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.