Season over: Valley teams swept in football playoffs

It’s the end of the road for the high school football season in the Rio Grande Valley.

Twelve teams from the region made it onto the second round of the playoffs — which is the area round — but all suffered eliminations from their matchups.

No matter what division each team fell under, there was a tough matchup for each bracket, with some of the opponents being powerhouses in the sport across the state, such as Cibolo Steele.

Despite the efforts by the local squads, two teams really brawled it out to the very end.

PSJA North loses in heartbreaker to Chargers

This was the type of game that people are still going to be talking about, long after the Thanksgiving holiday.

The PSJA North Raiders (11-1, 8- 0) came into this matchup against the Boerne-Champion Chargers (9-3, 5-2) not only undefeated but also arguably the best team from the Valley this season.

The Raiders, with a lead they mainted throughout the first three quarters of the game, looked for the most part as if they were going to scrap away with a win.

PSJA North’s first score came after the Chargers scored off a controversial first play of the game that ended in a touchdown for Boerne- Champion within the first quarter.

With the Raiders about 8-10 yards from the Chargers’ endzone, QB Daren Garcia found Antwon Estrada for their first score. After a field goal in the second quarter by Boerne-Champion, Garcia met with the endzone once more on the QB keep to give the Raiders a 14-10 lead going into the half.

The Chargers though, in the second half, were quick to the find the endzone two times.

In the fourth, the play that sealed the deal, was when the Chargers’ QB — Julian Navarrette — dropped back and let it fly from the team’s own 46-yard line right into Brogan Dempsey’s hands for the score. The Raiders did have a chance to either knot the game up or take the lead, but the Chargers halted them.

Boerne-Champion will play New Braunfels in the next round. New Braunfels is coming off a 63-29 win against the McAllen Memorial Mustangs (9-3, 7-0).

Falcons brawl with Longhorns, fall short

The Longhorns were quick to the punch on the first score, taking less than three minutes of game time for a 1-yard rush by Juan Lopez. The Longhorns mostly kept their lead throughout the game, but down 20-19, Laredo United captured the game by a 41-yard rushing touchdown by Aaden Ochoa to give them the lead.

The two-point conversion from Jorge Luna to Colt Lozano, ultimately sealed the game as the Los Fresnos Falcons, similar to the PSJA North Raiders, entered the game undefeated and one of the top teams in the RGV — although the Raiders are in Conference 5A and the Falcons are in 6A.

The Falcons finish their season at 11-1 overall, with a perfect 4-0 in district play. The Longhorns will play Lake Travis in the next round.