MISSION — Mission Veterans and Sharyland Pioneer are the two most recent Rio Grande Valley football programs to reach the regional final round of the state playoffs.
The Patriots accomplished the feat during the 2018 season with Landry Gilpin at quarterback, and the Diamondbacks put together their run during the 2020 campaign with Eddie Lee Marburger behind center.
Now, a new pair of dynamic quarterbacks lead Mission Veterans and Sharyland Pioneer into Friday night’s District 16-5A DII opener and RGVSports.com Game of the Week slated for 7:30 p.m. at Richard Thompson Stadium in Mission.
“This is going to be another one of those football games that could go down to the wire, down to the last minute or two,” Mission Veterans head coach David Gilpin said. “These are two football teams that want to be district champs, and it’s hard to do if you don’t go win the first one, so this has big implications on district championships and playoff seeding right off the bat.”
Sharyland Pioneer junior quarterback Julian Valdez leads the Valley in passing through Week 6 with 1,431 yards, 16 touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s also displayed running ability with 274 yards and four rushing touchdowns.
“His sophomore year we threw him in the fire,” Galindo said. “He learned from the school of hard knocks. He’s a tough kid and he’s finding a way to get it done.”
A deep receiving corps led by Joseph Graham Jr. has helped Valdez light up defenses. Graham’s 471 receiving yards rank No. 3 in the RGV. Fellow wideouts Josh Cuellar (330 yards, two touchdowns) and Antonio Carrizales (325 yards, three touchdowns) rank No. 11 and 12 in receiving yardage, and Leo Espinoza Jr. leads Pioneer with six receiving touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Mission Veterans first-year starter Vince Abrego, a junior, has shown promise with 641 passing yards, 10 passing touchdowns, 120 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
Abrego has been aided by the emergence of two solid running backs in Pablo Lopez (475 total yards, four touchdowns) and Jose Garcia (177 total yards, two touchdowns). His top target, Enrique Ordaz, is coming off a three-touchdown game during a win over Brownsville Hanna.
“When you look at the body of work that Vince has had over the first five games, he’s done an outstanding job for this football team,” Gilpin said. “He’s been a leader and had success on the football field as well. Very pleased with where Vince is right now, and we expect him to do nothing but get better.”
Both the Diamondbacks and Patriots bring identical 3-2 overall records into Week 7. Sharyland Pioneer suffered losses against Edinburg North and Laredo Alexander, and Mission Veterans was defeated handily by Harlingen High and San Benito.
The district title contenders can take an early lead in the championship race with a win over the other Friday night.
SHARYLAND HIGH AT ROMA
Roma and Sharyland High enter district play on different paths.
The Gladiators (3-2, 0-0) are riding a three-game winning streak and are off to their best start in seven seasons. The Rattlers, on the other hand, sit at 1-4 overall and have had to overcome key injuries during the first half of the regular season.
Non-district records matter none in district play, however, as the Gladiators and Rattlers square off with a clean slate in their 16-5A DII opener. Kickoff between Roma and Sharyland High is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Gladiator Arena in Roma.
PSJA MEMORIAL AT PSJA SOUTHWEST
PSJA Memorial (3-2, 0-0) hasn’t made a playoff appearance since 2011, but this year’s group has managed to put together the program’s best start since the 2014 season. The Wolverines will be looking to extend their winning streak to three when they take on rival PSJA Southwest (0-5, 0-0) at 7 p.m. Friday at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.
Meanwhile, Southwest is searching for its first victory of the year after a tough non-district schedule against five teams that currently hold winning records entering Week 7.
