Feature: Entire RGV back in action

Five RGV teams return to action after year away

BY IVAN PALACIOS STAFF WRITER

The 2020 football season presented several challenges for teams across Texas. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Friday night lights looked like a shell of itself, with protocols requiring players to wear masks, while limiting the fans.

Still, most programs took to the gridiron, maneuvering through a unique season and making their way onto the field, even if only for a handful of contests.

For five RGV teams, however, the season never came, its districts electing not to play due to low participation or health and safety concerns.

Valley View wideout Jose Casillas said he remembers the feeling after learning from his coaches during a Google video call that they would not see the field in 2020.

“It was pretty sad when we got the news about not being able to have a season,” he said. “We were itching to play. We wanted to play, hardcore. We just couldn’t because of COVID.”

The Progreso Red Ants were dealt the news following a team workout during the summer. The blow was devastating for running back Alex Mascorro, struggling with the decision while others across the Valley hit the field.

“There was a bunch of envy and jealousy,” he said. “They were doing what we couldn’t do.

“We couldn’t really do anything but watch other people play. All we could do was reminisce on when we were able to play.”

The Tigers and the Red Ants were one of five teams welcomed back to the gridiron earlier this month after a one-year hiatus, joined by the La Joya Coyotes, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln Huskies, Progreso Red Ants and Rio Hondo Bobcats.

“I feel a lot better being able to play,” Mascorro said. “Just being able to be out here with my friends and teammates. We’re just getting back into the rhythm.”

The Monte Alto Blue Devils and Port Isabel Tarpons also made their returns, playing in one game last season before forfeiting the remainder of their contests.

“It feels good to get back into it,” Monte Alto quarterback Noah San Miguel said. “It hurt last year. A lot of us wanted to play and go out there. We just wanted to go have fun and play football. We were all missing it. To have one game, it was kind of hard.”

Most players, like Coyotes running back Ivan Garces, were eager to get back in the locker room with their teammates, saying they missed the team camaraderie the most.

For others, like Valley View’s Felipe Zarate, the return of football is about more than the game itself.

“Some of us lost family members because of COVID,” Zarate said. “We just wanted last season to get away from our problems. Some of us have house problems or family problems. Football just clears our head.”

The return to action won’t be without obstacles, the biggest being a lack of experience, then-Valley View head coach Elifonso Esquivel said during practice Monday.

Most teams bring back little to no letterman players. The Bobcats will be one of the more experienced teams, returning seven athletes with varsity experience, while the Huskies return zero.

The youth and inexperience of the teams has led to coaches focusing on reacclimating the players to the game, some not having stepped onto a field since junior high.

“The main thing during the whole offseason was just teaching them,” Coyotes head coach Rueben Farias said. “Now that we’re getting an opportunity to play, it’s one day at a time. Hopefully we get these boys to play at a high level and make sure they stay safe and healthy.”

“We’re definitely focused on technique,” Progreso head coach Jose Meza said. “We’re teaching the offense, but focusing on proper steps and proper technique, especially when it comes to hitting.”

The learning curve was noticeable during the Tigers’ first scrimmage, said Casillas, one of three returning lettermen for Valley View.

“It’s a lot faster than JV and freshman,” Casillas said. “It’s bigger hits, bigger people and just a lot faster. There are a lot of new guys. With the new game speed, they’re having a bit of trouble. But I know we’ll get it for sure.”

Another challenge will be getting players who took a year away back on the Meza said, with participation down across the Valley.

“We bring back nine seniors,” Meza said. “We are a fairly small school, so that’s a good number. But we’re lacking in the freshman and sophomore class. Hopefully, when school starts again, we’ll get some of those players back. I think they’re still kind of weary about everything going on.”

Most teams expect to hit bumps and snags during this season following a oneyear hiatus. Still, players and coaches remain eager to be back doing what they love.

After being hit during the Tigers’ first scrimmage Aug. 13 against Lyford, Valley View safety Cesar De Leon said it finally registered that the wait was over.

“It felt amazing getting hit,” De Leon said. “When you get hit, that’s when you realize you’re back. All I can think of in my head right now is, ‘We’re back.’”

Joel Martinez | jmartinez@themonitor.com A photo of Valley View’s Tiger Stadium in Hidalgo. Valley View was one of five programs in the Rio Grande Valley to not field a team during the 2020 season due to COVID-19 pandemic.