From a part of the state that’s often counted out once the third round of the postseason rolls around, representing the RGV is something the Diamondbacks (7-0, 4-0) don’t take lightly.
“We definitely have a chip on our shoulder, not just for Pioneer, but for everybody in the Rio Grande Valley. We want to let everybody know that we play dang good football down here,” Pioneer head coach Tom Lee said.
The Diamondbacks have a chance to break through when they face Georgetown East View in a Class 5A Division II regional semifinal at 7 tonight at Buccaneer Stadium in Corpus Christi.
“Rally the Valley, baby. It means a lot to us; we got to represent the Valley,” Pioneer senior cornerback Marco Oviedo said. “A lot of teams overlook us. They think we’re not physical enough, they think we’re not fast enough, so it’s about hitting them in the mouth, making sure that this region is well represented, and I feel we have a good opportunity to do that Saturday night.”
Despite fighting their way to the third round of the playoffs, the Diamondbacks, like every other team in the RGV, had to battle adversity before the season even started.
The COVID-19 pandemic and its prevalence in the area during the late summer created more questions surrounding a high school football season than certainties. Local county health orders forced RGV teams to start practice three to four weeks behind the large majority of the state. So to arrive to this point, practicing and playing Christmas week, with a chance to advance to the fourth round of the playoffs, is a point of pride for Pioneer.
“What the Valley has had to go through (with COVID-19), besides maybe El Paso and Laredo, they don’t know what it’s been like, what we’ve had to go through. They all got an offseason for the most part, they all got summer conditioning, they all started (practice) Sept. 7,” Lee said. “They don’t understand what we’ve been through. So yeah, we’re carrying that chip on our shoulder for the entire Rio Grande Valley. To me, it’s an honor to be able to do that because we have some great football teams, great football coaches down here that I’d put up against anybody in the state.”
Now, Sharyland Pioneer is back in familiar territory — the third round of the playoffs for the second consecutive year and second time in program history. Standing between the Diamondbacks and the fourth round is the Georgetown East View Patriots.
East View (7-4, 5-2) finished the regular season as the No. 3 seed in District 13-5A DII and made its way to the third round by beating Austin McCallum 49-14 in bi-district before taking down Alamo Heights 48-14 in the area round.
The Patriots bring a balanced offensive attack led by quarterback Payton Adams, who has thrown 2,196 passing yards and 23 touchdowns, while running backs Isaiah Quinton-Jackson and Emarion Brooks have combined for over 1,800 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks’ red-hot offense ranks No. 1 in Class 5A in yards per game at 559.3 led by senior quarterback Eddie Lee Marburger.
Marburger, the RGV’s all-time career leader in touchdown passes with 93, spearheads the Diamondbacks’ air-raid attack, as he’s thrown for 2,461 yards and 26 touchdowns, while also running for 829 yards and 18 touchdown runs in just seven games this season. His top targets, Tristan Castillo and Joseph Graham Jr., have been unstoppable thus far on the receiving end of Marburger’s passes as they’ve combined for 1,577 yards and 16 touchdown grabs.
“This is another great opportunity for us. We got a lot of unfinished business from last year,” Lee said. “We want to get to that next round, and we know Georgetown East View is a good team. They got some good players, but we got some players too. It’s going to be another great high school football game.” <... Click here to read full article
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