The final week of the Texas high school football regular season is upon us, but it won’t be the last time many East Valley teams compete in 2021.
Most East Valley teams know if they’ll be advancing to the postseason heading into Week 11. Seeding and matchups are still to be determined in some cases.
The No. 2 Harlingen South Hawks continued to roll last week, improving to 9-0, 6-0 in District 32-6A with a 28-14 victory over Weslaco High. Harlingen South ran all over the Panthers, accumulating 299 rushing yards and scoring twice on the ground. The win puts the Hawks on the cusp of a perfect season.
Also, the win helped the playoff chances of a pair of East Valley teams. No. 8 Harlingen High (6-3, 4-2) and No. 7 San Benito (7-2, 4-2) entered Week 10 in a three-way tie with Weslaco High fighting for the final two spots. Both the Cardinals and Greyhounds handled business and picked up wins over Donna North and Brownsville Rivera (2-7, 0-6), respectively, to take hold of the No. 3 and 4 seeds.
No. 9 Los Fresnos (6-2, 5-1) sits solely in second place with a district title matchup against Harlingen South looming. The Falcons picked up their fifth straight victory with a 32-13 finish over Brownsville Hanna (6-3, 2-4).
The Falcons exploded for 29 points during the second half to erase a slow start. Senior quarterback Matthew Padilla scored twice, once in the air to Cody Taylor and once on the ground. Sophomore kicker JJ Contreras was 3-for-3 in PATs and 3-for-3 in field goals to aid the victory. Defensively, Los Fresnos recovered four fumbles and notched two interceptions.
Brownsville Veterans Memorial (6-3, 6-2) will be the only Brownsville ISD team in the postseason after clinching its ticket in District 16-5A Division I on Friday. Brownsville Pace (3-6, 3-5) snapped a five-game losing streak with a 41-21 victory over La Joya Palmview on Saturday. Andrew Gonzalez scored four rushing touchdowns and accounted for 244 of Pace’s 309 rushing yards in the contest.
No. 10 La Feria (7-1, 4-0) clinched the undefeated District 16-4A Division I championship Friday. In District 16-4A Division II, Port Isabel (7-2, 4-2) punched its playoff ticket by defeating Corpus Christi West Oso 42-28 on Friday. The Tarpons sit in fourth currently but can shake up the standings with a win in the regular season finale against Rockport-Fulton (8-1, 5-1).
Lyford (6-3, 3-2) had a bye in Week 10 but is locked in as the No. 3 seed in District 16-3A Division I.
Brownsville St. Joseph (4-5, 3-3 in TAPPS Division II District 3) took the first step toward punching its ticket to the postseason with a 61-26 rout of Austin Hyde Park on Friday. Senior quarterback Luigi Cristiano threw for 404 yards and six touchdowns, and added one score on the ground. Adrian Del Pozo caught four touchdowns and racked up 209 receiving yards, and also rushed for 146 yards and two scores. A win Friday will put the Bloodhounds in the playoffs.
