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SAN ANTONIO — Being the underdog is nothing new to Roy Garza and the Edinburg North Cougars.

Playing in District 31-5A, the Coogs fought for their third-place finish.

Up against teams like Harlingen and PSJA North, only made the Cougars a better team.

And after weathering the storm of playing shorthanded for the early part of the season due to injury, the North is playing superb ball at the right time.

The Cougars have definitely endured a lot this season.

But Edinburg North is reaping their rewards now.

The Cougars (9-3) take on San Antonio Brandeis (11-1) today at the Alamodome at 4 p.m. in a Class 5A, Division II regional game.

It’s the first time for the Cougars in the third round of the postseason.

And Garza said the team was taking it all in.

"We’re all excited about what we’ve accomplished," Garza said. "We went for home and home on the flip and lost it. It was a win-win. Either we got them at home or we got a trip out of it.

"We know we’re playing a tough team. But the kids are excited and they can’t wait to play."

Indeed the Cougars’ opponent is a formidable one.

The Broncos’ only loss came to San Antonio Clark (12-0) and finished in second place in District 28-5A.

The Broncos defeated SA East Central and Pflugerville by a combined score of 82-37, including a shutout in bi-district.

The Broncos also feature one of the top running backs in the greater San Antonio area in the hard-running Noah Copeland.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound senior has rushed for 2,087 yards and 32 touchdowns for the second-year SA school.

Brandeis has rushed for 2,962 yards as a team so it’s no secret that Copeland is the guy to stop.

"He’s a tough runner," Garza said. "He’s a great downfield runner and will lineup 10-12 yards behind the line of scrimmage. He’s got good vision but we’ll have to try and take them out of their comfort zone."

And the Cougars have the offense and personnel to do it.

Led by 3,000-yard quarterback Matt Munoz, North has quite the explosive offense too.

Munoz has passed for over 2,000 yards and rushed for over 1,000 in 12 games.

The finally fully healthy RB Simon Edwards had his best game of the season last week in a win against Sharyland. He rushed for 207 yards and one TD.

So Garza is confident his offensive unit can hang with the Broncos.

"Matthew’s been phenomenal," Garza said. "He’s got about 4-5 receivers to throw to and Simon is playing great too. I know out offense can play with them. We’ll just see what the defense gives us and we’ll go from there."

Eladio Jaimez covers District 31-5A for Valley Freedom Newspapers.