Mr. Pregame: It's time to tackle the area round playoffs

With seven Valley teams left in the playoffs this week there was some talk around the office.

Many believed that six Valley teams would still be alive after this week, a very large number for this time of year. But there was also some thought that this was pretty much the end for Valley football — save the Sharyland-Edinburg North game, of course.

I don’t subscribe to either approach, but rather believe that there will be some Valley squads playing next week.

Here’s the way I see Round 2 going this week:

S.A. SOUTHWEST VS. HARLINGEN HIGH: The Dagons are 10-0 after thoroughly dismantling Rio Grande City last week (58-29). Southwest’s 9-0 regular season mark is nothing to sneeze at, but I wouldn’t be beating my chest after going through a weak Laredo district. Of course, they’re probably saying the same about Harlingen High. The Cardinals, we’ve seen, have crushed every team they’ve faced this year. Southwest has earned its spot in the second round, but Harlingen will take it one step further. HARLINGEN HIGH 28, SOUTHWEST 20               

PSJA NORTH AT EAGLE PASS: Eagle Pass got past a good McAllen High team last week (28-21), but they’ll need a bit more to get around the Raiders. Minus a severe beating at the hands of previously mentioned Harlingen High (42-14), the Raiders have been near perfect at 10-1. What the Raiders bring to this game is consistency, and that means consistently winning. The Eagles don’t have that advantage. Expect the Raiders to forge ahead. PSJA NORTH 30, Eagle Pass 21

SHARYLAND AT EDINBURG NORTH: I’ve heard this song before. That’s because the Rattlers and Cougars met up in Week 1 in a 24-10 Sharyland victory. The Rattlers looked vulnerable early, but have since been playing rock-solid football. The Coogs have seen their season of highs and lows, but are definitely a stronger team than the one on the field in Week 1. But expect the second verse of this little ditty to be the same as the first. SHARYLAND 42, Edinburg North 20

MISSION HIGH VS GREGORY-PORTLAND: Here we go with another so-called Coastal Bend nemesis. Gregory-Portland has long made mince meat of Valley football teams before Calallen took over the duties some time back. The Wildcats have lost their luster in recent years, but still remain as formidable as ever. The Eagles aren’t the most solid football bunch in the playoffs for the Valley, but they don’t have to be. Just solid enough to get past G-P. Can they do it? GREGORY-PORTLAND 24, Mission 14

EDINBURG HIGH VS. DEL RIO: The Bobcats have returned to the fray after a few years absence. What awaited them in the first round was a certain early exit against Brownsville Hanna. At least that’s what a lot of us thought. That didn’t happen quite the way we saw it, and the Bobcats have survived another week. This time they face a Del Rio squad that thoroughly blasted Donna last week (31-7) to make it this far. Make no mistake, the Rams were good last week. They should be good again this week. DEL RIO 30, Edinburg High 14

PORT LAVACA CALHOUN VS. MERCEDES: Yet another rerun from earlier in the year, these two teams met in Week 0 with the Sandcrabs taking a 28-17 decision over the Tigers. While I expected the Tigers to win that game 13 weeks ago, it appears the Crabbies are set to take down a Valley team for the second-straight season. CALHOUN 31, Mercedes 21

Oscar Gonzalez Jr. is Mr. Pregame for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at oscar@themonitor.com.