PHARR — PSJA North is the Rio Grande Valley’s last team standing this postseason, and support has been pouring in from Starr to Cameron County as the Raiders ride into Saturday’s Region IV-5A Division I final against Corpus Christi Veterans.
A Raiders win would make them the first team from the RGV to qualify for the state semifinals in 19 years.
“It feels good to start reaching where we’ve been talking about. It’s a long, long season to get to this point,” PSJA North head coach Marcus Kaufmann said. “It feels good to know we have a bunch of well-wishers. Hopefully we get to do it again.”
Kickoff of the Region IV-5A DI final between the Raiders (13-0) and Eagles (11-2) is set for 6 p.m. Saturday at Buccaneer Stadium in Corpus Christi.
Several schools across the Valley called for blackouts and whiteouts from their students Friday, suggesting to wear shirts of PSJA North’s school colors in support of the Raiders in their Round 4 playoff game. Teams who were rivals of the Raiders this season — District 15-5A DI title challenger Edinburg Vela and Tri-City Classic opponent PSJA High — joined in on the action as the entire Rio Grande Valley rides behind the Raiders.
“Having the whole community behind us is key. Knowing there’s people behind us and giving us their support, it’s the best,” junior left tackle Dante Garcia said.
The Raiders will attempt to punch their ticket to the state semifinals by getting through Corpus Christi Veterans, a team that’s reached the regional final round of the playoffs in four straight seasons. The Eagles qualified for the final four once before during the 2020 season, which is exactly what PSJA North hopes to accomplish tonight.
“We feel like we really have a chance. We talk about making it to state and now’s the time we can prove it to everyone,” junior quarterback Ale Aparicio said.
PSJA North will be the third Rio Grande Valley team in a row to face Corpus Christi Veterans this postseason. The Eagles defeated Edinburg Vela 14-7 in the area round and McAllen High 49-14 in a regional semifinal last week.
The Raiders believe they can be the group to end the Eagles’ streak against Valley opponents while earning their spot in the final four as regional champions.
“We’re going to be the Valley team to take them down, and that’s honestly my opinion,” PSJA North junior Julius Arredondo said. “I think we’re going to do our job and take care of this team and show what the Valley is all about. Our other two teams fell short, so we’re going to show why we’re still here.”
When PSJA North takes the field Saturday, a player will be carrying a black and white flag with the letters P.P.R. on it. What the acronym stands for is open to interpretation.
“P.P.R. all the way,” Garcia said.
When the Raiders do arrive, it’ll be their third consecutive playoff game played in enemy territory.
PSJA North went on the road and defeated Corpus Christi Miller 35-14 in Round 2 at Cabaniss Stadium in Corpus Christi. In Round 3, the Raiders went to Brownsville and beat Brownsville Veterans 35-15 at Sams Memorial Stadium. Now, they’ll take on Corpus Christi Veterans at Buccaneer Stadium in Corpus Christi.
“Everytime we go on the bus, our coaches make it known it’s a business trip. We ain’t there to play games, we ain’t there to mess around. It’s a business trip everywhere we go,” PSJA North junior running back Jaden Fuentes said. “We’re just trying to put the 956 on the map and go to state, that’s the goal.”
