For the first time this season, Sharyland will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will square off against the Mission Veterans Memorial Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Sharyland has given up an average of 28.5 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Sharyland is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Los Fresnos on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Rattlers were dealt a 63-20 defeat at the hands of the Falcons. The matchup marked the Rattlers' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Loss or not, Sharyland got some senior leadership from Abram Carrasco and Sebastian Martinez. Carrasco gained 74 total yards and a touchdown, while Martinez picked up 89 receiving yards and one score.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Mission Veterans Memorial). They put the hurt on Hanna with a sharp 42-19 victory on Thursday. The win continues a trend for the Patriots in their matchups with the Golden Eagles: they've now won four in a row.
Sharyland better focus on containing Benjamin Martinez and Roman Reyna as the pair were huge in Mission Veterans Memorial's win. Martinez gained 179 total yards and two touchdowns, while Reyna threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns.
Mission Veterans Memorial didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Hanna to a completion percentage of just 36.8%. The team can thank Quinten Valverde for the heroic effort on defense: he. That defensive display was nothing new: Mission Veterans Memorial has limited their opponent to a lower and lower completion percentage in three consecutive games.
Mission Veterans Memorial didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Miguel Gomez, JJ Garza, and Valverde picked up one apiece. Gomez has been hot recently, having also posted six or more total tackles the last three times he's played. Garza got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
This is the second loss in a row for Sharyland and nudges their season record down to 4-2. As for Mission Veterans Memorial, their victory bumped their record up to 5-1.
The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. Sharyland has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 177 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Mission Veterans Memorial has preferred to attack from the air: they average 275.3 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Sharyland beat Mission Veterans Memorial 30-20 in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rattlers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
