UTRGV football made history with a dominant 66-0 win in its inaugural game at Vackar Stadium. The Vaqueros scored on every first-half possession, racking up 674 yards of offense while shutting out Sul Ross State. Head coach Travis Bush called it “about as good as we could start” as the program begins a new era in the Valley.

EDINBURG — The last time Eddie Lee Marburger threw a touchdown pass in front of his hometown crowd, he was a senior at Sharyland Pioneer High School.

Marburger went on to spend the next four years at UTSA in San Antonio before electing to come home to UTRGV for his final year of college eligibility. The hometown legend wasted no time picking up where he left off five years ago, throwing a 50-yard touchdown pass to Xayvion Noland less than four minutes into the game.

That toss was the first of a dominant night for Marburger, who completed 18 of 19 passes for 365 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Vaqueros to a 66-0 win over Sul Ross State in their inaugural football game Saturday at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium in Edinburg.

MISSION — Mission Veterans started its season in convincing fashion Friday night, shutting out the Mission Eagles 28–0 in the annual Battle of Conway at Tom Landry Stadium.

The Eagles had an early chance to score when quarterback Alejandro Cano guided a drive deep into Patriot territory, but linebacker Daniel Moreno’s fumble recovery turned the possession into nothing. Moments later, two-way senior Ryan Guerra broke free for a 40-yard touchdown run, giving Veterans the lead at the end of the first quarter.

HARLINGEN — Weslaco High sophomore running back Malachi Rodriguez wasted no time reminding the Rio Grande Valley why he was last year’s Newcomer of the Year.

The bruising tailback powered the Panthers to a statement win Friday, scoring three first-half touchdowns to spark a 49-28 victory over Harlingen High at Bobby Lackey Stadium.

Rodriguez, who burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2024, found the end zone on runs of 1, 1 and 11 yards, giving Weslaco a commanding 35-13 halftime lead. He finished with 12 carries for 42 yards and three scores, setting the tone for an offense that piled up nearly 500 total yards.

MISSION — Sharyland leaned on a balanced passing game, quarterback runs, and second-half adjustments to defeat Weslaco East 45-28 on Friday night at Richard Thompson Stadium.

The Rattlers struck first when quarterback Calvin Harris connected with Sebastian Martinez for a 20-yard touchdown early in the first quarter. Weslaco East responded immediately with a 37-yard scoring pass from Aiden Gonzalez to Jay Herrera, but Sharyland answered with a fourth-down conversion that set up a touchdown pass to Oscar Cantu.

EDINBURG — A defensive spark from Frankie Salinas set the tone as the Mercedes Tigers opened their 2025 campaign with a 21-7 road victory over the Edinburg Bobcats on Thursday night at Richard R. Flores Stadium.

Both teams struggled to find rhythm early, with turnovers and unforced errors keeping the game scoreless deep into the second quarter. That changed when Edinburg quarterback Aidden Sanchez was intercepted by Frankie Salinas, who returned it for a touchdown to give Mercedes a 7-0 lead at halftime.

PHARR — For a moment, it looked like San Benito might steal the spotlight.

Quarterback Albert Gonzalez broke free for a 22-yard touchdown just before halftime, pulling the Greyhounds within striking distance of top-ranked PSJA North.

But on the very next possession, sophomore Isaiah Garza turned the corner on a sweep and sprinted 78 yards untouched for a touchdown, putting the Raiders back in control and giving them a two-score lead they would never give up.

The 2025 Texas high school football season is officially here, with teams set to take the field for Week 1 beginning Thursday.

Last year brought a premature ending to football in the RGV, with all of the area’s teams eliminated in the second round of the postseason.

This year, several teams look primed to break through the second round and make deep playoff pushes for the RGV. From a loaded PSJA North roster to a Sharyland High squad littered with electric weapons, here’s a look at some of the top teams and players in the area heading into the 2025 season. 

McALLEN — Dariana Luna always knew she liked running. The McAllen High track star began running at a young age, starting her track career as a sprinter at eight years old before transitioning to hurdles a year later. 

It wasn’t until the summer before her freshman year that Luna realized she loved the sport, however. 

“That summer going into high school I did summer track and I lost a race,” Luna said. “That was one of the first times I had lost a race. Sometimes you think you love a sport because you’re good at it. It wasn’t until I lost that race that I realized I don’t just like it because I’m good at it. I loved it because I loved the sport. So I went into high school after that just wanting to win.”