A season-high five high school softball squads across the Rio Grande Valley earned statewide rankings in the latest Texas Girls Coaches Association Class 6A poll.
Together, teams from District 31-6A and 32-6A account for nearly 20% of all teams across Texas featured in this week’s 6A rankings.
PSJA North (13-0) holds the top spot among all RGV teams for the first time this season, moving up to seventh after making its debut appearance in the poll at ninth last week.
The Raiders are the lone remaining undefeated team across the Valley and have been racking up statement wins throughout March.
PSJA North clobbered its district opponents during Spring Break, outscoring Edinburg Economedes, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln and Mission High 54-7 in a dominant three-game stretch.
The Raiders continued their hot streak by crushing 31-6A rival Edinburg Vela 15-3 on the road Tuesday night to pick up their second win of the season over the SaberCats.
PSJA North is set to return to action to host La Joya High at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Harlingen South (10-1-1) checked in as the highest-ranked 32-6A squad in this week’s TGCA rankings at No. 16 after dropping out of the 6A poll last week.
The Hawks have rebounded since suffering their first loss of the season to Weslaco High with a three-game winning streak. During that stretch, Harlingen South topped Brownsville Rivera, San Benito and Los Fresnos, handing the Falcons their first district loss of the season.
The Hawks will host Brownsville Hanna at 6:30 p.m. Friday to conclude the first round of district play.
Los Fresnos (10-1) clocked in at No. 19 in the state after falling 15 spots from fourth in last week’s poll, which was the top ranking for any Rio Grande Valley team during this season.
The Falcons beat San Benito before losing their first game of the season to Harlingen South, but bounced back with a road victory against Weslaco and a convincing home win over Donna North.
Los Fresnos will travel to Harlingen High at 6:30 p.m. Friday to wrap up the first round of district competition.
The Cardinals (6-3), meanwhile, made their season debut in the TGCA poll, checking in at No. 23.
Harlingen High has run into a rough patch recently after a hot start to the 2021 campaign.
Despite wins against Donna North, Brownsville Hanna and San Benito, the Cardinals have lost two of their last five district matchups. The team dropped the first leg of the Bird Bowl against crosstown rival Harlingen South and was shut out by Brownsville Rivera on Tuesday night.
Harlingen will try to get back on track in home games against Los Fresnos and Weslaco High on Friday and Monday, respectively, before traveling to face the Hawks in a rematch.
Edinburg Vela (8-3) was the final Rio Grande Valley team to earn a spot in the most recent TGCA rankings, falling from 13th to 21st in the 6A poll.
The SaberCats had won seven of eight games after a season-opening loss against PSJA North, but were again stymied by the Raiders at home Tuesday night to kick off the second round of district competition in 31-6A.
Vela will have two opportunities for rebound wins this weekend when the SaberCats host La Joya at 7 p.m. Friday and crosstown rival Edinburg North at the same time Saturday.
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