The Weslaco High Panthers and Los Fresnos Falcons will clash in The Monitor’s high school football Game of the Week for the right to advance to the Class 6A bi-district playoffs in one of the Rio Grande Valley’s most high-profile grudge matches of the season.
The Panthers, who will enter as the second-place squad in District 32-6A’s west zone, and the Falcons, who finished third in the east zone, were originally scheduled to play each other in both teams’ regular-season finale.
Since both Los Fresnos and Weslaco’s zone seeds were already locked into place, however, the two sides have agreed to make this week’s contest an official 32-6A zone play-in game with the winner advancing to the first round of the state playoffs and the loser ending its season.
The Panthers topped the Falcons 35-28 in a back-and-forth bi-district playoff matchup the last time these two teams met on the field.
Los Fresnos will enter fresh off a cross-zone win against the Harlingen South Hawks and boasts one of the RGV’s top rushing attacks powered by seniors Miles McWhorter (300 yards) and Chris Resendiz (450 yards), the leading rusher in District 32-6A.
Weslaco, meanwhile, brings one of the Valley’s stingiest run defenses into this matchup spearheaded by senior defensive end Alexis Munoz and the versatile linebacker duo of Josh Burket and Jesse Perez.
The Falcons will also get their first look at Panthers’ senior quarterback Rodney Garza, the second-leading passer in 32-6A, and running back Jesse Hernandez in this contest.
Weslaco (2-1, 2-1) and Los Fresnos (2-2, 2-1) will kick off their high-stakes battle Friday at 1 p.m. at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco.
Twitter: @ByAndyMcCulloch
