SAN ANTONIO — Noah Copeland is good.

No wait.

Noah Copeland is great.

Copeland burned the Edinburg North Cougars for 241 rushing yards and three touchdown in just over one half of play as the San Antonio Brandeis Broncos galloped past the Coogs, 51-14, at the Alamodome on Saturday.

Copeland only had three carries in the second half. But on his first one, the speedy back broke loose for a 67-yard TD run that put the Broncos (12-1) ahead 41-14 only 16 seconds into the half.

SAN ANTONIO — Before the Harlingen Cardinals’ game against Austin Westlake, an Alamodome press box official wandered over to a gathering of reporters and declared he’d heard that Big Red’s terrorizing defensive end Mingo Rincon “was a stud.”

He and the thousands of others in attendance at the Alamo City landmark Friday undoubtedly did not leave disappointed.

SAN ANTONIO — There was nothing mythical about these Unicorns.

They were all too real and they were good.

New Braunfels tallied an amazing 558 yards of offense and the defense forced four PSJA North turnovers as the Unicorns galloped to a 62-21 win in a Class 5A, Division II regional game at the Alamodome on Friday.

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.

SAN ANTONIO — There was a soothing sense of calm after PSJA North fell behind, 35-14, to Eagle Pass in last week's area clash.

And it didn't come from the Raiders veteran head coach Bruce Bush.

It came from three-year starting quarterback Noe Garcia.

One of the most underrated QBs in the Valley the last couple of years, Garcia rallied his troops as the silver and black came back and won a wild one 56-42.

SAN ANTONIO — The "R" words are endless.

Rematch.

Revenge.

Respect.

But the Harlingen Cardinals can think of one only.

Redemption.

Hollywood couldn't have scripted it better.

One year after the Cardinals got beat by Austin Westlake at the Alamodome, the schools face off again in a Class 5A, Division I regional game.

Same place. Same date. Same teams.

"We're all excited and ecstatic about this," Harlingen DT Nick Aviles said after a morning Thanksgiving Day practice.

It’s that time of year.

The Thanksgiving holiday brings a lot more than just giving thanks in high school football.

It also ushers in the phenomenon known as “Valley Week,” normally the third round of the state playoffs that pits a 5A team from the RGV against a San Antonio or Austin-area Region IV team.

Based on the records over the last 19 seasons, it’s no wonder teams and fans in the Alamo City have some extra pep in their step during the week in November/December against their neighbors to the south.

EDINBURG — There were whispers five years ago that maybe Roy Garza wasn’t the right choice to lead Edinburg North’s struggling football program.

Garza, who had never run a varsity football program or even worked as a coordinator, helped build football and athletic programs at Memorial and B.L. Garza middle schools. He had been a golf coach, a freshman baseball coach and an assistant for football and basketball at Edinburg North before taking the position as an assistant athletic director for stadium operations.

Congratulations District 31-5A for having the best, and toughest, teams in the Rio Grande Valley.

All remaining playoff teams come from 31-5A, and up until 6 p.m. last Saturday, all four teams were in the playoffs. But that may be where the excitement ends this week as all three teams have an uphill battle in their respective playoff matches.

Each team this week has a monumental task at hand, although it isn’t out of the question for one or more teams to win this week.

EDINBURG – Simon Edwards’ brief athletic career can be summed up in two words:

Patience and perseverance.

Those two things came together last Friday when Edwards spurned off a career-high 207 yards on 15 carries in a 28-24 Cougars victory against undefeated Sharyland in a Class 5A Division II playoff at Cats Stadium.

The win sends Edinburg North to the third round of the playoffs for the first time in school history. The Coguars (9-3) play San Antonio Brandeis (11-1) in a Region IV semifinal at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.