Patriots and Coyotes seek first win
As hard as it may be to believe, we’re about to reach the halfway mark of the Big 7 football teams’ 2024 regular season schedules. That’s where we’ll be once this weekend’s games have been played. So how are the Big 7 teams doing going into Week 5? Let’s find out.
Of the seven teams from the Mission, Sharyland and La Joya school districts, the Big 7, two have winning records, two have .500 records and three have losing records. The fact that four of these teams have yet to play a district game means that there’s still plenty of time to turn losing records into winning records. That’s the good news. So what’s the bad news? The bad news is that of the three Big 7 teams that opened district play last week, the Palmview Lobos, the Mission Eagles and the Juarez-Lincoln Huskies, all three lost.
So who’s playing who this week, and when and where are they playing? I’m glad you asked. Read on for the answer to these great questions.
With the Juarez-Lincoln Huskies having played their Week 5 game last night at home against the Nikki Rowe Warriors, and with the Mission Eagles at McAllen Memorial Mustangs game being previewed separately as our Big 7 Game of the Week, we’ll be taking a look at the remaining five Big 7 Week 5 games here.
Sharyland Rattlers (2-2) at Mercedes Tigers (3-1)
It’s literally been an up-and-down season for the Sharyland Rattlers. They opened their 2024 campaign with a 33-27 overtime loss to the Weslaco East Panthers. They followed that up with a 35-14 win over the Brownsville Hanna Golden Eagles. In Week 3, the Rattlers lost to the Mission Eagles by a score of 36-22. Finally in Week 4, the Rattlers soundly defeated the PSJA Southwest Javelinas by a score of 50-11.
So here we are in Week 5. Does that mean the Rattlers are destined to lose to the Mercedes Tigers tonight? Of course not. There is no such thing as destiny in sports. Teams win or lose because they either earned the victory or they deserved the defeat. If the Rattlers win tonight, it’ll be because they earned it. If they lose…well you know the rest.
One thing the Rattlers have over the Tigers is history. Over the years Sharyland has defeated Mercedes four times in seven games. Their most recent matchup was last year, when the Rattlers won 6-3. In 2022 however, the Tigers defeated the Rattlers by a score of 48-25.
La Joya Coyotes (0-4) at Brownsville Hanna Golden Eagles (0-4)
Something’s gotta give tonight as the winless La Joya Coyotes travel to Sam’s Memorial Stadium in Brownsville to take on the winless Hanna Golden Eagles. Last week the Coyotes were shut out by the Alice Coyotes by a score of 19-0. The Golden Eagles lost their Week 4 game to the Pioneer Diamondbacks by a score of 20-7. In their four losses, the Coyotes have been outscored 121-69, while the Golden Eagles have been outscored by a margin of 120-54 in their four losses.
What’s it going to take for the Coyotes to emerge victorious tonight? For one thing, they’ll have to stop, or at least slow down, Hanna’s running game. Against the Diamondbacks, the Golden Eagles passed for only 61 yards, but they rushed for 178 yards and their only touchdown of the game.
This will be the Coyotes’ last game before their district schedule starts a week from Thursday against the Weslaco Panthers. A win tonight could go a long way towards giving Coyotes’ players a boost of confidence. So, all you Coyotes’ fans should do your best to be at Sam’s Memorial Stadium tonight to cheer your hometown heroes on to victory.
Rio Grande City Rattlers (0-4) at Palmview Lobos (3-1)
Progress Times photo by Mario Magallon Photography
After winning all three of their non-district games, the Palmview Lobos lost the first District 16-5A I game of their season to the Nikki Rowe Warriors by a score of 21-17. It was a game of two completely different halves. In the first half, the Lobos scored all 17 of their points while shutting the Warriors out. In the second half, the Warriors returned the favor by scoring all 21 of their points while shutting out the Lobos.
Tonight, the Lobos will be looking to get back on the winning track when they host the winless Rio Grande City Rattlers at La Joya ISD Pack Stadium at 7:30. The Rattlers will be coming off a 42-0 loss to the McAllen Memorial Mustangs. So far this season the Rattlers have been outscored by a margin of 138-38. The Lobos on the other hand have outscored their opponents by a margin of 122-76.
Over the years, the Rattlers have defeated the Lobos six times in 10 games. This includes last year’s 42-13 win. However, the Lobos did defeat the Rattlers by a score of 17-14 in 2022. Judging by each team’s results so far this season, the Lobos should be able to take care of business against the Rattlers tonight and even up their district record at 1-1.
Brownsville Porter Cowboys (0-4) at Pioneer Diamondbacks (3-1)
Progress Times photo by Joe Vela
After a 34-0 Week 1 loss to the PSJA Bears, the Pioneer Diamondbacks have won three games in a row. Last week, the Diamondbacks handed the 0-4 Brownsville Hanna Golden Eagles a 20-7 loss. Tonight, the Diamondbacks are taking on another winless team from Brownsville, the 0-4 Porter Cowboys who are coming off a 27-7 loss to the 3-A Santa Rosa Warriors.
Against the Golden Eagles, Diamondbacks’ junior quarterback William Goodloe completed five passes in nine attempts for 49 yards and one touchdown. He also ran the ball 10 times for 99 yards and another touchdown.
As is the case with the other District 15-5A II teams, the Diamondbacks have two non-district games left on their schedule; tonight’s game and a week from Thursday against the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers.
If the Diamondbacks are going to repeat as district champions, they will need to continue their winning ways. As of right now it looks as if the 3-1 Roma Gladiators may be their biggest obstacle to repeating. However, the Sharyland Rattlers and the Mission Veterans Patriots, who they play in Week 9 and Week 10 respectively, may have something to say about the Diamondbacks adding another gold ball to their trophy case as well.
Mission Veterans Patriots (0-4) at Harlingen Cardinals (3-1)
To say that the 2024 season has not gone as well as it could’ve for the Mission Veterans Patriots would be an understatement. From their heartbreaking loss to the Mission Eagles in the season-opening Battle of Conway to their three losses since, the Patriots have yet to find the winning formula that Coach David Gilpin’s teams are known for finding year after year.
Tonight, the Patriots will be taking on the 3-1 Harlingen Cardinals. Last week the Cardinals defeated the Laredo United South Panthers by a baseball-like score of 6-5. In that game, the Cardinals were held to just 210 total yards of offense, with 94 of those coming through the air and 116 on the ground.
Against the Bears last week, the Patriots’ passed for 279 yards and rushed for 62 yards for a total of 341 yards of offense. Junior quarterback Cameron Sarinana completed 25 passes in 40 attempts for those 279 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. On the ground, junior running back Benji Martinez carried the ball nine times for 31 yards and two touchdowns.
While last week’s 34-20 loss to the 2-2 Laredo LBJ Wolves was an improvement over their 34-0 Week 3 loss to the PSJA Bears, it was still a loss. Fortunately for the Patriots, they still have two non-district games remaining on their schedule to find that formula. And if it’s true that history repeats itself, then we should all be looking for the Patriots to turn things around soon.