UTPA Athletics has had a busy summer preparing for the basketball season ahead this year. Both Bronc basketball teams will start their regular home seasons on November 18 with the men hosting a five-team tournament featuring Toledo, Texas State, South Carolina Upstate, and Victory University, and the women welcoming Texas State, all to the UTPA Fieldhouse. The rest of the home schedules include numerous in-state rivals visiting UTPA, along with a full slate of Great West Conference contests.

Read more: Broncs basketball offers Winter Texans discount pricing

It wasn't pretty. At all. In fact, both teams have a ways to go before they begin competing at a high level. However, in the end of the Tom Landry Classic, the Mission Eagles pounded out a 20-0 win over the Veterans Memorial Patriots.

The key play of the game—or perhaps the beginning of the end for Veterans—came just three plays in when Patriot quarterback Adrian Morales suffered a knee injury after being tackled while scrambling. Morales—who will undergo a MRI in the next couple days—was replaced by Mauro Perez.

Read more: Game of the Week Wrap Up: Hard hitting Eagles take down Patriots

Rivalry is a concept in sports that predates just about everything but sports itself. It’s older than Hank Stram’s 65 Toss Power Trap. It’s older than the Wave. But unlike the power running game of the past and unlike the undulating of a crowd standing and throwing their hands above their heads in unpracticed synchronicity, the rivalry has not lost it vibrancy. Friday night, it certainly won’t be lost on every single person in attendance at Tom Landry Stadium when the Mission Eagles and the Veterans Memorial Patriots resume their annual grudge match in Week 1 of high school football. 

It isn’t lost on the players either.

“This is for the whole City of Mission and we’re looking forward to it,” said Veterans Memorial receiver and defensive back Ruben Peña. “This is more than a game. This is for the town and to paint the city blue.”

Read more: Mission, Veterans Memorial headed toward old-fashioned rivalry

It didn’t take long Friday evening for coach Manuel Flores’ Palmview Lobos to make it known that they were not interested in making the Rio Grande City Rattlers  head football coach Carlos Longoria’s debut  a pleasant one.  On the first play from scrimmage Lobos’ running back Angel Gonzalez took the ball and ran it 31 yards to the Rattlers’ 38 yard line.  On the very next play Lobos’ quarterback, Abel Martinez called his own number and ran 38 yards down the field for the first touchdown of the Lobos’ 2011 season.  Unfortunately for the Rattlers, that was just a preview of what was to come as the Lobos went on to hand the Rattlers their first loss of the season and the first loss of coach Longoria’s tenure, 41-0.

Read more: Palmview Blanks RGC Rattlers, 41-0

Veterans Memorial Head Football Coach David Gilpin can’t say enough nice things about Sonny Detmer. Despite the fact his Patriots will be squaring off against the Texas legend tomorrow, Gilpin looks to Detmer as the greatest example of a good coach and a good man.

Of course, those from around here remember Detmer well. The longtime high school coach helped bring the passing game to Texas in a day when it wasn’t exactly the thing to do. While at Mission High School, Detmer mentored his son Koy and together they made a deep and memorable run in the Texas playoffs.

Read more: Sonny Detmer returns to Mission to face Veterans Saturday

The naysayers say Sharyland football can’t win district again this year. Too young. Too many key players lost. No proven quarterback. The doubters say there will be no three-peat this season with all those things going against the Rattlers.

Yet, there are plenty of reasons to give this year’s Rattlers the benefit of the doubt.

Why?

For one, it starts from the top down. Head Coach Fred Sanchez is a proven winner. Numerous coaches in the Rio Grande Valley have been under his tutelage.

Read more: Sharyland: Champs until further notice