RIO GRANDE VALLEY — Eleven weeks of football have narrowed the field, and for 15 of our teams to watch across the RGV, the road continues into the playoffs.
From an undefeated run through McAllen to undisputed district championship teams in Edinburg Vela, Harlingen and Sharyland, the regular season produced dominant teams, late-season surges and races that went down to the final weeks.
Among the teams moving on are McAllen High, McAllen Rowe, McAllen Memorial, Palmview, Weslaco East, Sharyland, Mission Veterans Memorial, Sharyland Pioneer, Edinburg Vela, Weslaco, Edinburg High, La Joya, Harlingen, PSJA North and Los Fresnos.
And no team enters the postseason with more momentum — or a cleaner résumé — than McAllen High.
McAllen High completes perfect regular season
The Bulldogs were simply dominant from August through November, going 10-0 for the first time in 74 years.
McAllen finished the regular season 10-0 overall and 7-0 in district, scoring 502 points while surrendering only 71. The Bulldogs won every game by at least 20 points and recorded three shutouts.
McAllen defeated Memorial 34-14 and Rowe 33-7 in back-to-back weeks, then overwhelmed the rest of District 16-5A Division I. The Bulldogs scored at least 49 points in each of their final five games, including 63 against Rio Grande City, 55 against Palmview, 77 against Donna North and 55 in the regular-season finale against Mission.
The result was an undisputed district championship and one of the Valley's most impressive regular seasons.
McAllen now opens the postseason against Weslaco East.
Rowe turns slow start into seven-win season
Rowe's season followed almost the opposite trajectory.
The Warriors opened with consecutive losses to Harlingen and Los Fresnos, falling to 0-2 before finding their footing. From there, Rowe won seven of its final eight games, with the lone loss coming against unbeaten McAllen.
Rowe was particularly strong down the stretch.
The Warriors defeated Palmview 33-0, Donna North 56-6, McAllen Memorial 36-19, Rio Grande City 56-14 and PSJA Memorial 48-14 to close the regular season on a five-game winning streak.
That run pushed Rowe to 7-3 overall and 6-1 in district, good for second place behind McAllen.
Rowe will host Corpus Christi Flour Bluff in the opening round.
Palmview catches fire when it matters most
Few teams did more for their playoff position during the final three weeks than Palmview.
The Lobos endured consecutive shutout losses against Rowe and McAllen in October, dropping them into a difficult position. But Palmview responded with three straight victories.
They beat Donna North 50-6, survived McAllen Memorial 38-35 and then closed the regular season with a 28-21 victory over Rio Grande City.
That finish moved Palmview to 6-4 overall and 5-2 in district, securing third place and sending the Lobos back into the postseason.
Their reward is a road trip to Corpus Christi to face Carroll in the bi-district round.
Memorial survives roller-coaster season to get back in
McAllen Memorial's path looked much different.
The Mustangs were one of the Valley's most explosive offensive teams at times, but their season was filled with dramatic swings. Memorial opened with a 55-43 victory over Sharyland before dropping three consecutive games to Weslaco, Los Fresnos and McAllen.
The Mustangs recovered with a 75-49 win over Rio Grande City and later posted district victories against PSJA Memorial and Mission.
A late 38-35 loss to Palmview made the playoff race more complicated, but Memorial closed the regular season by shutting out Donna North 47-0.
The Mustangs finished 5-5 overall and 4-3 in district, taking the fourth and final postseason berth from the district.
Memorial draws one of the toughest opening-round assignments in the group, traveling to Corpus Christi to face 9-1 Veterans Memorial.
Weslaco East survives difficult schedule
Weslaco East also reaches November at 5-5, but the Wildcats showed throughout the season that they could cause problems for quality opponents.
East recorded notable victories over Sharyland and Sharyland Pioneer and entered late October above .500 before consecutive losses to Corpus Christi Carroll and Flour Bluff.
The finale was one of the wildest games of the Valley season, as Weslaco East scored 63 points but fell to Flour Bluff 77-63.
The Wildcats finished fourth in District 15-5A Division I and now face arguably the biggest challenge possible in the opening round: unbeaten McAllen High.
Sharyland shakes off 1-2 start and wins district
Sharyland's 8-2 record does not fully show how dramatic of a season they had.
The Rattlers started 1-2, losing their opener 55-43 to McAllen Memorial and falling 28-25 to Weslaco East two weeks later, only to never lose again.
Sharyland won seven consecutive games to finish the regular season, including a 42-41 overtime victory over La Joya followed by a perfect run through District 16-5A Division II.
The most significant win came against Mission Veterans Memorial, when Sharyland earned a 37-29 victory in a game that ultimately separated the top two teams in the district.
The Rattlers finished 8-2 overall and 6-0 in district, claiming the outright championship.
They begin the postseason at home against Brownsville Pace.
Mission Veterans builds another eight-win campaign
Mission Veterans Memorial was right behind Sharyland throughout the district race.
The Patriots finished 8-2 overall and 5-1 in district, with their only losses coming against PSJA North and Sharyland.
Their resume includes some of the most dramatic wins of any 5A team in the Valley.
Mission Veterans defeated Weslaco 26-24 and Los Fresnos 35-31 in consecutive nailbiting weeks, then won five of six district games. After losing to Sharyland, the Patriots responded by beating Roma, Juarez-Lincoln and Pioneer to close the regular season.
Their 44-28 victory over Pioneer in Week 11 gave Mission Veterans a three-game winning streak entering the playoffs.
The Patriots host Mercedes in the opening round.
Pioneer does enough to punch its ticket
Pioneer's season rarely offered much breathing room.
The Diamondbacks alternated wins and losses through much of the year, but key district victories kept them in the playoff race.
Pioneer defeated Juarez-Lincoln 40-6 and PSJA Southwest 34-10 before earning perhaps its most important victory of the year, a 35-32 win at Roma in Week 10.
That helped Pioneer finish 5-5 overall and 3-3 in district, securing the fourth playoff spot despite losses to Sharyland and Mission Veterans to finish district play.
Pioneer travels to face unbeaten Gregory-Portland, which finished 10-0 and outscored opponents by an average of 50 points per game during the regular season.
Vela responds to opening loss with nine straight wins
Edinburg Vela's first game of the season remains its only loss.
The Sabercats opened 2026 with a 10-7 loss against Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial. They responded by winning nine straight games, and they did it against some of the Valley's best.
Vela defeated PSJA North 42-40, Los Fresnos 49-42 and Weslaco 37-33 before taking complete control of District 31-6A. The Sabercats then defeated La Joya, Economedes, Edinburg and Edinburg North by increasingly comfortable margins.
Vela finished 9-1 overall and a perfect 5-0 in district, scoring 255 points in five district games.
The Sabercats enter the playoffs on a nine-game winning streak and host Brownsville Veterans Memorial.
Weslaco surges into November
Weslaco enters the postseason playing some of its best football.
The Panthers finished 7-3 overall and 4-1 in District 31-6A, with their lone district loss coming in a 37-33 battle against Vela.
Weslaco closed the season with four consecutive victories, and the margins kept growing.
The Panthers defeated Economedes 64-21, Edinburg North 51-0, La Joya 37-10 and Edinburg 53-14 to secure second place.
Their first-round matchup will be one of the Valley's biggest: Weslaco against Los Fresnos, guaranteeing at least one 6A RGV program advances.
Edinburg turns strong start into playoff berth
Edinburg High did much of the work needed to reach the playoffs early in the season.
The Bobcats opened 4-0, earning wins against Brownsville Hanna, Weslaco East, PSJA Memorial and Brownsville Rivera.
District play proved more difficult.
Edinburg went 2-3 in District 31-6A, defeating Edinburg North and La Joya while falling to Economedes, Vela and Weslaco.
Still, the Bobcats' early success gave them enough to finish 6-4 overall and secure a postseason berth.
Their reward is a matchup with the menacing PSJA North Raiders.
La Joya grabs the final spot with dramatic finish
La Joya needed a victory in the final week, and the Coyotes delivered one of the most dramatic wins of the RGV's closing weekend.
After entering the finale on a three-game losing streak, La Joya went on the road and defeated Economedes 59-55. That win pushed the Coyotes to 4-6 overall and 2-3 in district and gave them the final playoff berth from District 31-6A. La Joya's season included plenty of offense and several close games, including a 42-41 overtime loss to Sharyland and a 56-49 loss to Brownsville Veterans.
Now the Coyotes face Harlingen, one of the hottest teams in the Valley.
Harlingen wins five straight to claim district title
Harlingen went undeafeated against RGV teams, with their only loses coming from Corpus Christi Miller and Midland.
Harlingen swept District 32-6A, winning five straight games to close the regular season. That run included perhaps the Cardinals' most significant victory of the season, a 15-9 defensive battle against PSJA North. Harlingen followed it with wins over Brownsville Veterans, San Benito and Los Fresnos.
The Cardinals finished 8-2 overall and 5-0 in district, securing the championship with a 35-14 victory over Los Fresnos in Week 11.
Harlingen now hosts La Joya in the bi-district round.
PSJA North remains one of the Valley's most dangerous teams
PSJA North's 8-2 record includes two losses by a combined eight points.
The Raiders fell 42-40 to Vela in September and 15-9 to Harlingen during district play. Every other game ended in a PSJA North victory.
The Raiders also produced several statement wins. They defeated Weslaco 35-24, Los Fresnos 41-3, San Benito 45-17 and Brownsville Veterans 42-14. PSJA North finished 8-2 overall and 4-1 in district, taking second place behind Harlingen.
With victories over multiple playoff teams and only two narrow defeats, the Raiders enter November as one of the more battle-tested teams in the Valley.
Their postseason begins against Edinburg High.
Los Fresnos navigates one of the Valley's toughest schedules
Los Fresnos may enter the playoffs at 6-4, but the Falcons' record comes with important context.
Their schedule included Rowe, McAllen Memorial, Mission Veterans, Vela, PSJA North and Harlingen — six teams that also reached the postseason.
The Falcons opened 3-0 with victories over Laredo Alexander, Rowe and Memorial, with difficult middle stretch that included losses to Mission Veterans, Vela and PSJA North, but Los Fresnos responded with three consecutive district wins over San Benito, PSJA and Brownsville Veterans. The regular season ended with a 35-14 loss to district champion Harlingen, leaving Los Fresnos 6-4 overall and 3-2 in district.
The Falcons now meet Weslaco in the opening round, one of this weeks most exciting matchups.
our top five games to watch
Weslaco vs. Los Fresnos, Vela vs. Brownsville Veterans Memorial, McAllen vs. Weslaco East, PSJA North vs. Edinburg, and Rowe vs. Flour Bluff. These matchups feature the Valley’s hottest teams, and several all-RGV showdowns.
