PSJA North leaves it on the field against LBJ in scrimmage

PHARR — The PSJA North Raiders hosted the Lyndon B. Johnson Wolves here at PSJA Stadium on Thursday in a scrimmage to help both squads fine-tune their players for next week.

Although the first hour or so were both teams warming up their cleats with some football situations, such as endzone practice, regular play — they ran about three quarters of "in-game" situations where it was treated like an actual game.

At the end of the three-quarter scrimmage, PSJA North had the advantage, 42-7.

During the beginning, LBJ looked to have the Raiders on their heels as they were a pass-heavy team that threw more than they ran. There were a couple plays where the secondary had let LBJ's Aiden De Leon grab a few but once the defense settled in, they started making plays.

PSJA North's offense really took off — pun intended — as there were a few times starting quarterback Drayden Espinoza had 60-plus yard run for the touchdown. Other moments, Espinoza would find his receivers, such as Jason Almanza for a score in the end zone. Antwon Estrada racked it up in yardage as well. Although stats were not kept this game, he easily had over 100.

One interesting aspect about the scrimmage was the induction of a "challenge system." In which, coaches — similar to what you see on TV — are able to throw a red flag and challenge a play they feel was called wrong. Then, after the challenge, the referees huddle around a monitor on the sidelines to look at a replay. Afterward, they make their final judgment.

It's unclear if this challenge system will be utilized throughout the season. This was just a test run.

PSJA North's Head Coach, Marcus Kaufmann, said that despite the performance, there's still some work to do, especially in the upcoming game against Laredo United.

"That's a really good football team (Laredo United)," Kaufmann said. "We got a lot of stuff to clean up."

Next week is when the season officially starts as high school football in the Rio Grande Valley officially touches down.

The Raiders, as those who are aficionados in the sport, are aware that PSJA North is projected to be one of the best teams in the Valley. Multiple outlets and digital creators have their eyes on the silver and black team to do some work this season.

LBJ is set to play Laredo Nixon. The PSJA North Raiders are set to take on Laredo United, who always has a great squad. 

The game is set for next Friday over in Laredo at 7:30 p.m.