EDINBURG — After an explosive start to the season, UTRGV’s offense found itself in a bit of a rut when Southland Conference play began.

Last week proved to be its biggest struggle yet, totaling a season-low 183 yards and 21 points during a loss to Lamar.

The Vaqueros bounced back in a big way Saturday, erupting for 558 total yards and seven offensive scores as UTRGV routed defending Southland Conference champion UIW 56-28 during its first-ever homecoming game at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium in Edinburg.

LOS FRESNOS — Late in the second quarter, the Brownsville Veterans Chargers found themselves threatening to score and cut Los Fresnos’ lead to one possession before halftime.
A pass over Falcons safety Ryan Prepjechal set up the Chargers inside the red zone for their biggest scoring chance of the night.

The junior defensive back quickly bounced back from allowing the catch, however, intercepting a Jake Saenz pass in the end zone to keep the Chargers off the board.

PHARR, Texas — The Weslaco High Panthers overpowered PSJA Early College High School Bears 44-0 on Friday night at PSJA Stadium, delivering a statement win in District 31-6A play and spoiling the Bears’ homecoming celebration.

Weslaco (6-2, 3-0) took control early, capitalizing on short fields and quick strikes to build a commanding first-half lead. The Panthers scored on each of their first possessions, turning turnovers and special-teams breaks into points while their defense swarmed PSJA’s backfield throughout the night.

La Joya powered past Edinburg North 48–34 on Thursday night at Richard R. Flores Stadium, using a balanced ground attack and a steady defensive effort to climb back to .500 on the season. The Coyotes improved to 4–4 overall and 1–2 in district play, while the Cougars dropped to 1–7 and 0–3.

La Joya struck first on its opening possession, capping a sustained drive with a short touchdown pitch from quarterback Owen Benoit to Alex Garza, followed by a Jared Ozuna extra point for a 7–0 lead. Edinburg North responded with a scoring pass from Jorge Trevino to Kiandre Estrada, tying the game at seven. A 38-yard field goal by Ozuna pushed the Coyotes back in front 10–7, and La Joya never trailed again.

McALLEN — In Week 9 of the 2024 season, Edinburg Vela cruised to a dominant 56-0 blowout win over McAllen Memorial as the SaberCats went on to capture the District 16-5A DI championship.

McAllen Memorial has had revenge on its mind ever since.

In this year’s meeting, the Mustangs avenged last year’s loss and grinded out a hard-fought 31-28 victory over the SaberCats with first-place in 16-5A DI on the line Thursday night at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen.

MISSION — On a night filled with homecoming festivities, the Sharyland Pioneer Diamondbacks kept their composure when it mattered most, holding off the determined Roma Gladiators for a hard-fought win Friday night at Richard Thompson Stadium.

Head coach Eddie Galindo said the victory was especially meaningful, not only because it came on homecoming, but because he shared it with his son, quarterback Malakai Galindo, leading the offense.

“It’s a blessing — and it’s a challenge,” Coach Galindo said. “Out here, I’m coach. At home, I’m dad. I’m the two most important people in his life, and I don’t compromise one for the other. It’s special. I’ve been blessed to share this with him, and really, all these boys are like my kids.”

DINBURG — Edinburg Vela’s defense has been one of South Texas’ most dominant units throughout the 2025 season.

The SaberCats were at it again with a first-place battle against the McAllen Rowe Warriors in Week 8 as Vela pitched its second-straight shutout for a 16-0 victory Friday at Richard Flores Stadium.

The SaberCats improved to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in 16-5A DI play. The Warriors dropped to 4-3 overall and 3-1 in district competition.

“We came out here and we gave it all we had,” Vela senior defensive back Devin Caballero said. “We were playing aggressive. We had an amazing game plan for this one. Our coaches set us up perfectly and we were able to come out with a W.”

SHARYLAND — The Sharyland Rattlers flipped a 13-point second-half deficit into a thrilling 32–31 victory over the Alice Coyotes on Thursday night at Richard Thompson Stadium, earning their first district win in dramatic fashion.

Sharyland opened the scoring with a safety when Luis Mireles and Giovanni Pizzi collapsed the pocket to bring down the Alice quarterback in the end zone. The Coyotes answered quickly, turning a pair of early interceptions into points behind a short touchdown run from Sebastian Flores and a scoring pass from Gilbert Trevino to Maddex Carrillo for a 14–2 lead. A field goal later extended it to 17–2 midway through the second quarter.

EDINBURG — Lew Hill was named head coach of the UTRGV Vaqueros men’s basketball team on March 31, 2016.

It didn’t take long for the kid from Money Earnin’ Mount Vernon, New York to rebuild the program into one on the rise, filled with promise and potential. Under his direction in 2018-19, UTRGV finished with its first winning-season in 11 years and recorded its first-ever DI postseason win.

On Feb. 7, 2021, Hill tragically passed away after a private health battle, just one day after coaching the Vaqueros in what would be his final game.

Throughout his time in the Rio Grande Valley and long before that, Hill poured peace and love into everything he did and everywhere he went, from the way he lived to the way he coached.

His legacy lives on at UTRGV, and now, it’s forever etched in stone near the same sidelines he used to roam.