Football season may be over, but the shuttered field lights haven’t extinguished the memories of what happened when they illuminated our Friday nights. Five Big 7 football teams made the UIL State Playoffs this year, while those who failed to qualify showed signs of a resurgence thanks to incredible performances from Mission and La Joya area student-athletes who endured strenuous offseason training, braved tortuous fall camps, and survived a grueling four-month season. Those impressive efforts earned players from every Big 7 football team some regular-season accolades.
Among those gladiators, three young men stood above the rest. Mission Eagles’ quarterback Diego Salinas, Sharyland Rattlers’ quarterback Calvin Harris, and Mission Patriots’ linebacker Aiden Uribe were named MVPs for their excellent 24-25 performances.
Here’s a brief overview of how they did it, along with what their responses were to receiving the honors:
Eagles’ QB Diego Salinas, Senior
Diego Salinas took over the Eagles’ starting QB role three years ago and never looked back. After two years of teetering on the verge of superstardom, Salinas and the Eagle’s offense exploded. The senior QB finished the year with 3,155 total yards of offense and 30 total touchdowns. Thanks to Salinas’ heroics, the Eagles finished third in district play and made the UIL State Playoffs after a two-year drought. Salinas was awarded District Offensive MVP for his magnificent play, a fitting coronation for his now regal football stature.
“My time as the Mission Eagles’ quarterback was one of the best experiences I could ever ask for. I was surrounded by such great teammates throughout my four years in the program and was led by great coaches who have helped me become the person I am today,” Salinas said when asked about being awarded Offensive MVP. “Even though we had our ups-and-downs these past three years, as me being the starting quarterback, I wouldn’t want to change a thing. I made so many fun memories with my teammates and coaches, and I wouldn’t replace it for anything. I’m so honored and grateful for being awarded District 16-5A Offensive MVP.”
“I wouldn’t have done it without my family, who have supported me each and every game and pushed me to be the best I could be,” Salinas continued. “In addition to that, all of the amazing, talented teammates I was able to play with this year, as well as the amazing coaching staff that always pushed us day-in-and-day-out to become the best we could be. I also want to thank my head coach, Danny Longoria, for believing in me during my sophomore year, granting me the starting quarterback position, and taking me under his wing all my four years of high school. He taught me so many life lessons and always knew how to bring the best out of me. I am always going to appreciate everything he has done for me and always gonna be grateful for him being my head coach.”
Rattlers’ QB Calvin Harris, Junior
Calvin Harris has been one of, if not the deadliest, offensive player on the Sharyland Rattlers’ football team for two years running. This year, his first as a full-time quarterback, Harris was one of the best in south Texas. He threw for 2947 yards on a 65% completion percentage, rushed for 720 yards while averaging 5 yards per carry, and scored an astonishing 42 total touchdowns. Harris was the catalyst behind the Rattlers’ reemergence. His all-world MVP performance pushed the Rattlers back into the playoffs after a down year in 2023. And the scary part is, he’s only a junior.
“My time [with Sharyland football] has been an amazing experience,” Harris said. “It’s not only allowed me to grow as a person not only on the football field but as well as off it. I’ve learned a vast amount of information from my coaches, teammates, and the community. The support is unmatched they come out to ever gathering and game we have and it motivates me that much more to do better. It’s a huge honor to receive this award. I can’t only think it’s about me. I have to thank my teammates for all their hard work and for pushing me to be better, as well as my coaches and everyone who has helped us be as successful as possible. Football is a team sport, not an individual one, so although I won it, I’m glad for my teammates and thankful for all the opportunities given to me.”
Patriots’ MLB Aiden Uribe, Senior
Ironman Aiden Uribe’s time as a Patriot was spectacular. As the leader of the Patriots’ Blue Dawgz defense, Uribe never played a down with anything less than extreme passion, determination, and controlled violence. Uribe was a tackling machine, amassing 389 total tackles and 44 tackles for loss in his three-year varsity career. This year, Uribe finished the season with a region-leading 189 total tackles, 61 of which were solo, 26 tackles for loss, three sacks, and seven forced turnovers. Uribe was second in total tackles in Texas and 23rd in the nation. In an unexpectedly challenging year, Uribe was a beacon of consistency. His play helped the Patriots reach the playoffs for the 12th year in a row. Uribe was awarded his second consecutive district Defensive MVP award for his excellent performance this year.
“My time as a leader for our football team started my sophomore offseason,” Uribe said. “Coach Gilpin always lets us know at the start of a new football season who will step up this year as leaders. He mentions vocal leaders and leaders who lead by example. From that moment on, I decided to do both. As a junior, I learned more about leading by example to show commitment to my teammates and coaching staff. I showed up every day in the morning for the athletic period and after school open weight room through spring ball and summer workouts!! Of course, it was easy when I had my teammates, who are my brothers, doing the same thing. We credit that to coach Gilpin’s philosophy of ‘show me, don’t tell me!”
“In my senior year, I wanted to challenge myself to be a vocal leader since I was used to leading by example,” Uribe added. “I led my team and ensured everyone was on board to reach our goals. All in all, being a leader for VMHS football was always a dream of my childhood, so making it a reality will always be unforgettable to me. The significance of receiving the district’s Defensive MVP this year is surreal. But, this would not have been possible without the teammates I’ve played with this year and in past seasons, as well as some of the Patriots’ football legends like Landry Gilpin, Joey Garcia, and A.J. Garcia. They all had an impact on me through conversations or texts. When I received this award last year as a junior, I felt my hard work in the off-season paid off. I was very thankful for it as it showed that other coaches in the district acknowledged my gameplay. This year, as a senior, to receive the award again felt awesome, and I shared it with my Blue Dawgz defense and defensive coaches.”
DISTRICT 15-5A D1
Mission Eagles
Season Record/ Result: (6-5, 4-3)/ Bi-District Finalists
Superlatives:
15-5A D1 Offensive MVP, Diego Salinas, QB
1st Team All-District: Yandel Barrera, WR, Shelby Sital, WR, Thomas Apraricio, RB, Christopher Kirk, WR, Jose Sanchez, Jr LB
2nd Team All-District: Chris Avila, MLB, Shelby Sital, KR, Matthew Ramirez, OG, Jurgen Morales, OT, James Delgado, FB
Honorable Mention: Alexis Alvarado, S, Andrew Villarreal, S, Jose I. Sanchez, DT, Jordan Garcia, DT, Elian Garcia, DE, Alessandro Garfiaz, DT, Jonathan Kader, LB, Sebastian Rodriguez, CB, Roel Martinez, S, Angel Leivea, K, Jose Lopez, So C, Angel Gutierrez, C, Richard Acevedo, RB, Yessuel Gomez, OG
La Joya Palmview Lobos
Season Season Record/ Result: (7-4, 4-3)/ Bi-District Finalists
1st Team All-District: Brandon Gutierrez, OT, Angel Chapa, FB, Dillan Sepulveda, DL, Sebastian Rios, K
2nd Team All-District: Rudy Lara, C, Irving Sepulveda, Andrew Reyna, TE, Joe Esparza, WR
Kyle Bazan, HB, Leonidas Chapa, MLB
Honorable Mention: Joseph Martinez, QB, Josue Esparza, QB, Eloy Garcia, OG, Baldemar Gonzalez, OT, Jorge Sanchez, WR, Michael Navarro, WR, Rey Ramirez, WR, Cristian Martinez, FB, Aiden Ramirez, FB, Adrian Rivas, HB, Efrain Rodriguez, DL, Aurelio Diaz, DE, Emiliano Cavazos, DE, Jesus De Anda, LB, Osbel Flores, LB, Gael Acosta, LB, Anthony Hernandez, C, Azeal Moreno, C, Jeremias Suarez, C, Aiden Cantu, KR, Adrian Rivas, KR, Anthony Hernadez, PR, Joseph Martines, P
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln Huskies
Season Record: (1-9, 0-7)
1st Team:
Adrian Hernandez, LS
2nd Team:
Miguel Garza, P
Honorable Mention:
John Menchaca, QB, Jesus Marroquin, C, Alex Tovar, OG, Julio Garcia, OG, Jose Cardoza, OT, Alan Cerda, TE, Santiago Lopez, WR, Sebastian Lopez, WR, Gabriel Aleman, RB, Victor Aleman, RB, Leonel Contreras, DT, Giovanni Garcia, DE, Ismael Garcia, MLB, Adrian Hernandez, MLB, Humberto Mandujano, OLB, Leo Elizondo, CB, Alexis Contreras, S, Sammy Vigil, S
DISTRICT 15-5A D-2
Sharyland Pioneer Diamondbacks
Season Season Record/ Result: (8-4, 3-1)/ Bi-District Champions, Area Finalists
Superlatives:
15-5A D2 Defensive Lineman of the Year: Chris DeLeon, DT
15-5A D-2 Co-Offensive Newcomer of the Year: Marcus Perales, RB
1st Team All-District:
Gael Velasquez, OG, William Goodloe, QB, Andrew Rivera, S, Marcus Rauda, MLB, Sebastian Cazares, OLB, Rey Mata, DT
2nd Team All-District:
Matthew Maldonaldo, WR, Jesus Camacho, OT, Dylan Tijerina, RB, George Garcia, OT, Phillip Sarmiento, OG, Alejandro Mata, WR, Noe Correa, DT, Nathan Moes, CB, Peter Mealing, LS
Honorable Mention: Romeo Luna, C, Luis Orozco, WR, Malakai Galindo, QB, Andrew Leal, WR, Mario Rodriguez, OLB, Kaleb Hernandez, DE, Jaykob Martinez, MLB, Angel Villanueva, S
Damian Hernandez, CB, Alejandro Mata, KR, Ezra Perez, K
Mission Veterans Patriots
Season Record/ Result: (1-3, 2-9)/ Bi-District Finalists
Superlatives:
15-5A D-2 Defensive MVP: Aiden Uribe (MLB)
15-5A D-2 Co-Offensive Newcomer of the Year: Roman Reyna, QB
1st Team All-District: Robert Sharpe, WR, Julian Torres, OT, Kevin Casiano, DT, Ryan Guerra, OLB, Rey Morales, CB, Quentin Valverde, PR
2nd Team All-District: Benji Martinez, RB, Jordan Rodriguez, WR, Ramses Reyna, OC, Jared Chapa, OG, Tristan Gonzalez, OG, Diego Cordero, DT, Bryan Cantu, DE, Chris Garza, ILB, RJ Garcia, S
Honorable Mention: Alejandro Garza, RB, Julian Guerra, WR, Nick Hernandez OT, Guillermo Garcia DE , Cuauhtemoc Labastida OLB, Eric Barrientos OLB, Quentin Valverde S, Nathan Ocanas CB, Roman Reyna P, Hector Perez K, Quentin Valverde KR, Ryan Guerra LS
Sharyland Rattlers
Season Record/ Result: (5-6, 2-2)/ Bi-District Finalists
Superlatives:
15-5A D-2 Offensive MVP: Calvin Harris, QB
1st Team All-District: Francisco Gomez, WR, P KR, Adriel Vargas, DE, Ivan Ramirez, MLB, Alex Guzman, CB, Eduardo Mendoza, PR
2nd Team All-District: Sebastian Martinez, WR, Bruno Cavazos , WR, Drako Santa Ana, OG, Alberto Fonseca, OG, Michael Arriaga, OT, Oscar Casso, DT, Diego Mendoza, OLB, Maurico Acosta, S, Alex Guzman, LS
Honorable Mention: Eduardo Mendoza, WR, Santi Longoria, TE, Aaron Bernal, C, Danny Mireles, DT, Matthew Castillo, OLB, Jacob Cararachea, S, Jose Vega, CB, Leo Trujillo, K, Diego Guerrero, MLB, Abram Carrasco, RB
DISTRICT 31-6A
La Joya Coyotes
Season Record: 1-9, 1-4
2nd Team All-District: Stevan Ramirez, OLB, Darian Bocanegra, CB, Leo Maldonado, S, Mauricio Mendoza, DE
Honorable Mention: Mauricio De Hoyos, DE, Saul Marin, DE, Aaron Urrutia, OLB, Joshua Flores, MLB, Ismael “Niko” Garza, MLB, Ezekiel Hernandez, CB, Alex Garza, WR, Erasmo Rodriguez, WR, Jose Gamez, FB, Andrew Rosales, QB, Guadalupe Salgado, C, Cesar Alaniz, OG, Ruben Conde, OG, Roger Matamoros, PR, Erasmo Rodriguez, KR, Leo Maldonado, P, Jared Ozuna, K, Mauricio De Hoyos, LS