Zapata is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Friday. They are taking a road trip to square off against the Hidalgo Early College Pirates at 7:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Zapata has four straight victories, Hidalgo Early College has eight straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Last Friday, Zapata took their game with ease, bagging a 42-6 win over Pearsall. Considering the Hawks have won three matchups by more than 23 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Jay Solis
| 09/19/25 @ Roma | 3 |
| 09/05/25 @ Martin | 3 |
| 10/03/25 vs Pearsall | 2 |
| 09/26/25 vs La Feria | 2 |
| 09/11/25 @ King | 2 |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Zapata to victory, but perhaps none more so than Ryan Solis, who threw for 215 yards and four touchdowns while completing 81.2% of his passes, and also punched in one TD on the ground. Jay Solis also helped with two scores in total.
Zapata was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 239 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 239 rushing yards in five consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Hidalgo Early College took a blow against Tuloso-Midway on Friday, falling 55-7. While losing is never fun, the Pirates can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 1174th, while the Warriors & Cherokees are ranked 547th).
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Roberto Gallegos and Damian Figueroa. Figueroa had a great game and gained 293 total yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Gallegos was balling out in the loss, rushing for 189 yards and one touchdown.
Hidalgo Early College's defeat dropped their record down to 0-7. As for Zapata, their victory bumped their record up to 5-1.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Zapata has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 260 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Hidalgo Early College struggles in that department as they've been averaging 185.1 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for Zapata against Hidalgo Early College when the teams last played back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 59-20 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
