Once more, playoffs only chance for ‘Skins, Panthers to meet

EDINBURG — Once again, one of the Rio Grande Valley’s fiercest rivalries will be put on hold for two more years.

At Monday’s biennial UIL realignment, the Donna Redskins stayed in District 30-5A while the Weslaco High Panthers remained in 32-5A. And like in 2008 when the teams were separated, they did not schedule each other for a non-district game. That means that the series, which started in 1924 and Donna leads 45-29-4, won’t be resumed until 2012 at the earliest.

As for why that happened again, well… it depends on who you ask.

“Last time around, I was the one that searched out for that game. I guess they didn’t search out for me this year,” Redskins coach Manny Moreno said. “I figured they didn’t want to play again so, that’s up to them.”

Predictably, Weslaco High coach Tony Villarreal’s explanation was a bit different.

“We asked them. They didn’t want to play,” Villarreal said. “We asked.”

Prior to the realignment, one of the most popular projections was that the two teams would be paired up in District 31-5A, meaning they would have to face each other in district play. But when Brownsville Pace was somewhat-unexpectedly sent back to District 32-5A despite turning in an enrollment number below that class’ threshold, it meant that the number of 5A Valley schools stayed the same, making any radical realignment unnecessary.
Then, it was up to the two rivals to schedule each other, which once again didn’t happen.

Both Villarreal and Moreno said they expected their teams to be paired together in 31-5A, making a matchup a mandatory part of the schedule. That was about the only thing the two sides agreed upon.

After finding out they were in different districts, Villarreal said he sent an assistant over to the Redskins’ delegation to try to schedule a game. Moreno said nobody from Weslaco approached him.
“I think everybody’s got their own situation to bear. He made a decision based on what he thinks is best for Donna,” Villarreal said. “And he said no.”

Regardless of who said, didn’t say, did or didn’t do what, Moreno regretted that the series won’t resume for another two seasons.

“That wasn’t our doing. That was the doing of their head coach and that’s his decision,” Moreno said. “He runs his team and he runs mine.

“We wanted to play them but obviously if they don’t want to play us, I can’t do anything about it,” Moreno added. “I run the Donna Redskins, not the Weslaco Panthers.”