UTRGV football made history with a dominant 66-0 win in its inaugural game at Vackar Stadium. The Vaqueros scored on every first-half possession, racking up 674 yards of offense while shutting out Sul Ross State. Head coach Travis Bush called it “about as good as we could start” as the program begins a new era in the Valley.

EDINBURG — The last time Eddie Lee Marburger threw a touchdown pass in front of his hometown crowd, he was a senior at Sharyland Pioneer High School.

Marburger went on to spend the next four years at UTSA in San Antonio before electing to come home to UTRGV for his final year of college eligibility. The hometown legend wasted no time picking up where he left off five years ago, throwing a 50-yard touchdown pass to Xayvion Noland less than four minutes into the game.

That toss was the first of a dominant night for Marburger, who completed 18 of 19 passes for 365 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Vaqueros to a 66-0 win over Sul Ross State in their inaugural football game Saturday at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium in Edinburg.

MISSION — Mission Veterans started its season in convincing fashion Friday night, shutting out the Mission Eagles 28–0 in the annual Battle of Conway at Tom Landry Stadium.

The Eagles had an early chance to score when quarterback Alejandro Cano guided a drive deep into Patriot territory, but linebacker Daniel Moreno’s fumble recovery turned the possession into nothing. Moments later, two-way senior Ryan Guerra broke free for a 40-yard touchdown run, giving Veterans the lead at the end of the first quarter.

HARLINGEN — Weslaco High sophomore running back Malachi Rodriguez wasted no time reminding the Rio Grande Valley why he was last year’s Newcomer of the Year.

The bruising tailback powered the Panthers to a statement win Friday, scoring three first-half touchdowns to spark a 49-28 victory over Harlingen High at Bobby Lackey Stadium.

Rodriguez, who burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2024, found the end zone on runs of 1, 1 and 11 yards, giving Weslaco a commanding 35-13 halftime lead. He finished with 12 carries for 42 yards and three scores, setting the tone for an offense that piled up nearly 500 total yards.

MISSION — Sharyland leaned on a balanced passing game, quarterback runs, and second-half adjustments to defeat Weslaco East 45-28 on Friday night at Richard Thompson Stadium.

The Rattlers struck first when quarterback Calvin Harris connected with Sebastian Martinez for a 20-yard touchdown early in the first quarter. Weslaco East responded immediately with a 37-yard scoring pass from Aiden Gonzalez to Jay Herrera, but Sharyland answered with a fourth-down conversion that set up a touchdown pass to Oscar Cantu.

EDINBURG — A defensive spark from Frankie Salinas set the tone as the Mercedes Tigers opened their 2025 campaign with a 21-7 road victory over the Edinburg Bobcats on Thursday night at Richard R. Flores Stadium.

Both teams struggled to find rhythm early, with turnovers and unforced errors keeping the game scoreless deep into the second quarter. That changed when Edinburg quarterback Aidden Sanchez was intercepted by Frankie Salinas, who returned it for a touchdown to give Mercedes a 7-0 lead at halftime.

PHARR — For a moment, it looked like San Benito might steal the spotlight.

Quarterback Albert Gonzalez broke free for a 22-yard touchdown just before halftime, pulling the Greyhounds within striking distance of top-ranked PSJA North.

But on the very next possession, sophomore Isaiah Garza turned the corner on a sweep and sprinted 78 yards untouched for a touchdown, putting the Raiders back in control and giving them a two-score lead they would never give up.

The 2025 Texas high school football season is officially here, with teams set to take the field for Week 1 beginning Thursday.

Last year brought a premature ending to football in the RGV, with all of the area’s teams eliminated in the second round of the postseason.

This year, several teams look primed to break through the second round and make deep playoff pushes for the RGV. From a loaded PSJA North roster to a Sharyland High squad littered with electric weapons, here’s a look at some of the top teams and players in the area heading into the 2025 season. 

McALLEN — Dariana Luna always knew she liked running. The McAllen High track star began running at a young age, starting her track career as a sprinter at eight years old before transitioning to hurdles a year later. 

It wasn’t until the summer before her freshman year that Luna realized she loved the sport, however. 

“That summer going into high school I did summer track and I lost a race,” Luna said. “That was one of the first times I had lost a race. Sometimes you think you love a sport because you’re good at it. It wasn’t until I lost that race that I realized I don’t just like it because I’m good at it. I loved it because I loved the sport. So I went into high school after that just wanting to win.”

SAN JUAN — PSJA High baseball head coach Marco Guajardo bleeds maroon and white. The longtime head coach spent his high school days suiting up for the Bears before going on to play collegiate ball at what was then UTPA. 

He’s spent the past 15 years leading PSJA High’s baseball program as its head coach, amassing over 300 career wins during that span. 

SAN ANTONIO 一 Derek Thompson’s high school track and field career has had a number of up and downs. 

Thompson began his career as the No. 1 ranked freshman in Class 5A, finishing his first year as a regional finalist. 

High expectations for his sophomore year were deterred after a UCL tear during his second meet of the year, sidelining him for the entire 2024 season. 

Despite that, Thompson has managed to come back better than before, running through the competition this season en route to a return to the regional meet. 

He made the most of his second regional championship appearance, securing state berths in the 5A discus and shot put during Day 1 of the Region IV-5A/6A track and field championships at Heroes Stadium in San Antonio. 

MISSION 一 Sharyland Pioneer’s Angel Rodriguez has dreamt of setting records since he began competing in track and field at the age of seven.  Last year, Rodriguez’s record-breaking potential began to show, cracking into the top 40 all-time in the RGV in both the 400-meter dash and long jump. 

WESLACO — From August through December, high school football teams across the Rio Grande Valley battle against each other for bragging rights, district titles and playoff wins. 

At the end of it all, however, is the annual Rio Grande Valley Coaches Association East vs. West All-Star Football Game — an opportunity for the top seniors in the RGV to put rivalries aside, join forces and suit up one final time to close their high school careers.

SAN ANTONIO — With less than two minutes left in regulation, Buda Johnson Joe Margiotta lined up for a 32-yard field goal to give his team the lead.

On the opposite side stood the RGV’s last football team standing, the Los Fresnos Falcons, looking to block the field goal and keep their third round hopes alive.

Their hopes were not to become a reality, with the senior nailing the field goal and the Jaguars defense forcing a turnover on downs on the ensuing drive to end the Falcons season with a 23-20 loss in the Class 6A DI area round Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

EDINBURG — Edinburg Vela started strong, showing flashes of why they were undefeated heading into Friday night’s matchup. Senior quarterback Geoffrey LeFevre connected with wide receiver Juan Garza for a 23-yard touchdown early in the second quarter, bringing the SaberCats within three points of Smithson Valley.

That momentum didn’t last long.

Smithson Valley took control and never looked back, rolling to a commanding 55-13 victory in the Class 5A DI area playoff game at Richard R. Flores Stadium.

Turnovers were the story of the night for Edinburg Vela. Three first-half interceptions set the Rangers up for quick scores, and by halftime, they had built an overwhelming 41-7 lead.

CORPUS CHRISTI — No team in the Rio Grande Valley has won more playoff games over the last five years than PSJA North.

The Raiders established themselves as a gritty group who will punch you in the mouth and fight for 48 minutes until the clock reads zeroes.

Their Region IV-5A DI area round playoff game against the New Braunfels Unicorns was no different, but the Raiders failed to land one last blow in the bout as they fell in a 35-32 thriller on Friday at Phil Danaher Stadium in Corpus Christi.

PSJA North wraps up its season as District 15-5A DI tri-champs with a 10-2 overall record. The win sends New Braunfels to 9-3 overall and into next week’s regional semifinals for a matchup against Smithson Valley.

“These guys have the heart of a champion,” PSJA North head coach Marcus Kaufmann said. “They do not want to lose. They do not want to let anybody down, and it’s more about letting the fans and the community down more than winning and losing for these guys. They’re down because they wanted to win for the community and we weren’t able to pull it out, and you can tell it hurts right now.” 

SAN ANTONIO — With 3:53 left in the third quarter, the Brownsville Veterans Chargers seemed headed to their third straight regional semifinal appearance.

A 42-yard touchdown run by Calvin Trevillion had just given the Chargers a 35-17 lead during the period, the third straight score by Brownsville Veterans.

New Braunfels Canyon wiped away the Chargers third round hopes with three straight touchdowns of their own en route to a 38-35 comeback win over Brownsville Veterans on Friday at Heroes Stadium in San Antonio.

SAN ANTONIO — PSJA High couldn’t have asked for a better start to Thursday’s 6A DII area round contest against Cibolo Steele.

Less than twenty seconds into the game, PSJA High quarterback Myles Lopez did what he’s done all year, hitting senior Ryan Vallejo in stride for an 80-yard touchdown to take a 6-0 lead.

The lead and momentum were short-lived, however, with Cibolo Steele wideout Royal Capell taking the ensuing kickoff 80 yards to the house to spark a 63-point first half by the Knights en route to a dominant 63-12 win over PSJA High at Heroes Stadium in San Antonio.

MISSION — The Sharyland Pioneer Diamondbacks advanced to the area round of the playoffs after defeating the Brownsville Lopez Lobos 35-21 in a bi-district matchup at Richard Thompson Stadium. "It was just a total team victory," said Pioneer head coach Eddie Galindo. "Offense came up big when they needed to. Defense came up big when they needed to."

PHARR - In a dominant performance at PSJA Stadium, the PSJA North Raiders secured a convincing 43-3 victory over the La Joya Palmview Lobos in a bi-district playoff game. The win propels the Raiders into the area round for the fourth consecutive season, showcasing their continued excellence in high school football.