CORPUS CHRISTI — Senior quarterback Daren Garcia set the tone and running back Ethan Guerra delivered the knockout blows, as PSJA North went on the road and defeated Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial 24–13 on Friday night at Buccaneer Stadium.

“You gotta love these games, we live for these,” Garcia said. “Our defense gave us stops, and we just kept the mindset at halftime that it was still a ballgame. For our senior group to finish like this, it’s amazing.”

The Raiders struck first late in the opening quarter when Garcia connected with Guerra on a 46-yard touchdown pass. The Eagles answered early in the second, with Anthony Winans finding Ryker Hinojosa from 38 yards out to send the game into halftime tied 7–7.

Mission Veterans quarterback Roman Reyna didn’t look like himself during the second half of a non-district contest against Harlingen High.

After scoring his third rushing touchdown of the night in the third quarter, Reyna left the game for a drive before returning midway through the period.

Even after returning, he appeared limited, moving gingerly in the pocket as he tried to orchestrate the offense.

The sophomore flipped a switch with less than three minutes remaining, however, leading back-to-back touchdown drives to rally the Patriots past the Cardinals 37-36 on Thursday at Tom Landry Stadium in Mission.

The UTRGV Vaqueros closed their inaugural non-conference schedule in style, routing Texas Wesleyan 61–13 at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium. With the win, UTRGV improves to 4–0, joining South Alabama in 2009 as the only FCS programs since 2008 to start 4–0 in their first season. Quarterback Eddie Lee Marburger led the charge, throwing for 223 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 55 yards and another score.

EDINBURG — Since 2008, only one other FCS program has started its inaugural campaign 4-0. The Vaqueros added their name to that list Saturday, joining South Alabama (2009) after a 61-13 rout of Texas Wesleyan at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium in Edinburg.

The win closes out UTRGV’s inaugural non-conference slate with a perfect 4-0 record, including 3-0 at home. The Vaqueros are also one of 15 unbeaten programs at the FCS level this year.

“Proud of our guys and the way we’ve played,” UTRGV head coach Travis Bush said. “Shoutout to Texas Wesleyan. We knew they were a good football team. They’re well-coached and sound. They gave us some fits early. Guys did a good job in the first half. … Hats off to our guys. Proud of the way they finished. We want to go 1-0 every week. We did that. It is time to move on to some conference games now.”

Edinburg — Vela turned a marquee district opener into a statement, overpowering Mission 49–3 on Friday night at Richard Flores Stadium with a blistering start, ruthless balance on offense and a takeaway-fueled defensive clinic. Senior quarterback Tyler Ruiz was near-flawless, hitting 12 of 14 for 195 yards and three touchdowns, while junior Gavin Castillo added 88 yards and another scoring strike as the Sabercats piled up 389 total yards (283 passing, 106 rushing) and seven touchdowns.

MCALLEN — Fireworks started early and never slowed at DQ Fan Field as McAllen Memorial rolled to a 49–14 homecoming victory over Rio Grande City on Friday night.

Senior quarterback Kane Coy accounted for four touchdowns — three through the air and one on the ground — while senior receiver Michael Alaniz hauled in two scores and even converted a broken PAT into two points as the Mustangs (2–2, 1–0) opened District 16-5A DI play with authority.

“We’ve had this group together for years, and you can feel the chemistry,” head coach Moses Patterson said. “Tonight the run game, the shots, even the QB draw — it all clicked.”

MCALLEN — McAllen High turned homecoming into a three-phase showcase, racing past La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 42–10 on Friday at Veterans Memorial Stadium in the District 16-5A Division I opener.

Senior receiver/returner Finn Henderson authored a three-touchdown night — catching scoring passes of 30 and 7 yards from senior quarterback McCoy Wolthoff and breaking the game open with a 96-yard kickoff return early in the fourth quarter. Senior running back Hunter Morley added first- and third-quarter rushing scores from 50 and 5 yards as the Bulldogs (3–1, 1–0) won their third straight.

“Full team effort,” head coach Patrick Shelby said. “We got started slow, but once the kids settled down, all three phases showed up. We had a blocked [punt], a kickoff return to the house, and another that set up a score. That kind of special-teams spark ignited energy for the whole team.”

UTRGV football continued its strong start to its inaugural season with an 80–0 victory over Langston University at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium. The Vaqueros improved to 3–0 behind 828 yards of total offense, three forced turnovers, and a defense that has yet to allow a point at home. UTRGV will host Texas Wesleyan next Saturday night in Edinburg.

“It is just a great environment we’re playing in,” UTRGV wide receiver Xayvion Noland said. “Great team win. Everybody is playing to their standard. We still need to clean up some mistakes, but just a great environment. My adrenaline and all the guys’ adrenaline is just rushing out there. Just a big shout out to the 956.”

Noland was a catalyst to UTRGV’s 80-point outing, scoring the game’s first touchdown on a 42-yard pass from senior quarterback Eddie Lee Marburger. The score marked the second time this season Marburger and Noland have connected at home for the opening touchdown.

After Noland’s touchdown, the Vaqueros’ special teams unit got in on the scoring with a 70-yard run by linebacker Tyler Day on a fake punt with 1:58 left in the first.

MISSION — The Sharyland Pioneer Diamondbacks leaned on grit, versatility, and a few breakout performances to take down the Edinburg North Cougars on Friday night at Richard Thompson Stadium.

Head coach Eddie Galindo’s team, still navigating a wave of injuries, showed resilience in a game that demanded constant adjustments. “You just got to get these guys to accept the challenge and be selfless — to do what’s best for the team and not themselves,” Galindo said. “It’s about stepping up, being resilient, and finding a way to get it done.”

EDINBURG — Robert Vela stacked five passing touchdowns, a short scoring run and three takeaways to roll past Harlingen 52–10 on Friday night at Richard R. Flores Stadium.

Harlingen struck first on a 33-yard field goal by kicker Rowan Deleon late in the opening quarter, but Vela answered with 28 straight points in the second and never looked back.

“We had a couple penalties go against us and they went down and scored,” Vela head coach Ernie Alonzo said. “We came right back, responded with a big play to go up 7–3, and after that our defense took over.”

PHARR — Mission Veterans’ 2-9 finish to the 2024 campaign was an anomaly for a tradition-rich program that left Patriots with a bad taste in their mouth entering the offseason.

Through spring ball and summer workouts, the Patriots used last season’s disappointment as motivation. 

Now, three weeks into the 2025 Texas high school football regular season, Mission Veterans has completely flipped the script from last year’s 0-3 start with an impressive 3-0 record, and the Patriots don’t look like they’re slowing down after securing a dominant 37-14 win over PSJA High on Thursday in non-district action at PSJA Stadium.

The Patriots are now 3-0 for the first time since the 2017 season.

EDINBURG — Thursday night’s non-district contest between the Edinburg High Bobcats and Brownsville Hanna Eagles ended less than two minutes into the third quarter after an injury to junior quarterback Albert Chavez.

Edinburg High head coach Joe Pena and Brownsville Hanna head coach Mark Guess met at midfield after Chavez was helped off the field, with both electing to end the game as it stood.

The Bobcats led 15-0 prior to the stoppage, with the Eagles facing a fourth-and-long.

“One of the things we talk about every day is that there are things in life more important than football,” Pena said. “Right now we asked our team to join in a prayer for him, to help that family, that team and the staff they put together. We just have to understand that there are things more important in life.”

PHARR — Senior running back Ethan Guerra cemented his reputation as one of the Rio Grande Valley’s premier athletes Friday night, with five touchdowns and 167 yards rushing, he powered PSJA North to a commanding 49–3 victory over PSJA High in the annual Tri-City Classic at PSJA Stadium.

The dominate performance began from the opening drive. After PSJA High elected to receive, North’s Blackshirt unit forced a three-and-out, and Guerra immediately cashed in. Guerra scored off a 14 yard handoff which was quickly followed by another 4 yard rushing touchdown in the opening quarter.

Ehan broke tackles and energized the packed home crowd.

EDINBURG — For 11 years straight, the Edinburg High Bobcats have lost to crosstown rival Edinburg Vela. That streak ended Friday night. This time, the Bobcats came out on top, grinding out a 19–6 victory at Richard R. Flores Stadium in front of more than 5,000 fans.

“This feels unbelievable,” senior running back Woodrow Villarreal said. “The Bobcats are back. We came together as a team and got the job done.” Villarreal, one of 33 seniors on the roster, scored the game’s opening touchdown with 4:20 left in the first quarter, powering in from two yards out to give Edinburg a 7–0 lead.

PHARR — McAllen High overcame a shaky start to dominate PSJA Memorial 53–10 in its second game of the season Thursday night at PSJA Stadium.

The Bulldogs opened with a surprise opportunity when Memorial mishandled the kickoff, giving McHi possession at the Wolverine 6-yard line. But McAllen failed to capitalize, turning the ball over on downs in what head coach Patrick Shelby called a missed chance.

“We started off slow,” Shelby said. “We recovered the fumble on the kickoff but didn’t finish the drive. The boys shook it off, made some adjustments, and came out here and finished the game.”

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.