EDINBURG — Edinburg Vela’s Caidyn Hoover didn’t plan on switching positions heading into the 2026 season. Just one year after leading the state in interceptions, the SaberCats senior was asked to move to quarterback for his final year.

Despite being reluctant at first, Hoover made the move for his team, stepping into the QB1 role for Vela.

Hoover’s move paid dividends Thursday, leading the SaberCats to a 42-40 win over the PSJA North Raiders during a non-district game at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

“I had to do it for the team,” Hoover said. “I didn’t want to move after what I did last year. Being able to move to quarterback though, it shows the type of player I am. It shows I can play anywhere on the field for the team.”

McALLEN — Weslaco High’s Malachi Rodriguez made himself at home in the end zone during Week 1. The junior running back crossed the goal line three times during the Panthers’ season opener against Weslaco East.

Rodriguez delivered an even better encore performance in Week 2, scoring four of the Panthers’ seven offensive touchdowns during a 55-7 thrashing of McAllen Memorial on Friday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

“I’m blessed to have him alongside me,” Weslaco High quarterback Lupe Granados said. “He’s a dawg. He’ll run through anyone. He’ll do anything to protect me and I’ll do anything to have his back.”

MISSION — PSJA could not have asked for a much worse start Friday night.

The Bears turned the ball over on each of their first two possessions and quickly fell behind 10-0 to Sharyland Pioneer.

They never lost their composure.

PSJA settled in, fought its way back and scored the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter to beat Pioneer 31-24, giving first-year head coach Horacio Garza his first win with the Bears.

“There was a lot of emotion, a lot of intensity,” Garza said. “We kind of started off a little slow, a little sluggish. The kids did a great job staying poised, staying under control. Defense bailed us out a few times. It just kind of took a little time to get our footing.”

MISSION — Sharyland looked like it had control of Thursday night’s game more than once.

Brownsville Hanna just kept coming back.

The Rattlers built a two-touchdown lead three different times, but needed one final defensive stand — and a bizarre ending — to hold off the Golden Eagles 34-28 at Richard Thompson Stadium.

Hanna had driven inside the Sharyland 15-yard line in the final seconds and appeared to have one last chance to take the lead. After completing a pass over the middle on third down, the Golden Eagles hurried to the line and spiked the ball.

The problem was, it was fourth down.

The spike counted as an incomplete pass and turned the ball over to Sharyland, ending Hanna’s comeback attempt.

Sharyland head coach Craig Krell said he had never seen a game end quite that way.

PHARR — PSJA North quarterback Drayden Espinoza heard the noise heading into his junior season. The third-year letter winner entered 2026 with big shoes to fill, with many doubting what he could do as the Raiders’ QB1.
Preseason lists rarely mentioned the dual-threat quarterback after he saw limited time at the position during his first two seasons.

Espinoza has silenced the doubters through the first two weeks of the regular season, delivering back-to-back multi-touchdown performances, including a 340-total-yard, four-touchdown outing Thursday during a 56-14 beatdown of Mission Veterans at PSJA Stadium.

“I’ve been doubted a lot, especially with the rankings,” Espinoza said. “People are ranking me at the bottom. I took that personal because I am the No. 1 quarterback and I believe that for myself. It was an amazing performance for me, but also for my team.”

McALLEN — Through two weeks of the Texas high school football regular season, the McHi Bulldogs are yet to surrender a single point defensively.

Offensively, the Bulldogs haven’t been too shabby, either.

McHi put together another dominant performance to start the 2026 season by pitching a second straight shutout, this time against Edinburg North, in a 60-0 victory Thursday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Bulldogs have now outscored their first two opponents by a combined score of 101-0.

“The kids are playing well right now,” McHi head coach Patrick Shelby said. “It’s not easy to not give up any touchdowns, especially two weeks in a row. Through the grace of God and keeping our guys healthy, our practice habits are good, their film habits are good and they’re excited, and that’s what’s keeping these guys going.”

EDINBURG — There were plenty of questions surrounding UTRGV’s offense entering the 2026 season.

The Vaqueros entered the offseason tasked with replacing their top passer and rusher, both of whom graduated, while also looking to replace their top two receivers, who left the program via the transfer portal.

Week 0 answered some of those questions for the Valley’s team, with the offense erupting for 675 total yards and five touchdowns en route to a 44-0 blowout victory over UT Permian Basin on Saturday at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium in Edinburg.

“We challenged the guys to come out and uphold the standard they started this program with,” UTRGV head coach Travis Bush said. “The way we played and protected, we got a standard we have to uphold here. The way we came out fast. It got hard for a minute, but we were able to take care of business. Just proud of this group and blessed to be 1-0.”

EDINBURG — There was not much sympathy in McAllen High’s approach to its season opener.

The Bulldogs scored three times before halftime, kept the pressure on after the break and shut out Economedes 41-0 at Richard R. Flores Stadium to open the 2026 football season with a strong win.

For senior Hayden Helgeson, the mindset behind the performance was simple.

“You know it felt good,” Helgeson said. “Going into this game it was... Be the hammer, not the nail, as they say.”

WESLACO — Coming into the 2026 season, Weslaco High has one of the best defenses in the Rio Grande Valley and they showed why people are rating that unit that high on Friday night against cross-town rivals Weslaco East in the Tinaco Bowl.  

The Panthers hardly let the Wildcats sniff the end zone let alone the red zone in a 30-0 win at a packed Bobby Lackey Stadium for the first Friday night of the high school football season. 

“Defense,” Weslaco High head coach Roy Stroman said when asked about what he thought of the game. “Our defense was solid tonight. Coach Ramirez had a great game plan and our kids executed.” 

PHARR — Mercedes junior Frankie Salinas barely had time to catch his breath during Thursday’s season opener against PSJA High.

From playing safety to lining up at wideout to returning kicks, the third-year letter winner did it all for the Tigers.

The Tigers needed every bit of it after a shaky start, with Salinas finishing with an unofficial 140 yards and one touchdown on eight catches while adding an interception on defense to lead Mercedes past the Bears 20-10 in a non-district contest at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.

SAN ANTONIO — There was a common theme across the Class 5A girls relays during the Region IV-5A & 6A Track and Field Championships.

Each time the first-place team crossed the finish line, it was clad in purple and gold with “McAllen” written across the uniform.

By the end of the meet, the Lady Bulldogs left little doubt they were top dogs on the track, as a sweep of the relay events helped McHi capture its third straight Region IV-5A team championship Saturday at Heroes Stadium.

McAllen High opened Saturday’s running finals with a statement in the 5A girls 4x100-meter relay, edging Leander Rouse for its first gold medal and state bid of the night.