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| Preview Guide 2007 |
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By Christopher Lyke
Texas HS Football Chief Editor
While Bradley Stephens goes off to Texas A&M, the rest of the district will be looking to keep the spotlight on in their direction. A vast majority of the district should be much improved with better depth and hope for a playoff appearance. The interesting thing about the 30-5A race in 2007 is that there are no clear cut favorites to make the assumption of ones that will break away from the rest of the pack.
If there is any team that fits the profiile of a eam that may be the one to have the greatest chance of a breakaway, it could be the Rio Grande CIty Rattlers. One thing the RGC Rattlers have going for them is the return of a slew of skill players on a very dangerous offense. The headliner of the Rattler offense is quarterback R.J. Alaniz, who in 2006 threw for over 1,000 yards as a sophomore starter. In the backfield the Rattlers and Alaniz have more help in the form of rushers Armando Garza and B.J. Garza. Armando Garza rushed for more than 700 yards last season while fellow tailback B.J. caught 400 yards worth of balls. And be on the look out for a break out season by wide receiver Stephen Saenz. On the defensive side of the ball, the RGC Rattlers wil be resting their hopes on the front lines with Eduardo Rangel and Josue Guerra. Depth in the secondary will be a plus for Jesus Lozano's Rattlers but consistency will be the key and difference between RGC being a playoof team and a district championship team.
McAllen will have a tough stretch ahead of them early in the year as they look to replace some key talent. But the Bulldogs should still factor into the district's championship picture as they do bring back some workhorses on defense and good young group of offensive players. For Tony Harris, having LB Sam Weisman back should help the Bulldogs with some untested youth on the defensive side of the ball. The strength of the Bulldog defense, as it was last season, is the linebacker position. If the defense comes around and the offense gets enough real estate to work with, the Bulldogs should be very tough to beat. A pair of rushers in Manny Udor and Aaron Correa should stabilize the offseason loses.
Third place may actually be a two or three team senario with Sharyland, Donna and La Joya all looking to make the trip into an extended season. Sharyland will see a new quarterback at the helm alongside several new skill players on the offensive side. The player expected to fill the shoes of Jonathan Sarver will be junior Mike Morales. Joining Morles in the skill slots are a pair of sophomore rushers, Scott Meyer and Zaed Abu-Hallah and senior receivers David Adame, Joe Vidaurri and Eric Carrizales. One the defensive side, where the strength of the Sharyland Ratllers will be, look for DE Tony Farias, LB A.J. Leal and DB Eric Carrizales to have a standout 2007 season. Leal and Farias are quite possibly the most dangerous defensive duo in the RIo Grande Valley.
The Donna Redskins will be holding the playoff hopes on the development of their offensive and defensive lines. If the Redskin trenches can buy the skill players time, then look for a surprising Donna squad to compete for a district title. The players to watch on the Redskin roster are seniors Frank Castillo, Rolando Parra and junior Jose Umanzov.
La Joya has the depth and talent to make a deep run and the numbers many schools across the state would dream of having. But for the Coyotes, consistency and execution of the task at hand are the team's ultimate downfall. If this team can find a way to correct those issues, they could and should be at the top of the district year in year out. Like that of Donna, the trenches will be the Coyotes ultimate deal breaker on whether this squad will make a run at the top and in the playoffs or be sitting at home out in the cold. |
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5546 |
6-6 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
OG |
Andy Santos |
6'3 |
315 |
--- |
Sr |
LB |
Richard Cantu |
6'0 |
185 |
--- |
Jr |
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2487.8 |
2-8 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
OL |
Rolando Parra |
6'2 |
285 |
--- |
Sr |
OL |
Frank Castillo |
6'1 |
300 |
--- |
Sr |
DT |
Gabriel Castillo |
5'9 |
210 |
--- |
Jr |
DT |
Jose Umanzov |
--- |
--- |
--- |
Sr |
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2435 |
7-4 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
QB |
R.J. Alaniz |
6'2 |
175 |
4.7 |
Jr |
RB/KR |
Armando Garza |
5'7 |
150 |
4.5 |
Sr |
RB |
Justin Ortega |
5'8 |
170 |
4.8 |
So |
WR |
Stephen Saenz |
6'1 |
235 |
4.8 |
Jr |
DT |
Eduardo Rangel |
5'10 |
215 |
4.9 |
Sr |
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2232.5 |
2-8 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
QB |
Michael Enriquez |
5'10 |
170 |
4.7 |
Sr |
RB |
Cameron Gatling |
6'2 |
195 |
4.7 |
Sr |
WR |
Travis Chafin |
5'9 |
165 |
4.6 |
Sr |
TE |
Alex Chalk |
6'2 |
210 |
4.9 |
Sr |
OT |
Tris Saucier |
6'4 |
260 |
5.3 |
So |
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2224 |
3-7 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
QB |
Mike Morales |
5'10 |
170 |
4.9 |
Jr |
RB |
Scott Meyer |
5'8 |
150 |
4.8 |
So |
RB |
Zaed Abu-Hallah |
5'10 |
160 |
4.6 |
So |
WR/TE |
David Adame |
6'2 |
210 |
4.8 |
Sr |
DE |
Tony Farias |
6'2 |
225 |
4.9 |
Sr |
LB |
A.J. Leal |
6'0 |
210 |
4.8 |
Sr |
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2223 |
9-3 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
RB |
Manny Udor |
5'10 |
187 |
4.5 |
Sr |
RB/WR |
Aaron Correa |
5'11 |
175 |
4.5 |
Jr |
WR |
Sal Limon |
5'11 |
185 |
4.6 |
Sr |
OT |
Carlos Salas |
--- |
--- |
--- |
Sr |
OL |
Scott Inskeep |
6'4 |
275 |
5.0 |
So |
LB |
Sam Weisman |
6'0 |
195 |
4.6 |
Sr |
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2012 |
10-3 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
QB |
Jesse Ramos |
6'0 |
170 |
4.4 |
Sr |
RB |
Joseph Granchelli |
5'9 |
195 |
4.7 |
Sr |
LB |
Robert Curl |
6'1 |
195 |
4.6 |
Sr |
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| Donna Redskins |
Bennie LaPrade Stadium
Wood Ave. & Redskin Ave.
Donna, TX 78537 |
Surface: Grass
Capacity: 12,500 (est.)
Directions To Stadium |
| La Joya Coyotes |
La Joya Coyote Stadium
Hwy 83 W & Jara Chinas Rd.
La Joya, TX 78572 |
Surface: Grass
Capacity: 12,600 (est.)
Directions To Stadium |
| McAllen Bulldogs |
McAllen Memorial Stadium
Tamarack Ave & Bicentennial
McAllen, TX 78501 |
Surface: Artificial Turf
Capacity: 13,500 (est.)
Directions To Stadium |
| McAllen Memorial Mustangs |
McAllen Memorial Stadium
Tamarack Ave & Bicentennial
McAllen, TX 78501 |
Surface: Artificial Turf
Capacity: 13,500 (est.)
Directions To Stadium |
| McAllen Nikki Rowe Warriors |
McAllen Memorial Stadium
Tamarack Ave & Bicentennial
McAllen, TX 78501 |
Surface: Artificial Turf
Capacity: 13,500 (est.)
Directions To Stadium |
| Mission Sharyland Rattlers |
Rattler Stadium
1106 N Shary Rd.
Mission, TX 78572 |
Surface: Artificial Turf
Capacity: 8,500 (est.)
Directions To Stadium |
| Rio Grande City Rattlers |
Joe R. Sanchez Stadium
Hwy 83 & S Aguirre St.
Rio Grande City, TX 78582 |
Surface: Grass
Capacity: 8,000 (est.)
Directions To Stadium |
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Preview Guide Line Up |
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| Projected Finish |
1 |
Rio Grande City |
2 |
McAllen |
3 |
Mission Sharyland |
4 |
Donna |
5 |
La Joya |
6 |
McAllen Memorial |
7 |
McAllen Rowe |
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| Pre-Season Awards |
District Darkhorse |
Mission Sharyland |
District MVP |
Sam Weisman
McAllen |
Offensive MVP |
R.J. Alaniz
Rio Grande City |
Defensive MVP
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A.J. Leal
Mission Sharyland |
Diamond In The Rough |
Armando Garza
Rio Grande City |
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| 2006 Records |
| La Joya |
6-6 |
| Donna |
2-8 |
| Rio Grande City |
7-4 |
| McAllen Rowe |
2-8 |
| Sharyland |
3-7 |
| McAllen |
9-3 |
| McAllen Mem |
10-3 |
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| Recruiting Key |
THSF Top 200 Player |
Top 2008 Prospect |
Top 2009 Prospect |
Top 2010 Prospect |
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| Preview Sponsor |
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