BROWNSVILLE — Brownsville Veterans joined elite company last season, becoming just the 16th Rio Grande Valley football team to reach the Texas high school football state semifinals.
Their historic playoff run also marked the first time since 2003 that a Valley team advanced to the final four of the UIL football playoffs.
The 2023 season is behind them, but the Chargers aren’t going anywhere, opening the 2024 season as the No. 2 team in the RGVSports.com 5A/6A preseason poll.
“The expectations stay the same this year,” Brownsville Veterans senior quarterback Storm Montoya said. “We have a standard at Brownsville Veterans now. Coming off of this past season, we already forgot about it. It was a great run, but we have to move on to this season and prove we can do it again.”
Repeating last year’s success won’t be an easy task, with the Chargers returning just nine starters from their Region IV-5A DI championship team. Among the group of starters lost was a group of four athletes all playing at the collegiate level this fall.
The Chargers aren’t making excuses, however, with the next set of players ready to step into starting roles this season.
“Just wait for us,” Montoya said. “We’re working hard right now, like everybody else, but we’re going to come out that first game and show our heart.”
While Brownsville Veterans loses several key players, they do return several big names ready to carry the mantle this season, including Montoya. The fourth-year letterwinner enters his second season at the helm for the Chargers after spending his first two years primarily at fullback.
The dual-threat signal caller established himself as one the area’s top players a season ago, throwing for 1,106 yards and 16 touchdowns, and adding 650 yards and 15 scores on the ground.
“I’ve had pressure since middle school, so I don’t think anything of it now,” Montoya said. “Its just another game. If they come at me, they come at me. If I had to rank myself among other players in the Valley, obviously I want to put myself at No. 1. I’m going to be confident in that. That’s what I am about.”
Senior running back Alvin Trevillion also returns after earning Herald/Star tri-newcomer of the year honors a season ago. The physical fullback bullied his way to 1,497 yards and 10 touchdowns on 221 carries last year.
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Defensive back Eroz Pineda and defensive lineman Andrew Quintero bring back veteran experience on the defense. Do-it-all athlete Sergio Sosa is back, too, and should make an impact on both sides of the ball once again this season.
Junior slot receiver Calvin Trevillion and sophomore fullback Maddox Bond both saw varsity action last year as well and likely will be called on to step into more prominent roles in 2024.
“We lost a good amount of core guys on offense and defense, but these guys filling in those spots, I have full confidence in them,” Montoya said. “They know their plays. They know their assignments. I think we’re going to be OK.”
The Chargers’ new season begins Aug. 29 on the road against the PSJA Memorial Wolverines, followed by a home game against intracity rival Brownsville St. Joseph. They’ll close out non-district play with a pair of contests against 2023 playoff teams PSJA High and Sharyland High.
They’ll kick off their return to District 32-6A with a bang, hosting RGV powerhouse Harlingen High on Oct. 10. They’ll close out the regular season Nov. 1 against another RGV power, hosting San Benito at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville.
“A lot of people are still going to doubt us a little bit,” Montoya said. “We just have to come like we did this past season, just a bit stronger. We’re prepared for this moment. We faced some 6A teams last year, so I think we’re prepared for this season.”
