It’s fitting that the annual Battle of the Arroyo should come on the last week of the regular season.
Ever since the schedule was released back in February at the biennial UIL district realignment, fans of the Greyhounds and Cardinals have been anticipating this year’s meeting.
However, no one could have predicted just how meaningful the Valley Morning Star’s Game of the Week would be.
Topping off the storylines for Friday’s contest: The District 32-6A championship. The winner will be the outright league champ and stand alone atop a conference that has been referred by many as the “SEC of the Valley.”
In addition to that, should the ’Hounds walk out of Boggus Stadium the victors, it would mark the first time since the early 1960s that San Benito has won the Battle of the Arroyo three times in a row (1960-62).
Also, a San Benito win would mark the first time the ’Hounds have gone undefeated in the regular season since 2004.
Finally, if the Cards come up short, it would be the first time since 2008 that they have not won or shared the district title.
But as important as the Battle of the Arroyo is this weekend, it’s not the only game that has league title implications.
In District 16-4A Division I, the La Feria Lions and Grulla Gators will battle it out at Lions Stadium for a conference championship as both teams are 3-0 in district. The Lions are the reigning league champs and look to hold on to their crown.
Meanwhile, in District 16-4A Division II, the Rio Hondo Bobcats and Port Isabel Tarpons can share the league title with wins. The Bobcats (6-3, 3-1) wrap up the regular season at home vs. Progreso while the Tarpons (8-1, 3-1) are at Corpus Christi West Oso. Should both teams end up tied at 4-1, the Cats would be the top seed in the playoffs since they defeated the Tarps 21-7 on Oct. 7 at Port Isabel.
In District 16-3A Division I, the Lyford Bulldogs (6-3, 3-1) can clinch a share of the conference crown with a win at San Diego (2-7, 1-3). The Dogs put themselves in position to win the league title after an impressive 45-20 win last week against Kingsville Academy, which was unbeaten in district play heading into that contest. With a victory, Lyford will share the title with either Kingsville Academy or Falfurrias, which are both 3-1 in the league and play each other on Friday.
Other area games this weekend include: Weslaco at Los Fresnos, Harlingen South at Brownsville Rivera, Mercedes at Donna North, Orange Grove at Raymondville, Bishop at Santa Rosa, Santa Maria at Freer and Three Rivers and La Villa, which despite being a disappointing 1-8 on the season, clinched a playoff spot thanks to a win over Santa Maria last Friday.
