season, while Vela beat Weslaco 17-7 on the road during the 2018 regular season.
In 2020, however, the matchup will carry much higher stakes in the bi-district round of the Class 6A Division II playoffs with the season on the line for each side.
Both Edinburg Vela and Weslaco High are coming off back-to-back trips to the third round of the Class 6A playoffs.
The Panthers defeated Los Fresnos and McAllen Memorial in the bi-district and area round of the 6A DI playoffs, respectively, last season before falling to Lake Travis in the regional semifinals.
The SaberCats defeated Harlingen High and Eagle Pass in the bi-district and area round of the 6A DII playoff, respectively, last season before falling to San Antonio Brandeis in the regional semifinals.
Kick off between the Edinburg Vela SaberCats and Weslaco High Panthers is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.
The winner of this matchup will face the winner of San Antonio Brennan (8-1) and Del Rio (4-4), who will play at the same time Friday at Farris Stadium in San Antonio.
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