What began during COVID has grown into an eighth-grade All-Star showcase giving the Rio Grande Valley an early look at its future football talent. Before they’re making plays under the Friday night lights, some of the Valley’s future stars are already competing against each other. For six years, NexGen has brought together some of the 956’s top eighth-grade football players. Former participants have become All-State athletes, earned college opportunities, and made names for t

By Roy Rivas | DITV Ruby has no trouble picking her son out on a football field. He is usually the big one driving somebody backward. And she is absolutely the mom enjoying it. “Oh, yep, the one that dropped your kid. Yep, that was mine,” she said, laughing about the social media videos of proud mothers watching their sons play on the line. Ask her about that same boy at home, and the scouting report changes quickly. “Honestly, he’s a big teddy bear.” Meet Robert Sanchez. Big

DITV | Valley Made Player Profile By the time Rey Martinez opened his Bible at night, he had already put in a full day chasing quarterbacks and a dream. His parents describe summers that started with school practice, continued in the gym with his Tío Rudy, and finished with training alongside Adonis Cruz at ACT Athletics. Even on holidays, Rey found time for workouts and film. Rey credits Adonis with helping him keep learning the game and gives his high school coaches their f

Vela handed the offense to the dude quarterbacks were supposed to avoid. That is a cold way to start a senior season. Caidyn Hoover spent last year taking possessions away. Now he gets to decide what happens with them—and he still clocks in at safety. Ten interceptions in 2025 had already given Hoover a name worth remembering. Five came in his first varsity game against Edinburg North. Most players would gladly spend their senior year building on that. Vela handed him the key

750 kills. 1,000 digs. 100 aces. Most milestone stories give us one number to talk about. McAllen Memorial senior Larae Jones gave us three. And together, they tell the story better than any position next to her name could. Jones has now surpassed 750 career kills, 1,000 career digs and 100 career aces during her Memorial career. She can finish a rally. She can keep one alive. And she can create points from the service line. The best part? We’ve seen all three ourselves. It W

Set the ball. Dig the ball. For most volleyball players, one of those jobs helps define their position. For McAllen Memorial senior Jozlin Rodriguez, both have helped define her career. Rodriguez has now surpassed 1,500 career assists and 800 career digs, two milestones that tell two different sides of the same story. She can run an offense. She can keep a rally alive. And throughout her Memorial career, she’s done plenty of both. Running the Offense — and Playing Defense Go

1,000 career digs. For Edinburg Vela senior Fernanda Valdez, even that number doesn’t tell the entire story. Valdez recently celebrated reaching the 1,000-dig milestone, but she’s already pushed well beyond it. MaxPreps’ documented statistics from her sophomore season through the current 2026 season account for at least 1,351 career digs. And when you look at how she got there, one thing stands out. She’s gotten better every year. 254. Then 629. Valdez recorded 254 digs in 10

1,000 career kills was the milestone. But the more you look at Sharyland senior Pamela Peña’s four-year varsity career, the more that number becomes only part of the story. Peña recently surpassed 1,000 career kills, another accomplishment in a career that has included district championships, individual honors and steady growth from her freshman season to her senior year. And according to updated numbers shared with Diamond DITV, Peña has already pushed well beyond the milest

Zero. That’s how many kills Miranda Zamora recorded in one of the earliest varsity matches we can find from her freshman season. At the time, PSJA listed Zamora as a defensive specialist. Three years later? 500 career kills. The milestone is worth celebrating on its own. But the path Zamora took to reach it might be the more interesting story. She Didn’t Start as a Hitter Go back to Zamora’s freshman season in 2023 and her role looked considerably different. She was listed as

Mission Veterans 35, Los Fresnos 31 First it was the wounded dog. Then, after Thursday night’s win, David Gilpin told CBS 4/NBC 23’s Megan Murray, “We’re punching up now.” I’m not sure that fits anymore. I think they’re just punching. Mission Vets took the 56-14 loss to PSJA North, answered by beating Weslaco, then handed Los Fresnos its first loss while scoring a season-high 35. Four games in, the perception after PSJA North doesn’t match this team anymore. Los Fresnos made

McAllen Memorial sophomore Sophia Vega is only in her second varsity season. She’s already reached 100 career blocks. Memorial Volleyball recently celebrated Vega after the 6-foot middle hitter crossed the milestone, adding another accomplishment to a high school career that has been productive from the start. Because the 100 blocks are only part of the story. An Immediate Impact Vega didn’t need much time to establish herself at Memorial. As a freshman in 2025, she recorded

Harlingen High junior Evelynn Loera has already reached a number that tells you plenty about the role she’s played for the Cardinals. 1,500+ career assists. Harlingen Volleyball recently celebrated Loera after she surpassed the milestone. But there’s one detail that makes the number stand out even more. This is only her second year as Harlingen’s varsity setter. Loera, a member of the Class of 2028, took over varsity setting duties as a sophomore. Now, before her junior seaso

There are plenty of ways to measure a four-year high school volleyball career. For Los Fresnos senior Lyla Trejo, one number now stands above the rest. 1,000 career kills. Los Fresnos Volleyball recently celebrated Trejo after she surpassed the milestone, adding another accomplishment to a varsity career that began when she was just a freshman. Trejo, No. 8 for the Falcons, has been part of the Los Fresnos varsity program in each of her four high school seasons. MaxPreps list

Photo Credit: RGVSports.com Three weeks in, we’ve seen enough to stop talking in hypotheticals. No more preseason talk about what somebody might be. Los Fresnos is 3-0. Mission Vets is 2-1. The Falcons have already won a shootout, survived a fourth-quarter fight and then dropped 54. The Patriots got caught in a bad night against PSJA North, then went to Weslaco and answered with a 26-24 win. That’s where this gets good. Everybody has some numbers now. Thursday is about findin

Raymondville can score. Port Isabel can make a football game uncomfortable. That feels like a better place to start than staring at 2-0 versus 1-1. The Bearkats have dropped 46 on Harlingen South and 63 on St. Joseph Academy. Jeffrey LeFevre has been dangerous with his arm and legs. Anthony Gonzales can hurt you outside. Cejay Orozco and Omar Garcia give Raymondville multiple ways to run it. Port Isabel has receipts too. Logan Bennett already has three interceptions. Michael

McAllen Memorial sophomore Lylah Lopez-Castillo has already reached a number plenty of setters spend an entire high school career chasing. 1,000 career assists. Memorial Volleyball announced the milestone Saturday, the same day the Mustangs picked up a 3-1 win over Edinburg Vela. The number is impressive on its own. What makes Lopez-Castillo’s milestone stand out even more is how early she got there. She’s only a sophomore. Lopez-Castillo has become a major part of a Memorial

Another RGV volleyball player has joined the 1,000/1,000 club. This time, it’s Lyford senior Dyane Castillo. Lyford Volleyball announced Saturday that Castillo has surpassed 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs, putting together two major milestones during a varsity career that started all the way back in her freshman season. And when you look at what Castillo has done at Lyford, the numbers make sense. She has been a four-year varsity player for the Bulldogs, developing

Photo Credit to Archetypeathletic and Drayden 1505 Instagram PSJA North 56, Mission Vets 14 We pulled up Thursday night with five questions. PSJA North basically grabbed the mic. 35-0 at the half. More than 500 yards of offense. 56 on the board. This wasn’t one of those games where you needed a couple days to figure out what you watched. PSJA North put it right in front of everybody. 1. CAN MISSION VETS KEEP PSJA NORTH FROM OWNING THE GAME ON THE GROUND? This was the smoke be

There was a point Tuesday night where it really felt like Donna might have let this one get away. Actually, there were a couple of those moments. Donna had opportunities in each of the first two sets, Edinburg North kept battling back, and suddenly the Cougars were up 2-0 and just two points away from a sweep. Then everything changed. Donna came all the way back to beat Edinburg North 3-2 (26-28, 23-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-5) in our Diamond DITV956 Game of the Week. And that 15-

The banner says 1,000. Briseis Cortez says she’s already at 1,200. Edinburg High’s senior setter was recently surrounded by teammates, coaches and family as the Bobcats celebrated her reaching 1,000 career assists. But by Tuesday, Cortez shared on Instagram that the number had already climbed another 200. That’s 1,200 career assists — and her senior season is still going. It’s another milestone for a player who has become a major part of the Edinburg offense. Cortez put toget