Mission High School’s last home football game will be away

On Wednesday Mission CISD officials decided to move Mission High School’s last home game of the season to Hidalgo after state inspectors failed to approve the elevator at Tom Landry Hall of Fame Stadium.

“There are still a lot of different issues aside from the elevator,” said Leticia “Letty” Ibarra, MCISD athletic director, following a meeting of district officials Wednesday morning.

Ibarra said state inspectors were going to reinspect the elevator on Thursday after the builder had an opportunity to address the issue but that the decision had already been made Wednesday to hold the game between the Mission High School Eagles and the Palmview High School Lobos at Hidalgo High School’s stadium.

Neither Rick Rivera, MCISD’s assistant superintendent for operations, or the stadium’s builder, Michael C. Montalvo, returned calls seeking comment on the status of the stadium. Montalvo said last week a hoped-for inspection had to be delayed until this week because of issues with the elevator.

Montalvo has said previously the state requires about a week’s notice to perform an inspection.

Ibarra said she could not address rumors that school district officials have decided not to allow the Veterans Memorial High School football team to play in the new stadium in its last scheduled home game Nov. 3 even if the stadium has been approved out of fairness to Mission High School players. She said that would be a decision of the district’s board of trustees.

School district spokesman, Craig Verley, was asked by the Progress Times Wednesday to confirm or disavow the rumor and said no decision has yet been made concerning next week’s VMHS game.

Mission High School’s last game is away at McAllen High School on Nov. 9. Veterans Memorial High School’s last game is a scheduled away game and will be played in Pharr against Valley View High School.