Chargers Join Elite Company, One Win Away from State Title Game
The buzz in the RGV heading into the 2023 high school football season was all about PSJA North. Fans across the area all expected the Raiders to be the last team standing in the Valley and make a historic run to the elusive fifth round.
An RGV football team is on a historic run this postseason, but it isn’t the Raiders.
The Brownsville Veterans Chargers joined elite company last week, defeating Corpus Christi Miller to become just the 16th RGV football team to advance to the state semifinals and the first since the 2003 Port Isabel Tarpons.
Now the Chargers are just one win away from becoming the fourth Valley team to reach to state title game, looking to join the 1961 Donna High Redskins and the 1962 and 1963 PSJA High Bears.
SEASON REVIEW
The Chargers turned heads last season with a run to the Region IV-5A semifinals before falling to the PSJA North Raiders. Last year’s success led to high expectations for Brownsville Veterans, opening the year at No. 6 in the RGVSports.com Top 10 poll.
A 2-2 start to the season, with losses to San Benito (28-21) and PSJA High (31-21) led people to believe the Chargers weren’t primed for another deep playoff run.
Then, a switch flipped.
Brownsville Veterans closed out the regular season with six straight wins, outscoring their opponents 311-58 during that span en route to the District 16-5A DI title.
The Chargers finished the regular season with a 8-2 overall record, including a 6-0 mark during league play to earn the No. 1 seed in the district heading into the postseason.
UNDERDOG MENTALITY
Aside from their first playoff game against McAllen High, the Chargers have taken on an underdog role for the majority of their playoff run.
Some expected Brownsville Veterans to lose in the area round against last year’s Region IV-5A champion, the Corpus Christi Veterans Eagles. The Chargers won that contest 17-7 behind a stout defense and a standout game from junior running back Alvin Trevillion.
Despite the win, most expected the Chargers road to come to an end against state ranked PSJA North. Once again Brownsville Veterans proved the doubters wrong, crushing the Raiders 45-28 on the road to advance to the Region IV-5A championship game.
The Chargers road to the state semifinals didn’t get any easier during Round 4, pitted against another undefeated foe and Region IV-5A favorite after PSJA North, the Corpus Christi Miller Buccaneers.
A three-touchdown deficit wasn’t enough to keep the Chargers out of Round 5, scoring 28 fourth quarter points to come from behind and defeat the Buccaneers 35-28 at home and secure a spot in the Class 5A DI state semifinals.
UP NEXT
Like their past three games, the Chargers enter the Class 5A DI state semifinals as underdogs, with battle-tested Smithson Valley standing in their way.
The Rangers (13-1) are winners of 13 straight contests heading into Friday, with their lone loss coming during their season opener against San Antonio Reagan.
Smithson Valley’s road to the semifinals included wins over Georgetown (41-25), Magnolia West (20-17) , College Station, (26-21) and A&M Consolidated (31-24).
Kickoff between the Chargers and Rangers is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Buccaneer Stadium in Corpus Christi.
TEAM COMPARISON
The Chargers and Rangers play two contrasting styles of football, with Brownsville Veterans operating a run-heavy offense, while the Rangers deploy a more balanced offensive attack.
The Chargers enter Friday averaging 416.6 total yards and 39.5 points per game, including 328.4 yards on the ground.
On the other side, the Rangers are averaging 356.0 and 38.6 points per game, with 158.4 yards coming through the air and 197.6 on the ground.
Defensively, the two team’s numbers are nearly identical, each allowing under 300 yards per game.
The Chargers defense enters the game allowing just 289.2 total yards per contest, while the Rangers are allowing 247.4.
KEY PLAYMAKERS
The Chargers and Rangers each field game-changing athletes on both sides of the ball capable of turning any contest on its head.
Brownsville Veterans do-it-all athlete Gilbert Trillo is an impact player on both sides of the ball, racking 1,176 total yards and 24 total touchdowns in 14 games this year, while also recording 74 total tackles and six interceptions.
Running back/linebacker Cade Spradling is a two-way star for the Rangers, carrying the ball 150 times for 859 yards and 13 scores, while adding 100 total tackles and 14 tackles for loss on defense.
He’s joined by running back Brad Sowersby in the backfield, with the junior toting the rock 187 times for a team-high 1,155 yards and 17 scores.
Senior wideouts Gerry Gomez and Freddie Dubose could be the X-factors in the game, both possessing the skill to take over a contest.
Gomez made key catches down the stretch for the Chargers during their comeback win last week, including a big reception on 4th-and-12 for the conversion.
Meanwhile, Dubose is a four-star Texas commit with the ability to blow the top off of defenses. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound receiver leads the team in receiving, with 729 yards and four touchdowns on 54 catches.
FINAL NOTES
The Chargers and Rangers are both on historic runs for their programs heading into Friday’s Class 5A DI state semifinal.
Brownsville Veterans is the first Brownsville area team since 1951 to make the state semifinals. Brownsville Hanna, then Brownsville High, played in the Class 3A state semifinals that season, losing to Temple 58-6.
A win would send the Chargers into the state championship game for the first time in program history, while also making them just the fourth RGV team to accomplish the feat.
Meanwhile, the Rangers are back in the state semifinals for the seventh time in program history and the first time since 2008. A win would send them to the state championship game for the first time since 2004.
Add in a sold out crowd at historic Buccaneer Stadium in Corpus Christi and Texas high school football fans are in for a treat Friday.
