Texas Football

Jerry Martinez is back for his third year as a blogger for Texas Football.com (click here for last year's blog). He's the creator and operator of TeamFalcon.net and active follower of RGV football. Got a comment? E-mail him here.

11/18/09 Blog

The Bi-District round was not good to the Rio Grande Valley. Only 7 teams remain.

FRIDAY NOV. 20th: Harlingen vs S.A. Southwest, 730 pm @ TAMUK
Leading the bunch and carrying the RGV Flag are the Harlingen Cardinals. Still going strong and have the tools to advance past a strong San Antonio Southwest team. The Cardinals have the perfect combination of skilled positions on offense and a strong defense. They face a Southwest team that does not make attempt to hide what they do best, and that’s RUN RUN RUN behind RB Johnson. I like the defensive front lead by #90 All State DL Mingo Rincon who looks to feed off adversity. Cards by a TD.

Psja North @ Eagle Pass, 730 pm
North’s only Loss was against the Cardinals. Eagle Pass has played some good competition, but I think PSJA North’s strength of schedule will help them win the game. PSJA North by 3.

Sharyland @ Ed. North, 730 pm
Sharyland’s offense lives in the endzone. Edinburg North put up 60 points on RGV power Los Fresnos. Should be a good game. I think Sharyland’s Meyer steals the show.

Mission vs Gregory Portland, 730 pm @ Alice
Mission has been up more than down all year. They have a tough challenge going up against the GP DL. They’ll hang in there but the size on the DL will wear’em down so I’m hoping the air it out for the win.

SATURDAY NOV. 21st: Edinburg vs Del Rio, 6pm @ Alamo STADIUM
Edinburg’s win over 32-5A Champion last week will give them the confidence they need. Playing in 31-5A this year I think will pay dividends in the post season. Here’s hoping the ghosts of Edinburg High football guide them to a deep playoff run.

Mercedes vs PLC, 7pm @ Kingsville
Mercedes is lead by D1 prospect QB Albert Chavez who’s stands around 6’4 220 lbs and will not be arm tackled. As one coach put it, ‘as the game goes on Chavez gets stronger’. It’s not going to get easier for the Tigers this week. I’m rooting for the Tigers.

11/10/09 Blog

The Harlingen Cardinals (10-0) started the season as the #1 Rio Grande Valley team, and ten weeks later, remain #1 by a huge margin.

A very solid Sharyland (10-0) team has managed to also stay undefeated sharing a 10-0 record like the Cards. They will stay at #2 only because of the margin the Cardinals were beating their opponents. Still, Sharyland is a solid #2 team.

Brownsville Hanna (9-1) will finish as the #3 team in the Rio Grande Valley after PSJA North has been struggling to dominate their opponents. The Brownsville Hanna Eagles easily beat Brownsville Pace to claim the 32-5A District Championship.

PSJA North (9-1) was able to narrowly defeat a 3-7 PSJA High team in the final week. This is why they drop to the 4th spot.

The 5th and final slot was difficult to fill. McHi dropped out of the top 5 after a loss to 5-5 McAllen Rowe team. With many teams at 7-3, it was hard to pick the final spot; and after looking at McAllen high, (7-3) Brownsville Pace (7-3), Los Fresnos (7-3), Donna (7-3) and Edinburg North (7-3) the nod goes McAllen High. The Bulldogs were without their star ATH in Nick Garza and the offense was not in rhythm in their last game of the season. It’s unfortunate that the Bulldogs will be without Nick Garza and his big play capabilities, but this blogger believes they still belong in the top 5.

Sub-5A: 3A Lyford finishes a perfect 10-0 season. The Mission Eagles also finished strong with a 9-1 record.

It’s Playoff Time for the State of Texas. The Rio Grande Valley loves their teams and will root for their RGV team when not playing against another RGV team. But when they do play a local team, the trash talking gets pretty intense. Here are the Texas State Playoff matchups for the Rio Grande Valley teams this week.

5A- DIVISION I
SA* Southwest (9-0) vs. Rio Grande City (5-5), 7:30 p.m., Friday, Danaher Stadium, Calallen
This is going to be a tough one for the Rio Grande City Rattlers. I don’t see RGV advancing.

San Benito (6-4) @ Harlingen (10-0), 7:30 p.m., Friday
A classic matchup for the second time this year, and the Cards took the first meeting this year. San Benito has had their ups and downs but have shown signs of greatness. Cards are too much, again.

Donna (7-3) vs. Del Rio (8-2), 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Student Activity Center, Laredo

Edinburg (5-5) @ Brownsville Hanna (9-1), 7:30 p.m., Friday, Sams Stadium
32-5A Champion Brownsville Hanna has a decent defense and a good offense. Edinburg limped into the playoffs and Hanna is soaring into it. Hanna should see another week of football.

5A-DIVISION II
Eagle Pass (7-3) vs. McAllen (7-3), 7:30 p.m., Friday, Student Activity Center, Laredo
With the loss of playmaker Nick Garza, the McHi Bulldogs will struggle but should squeak out the win.

PSJA North (9-1) vs. Brownsville Pace (7-3), 7:30 p.m., Friday, PSJA Stadium, Pharr
This one is a tricky one because PSJA North has not been dominating but still wins. Pace on the other hand has won big games but lost some big ones too. Pick’em.

Laredo Alexander (4-6) @ Mission Sharyland (10-0), 7:30 p.m, Friday, Rattler Stadium, Mission
The numbers point to a big Sharyland win.

Edinburg North (7-3) @ Los Fresnos (7-3), 7:30 p.m., Friday
Last year the teams met in a lopsided victory for the Falcons. This year both teams have similar records. The Falcons should win behind their offense.

4A-DIVISION ICC* Flour Bluff (9-1) vs. Mission Veterans Memorial (6-4), 7:30 p.m., Friday, Texas A&M-Kingsville
Doesn’t look good for Mission Veterans…..but we’re rooting for our RGV team.

Alice (6-3) @ Mission (9-1), 7:30 p.m., Friday, Tom Landry Stadium
Mission has the players to get past this coastal bend foe.

4A –DIVISION II
CC* Calallen (9-1) @ Weslaco East (8-2), 7:30 p.m., Friday
Calallen has been here before many times, but Weslaco East is playing good ball. Gotta pull for the Wildcats, East Wildcats that is.

Mercedes (7-3) @ CC* Tuloso-Midway (6-3), 7 p.m., Saturday, Warrior Stadium
Behind the strong play of QB Chavez, Mercedes has a chance. They have to play perfect.

3A-DIVISION IIngleside (9-1) vs. Zapata (6-4), 7:30 p.m., Friday, La Joya

Rio Hondo (5-5) @ Sinton (9-1), 7:30 p.m., Friday

Lyford (10-0) @ Mathis (7-3), 7:30 p.m., Friday

1A-DIVISION II
Falls City (10-0) vs. La Villa (5-5), 7:30 p.m., Friday, Gorny Stadium, Bishop

11/4/09 Blog

It was billed as a huge game of the week. I didn’t think it was going to be close. It wasn’t.

The #1 RGV team since week 1 continued their dominance. Not only did Harlingen beat a previously undefeated team, they dominated them with a 42-14 score.

With the loss, PSJA North remains in the top 5, but will drop a bit.

#1 Harlingen (9-0) – Beat 8-1 PSJA North convincingly.
#2 Sharyland (9-0) – Beat a very good McAllen Memorial team 37-28.
#3 PSJA North (8-1) – Couldn’t stay with the #1 Cardinals.
#4 McAllen High (7-2) – No problems with La Joya Palmview wining 38-17
#5 Brownsville Hanna (8-1) – Win over Falcons continues providing confidence. Beat 6-3 Los Fresnos 51-31.

Game of the week: Brownsville Hanna (8-1) vs Brownsville Pace (7-2). If Hanna wins, they are the District Champs. If Pace wins, both share District Championship. Either way, the city of Brownsville wins with their first district championship since 2001.

Sub 5A: The Lyford Bulldogs continue winning. QB Esparza has over 2000 yards and over 20 passing TD’s. They’re 9-0 with a district championship in their pocket already.

10/28/09

HUGE Game of the week between #1 Harlingen and #2 PSJA North:

Top 5 team goes down: Weslaco East stumbles in a big game. Out of top RGV top 5.

#1 Harlingen (8-0): Took care of 3-5 Edinburg Economedes
#2 PSJA North (8-0): Handled 4-4 Edinburg High 35-7
#3 Sharyland (8-0): Lit up 1-7 La Joya 63-7
#4 McAllen High (6-2): Escaped with a win over cross town rival McAllen Memorial 45-42. They leap frog Brownsville Hanna.
#5 Brownsville Hanna: Narrowly defeated winless Brownsville Lopez (0-8) with a 49-42 score. With that near upset, fall from #4.

Outside Looking in: McAllen Memorial (6-2), Los Fresnos (6-2)

Game of the week!
Last year PSJA North traveled to Harlingen’s Boggus stadium and pulled out the win, crowning both the Cardinals and Raiders district champs. This year we have the same scenario. Both undefeated with one having the bigger edge, in my opinion.

Harlingen is playing at an entirely different level than all other teams in the Rio Grande Valley. Not only are they putting up the points, their defense is shutting people down. In terms of raw points, Harlingen is ranked #2 in the entire 5A classification in scoring and ranked #7 in points allowed.

This is the consensus game of the week in the Rio Grande Valley, but I think it’s going to be a lopsided affair with the Cards winning, and winning big.

In the sub-5A ranks, the Lyford Bulldogs (3A) remain unbeaten at 8-0. They have a key matchup against a 3-4 Rio Hondo team. With a win, Lyford wraps up the district championship.

10/20/09 Blog

No stopping Harlingen -- the RGV #1 team shows no signs of stopping. Los Fresnos Falls out of top 5.

Harlingen (7-0) – Stopped the strong running game of PSJA High and put up 40+ points in their 45-12 win.
PSJA North (7-0) – Survived a scare from Edinburg North (4-3) and snuck out a 3 point win.
Sharlyand(7-0) – Big win over (4-3) Donna. Won the way a 7-0 team should. Might take over the #2 spot if PSJA N continues to squeak out wins.
Weslaco East (7-0) – Sub 5A’s strongest team. Big matchup against Mercedes this week.
Brownsville Hanna (7-1) – Make debut to RGV top 5. Only loss is to Sharyland in week 1.
Outside looking in: Brownsville Pace (6-1), McAllen Memorial (6-1)

In the RGV game of the week, Los Fresnos Falcons hosted San Benito Greyhounds in which most prognosticators had Los Fresnos winning big; then came Friday night. The Falcons held a 21-20 lead going into halftime and some second half adjustments by San Benito appeared to be working as San Benito QB Brandon Marquez ran successfully on the Falcon Defense. The Greyhounds shocked the RGV with a 52-27 win.In the 3A ranks, Lyford remains unbeaten at 7-0 and looks to have that district wrapped up.

10/5/09 Blog:

Another team falls out of top 5, but Harlingen still #1.
1. Harlingen (5-0) – Left Edinburg scoreless in their 39-0 win.
2. PSJA North (5-0) – 42-7 winners over PSJA Memorial
3. Sharyland (5-0) – Big victory over former RGV top 5 team McHi 33-21
4. Weslaco East (5-0 4A) – Continues 4A domination with a 51-6 win over Roma
5. Los Fresnos (4-1) continues to put up points early. Tops Brownsville Rivera 52-34

McAllen Falls out of the top 5 but will remain in the ‘outside looking in’ group. They lost to a 2-3 team in the last minutes of the game. I think this will be a hiccup for them as they continue on their second district championship title run.

Outside Looking In: Brownsville Pace (4-1), Brownsville Hanna (4-1), Donna (4-1), McAllen Memorial (4-1)

Top 5A teams analysis, teams in bold are teams with winning records.

Harlingen (5-0)
Schedule:
McHi (3-2) 59-20
EE (2-3) 35-3
San Benito (2-3) 35-6
Edinburg N (3-2) 61-17
Edinburg (2-3) 39-0
Analysis: We all agree they are the top team. Have beat 2 teams with winning record. Good offense and good defense.

PSJA N (5-0)
Schedule:
Donna (4-1) 27-21
San Benito (2-3) 36-35
Bville Rivera (1-4) 49-13
Edin Econ (3-2) 35-21
PSJA Mem (2-3) 42-7
Analysis: Have beat 2 teams with winning records. Close call with SB. Too many points being scored. How will they react against teams with a strong offense?

Sharyland (5-0)
Schedule:
Hanna (4-1) 37-29
Ed North (3-2) 24-10
Edinburg (2-3) 19-14
Mc Rowe (2-3) 52-17
McHi (3-2) 33-21
Analysis: Too many close games, but still win. How long can they keep it up? Have beat 3 teams with winning records.

Los Fresnos (4-1)
Schedule:
PSJA 42-22 (1-4)
Mercedes 50-48 (2-3)
Calallen (5-0) L: 29-24
Weslaco (1-4) 56-6
Rivera (1-4) 52-34
Analysis: Only played one team with a winning record and lost. No problem putting up points.

Pace (4-1)
Schedule:
RGC 35-14 (2-3)
McMemorial (3-2) L: 28-14
PSJA M (2-3) 34-13
Bville Porter (0-5) 48-21
Weslaco (1-4) 32-13
Analysis: Only played one team with a winning record and lost. Teams 'hanging around' too much.

Hanna (4-1)
Schedule:
Shary (5-0) L: 37-29
La Joya (1-4) 50-17
Harl South (0-5) 32-0
San Benito (1-4) 38-26
Bville Porter (0-5) 32-7
Analysis: Only played one team with a winning record and lost. Have put up over 30 points in every game.

Donna (4-1)
Schedule:
PSJA N (5-0) L: 27-21
Rivera (1-4) 24-7
Laredo Alex (1-4) 26-22
La Joya Palm (3-2) 40-21
Mc Rowe (2-3) 30-20
Analysis: Allowing too many points but still puts up points. Played two teams with winning records, won one and lost one. Not sure if they've seen an explosive offensive team yet.

McMemorial (4-1)
Schedule:
Edin Econ (3-2) 33-28
Bville Pace (4-1) 28-14
PSJA (1-4) 24-21
La Joya (1-4) 43-22
RGC (2-3) L: 42-35
Analysis: Beat two teams with winning records, lost to a 2-3 team. Offense can score but defense is hurting.

10/1/09 Blog:

Top 5 taking care of business:In last week’s Game of the Week, the Harlingen Cardinals were the favorite, with good reason. They put up 61 points on the Edinburg North Cougars. These Cards are barely in 1st gear with a lot of football left in the season. It’s not going to be until week 9 that the Cards will face a team that MIGHT give them a run for their money. What team is that? It’s the #2 team.

#2 PSJA North also moves to 4-0 after beating Edinburg Economedes (2-2)

#3 Sharyland takes care of struggling McAllen Rowe to move to 4-0.

#4 McAllen Memorial puts up 43 points in their win over the La Joya Coyotes.

#5 Weslaco East (4A) squeaks by La Maquina (Edcouch Elsa) 11-8 ending Edcouch’s RGV district game win streak record.

Outside looking in: McAllen High (3-1),Los Fresnos (3-1), Hanna (3-1), Pace (3-1), Lincoln-Juarez (3-1)

Game of the week: RGV #3 Sharyland hosts McHi(3-1). This will be Sharyland’s toughest game by far this year. I’m thinking both teams are pretty equal with the edge going to Sharyland with the number of skilled players on their team. Sharyland playing at home is also an advantage. I’m thinking Sharyland sneaks out a win.

In the Sub 4A ranks, the Lyford Bulldogs(3A) are off to a good 4-0 start and look to be the strongest in those ranks, so far.

9/22/09 Blog

Another team falls. New faces.

This was a quite week with most teams from the Rio Grande Valley having a bye week.

Los Fresnos will lose their spot in on the top 5 after their loss in last week's game of the week. Falcons up 17-0 in the first quarter, Calallen scores 26 points in the second quarter. Calallen wins 29-24.

So here's this week's top 5.

1. Harlingen Cardinals: bye week, probably will remain undefeated. They've started strong, and will get stronger.
2. PSJA North: bye week also 3-0.
3. Sharyland- bye week: 3-0 have slowly 'taken care of business'
4. McAllen Memorial: 3-0, survived a scare from 0-3 PSJA Bears.
5. Weslaco East(4A): 3-0 first two wins over 3A schools, third one over a 5A school.

Outside looking in: Los Fresnos, Roma, Pace, Hanna

Game of the week: Harlingen Cardinals (3-0) at Edinburg North Cougars (2-1). This seems to be the most intriguing match up of the week. The Cardinals win this one, big.

9/16/09 Blog

Mission out of the top 5: After two solid wins over San Antonio teams, Mission played their first RGV team, the PSJA Memorial Wolverines. The Mission Eagles fell 24-6, knocking them out of the RGV top 5.

In the RGV game of the week, the Harlingen Cardinals (3-0) convinced the Rio Grande Valley that they deserve the #1 ranking by easily beating neighboring rival San Benito, 35-6.

PSJA North (3-0) wins an easy one, 49-13 over the Brownsville Rivera Raiders.

Los Fresnos (2-0) survives a scare against the 4A Mercedes Tigers. The Falcons had no answer for 6-4, 200-pound QB Albert Chavez, who had over 600 total yards. It was an incredible display of talent -- talent that might have sparked some attention (See Albert's profile). A valiant effort, but the Falcons still manage to win on the foot of Robert Degollado, who nailed a 45 yard field goal with 4 seconds left (See the clip).McAllen Memorial (2-0) is slowly taking care of business and will remain in the top 5 after their win over Brownsville Pace 28-14.

Sharyland (3-0) makes their debut to the top 5; they’ve managed a 3-0 start and one victory is starting to stand out. With a 37-29 win over a surprising Brownsville Hanna team under Coach Tom Chavez, the Rattlers seem to pick up where they left off last year.

Outside looking in: PSJA Memorial (2-0)

Player of the week: QB Albert Chavez, 6-4 200, Mercedes High

This site has nominated Albert for player of the week, and with over 600 yards of offense last Friday, he should easily win the honor.

This week, Los Fresnos travels to CC-Calallen for an interesting game in our game of the week. The Falcons won last year’s match at home. This year, the Falcons travel to Corpus and the 'Cats are looking to avoid two in a row at the hands of the Falcons.

Get into the discussion with local RGV fans at 956sports.com, click on forum.

Talk to you next week!

9/10/09 Blog

No movement in the top five -- Harlingen is still standing strong and PSJA North is hanging on.

The Harlingen Cardinal remain the #1 RGV team after a win against 0-2 Edcouch Elsa(4A). The Cards lost this game last year; this year, the Cards had other plans. The Cards traveled to Edcouch-Elsa and there was no close game this year as the Cards dominated 35-3.

RGV #2: PSJA North survived a scare from San Benito. With San Benito coming off a thrilling overtime victory last week against CC-Ray, this game looked like it was heading for the same result. In the end though, PSJA North scored a 2 point conversion and a missed FG within the final two seconds gave PSJA North the 36-35 win.

RGV #3: Mission (4A) Eagles wins their second in a row against a San Antonio team. This time against San Antonio McCollum, 30-7.

RGV #4: Los Fresnos Falcons traveled to PSJA to face the Bears. The Falcons and Bears always manage to provide each other a good matchup. Falcons win 42-22.

RGV #5: McAllen Memorial wins their season opener, lead by sophomore QB Mathew Kaufmann. Look for Kaufmann to get better as the season continues.

Outside Looking in: Sharyland, San Benito

Honor Roll:
QB Kyle DeMoss - Port Isabel 108 yards passing 2 TD 119 Rushing 2 TD
QB Albert Chavez - Mercedes 237 yards passing 3 TD. 85 yards rushing 2 TDs
QB Eric Castillo - Los Fresnos 6-10 141 yards 2 TD and 94 yards rushing 1 TD
WR Aaron Rangel - Los Fresnos 3 rec 101 yards 1 TD rec and 1 TD rushing

Game of the week: "The Battle of the Arroyo" The battle between neighboring cities has been played 79 times between the Harlingen Cardinals and the San Benito Greyhounds. Harlingen leads the series 55-19-5. The Cardinals are 2-0 and the Greyhounds are 1-1 after an emotional loss to the RGV #2 team. Talk about the place to be on Friday night. What a treat RGV fans will have this Friday. These are the games/environment that make RGV football so special.

9/2/09 BlogRGV performs well vs San Antonio and Corpus Christi teams:
In a good start to the 2009 high school football season, some RGV teams captured victories against the Coastal Bend and the San Antonio area.

The most impressive was the 4A Mission Eagles. First year head coach Mario Pena returns to his alma mater to lead the Eagles, and capturing the win in their first game was big; doing it against a 5A (27-5A) from the San Antonio area is huge. Congratulations to the Mission Eagles!

Another interesting victory was also captured by another new coach. First year Head Coach Spencer Gant at San Benito (5A) hosted Corpus Christi Ray (4A) and took Ray to double overtime. At the end of it all, San Benito escaped with a 36-35 win. Not a bad way to start.

There was some movement in the top 5, except for the top spot. The Harlingen Cardinals will remain as the RGV Blog No. 1 team after an incredibly convincing win over the RGV top 10 McAllen Bulldogs. Most of the 956sportsforum.com members had this game close -- boy, were we wrong. Cardinals win big, 52-20, to remain at No. 1.

By virtue of their wins, PSJA North, previously ranked at No. 3, and Mission High, along with Los Fresnos having a bye and Edcouch Elsa falling to Corpus Christi Calallen, will move up in the poll.

Here is what the top 5 looks like after Week 0:

1. Harlingen Cardinals
2. PSJA North Raiders
3. Mission High Eagles(4A)
4. Los Fresnos Falcons
5. McAllen Memorial

Outside looking in: San Benito Greyhounds, Sharyland Rattlers

Game of the week: PSJA North vs San Benito Greyhounds.
PSJA North won their first game against Donna, but not sure what to make of the 7 point win. San Benito comes off an emotional win over CC-Ray in overtime. Should be an interesting match up.

Who will fall out of the top 5 next week? Come back to find out.

8/24/09 BlogGreetings from the Rio Grande Valley, where we love our high school football and where it’s so darn hot that even at 8:00 a.m. your shins are sweating. I bring that up because I remember looking at my shins as we stretched out, getting ready to start two-a-days and thinking, I should be sleeping right now.

The summer heat has not let up one bit and down here in the Valley neither has the excitement for high school football. Last year we ended high school football after 5 teams lost in the third round. Here’s hoping for at least the same results this year.

We’ll start with the 2009 top 5 teams. We have the usual suspects and, thanks to members of 956sportsforum.com, here is Week 0’s top 5:

No. 1: Harlingen Cardinals – solid defense with returning RB
No. 2: Los Fresnos Falcons - 4 returning on offense and 4 on defense
No. 3: PSJA North Raiders – 9 returning starters on defense
No. 4: Edcouch Elsa Yellow Jackets - Returning RB, have holes to fill
No. 5: McAllen Memorial Mustangs - Returning QB for SO season, Returning RB
Outside looking in: Sharyland Rattlers – Returning key offensive players
(2008 final top 5: 1. Los Fresnos (10-0); 2. Edcouch Elsa (10-0); 3. Harlingen (8-2); 4. McAllen Memorial (8-2); 5. McAllen High (8-2))

Week 0 Game of the week: Harlingen vs McAllen High
This first week will be crucial for the Cardinals -- they play a preseason top 10 team in McAllen High. McHi was loaded last year but couldn’t capture the win. After this game it only gets tougher for the Cards. This first game is HUGE for them.

Players to watch:Following Los Fresnos’ tradition of producing college players, last year Matt Mendez signed to play football for Air Force. This year, look for at least 2 to continue that trend. Ivan Gonzalez (6-1, 195) already holds an offer from Portland State. 6-5, 290-pound OT Victor Mendoza should also start generating some buzz. All-State DL Mingo Rincon returns for the Harlingen Cardinals for his senior year and should have a stellar year.

‘Players to watch’ would not be complete without mentioning McAllen Memorial’s returning sophomore, QB Mathew Kaufman. Last year, leading the Mustangs to a district championship as a freshman was quite an accomplishment. This year might be his ‘coming out’ year. His arm strength and mobility have gotten better, so look for this young man to rise to the occasion, again.

Stay tuned and keep checking back for the latest in RGV football. We’ll try to cover all the classes, but with over 45 teams in the Rio Grande Valley, it’ll be hard.

Good luck!

12/5/08 BlogThe RGV sent 5 teams into the 3rd round but none will be advancing. Sure we're disappointed, but we have a lot to be proud of.

Sending two teams from the same district to the 3rd round (Rio Hondo and La Feria out of 32-3A) is no small feat. The La Feria Lions had the toughest game against Cuero in their first ever Region IV Championship. With upset on their minds, the Cuero Gobblers had different plans, scoring on all six of their first half possessions. The Lions' magical season ended with a 55-13 loss.

Rio Hondo played a solid game against Giddings and a crucial 4th down and goal on the one yard line, Rio Hondo was stopped. A score would have tied the game 28-28 and who knows how the game would have turned out. Instead, after that big stop by the Giddings defense, the Buffaloes scored three plays later and captured the 42-28 win.

In 5A action, the Sharyland Rattlers, Harlingen Cardinals and Los Fresnos Falcons made trips up north for third-round clashes. Some had better odds than others, but don't tell our fans that.

Sharyland traveled to the Alamodome to take on San Antonio Clark and came out looking good. They took their opening possession in for 7 points. Then two costly turnovers later Clark had taken the lead and never looked back capturing a 49-21 victory. Nothing wrong with a 10-3 season ... these kids of seasons can do a lot for a program.

The Harlingen Cardinals, one of the most successful RGV 5A team in the playoffs, looked like the Harlingen of old as they easily advanced to the playoffs and easily won their first two games. With their new offensive scheme and bruising defense this blogger had high hopes for the Cards as they faced Austin Westlake. But the way the game started for the Cards, it's hard for ANY team to bounce back. On the opening kickoff the Chaps' Ryan Swope returned the kick for a TD. Then on Harlingen's first possession, it drove down the field and put up three points, nothing wrong with that. However, on the next kick, Ryan Swope returned his second kick for a TD to take a 14-3 lead without the Chaps offense taking the field. The Cards' season would come to an end behind a 49-23 loss to the Chaps.

The RGV's last hope, the Los Fresons Falcons, had been favored to win by some prognosticators, albeit by a small margin. They were playing a home game in nearby Kingsville, they had their home uniforms, and their defense had been playing solid and their offense lighting up the scoreboard. They faced the San Antonio Reagan Rattlers for the second consecutive year in the 3rd round (this was Los Fresnos' third year in a row in the third round).

In an incredible display of defense by both teams, the score was 7-3 in favor of the Rattlers early in the 4th quarter. That's right, 7-3. The Rattlers had held the explosive Falcon offense to three points, but the Falcons had also held the 26-5A Champion to seven.

The past two years the Falcons have matched up well in terms of size with Westlake and Reagan, some would even say that in 2006, the Falcons were physically bigger that than Chaps, but the Chaps defense was faster (DBs) and last year's Reagan team was also faster (Marcus Wright).

This year, the Falcon defense matched the speed and needed a little more beef on the DL, because what appeared to happen was sheer mass was taking its toll on the Falcon DL. With neither team able to run the ball for three quarters, eventually, the Reagan OL took control of the game.

The Final Score: Reagan 28 Falcons 11. After 1 TD and 1 FG in 3 quarters, the Rattlers scored 3 times and the Falcons scored once, adding a two-point conversion.

There's really not much else to say, but one San Antonio Express-News reporter and the Reagan QB summed it up pretty well.

"They nearly won as it was, and Rattlers coach David Wetzel knew as much. He was effusive in his praise of Los Fresnos, readily acknowledging his team's good fortune to advance and agreeing with the notion that the Falcons could compete in District 26-5A, the gold standard for San Antonio area football."

" 'That was one of the most physical games we've had,' Reagan QB Derrick Walls said as he limped off the grass turf at Javelina Stadium. 'They're a hard-hitting team.' "

The RGV continues to improve and the gap is closing. The population keeps increasing and so does the talent pool so well be back.

So with that I bid you farewell. So until we meet again next year, this is Jerry Martinez wishing you and yours a great rest of the season and Happy Holidays.

11/26/08 BlogFive Rio Grande Valley teams playing in the 3rd round:
The most interesting story are the La Feria Lions (D1) and the Rio Hondo Bobcats (D2), both 3A teams. After starting off 1-4, La Feria is playing for the Region IV Championship. They face Cuero for a trip to the State Semifinals. Rio Hondo will face Giddings in the Regional Semifinal game.

Only two of the final RGV top 5 advanced to the 3rd round:
#1 Los Fresnos easily handled district 30-5A Champion McAllen Memorial 59-15. After a 35-7 halftime lead, the Falcons never looked back racking up 560 total yards on offense. In their first two playoff games, they have outscored their opponents 129-36. Their next matchup will be their toughest.
#2 Edcouch Elsa made an early exit in the 2nd round. This blogger predicted La Maquina to easily get past Port Lavaca, boy was I wrong. After seeing Edcouch Elsa on some brackets in the final 4 and one bracket having them in the state title game, their early exit doesnt sit well.
#3 Harlingen didnt struggle with Laredo United. Their 35-7 victory showed it. What the Cards have managed to include to theyre passing attack is a strong running game that has been flying under the radar all season. They also face a playoff veteran team in the 3rd round.

Matchups:

5A Division I--Regional Semifinals: Sharyland (10-2) vs. San Antonio Clark (11-1), 4 p.m. at Alamodome
It might be the end of the road for Shayland, but this blogger will not lose hope. Looking at Clark's numbers (37.1 points per game and giving up 16.3 points per game), their SOS is clear. This blogger will not lose hope. Sharyland gives up 25.5 points a game and this might be the downfall. Anything can happen.

Pick: Sharyland by 1

3A Division II--Regional Semifinals: Rio Hondo vs. Giddings, 3 p.m. at Gustafson Stadium-San Antonio
Rio Hondo has beaten a 5A playoff team, and they have playmakers at QB and RB. They also played and beat La Feria, which is playing in the Region IV Championship game in D1. Not a bad district we have down here in 32-3A.

5A Division I--Regional Semifinals: Harlingen High (10-2) vs. Austin Westlake (8-4), 4 p.m. at Alamodome
This is an intriguing matchup. Harlingen is clicking on all cylinders with a new found ground game. Westlake started off 0-3 (one of those teams being Lake Travis, yeah THAT Lake Travis) and finished 6-4. This is where I see an opening for the Cards.

Those six victories came from 2 teams with winning records, then drew an decent Roosevelt team and first round Cinderella team SA Stevens. This blogger believes that the Cards have just enough balance on offense and defense to pull out a win.

Pick: Cards by 3

5A Division II--Regional Semifinals: Los Fresnos (12-0) vs. San Antonio Reagan (10-2), 2 p.m. at TAMUK Kingsville
This is a rematch of last years 3rd round game. The Falcons jumped to a quick 14-0 start behind back-up QB. Reagan rode RB Marcus Wright (SA single season rushing record holder) to the 4th round. The Falcons QB Danny Silva is back and on a mission. His 43 TDs show it. Reagans Defense also improved by leaps and bounds.

Falcons by 3.

Here are some numbers:

Reagan in 2007 prior to Round 3 game vs Los Fresnos : PF 396 PA 302
Reagan in 2008 prior to Round 3 game vs Los Fresnos :PF 325 PA 188
Missing from last year: Marcus Wright (Georgia Tech), Jaime Villafuerte (ENMU), Patrick Martinez (Incarnate Word NCAAII))

Los Fresnos in 2007 Prior to Round 3 game vs Reagan: PF 415 PA 214
Los Fresnos in 2008 Prior to Round 3 game vs Reagan: PF 557 PA 156
Missing from last year: Mario Benavides (Louisville), Eloy Atkinson (UTEP), Jorge Mata (Buena Vista Univ NCAA III)

3A Division I--State Quarterfinals: La Feria vs. Cuero, 6 p.m. at Buccaneer Stadium--Corpus Christi
Can La Feria continue its fantastic playoff run? Cuero is tough and beat Rio Hondo in week 2. Something about La Feria with their Maroon and Gold that hits home. The RGV 3As have had successful deep playoff runs with PI beating Cuero (ranked #1 in 1994) in the 2nd round. It doesnt look good, but Ive HAVE to pull for my RGV brethren.

La Feria by 1.

See you next week.

11/18/08 BlogFour of the RGV top 5 advance to the second round:
#1 Los Fresnos lit up Edinburg North for 70 points in a lopsided win 70-21 win. Edinburg North had the 31-5A leading offense with the #1 RB in that district. Edinburg Norths RB had amassed 1586 yards with 22 TDs but the Falcon Defense held him to 50 yards on 10 carries. Again, the Falcon defense scored and forced 3 turnovers.

#2 Edcouch Elsa had their way against Tuloso-Midway in a 59-22 win. Eric Nino (RGVSN.com MVP) lead his team with 129 yards passing with 2 TDs and 126 yards rushing with 1 TD.

#3 Harlingen exploded for 63 points in their victory over Weslaco. This blogger believed that the Cards would struggle against Weslacos rushing offense. I was dead wrong. Cards 63 Weslaco 14.

#4 McAllen Memorial won their bi-district matchup against Laredo Alexander 53-28 setting them up for a HUGE matchup this week.

#5 McAllen High lost in overtime to San Antonio Southwest 35-28. McHi made the trek north to San Antonio and lead at the half but Southwest defense held them under 300 yards for only the second time all year.

Area Round schedule and analysis:

5A Division I: Harlingen (9-2) vs Laredo United (7-4) at Alice-Saturday 7:30
United easily handled another RGV team, Donna, a loss last week but I think Harlingens defense is going to be a huge difference in what United saw against Donna. Add to that the Cards ability to move the ball in the air and on the ground effectively should make this game closer than the United/Donna game. Harlingens defense allowes less than 250 yards a game, and thats against SOLID competition. Theyve faces throwing teams all year long so theyll be ready.
Pick: Cards by 7

5A Division I: PSJA(6-5) at Mission Sharyland (8-3)-Saturday 7:00
PSJA has turned it up a notch the last couple of weeks, especially in week 10, capturing a big win over PSJA North(who are still in the playoffs). Sharyland has been inconsistent throughout the year and I cant seem to gauge them. I think PSJA will control the clock and squeak out a win.
Pick: PSJA by 3

5A Division II: PSJA North(8-3) vs San Antonio Southwest(8-3) at Buc Stadium CC-Saturday 2:00
PSJA North didnt win convincingly over Brownsville Porter last week in round one. I thought the game would be a little more lopsided than the score showed. This blogger believed McHi matched up better with Southwest that PSJA North due to McHis offense. The Raiders will have to rely on the district 31-5A leading defense to secure the win. Its going to be a tough game for the Raiders but Im rooting for them.
Pick: PSJA North by 3

5A Division II: McAllen Memorial (9-2) at Los Fresnos (11-0)-Saturday 7:30
Los Fresnos defense has only allowed 141 points in 11 (12 pts avg) games against 8 teams with winning records. Memorial on the other hand has allowed 279 points in 11 games (25 pts avg). On offense, the Falcons have scored 498 to Memorials 385. On paper this doesnt appear to be much of a matchup, but you know as well as I do, that anything can happen in the playoffs.
Pick: Falcons by 21

4A Division II: Edcouch Elsa vs. Port Lavaca Calhoun at TAMUK-Friday 7:30
Edcouch is humming right now and still using a new found motivational source. Eric Nino is the RGVSN.com MVP and look for him to lead the team to another win. Calhoun was a top 10 team most of the year in 4A, but so was Edcouch. Edcouchs big win this year was over the 5A Harlingen Cardinals. Thats right, those Cardinals.
Pick: La Maquina by 7

3A Division I: La Feria vs Bandera at Alamodome-Thursday 7:30

3A Division II: Rio Hondo vs Devine at Tuloso Midway-Friday 7:30

1A Division 1: La Villa vs Junction at Floresville-Saturday 2:00

11/11/08 BlogSOUTH TEXAS PLAYOFF TIME!

FINAL RGV TOP 10: A new number #1
After nine weeks at #1, the Edcouch Elsa Yellow Jackets (4A) have fallen to #2. The Los Fresnos Falcons take the top spot after an extensive review of strength of schedules.

After further review, here are the facts:

Edcouch Elsa (10-0)
Who they beat: Four teams with winning records, one 5A team and a strong Calallen team. Five teams they beat are playoff teams.

Points for: 412
Points against: 159

Los Fresnos (10-0):
Who they beat: Seven teams with winning records, eight 5A teams, Calallen and six playoff teams.

Points for: 407
Points against: 120

So here is the final RGV top 5:
1. Los Fresnos (10-0)
2. Edcouch Elsa (10-0)
3. Harlingen (8-2)
4. McAllen Memorial (8-2)
5. McAllen High (8-2)

Playoff Schedule:
5A Division I: PSJA (5-5) at Pace (6-4) -- 7:30 pm Friday
Pace has been Jekyll and Hyde all season and PSJA has been your typical hardnosed PSJA team. I think that PACE has more weapons than PSJA this year. If that BIG bruising RB for PSJA was a little quicker, they would have looked like the same PSJA team from the past 3 years.

Prediction: Pace by 3

Donna (7-3) at Laredo United -- 7:30 pm Friday
Donna returns to the playoffs for the second straight year. They've been unpredictable this year beating some RGV top 5 teams throughout the year. Laredo United spreads the field and will pass at least 40 times. This blogger is hoping Donna can pull it off.

Prediction: Donna by 3.

Weslaco (7-3) at Harlingen (8-2) -- 2:30 pm Saturday
Weslaco has one of the most explosive offense in the state and Harlingens defense is in the top 3 in the RGV and probably in the top 10 statistically. The game is in Harlingen so the edge goes to Harlingen. But Im going out on a limb and picking Weslacos misdirection offense.

Prediction: Weslaco by 7

Sharyland(8-2) vs Del Rio(6-4)-6:00 pm Saturday at Converse Judson
Sharyland has been tested this season. They're ready. Del Rio might not be ready for the Rattlers.

Prediction: Sharyland by 14

5A Division II: McAllen at San Antonio Southwest-7:30 pm Friday
The last time a 5A RGV team has beat a San Antonio team in the playoffs was in 1999. This might be the year that another RGV teams pulls out a win.

Prediction: McHi by 3

PSJA North at Porter-2:30 pm Saturday
PSJA North has the #1 defense in the RGV. Porter is in their second best season in school history and second trip to the playoffs in school history. Porter QB Moya will AIR IT OUT, but will fall short. It pains me to pick against our 32-5A brethren but the PSJA North defense might be too much.

Prediction: PSJA North by 14

Los Fresnos(10-0) at Edinburg North(7-3)-6:00 pm Saturday
The Falcons are the #1 RGV team and have played some solid competition (view beginning of blog). Edinburg North has also played some tough competition, but did not win against those teams. They have played 4 teams with winning records losing 3. Their defense is tough and will frustrate the Falcons at first but the Falcons win.

Prediction: Falcons by 14

McAllen Memorial (8-2) at Laredo Alexander (4-6)-7:30 pm Saturday
I havent given Memorial the recognition they deserve all year. So here it is. They win BIG.

Prediction: Memorial by 21

4A Division I: Corpus Christi Flour Bluff at Weslaco East(8-2)-7:30 pm Friday
Prediction: Weslaco East by 3

Mission at Alice-7:30 pm Friday
Prediction: Alice by 21

4A Division II: Edcouch Elsa at Tuloso Midway-7:30 pm Friday ... Mucha Maquina!
Prediction: Edcouch by 21

Corpus Christi Calallen at Mercedes-7:30 pm Friday
Prediction: Calallen by 14

3A Division I: La Feria at Robstown-7:30 pm Friday

3A Division II: Rio Hondo at Ingleside-7:30 pm Friday
Sinton at Lyford-7:30 pm Friday

2A Division II: Santa Rosa vs. Three Rivers-6:00 pm Saturday at TAMUK

1A Division I: La Villa vs Yorktown-7:30 pm Friday at Bishop

1A Division II: Santa Maria vs. Falls City-7:30 pm Friday at Mathis

TAPPS: St Joe at Dallas Bishop Lynch-11:00 am Saturday at Roffino Stadium

11/6/08 BlogRGV Top 5: Cards drop, but not that far. A new teams joins the ranks.
1. Edouch Elsa (9-0) -- Cracked the top 10 AP poll this week.
2. Los Fresnos (9-0) -- Captured their 3rd straight 32-5A district championship in their five first years in 5A. Add to that 3 bi-district championships (back-to-back-to-back) and 2 Area Championships (back-to- back), and 2 consecutive appearance in the regional semifinals vs Austin Westlake and San Antonio Reagan.
3. PSJA North -- Started slow but their BIG win over the Cards and their stingy defense moves them up.
4. Harlingen -- They lost in a close one. This blogger beleives they are still a top 5 team.
5. McAllen Memorial -- Debuts in the top 5. This blogger was reluctant, and I'm still not conviced they belong here, but they've been proving me wrong week after week.

We're not able to determine playoff match ups yet with any certainty. It comes down to the final week of the season.

The post-Week 10 Blog will feature in depth playoff matchups, so stay tuned!

10/22/08 BlogWeek 7 and ONE TEAM FALLS. A new number 5.
1. Edcouch Elsa (6-0)
2. Los Fresnos (6-0)
3. Harlingen (5-1)
4. McHi (5-1)
5. PSJA North (5-2)

The Donna Redskins were hanging on for dear life to the #5 spot. The prior week, this blogger had moved them down from 4 to 5 and this week, Donna got beat by Sharyland (6-1). Who will take over the #5 spot? The fans at www.rgvsn.com/forum/ have decided it should be PSJA North.

North has quietly taken care of business with their stingy defense and have climbed up to the top 5. Will they survive one week? Check back and see.

Some thought the Los Fresnos and San Benito game was a "game of the week." The final score did not live up to the hype. Falcons had their way with the #1 defense in 32-5A scoring 34 points and not allowing any on defense.

The Falcons look to have a clear path to a district championship and an undefeated season. This week, they face Brownsville Pace (5-2,4-0), who is tied for first place with the Falcons for district. Pace travels to Los Fresnos this Friday.

Some have tagged it as another game of the week, Pace is in for a rude awakening.

Harlingen also took care of business with a 20-7 victory over PSJA, McHi continued to roll with a 38-0 win over La Joya, while Edcouch Elsa beat Mission High, 48-30.

Top performers:

Rushers:
Justin Ortega- Rio Grande City 244 yards 2TD
Michael Blackmon-Welsaco 239 yards 2 TD
Marco Adriana-Edinburg North 227 yards 4 TD
Gabe Phillips-McAllen Memorial 167 yards 3TD

Passers:
Gilbert Gonzalez-Missions 330 yards 4 TD
JJ Sanchez-Rivera 255 yards TD
Erik Nino-Edcouch Elsa 250 yards 2 TD
Noe Santibanez-Hanna 241 yards 3 TD

Receivers:
Aaren Pedraza-Rivera 155 yards TD
Charlie Rivas-Los Fresnos 143 yards
Skylore Janes-Raymondville 142 yards 2 TD
Luis Zamora-Mission 142 yards TD

10/15/08 BlogRGV Week 6: A top 5 team loses, but will remain
In our game of the week last week, the RGV #4 Donna and #5 McHI battled to a 31-24 OT game with McHi escaping with the win. Due to the competitive nature of this game by both teams, they will both remain in the top 5, just swap positions. Here is the week 6 RGV top 5:
1. Edcouch Elsa (6-0)
2. Los Fresnos (6-0)
3. Harlingen (5-1)
4. McHi (5-1)
5. Donna (5-1)

#1 Edcouch continues to roll and put away the only team left that would have put their perfect season in jeopardy. They win 51-25 over Mercedes.

For a second consecutive week, the Los Fresnos Falcons put up 63 points. The Falcons have pulled their starters after the 2nd quarter in 3 games so they¼re not guilty of running up the score. Last week was on of those games.

#3 Harlingen was down at the half, 17-14 to PSJA-Memorial (3-3) but didn¼t panic. In a sign of a solid and disciplined team, the Cardinals scored 27 points in the second half to capture 41-23 victory.

RGV Statistical TOP 10:

Offense:
1)Weslaco____1876 rush___678 pass___2554 total___435 avg.
2)McHi______982 rush____1529 pass___2511 total___418 avg.
3)Los Fresnos_1263 rush___1186pass___2449 total___408 avg.
4)RGC_______1809 rush____623 pass____2432 total___405 avg.
5)Porter_____925 rush_____1476 pass___2401 total___400 avg.
6)Raymond__1308 rush ___1290 pass___2598 total____392 avg.
7)Lyford_____337 rush____2018 pass___2355 total___392 avg.
8)McRowe______ rush________pass____2342 total___390 avg.
9)Ed.North__1454 rush___864 pass_____2318 total___386 avg.
10)Shary____823 rush____1472 pass___2295 total___382 avg.

Defense:
1)PSJA N____620 rush___594 pass____1214 total___202 avg.
2)Raymvill____664 rush___644 pass____1328 total____221 avg.
3)Harlingen__508 rush____893 pass___1401 total____233 avg.
4)Progresso__854 rush___629 pass___1483 total____247 avg.
5)San Ben___761 rush___830 pass___1591 total____265 avg.
6)McHi______791 rush___831 pass____1622 total___270 avg.
7)Los Fresnos_882 rush___834 pass___1656 total___276 avg.
8)Edcouch E__1188 rush__496 pass___1684 total___280 avg.
9)McMem____1109 rush__1712 pass___1712 total___286 avg.
10)Miss Vet___1076 rush__724 pass___1800 total___300 avg.

RGV Top Performers: (hat tip Clay Williams)

WR:
Jonathon Bipong-McAllen Rowe: 146 yards
Jesse Jalomo-Edcouch Elsa: 125 yards 3 TD
Raul Sanchez-Los Fresnos: 100 yards 1 TD
Aaron Jackson-Donna: 94 yards 1 TD

QBs:
Albert Obregon-McAllen Rowe: 339 yards 1 TD
Noe Santibanez-Hanna: 280 yards 3 TD
Erik Nino-Edcouch Elsa: 270 yards 5 TD
Adrian Moya-Porter: 240 yards 2 TD

RBs:
Andrew Alvarado-Weslaco East: 282 yards 4 TD
Lee Ramiez-La Joya: 215 yards 4 TD
Juan Vega-Progresso: 162 yards 3 TD
Marco Adriana-Edinburg North: 159 yards 2 TD

10/9/08 Blog The regular season is halfway through and no big surprises.

Week 5
So far, the original RGV top 5 are still going strong. RGV #1 EE wins easy over Valley View, 53-0. RGV #2 Los Fresnos wins big, 63-6 over Brownsville Rivera, RGV #3 Donna squeaks by McAllen Rowe 48-40 (that will cost them), RGV #4 Harlingen blows out Edinburg 54-14 and RGV #5 McHi beat undefeated Sharyland 56-24.

What does all this mean? Well, the top five remain, but in different slots. Im going to have to move Harlingen ahead of Donna due to Harlingens strength of schedule and margin of victories. Donna has been winning but I think they are better suited in the #4 slot. Top 2 remain and #5 remains. This week we should either see McHi or Donna out of the top 5, depending on the score.

Game(s) of the week:

> RGV #4 Donna (4-0) vs RGV #5 McHi (4-1)
This one is going to be good. I think after McAllen Rowe lit up the Donna defense with 426 yards passing, McHi will look for QB Leal to lead them to victory. This blogger believes McHi will win with its passing game.

> Interesting 3A matchup: 4-1 Raymondville Bearkats travel to 4-1 Hidalgo Pirates. This blogger believes that the winner of this game will have the inside track to the district championship. Old favorite Port Isabel is sitting at 0-2 in district.

RGV Undefeated:
-- Edcouch Elsa 5-0 (4A ranked in top 15 is some state polls)
-- Los Fresnos 5-0 (5A)
-- Donna 5-0 (5A)
-- Zapata 5-0 (3A) Technically not an RGV team (not located in any of the 4 counties that make up the RGV), but does play in a RGV district.

Week 5's Best:
QBs
McAllen Rowe Warriors: Albert Obregon 426 yards 4 TD
Brownsville Porter: Adrian Moya 380 yards 4 TD
McAllen High Bulldogs: Adrian Leal 312 yards 3 TD
Lyford Bulldogs: Noe Valdez 257 yards 2 TD

RBs
Rio Grande City: Justin Ortega 268 yards 3 TD
McAllen Memorial: Gabe Phillips 234 yards 4 TD
Mercedes: Israel Vela 233 3 TDs
Edinburg North: Marco Adriana 178 yards 4TD
Los Fresnos: Danny Mendez 5 carries 135 yards 3 TD

WRs
Lyford Bulldogs: Andrew Delgado 159 yards

9/30/08 BlogWeek 4 Round Up: Top Five stays intact
RGV #1 Edcouch-Elsa started off slow and gave up 282 yards to Weslaco East RB Andrew Alvarado, but still managed to win behind solid play from Erik Nino. Nino had 153 yards rushing with 2 TDs and 192 yards passing with 2 TDs. Edcouch will remain #1 for another week.
RGV#2 Los Fresnos Falcons held of district foe Weslaco in a 35-28 victory. The past three years the Falcons escaped by three points in each game. This year, the game was close, but not as close as the previous three years. The Falcons' defense played a huge role in their win with another defensive TD (3 for the year) of another forced fumble. Weslaco RB Michael Blackman had a BIG game with 172 yards rushing with 4 TDs while Los Fresnos Danny Silva had a nother big game with 281 yards 3 TDs with 80 yards rushing and 1 TD.
RGV #3 Donna stayed perfect with a strong victory over La Joya Palmview, 48-12.
RGV#4 Harlingen High Cardinals took care of business over a decent 2-2 Edinburg North team. I think the early loss to the RGV #1 team caught them off guard and the blogger believes this team will get stronger and stronger as the season progresses. QB John Murphy is settling into the new offensive scheme and the Cards will only get better. Look for them to jump a1 or 2 spots in the rankings in the next few weeks.
RGV #5 McAllen High captured an easy win over the Rattlers of Rio Grande City (1-3). McHi QB Adrian Leal was stellar on the night with 18-29 passing for 266 yards and 3 TDs.

Upsets:
This blogger predicted that Edinburg would upset previously undefeated PSJA Memorial. They did it. And after seeing how tough Weslaco played against Los Fresnos (Edinburg also upset Weslaco), Im beginning to think that the Edinburg Bobcats might be on to something. Edinburg plays the RGV #4 this week. Something fishy about this game, but I cant pick against the Cards. They are playing real good football, but so is Edinburg.

This blogger also predicted McAllen Rowe would stay undefeated. Sharyland took care of business and captured the 24-21 victory. Is Sharyland the real deal?

This blogger is not ready to put them in the top 5, but they're knocking on the door -- real hard.

Honor Roll:
Charlie Rivas 5 rec 125 yards 1 TD-Los Fresnos
Alex Trevino 187 yards rushing 2 TD-Mercedes
Albert Obregon 222 yards passing 1 TD 80 yards rushing 2 TD-McAllen Rowe
Mike Moroles 217 yards passing 2 TD and 1 rushing TD.-Sharyland

To get into the RGV football discussion, visit RGVSN.com.

9/23/08 BlogWeek 3 Round Up
Los Fresnos picked up a big win over Calallen, making the RGV 2-0 against the Cats this year.

Looking at the stats of the game, Cal had more yards than Los Fresnos (304 to 226) but the game wasn't as close as the scored/yards show. The Falcons, again for the third week, forced big turnovers and scored on ALL of the forced fumbles (3). Cal had a total of five turnovers, but two of them were not forced but still changed the outcome of the game. The Falcons led 28-7 at the half and took home the 35-19 victory.

Do they take the RGV #1 spot?

This blogger doesn't think so. Edcouch-Elsa, RGV #1, still has some big victories over #4 Harlingen and Calallen. They'll stay at #1 for another week but the gap is closing. Game(s) of the Week:
One of the GOTW pits two teams knocking on the door of the RGV top 5. McAllen Rowe (3-0) travels to Sharyland (3-0). Look for Rowe to take this one.

After viewing Rowe's pre-district schedule, they should be able to travel to Sharyland and capture the victory.

Another GOTW includes another 2 undefeated teams. RGV #1 Edcouch Elsa (3-0) travels to Weslaco East (3-0) for their first district game. EE should handle the Wildcats and retain their #1 ranking.

Other notable games:
RGV #2 Los Fresnos travels to Weslaco for their first district game. The Falcons have beaten the Panthers three years in a row, all three games by three points.

Last year it was the final district game, for the district championship. This year the excitement doesn't seem to be high. It's due in part because Weslaco lost last week to a team that had lost 25 consecutive games and a little of the "excitement" is not lost.

Don't tell that to the players. Both teams know what's at stake. Weslaco QB Dylan Deleon is a play maker, but this blogger believes that the Falcons will be too balanced in all aspects of the game. Falcons by 2 TDs.

Upset Special: Edinburg (1-2) over PSJA Memorial (3-0)
Edinburg beat a pretty good Weslaco team, and played well in a scrimmage against Los Fresnos. PSJA Memorial has squeaked out wins against some not so great teams which is why this blogger believes Edinburg will be 2-2 at the end of the weekend.

Honor Roll:
> Rio Hondo (3A) captures a 49-42 victory over 5A Laredo Alexander
> Edinburg break 25 game lossing streak with victory of Weslaco
> Hidalgo QB Steve Pedraza 228 yards 6 TDs

9/18/08 BlogWeek 2 Round Up:
No big movement in the RGV top 5. The only anxious moment was when Edcouch Elsa (RGV #1) was heading into the 4th quarter with a 25-19 lead over 3A Port Isabel. This blogger believed Edcouch would run away early and rest their starters, that wasnt the case. Edcouch scored 2 TDs in the 4th quarter, both by Eric Nino, their starting QB, to secure the 40-19 win. After playing their first two games against Calallen and 5A power Harlingen, I can see why they started off slow. Theyll remain as the #1 RGV team for another week.

The #2 RGV team, Los Fresnos, looked to be coming around after their 52-14 victory over Mercedes Tigers. Some in the RGV had the Tigers in their top 10. Los Fresnos defense didnt allow an offensive TD and held the Mercedes offense to only 109 total yards (Mercedes scored on 2 KR). And if the Falcon defense wasnt enough, the Falcons racked up 665 yards of total offense. QB Danny Silva seems to be getting confortable in his second year as Falcons QB (214 yards passing 2 TD and 150 yards rushing 1 TD)

#3 RGV Donna (Game canclled due to Hurrican Ike)

#4 RGV Harlingen Cardinals proved that they still belong in the RGV top 5 with a victory over previously undefeated San Benito. The Cardinals won the Battle of the Arroyo 34-17. As the season progresses, the Cardinals seem to get better.

#5 McAllen High Bulldogs will also remain in the top 5 with a convincing victory over the PSJA Bears 31-13. McAllen aired it out and didnt struggle with PSJA.

Top Performers:
Top Rushing Week Two
1. Andrew Alvarado-Wes East: 230 yds, TD
2. Juan Vega-Progreso: 191 yds, 2 TD
3. Danny Perez-Lopez: 172 yds, 2 TD
4. Erik Nino-Edcouch-Elsa: 167 yds, 2 TD

Top Passers Week Two
1. Noe Valdez-Lyford: 414 yds, 3 TD
2. Adrian Leal-McAllen: 305 yds, 3 TD
3. Mike Moroles-Sharyland: 302 yds, 3 TD
4. John Murphy-Harlingen: 263 yds, 3 TD
5. Danny Silva-Los Fresnos 217 yds, 2 TD and 150 yards rushing 1 TD.

Top Receivers Week Two
1. Andrew Delgado-Lyford: 146 yds, TD
2. Skylore Janes-Raymondville: 143 yds
3. Nick Garza-McAllen: 134 yds, 2 TD
4. Anthony Reyna-Harlingen: 114 yds, 2 TD
5. Nate Duncan-Los Fresnos 3 TD

Other notable: Mercedes' Special Teams: In three games they have had 3 kickoff returns for TDs, with Israel Vega scoring two.

Game of the week: Los Fresnos (2-0) hosts Corpus Christi Calallen(1-1). The Falcons have never beaten Calallen, but the Falcons have come a long way from their days in 4A when they used to play Cal in the first round of the playoffs.

Look for the Falcons to make it 2 in a row for RGV teams against Calallen. Danaher will have his team prepared and I'm sure that he's drilling the players on NOT wanting to lose again to another RGV team in the same year.

Calallen is Calallen, NEVER count them out. This blogger believes the Falcons can pull out a 3-point win with Degollado (K) playing a big role in this game.

You can listen to the game live at teamfalcon.net.

9/9/08 BlogWeek 1-Roundup:
How top 5 fared:
#1 Edcouch Elsa (2-0)-The battle of RGV #1, Edcouch Elsa and RGV #4 was every bit of a nail bitter as anticipated. You have to hand it to Edcouch, scheduling Calallen in week 0, then 5A Harlingen Cardinals the next, that's tough. They have solidified their #1 RGV ranking with a win over the Cards. It's this bloggers opinion that Harlingen shouldnt drop out of the top 5, so they will remain due to their close loss to La Maquina. This blogger believes that this Edcouch team is going to be special. I hope Ill be able to watch them again in a regional championship game in the valley (1997 vs Calallen in McAllen). We could all use another one of those. Next up for Edcouch, they travel to Port Isabel. Look for Edcouch to call off the dogs early. Prediction: Edcouch
#2 Los Fresnos (1-0) used its defensive strength to beat 5A PSJA. It was no secret that Los Fresnos was going to be a strong on defense, with 7 returning starters, 6 of them being all district performers last year. MLB Martinez (60 215) has taken the lead on defense and Los Fresnos 2000+ rusher from a year ago eclipsed the 100 yard mark against PSJA. Up next for the Falcons, 4A Mercedes Tigers. Prediction: Los Fresnos
#3 Donna (2-0) captures another victory, but this bloggers starting to get worried. Theyve beat 2 teams that are both 0-2, so well keep an eye on them. They defeated 5A Brownsville Rivera(0-2) 28-17with the game tied 14-14 going into the 4th quarter. Next up for Donna, Laredo Alexander. Prediction: Donna
#4 Harlingen (1-1) This blogger cant remove the Cardinals from the top 5. They played Edcouch tough all the way down to the wire and had a chance to win the game on the last drive. Some will say that they should be removed because of their loss to Edcouch, but this particular Edcouch team, this particular year, is special. And its all a result of Edcouchs win over Calallen that the Cards will remain in the top 5.
#5 McAllen High (1-1) defeated Edinburg(0-1) 38-0. Theyre still in the top 5 because of their loss to Harlingen and this weekend, they play PSJA. Prediction: McHi
Closing in: Porter (2-0), San Benito (2-0), Sharyland (2-0),Weslaco (1-0)

Honor Roll:
> Ivan Gonzalez (WR/DE Los Fresnos): At 61 hes a good size target. He had 1 TD catch offense and sniffed out a screen play on defense which he returned 30 yards for a TD.
> Los Fresnos Defense: 4 turnovers, 2 for scores holding PSJA to 214 total yards.
> Raul Salinas (QB-Raymondville 3A): 5 TD passes in 54-24 win over Kingsville
> Ricky Mata (WR-Sharyland 5A): 10 catches 128 yards 1TD
> Marco Adriana (RB Edinburg North): 226 yards rushing 1TD

Game of the week: The Battle of the Arroyo (River). San Benito hosts the #4 RGV team, Harlingen Cardinals. Good luck getting tickets. Prediction: Harlingen

9/4/08 BlogWeek 0 Roundup: The Coastal Bend area likes to talk about the Coastal Bend Curse when referring to Rio Grande Valley teams not being able to beat a Coastal Bend team. No such curse exists. Over the years, Rio Grande Valley teams have beaten Coastal Bend teams 40-plus times.

There IS a Calallen Curse, however. The Rio Grande Valley had only beaten Corpus Christi Calallen once -- it was 5A Harlingen in 1990 that beat them.

This past weekend, the Calallen Curse was weakened.

Calallen was ranked No. 7 in preseason state polls. And not to say they don't belong with the state's top teams, but Edcouch-Elsa has proven over the years that they can play mano-a-mano with the state's best.

Edcouch-Elsa defeated Calallen 14-7 with a TD pass in the last minute of the game. DI prospect Aaron Tanguma (64 260 TE) caught the game-winning TD to beat the Wildcats -- in Corpus Christi.

Most polls in the Rio Grande Valley, including this blogger, list Edcouch-Elsa as the #1 team in the Rio Grande Valley, and after this past weekend, they have solidified that spot. Congratulations MAQUINA!

How the top RGV teams faired:
#1 Edcouch-Elsa ... Defeated #7 State Ranked Calallen
#2 Los Fresnos ... Did not play
#3 Donna ... Defeated PSJA North 14-13
#4 Harlingen ... Defeated RGV #5 McAllen High 24-17
#5 McAllen High ... lost to RGV #4 Harlingen

RGV Honor Roll:
QB Adrian Moya, Brownsville Porter: 272 yards, 1 TD passing and 112 yards, 2 rushing TDs. He also made an impact on the opposite side of the ball with 11 tackles and an interception.

QB Eric Nino, Edcouch-Elsa: 125 yards on 25 carries, 1TD. He threw for 33 yards on the night and a passing touchdown in a victory of state-ranked Calallen.

RB Juan Vega, Progresso: 29 carries for 306 rushing yards.

Game of the week: RGV #1 Edcouch-Elsa takes on RGV #4 Harlingen.
No doubt this game is the game of the week. E-E will enter the game with tremendous confidence. Harlingen Cardinal football is an RGV institution and they will no doubt be ready.

My prediction? Edcouch Elsa.

Other important games:
#2 RGV Los Fresnos will host PSJA High. This is always a tough test for Los Fresnos. They have mutual respect for each other and this game will determined if Los Fresnos belongs in the top 5 or if PSJA does.

Rio Hondo hosts state power Cuero. Rio Hondo had success last year ... look for them to build on that success.

To discuss RGV football with rabid RGV High School Football fans, visit RGVSN.com, part of the Rio Grande Valley Sports Network. Check back here for weekly Rio Grande Valley updates.

8/14/07 BLOGYou can smell it in the air. You can fell it in your bones. Texas High School football is BACK!

In the Rio Grande Valley, just as in most of the state, high school football practice has begun. With coaches, players and fans breathing a sigh of relief, high school football is about to begin.

For the weeks to come, I’ll be providing you my thoughts regarding Rio Grande Valley High School football. I’ll try to cover all the districts and also highlight special players. We had some electrifying players last year (Mishak Rivas-Texas State) and some plain ol’ nasty ones (Mario Benavides-Louisville, Eloy Atkinson-UTEP), this year the RGV will try to send more to the DI ranks.

First let’s start with the 2008 RGV favorites. Without a game being played, it’s hard to pick who the preseason #1 is, but here is this blogger's preseason top 5.

#1. Edcouch Elsa – It looks like this years team is stacked with returning starters where it counts.

#2. Los Fresnos – With 6 starters returning on offense and 6 on defense, including QB Silva 1500+yards, RB Silva 2000+ yards and others, the Falcons should remain one of the top teams in the RGV. This blogger couldn’t put them in the #1 slot after loosing 2 DI lineman.

#3. Donna – With a good group of starters returning and an impressive season last year, the Donna Redskins will be back to their old ways.

#4. Harlingen – Year in and year out, they have proven to be worthy of being one of the RGV’s top teams.

#5. McHi – I have to give credit to my colleagues at rgvsportsforum.com for this one. Most seem to have McHi as a top 5 team, and looking at their OL, I can see why.

Players to watch for:
It looks like coaches might have found the Rio Grande Valley on the map, with the help of online highlight clips, players can send their ‘tape’ quicker and can reach more offices. The last 2 years the RGV has sent D1 players to Houston, Kansas, UTEP( x 2), Louisville, Texas A&M, Texas State and hopefully we can continue that trend.

Who comes to mind this year?

OT Tino Hung (McAllen) is a 6’3 290 SR that is getting some early attention. Hopefully a highlight clip will soon be released.

TE Artie Tanguma (6’4 265) of E-E turned some heads during 7 on 7 this summer. Look for him to be the #1 recruit this year.

Mercedes RB Alex Trevino (5-10 170) has finished placed 3rd at the state meet in Austin as a sophomore in the 200m and 3rd again at state as a junior. He holds the RGV record in the 100m with a 10.23 and he’s ran a 20.99 in the 200m as well. Alex has some break away speed and colleges are taking notice.

As the year progresses, I’ll highlight other players in the RGV so stay tuned.