The back-to-back district champion PSJA Bears are coming into the 2025 season looking for a three-peat. However, they'll need to do so with an almost entirely reshaped offense.

"We have not three-peated here," Bears head coach Lupe Rodriguez said. "We've gone two years back-to-back as district champions and we're looking for a district championship again. It'd be great to accomplish that with this team since it's fairly new and it's hard to do and we are in a tough district."  

Dylan Rodriguez is stepping in at quarterback after Myles Lopez shined at the position last fall as a senior. The Bears also graduated a significant number of playmakers including Ryan Vallejo and Caleb Salas. To replace them, they're relying on JD Sauceda, Joseph Villarreal, and Riley Limon to step up.

"I know a lot of people are doubting us," Dylan Rodriguez said. "Just because of the people that we lost. But just because we lost those people doesn't mean we're not coming in with the same mentality. Just because we lost people doesn't mean we're not coming for the district championship. We have the same mentality as last year and we think that we can do it just like last year."

"Even though we had a big graduating class the goal remains the same," Coach Rodriguez added.

Dylan Rodriguez showed flashes in limited action last year as Lopez's backup, but now he'll really be put to the test as the team's full-time signal caller.

"Just watching him mature and knowing the offense and being the coach's son brings a little extra too," Coach Rodriguez said. "He's always coached whether it's here, home, on the ride home and so forth. I'm looking for him to take the lead and continue doing what every quarterback has done here and that's win." 

"I've definitely been behind two quarterbacks in the past couple years," Dylan Rodriguez said. "I've been able to learn and mentor from them and I'm hoping that I can use all of that and come together and be that starting guy for my team this year." 

The Bears will start off the regular season with a challenging non-district schedule against Pioneer, PSJA North, Los Fresnos and Brownsville Veterans. Their first district game comes against Economedes.