Second Season: Teams getting ready for playoffs

Los Fresnos contained Weslaco High running back Mishak Rivas in the second half of its District 32-5A championship-clinching victory last Friday, but it may have been the disappearance of quarterback Dylan DeLeon that hurt the Panthers most.

DeLeon completed 1-of-4 passes for four yards before leaving the game late in the fourth quarter with a sprained ankle, and Weslaco lost 31-28.

“I don’t know if it just was the enthusiasm or what, he was just off a little bit,” Weslaco coach Tony Villarreal said. “It really cost us, because our play action is primo.”

With everyone worried about Rivas this season, DeLeon actually led the district with 15 touchdowns on 77 pass attempts despite a rough finish to the regular season.

Villarreal said DeLeon didn’t practice Monday but was expected to take limited reps Tuesday and should be ready for the Panthers’ playoff-opener against Edinburg North.

Falcons QB Danny Silva (ankle) also was injured during the first half of that contest, and his status for this weekend is unknown. Backup QB Mark Carmona, who saw limited snaps throughout the season, filled in nicely, throwing for 128 yards and one score on 7-of-11 passing after Silva went down.

Welcome back

Mercedes sophomore QB Albert Chavez made his return last Friday after four weeks of ineligibility kept him on the sideline. However, he was still allowed to practice during that time, and it must have paid off because Chavez threw for a career-high 217 yards with two TDs on 12-of-15 passing.

Chavez finished the season with just one interception to six scoring passes.

Scoring champions

Panthers RB Mishak Rivas was the runaway scoring champ in 32-5A, finishing with 202 points. He tallied 29 rushing TDs, two receiving scores, two kickoff return scores and two two-point runs.

Tigers RB Alex Treviño won his second straight 32-4A scoring title with 128 points. He recorded 16 rushing scores, four receiving TDs, one kickoff return TD and one two-point run. Treviño won the title with 15 TDs and 94 points as a sophomore last season.

Playoff matchups

In 32-5A, district champion Los Fresnos (8-2, 7-0) opens the playoffs at Harlingen High (7-3, 5-2), Weslaco plays host to (8-2, 6-1) Edinburg North (7-3, 4-3), San Benito (7-3, 5-2) plays at 31-5A champ Harlingen South (10-0, 7-0) and Brownsville Pace (3-7, 3-4) travels to PSJA High (8-2, 5-2).

In 32-4A, district champion Edcouch-Elsa (9-1, 6-0) begins with the playoffs by playing host to Alice (6-4, 3-2) in bi-district, Mercedes (6-4, 4-2) faces Corpus Christi Calallen (10-0, 5-0) on the road and playoff newcomer Weslaco East (4-6, 3-3) plays at Flour Bluff (7-3, 4-1).