Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and the Laredo schools welcome a new foe to District 30-6A this season as Medina Valley makes the jump up from 5A. The Panthers were a playoff squad last year, so that should make the battle for the postseason spots in this district that much tighter.
Laredo United won all five of its district games last year by at least two scores. Can anyone catch the Longhorns this year?
Here’s what to watch for in District 30-6A.
Castroville Medina Valley Panthers
Head Coach: Andrew Britt (2nd season; 5-6 record)
Last Season: 5-6; 5-3 in district (Lost to Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial in bi-district)
Medina Valley Key Players and Storylines
According to head coach Andrew Britt, Medina Valley has the fourth-fastest growth of any district in the state. That has resulted in the Panthers playing 6A football for the first time ever this fall.
Britt has an experienced group to make that jump with 16 starters (seven on offense/nine on defense) back from 2023.
Quarterback Michael Newton will command the offense again after throwing for over 1,600 yards and 14 touchdowns last season.
Jayden Tercero will operate out of the slot while fellow receiver Cade Galyon “does a great job competing for 50-50 balls.” And while Newton will have no shortage of options, Britt is still looking for a true home run threat to emerge from that receiving core.
C/O 2026 WR Jayden Tercero putting the work in on the turf #PantherTOUGH pic.twitter.com/TGmE8NiNjb
— MVHS Football (@MVHSpanthersFB) January 23, 2024
Defense was the calling card for Medina Valley last season. The Panthers held opponents to under 14 points per game. Almost that entire unit returns this season.
Xavier Fears will be their anchor from his defensive tackle spot. He will be tough to contain and “demands a double team.”
Behind him, the Panthers have a stout linebacking core. James Stanton “plays with great instincts,” while James Vallejo has plenty of experience as a three-year starter.
Britt said there’s going to be no grace period for his Panthers. With the talent they have back and a tough non-district schedule, he expects them to compete in District 30-6A right away.
Del Rio Rams
Head Coach: Fiacro Ramirez (2nd season; 2-8 record)
Last Season: 2-8; 1-4 in district
Del Rio Key Players and Storylines
Fiacro Ramirez heads into his second year in charge of the school he graduated from. He’ll look to get the Rams back to the postseason after they missed out for the first time in four years in 2023.
The Rams will have a one-two punch in their backfield with athletic running back Zane Hughes and fullback Fermin Rodriguez. Hughes will also be a threat in the passing game this season.
Senior Moses Fernandez will be a key player for the Rams on the defensive line. In the secondary, cornerback Jacob Ortiz and safety Richard Camposano each had a big impact as sophomores last year.
A year ago, the Rams didn’t score more than 16 points in any of their four district losses. They’ll hope their rushing attack can help that unit take a step forward this fall as they look to close that gap on the top four seeds.
Eagle Pass Eagles
Head Coach: Roger Olivas (1st season)
Last Season: 7-4; 3-2 in district (Lost to San Antonio Harlan in bi-district)
Eagle Pass Key Players and Storylines
Eagle Pass had a changing of the guard over the offseason as Roger Olivas takes over the whistle from Tom Gonzalez. Gonzalez had led the Eagles since 2006 before his retirement in May.
Olivas will work with an almost entirely new squad in 2024. Just five starters (three on offense and two on defense) are back.
The Eagles can run at the receiver position. Jose Hernandez (1,156 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns) will be their go-to playmaker but you can’t overlook the athleticism of Sebastian Velasquez (675 receiving yards and seven touchdowns) either.
Junior quarterback Xavier Barerra will take on the task of getting them the football this year. He threw for 400 yards and four touchdowns in limited action last season.
Olivas said the trenches will need work on both sides of the ball. That means linebackers Manny Fernandez (44 tackles) and “big-hitter” Luis Velasquez (42 tackles) will need to step up and make some plays defensively. Defensive back Jorge Martinez (27 tackles) brings plenty of speed and athleticism to the secondary.
Despite the inexperience up front, Olivas is very excited about the aforementioned athleticism he has at the skill positions. If they can solidify the lines on both sides of the ball, he believes they can surprise some people this season.
Laredo Alexander Bulldogs
Head Coach: Edwin Garcia (3rd season; 10-12 record)
Last Season: 6-5; 4-1 in district (Lost to San Antonio Jay in bi-district)
Alexander Key Players and Storylines
Edwin Garcia has led the Bulldogs to the playoffs in both his years in charge.
With 16 starters back this season (nine on offense/seven on defense), they will expect to get back to the promised land again.
Jose Fernandez (243 receiving yards and 193 rushing yards) has played slot receiver the past two seasons but will play his natural position of running back this year. Expect to see a lot of him out of the backfield after the Bulldogs graduated workhorse running back Gael Rodriguez.
Tackles William Omenski and Luis Garcia and guards Aaron Carranza and Fabian Dillaha will pave the way up front. Both Carranza and Omenski are three-year starers.
When it comes to the passing attack, the Bulldogs have a stud at receiver in Ivan Pina (561 receiving yards and seven touchdowns). That statline is even more impressive considering he missed five games. The Bulldog coaching staff believes he’s in for a breakout year.
Highlights from this weekends 7on7 tournament in Weslaco!! Came up short going 2-1 overall but working harder everyday for this up coming season! @JBA_Bulldogs @CoachEdGarcia @CoachMikeVigil @RecruitThePound pic.twitter.com/Sf6Xs1VNwL
— Ivan Piña (@ivanpina08) June 24, 2024
Octavio Garcia (117 tackles and eight TFLs) is “a dominant middle linebacker” that punishes ball carriers. Defensive end Charlie Uribe had a “huge impact” in limited action last season. He should make an even bigger jump this fall after gaining 10 pounds over the offseason.
In the secondary, safety Louie Quintero is a four-year starter and the unquestioned leader of the defense. Out wide, cornerback Mateo Cañamar (57 tackles) is a three-year starter. He brings plenty of physicality and will be expected to match up against other teams’ top receivers.
Alexander is a senior-heavy squad with a ton of experience back on both sides of the ball. With so much talent, a push for a first playoff win since 2018 can’t be out of the question.
Laredo Johnson Wolves
Head Coach: Leo Mireles (4th season; 12-18 record)
Last Season: 5-5; 0-5 in district
Johnson Key Players and Storylines
It was a tale of two halves for the Wolves last year. Flawless in non-district play, they failed to notch a win against district competition.
Luckily for the Wolves, they have most of their offensive production back from last season. Quarterback Guillermo Trejo, running back Abraham Huerta, and receiver Jorge Jaime all led their respective positions in yardage a year ago.
Up front, tackle Antonio Pesina, guard Leo Perez, and center Aaron Aragon all earned all-district honors or an honorable mention in 2023.
Defensive tackles Jose Leos and Leo Alcorta should anchor the Wolves in the trenches defensively. Hector Cordova will be a threat off the edge from his defensive end position.
Behind them, linebackers David Betancourt and Martin Flores were both second team all-district selections last season.
The Wolves have earned just one playoff berth in their 20 year history. But after a number of underclassmen led the way a year ago, Mireles will hope they can use that experience to make the jump to a playoff contender this season.
Laredo United Longhorns
Head Coach: David Sanchez (22nd season; 158-87 record)
Last Season: 10-3; 5-0 (Lost to Westlake in regional semifinals)
Laredo United Key Players and Storylines
The Longhorns are coming off their first appearance in the third round of the playoffs since 2019.
They graduated quarterback Atzel Chavez Jr. and safety Jayven Villasenor, last year’s district Offensive and Defensive MVP, but the Longhorn pasture is far from empty.
Offensively, receiver Alek Leven is a big-time weapon. He had a 1,000-yard season in 2023. The new Longhorn quarterback will also have up-and-coming receiver Colt Lozano at his disposal after a promising freshman season (441 receiving yards and seven touchdowns).
Junior Highlights ❗️❗️
District Champs, Bi-District Champs, Area Champs 🏆
1,082 Rec Yards
15 Tds
65 Receptions
2x 1st Team All-District WR ✅
2023 TSWA All-State Honorable Mention@ehuerta88 @dasanchez10 @CoachVillasenor @UHSLonghornsFB https://t.co/7TdKcHPbCn— Alek Leven (@alekleven) March 27, 2024
The run game is also in good hands with junior Santiago Salce Miranda (781 rushing yards and eight touchdowns). Offensive tackle David Hermosillo should anchor the protection up front. He was a unanimous first team all-district selection last year.
On the other side of the ball, Mateo Gomez (110 tackles, six TFLs) and Marcus Munoz (80 tackles) will make a formidable tandem at linebacker. Safety Rolando San Miguel (48 tackles) was a first team all-district selection last fall as just a sophomore.
The Longhorns have several star players to replace, but the talent just keeps coming through the Laredo United pipeline. Expect head coach David Sanchez and his staff to have this team playing its best football again by the time district play arrives.
Laredo United South Panthers
Head Coach: Charlie Gonzalez (1st season)
Last Season: 3-8; 2-3 in district (Lost to San Antonio Brennan in bi-district)
Laredo United South Key Players and Storylines
Laredo United South promoted Charlie Gonzalez to its head coach over the offseason. He had been serving as the school’s defensive coordinator.
He’s going to have almost a brand new pack of Panthers to work with this season. Just four starters return on offense while only two are back on defense.
The Panther coaching staff does like the group they have at receiver spearheaded by Jonathan Tello, who has good size at 6’1″, and Roel Hernandez, who “creates separation.” Running back David Gonzalez will step up into the lead back role. He’s also a receiving threat.
Defensively, the Panthers will lean on linebackers Angel Guerra and Misael Viera. In front of them, there will be a ton of fresh faces on the defensive line. Defensive tackle Rudy Gonzalez is the only returning letterman on the entire line, so he’ll need to take on a big leadership role.
For what Laredo United South lacks in experience, it makes up for in discipline. It will need those stepping up to do their jobs to a T as it looks to improve on its fourth place district finish from last year.
