Charged Up: Brownsville Veterans shocks RGV, down state ranked PSJA North in Round 3
BY IVAN PALACIOS
PHARR — The Brownsville Veterans Chargers stunned the RGV on Friday, steamrolling the No. 7 state ranked PSJA North Raiders 45-28 during a Region IV-5A semifinal contest at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.
The victory punches the Chargers ticket to the fourth round for the first time in program history. They’ll take on Corpus Christi Miller in the Region IV-5A championship at a date, time and location to be determined.
“We’re from Brownsville and a lot of people don’t think much about us,” Brownsville Veterans quarterback Storm Montoya said. “We proved something tonight. We made history for Brownsville. It means a lot, especially with our fans here with us. This victory touched my heart.”
Brownsville Veterans set the tone from their opening drive, taking advantage of a short field and turning it into a quick six points on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Montoya to Gerry Gomez less than two minutes into the contest.
A 70-yard touchdown run by PSJA North sophomore Ethan Guerra tied the game with 7:52 left in the first.
Then, Gilbert Trillo happened.
The Brownsville Veterans do-it-all athlete took over the game after Guerra’s touchdown, scoring a pair of touchdowns and picking off PSJA North’s Ale Aparicio over a 15-minute span to make it 21-7 Chargers midway through the second quarter.
Trillo wasn’t done yet, adding a 39-yard touchdown reception with less than two minutes remaining in the half to give the Chargers a 31-14 lead at the break.
“It was very important to come out and set the tone early,” Montoya said. “That’s what we are taught to do. That’s what we needed to do. We had to come out strong and then finish hard.”
Trailing by three scores, PSJA North entered the second half in search of a momentum shift. The Raiders almost found it early in the third quarter, blocking a Brownsville Veterans punt to set them up inside enemy territory.
The block, however, was negated due to a PSJA North penalty, instead setting the Chargers up with a new set of downs.
Brownsville Veterans capitalized on the new set of downs, capping a 14-play, 82-yard drive with Trillo’s fourth touchdown of the night to take a commanding 38-14 lead into the final period.
Trillo finished with 105 total yards and four touchdowns, also adding an interception on defense.
“My mindset was do what I had to do to get us to the fourth round,” Trillo said. “Storm and (Sergio) Sosa threw me good balls. The O-line gave me big holes. They helped me win and in return I helped us win.”
The Chargers put the final nail in the coffin early in the fourth, with Maddox Bond punching it in from four yards to make it 45-14 with 10:01 remaining.
PSJA North quarterback Julius Arredondo got the Raiders on the board twice during the final period, throwing touchdown passes to Markus Rendon and Diego Aparicio, but it proved too little too late, with the Chargers hanging on for the upset on the road.
The loss ends the Raiders season at 12-1, finishing as District 15-5A DI champions, bi-district champions and area champs.
Meanwhile, Chargers become the first Valley team to beat the Raiders since 2022, when the Mission High Eagles defeated PSJA North 27-21.
They move to 11-2 overall on the season, while extending their winning streak to nine.
“We don’t care what anybody says,” Trillo said. “The only thing that matters is inside the locker room and what we believe. We’re going to be ready for whatever team comes our way next. We know we’re going to face a tough team. We’re going to get ready and prepare every way we can.”
