Week 0 Predictions from Mr. Pregame
The pounding of the drums, the smell of nachos and the bright Friday night lights are upon us. The 2008 high school football season begins today, but the more notable games (no offense to today's teams) will open up Friday around deep South Texas.
Four games in particular look appealing, and should set the tone of the 2008 season.
Here's what we can look forward to this week:
EDCOUCH-ELSA AT NO. 7 CALALLEN: The E-E schedule has been suffering from schizophrenia as of late. For the last few realignments the 'Jackets played a weak non-district schedule. Those 10-game stretches, and a 37-game record winning streak, were much-criticized for not including some real competition (other than Weslaco High and Port Isabel). Now the schedule has the likes of South Texas titans Gregory-Portland (scrimmage), Calallen and Harlingen High. E-E goes from scheduling independents to playing the Big 10. After its No. 1-ranking by Valley Freedom Newspapers, E-E's reign should last one week. CALALLEN 41, Edcouch-Elsa 31. ... Someone pass the Thorazine!
HARLINGEN HIGH AT McALLEN HIGH: For the first time in a while, it seems like old school football has hit the Valley. This one has the feel of a 1970s tilt between Jesse Longhoffer's Cardinals and the Charlie Williams-led Bulldogs. This game makes me want to fill an aluminum can with pebbles and rattle all the way to the ticket counter, wear those silly football ribbons all over my shirt and bell-bottoms, feather my hair and watch Urban Cowboy 20 times. Ahh, the good ol' days. HARLINGEN 21, McHi 17.
PSJA NORTH AT DONNA: Bruce Bush is going to one of his old stomping grounds in Donna. Bush is now "The Decider" in Raiderland, and I don't think there are too many Redskins fans ready to roll out the red carpet for the former chief executive of "The Reservation." Still, this is more of an undercard bout of a heavyweight weekend that is Week 0, and we'll see if Donna, the District 30-5A champion, will travel the same warpath it did last season. DONNA 21, PSJA NORTH 7.
MERCEDES VS. No. 10 PORT LAVACA CALHOUN: The Valley is all abuzz over one Alex Treviño, and there are no problems with that here. He's a speedster, he can juke, he can jive, and he can score. But before we can talk about Treviño and company unseating the five-time defending 32-4A champ in E-E, you gotta win this one first. PLC has become a new playoff foe for the Valley, and the Sandcrabs' program has been picking up steam. Perhaps too much steam, which leaves the only entrée on the menu Saturday featuring succulent, juicy tiger tacos. CALHOUN 41, MERCEDES 17.
Oscar Gonzalez Jr. is the Presentation Editor for The Monitor. You can read his column every Thursday during the football season. He can be reached at (956) 683-4443.
