Playoff pictures are starting to take shape after teams picked up key district wins in Week 8.
No. 2 Harlingen South remains atop the District 32-6A standings after defeating Donna North 49-7. The 7-0, 4-0 Hawks are one of only 16 Class 6A teams still boasting an unblemished record.
Harlingen South’s defense continues to shine and held Donna North to less than 100 total yards of offense, allowing 58 passing yards and just 19 rushing yards, forcing two turnovers. It was South’s fourth game holding an opponent to single-digit scoring. Overall, opponents are averaging 11.28 points per game against the Hawks.
South senior quarterback Xander Casarez had another efficient performance, completing 12 of 14 pass attempts for 144 yards and three touchdowns. Three Hawks running backs found the end zone — senior Marcos Gonzales scored twice, Lucas Gonzalez once and sophomore Jacob Cano added another with a team-high 54 rushing yards. Cano was also 4-for-5 with 38 passing yards as the backup quarterback.
Los Fresnos (4-2, 3-1) picked up its third consecutive victory by defeating Weslaco High 44-21. Senior duo Matthew Padilla and Hector Muniz have been pacing the Falcons offensively and played key roles again Friday. Muniz rushed for two scores and caught two touchdown passes, one from starting quarterback Padilla and another from backup QB/receiver Rex Halford.
On defense, the Falcons recorded six sacks and two turnovers. Senior Jayden Moreno had two sacks and helped junior linebacker standout RJ Limon lead a strong defensive effort.
Los Fresnos and No. 4 Harlingen High (5-2, 3-1) are tied at second in 32-6A. No. 8 San Benito (5-2, 2-2), Brownsville Hanna (3-4, 2-2) and Weslaco High (4-2, 2-2) are tied for fourth and fighting to stay in the playoff hunt with three weeks remaining. Brownsville Rivera and Donna North are 0-4 in district.
The La Feria Lions are tied at No. 10 in the RGVSports.com poll after defeating Grulla 51-34, improving to 5-1, 2-0 in District 16-4A Division I. They’re halfway to another district title. Senior quarterback Aaron Trevino tossed two touchdowns and averaged 20 yards per pass against the Gators.
The Lions surpassed 300 rushing yards during the contest. Justin Rodriguez had a team-high 129 rush yards and two scores, and Trevino added three rushing touchdowns on 110 yards. Seniors Elijah Vela and EJ Serna led the defense with 18 tackles each to aid the comeback victory.
In 16-4A DII, Port Isabel (6-1, 3-1) got back in the win column with a tight 27-24 victory over Rio Hondo (2-5, 0-4). The Port Isabel Tarpons surpassed the 2,000-rushing-yard mark in the win. Junior quarterback Rudy Barrera only had two passes in the run-heavy offense but accumulated 81 passing yards and one touchdown to Danny Zamarron.
Port Isabel remains in the playoff picture in 16-4A DII, sitting in a three-way tie for second. Also in the district, Raymondville (3-4, 1-3) is in sixth.
With three District 16-5A DI games to play, Brownsville Veterans Memorial (5-2, 5-1) remains in the title hunt and has the best chance of the East Valley teams in the bunch to make the postseason.
Lyford (5-3, 2-2) sits third in District 16-3A DI. In 16-3A DII, Santa Rosa (1-6, 0-3) is tied for sixth. Santa Maria (3-4, 0-2) is on the playoff bubble in District 16-2A DI. Brownsville St. Joseph (3-4, 2-2) will need a strong close to the season to make the postseason in TAPPS Division II District 3 as it is in a three-way tie for fourth.
Marine Military Academy (6-1, 2-0 in TCSAAL) picked up its second straight shutout win in district action, defeating KIPP Houston 55-0.
