PHARR – It’s been one of the best starts in program history for Valley View football. Three games in, the Tigers have three W’s.

“This is my third year that I’ve been in charge,” said head coach Elifonso Esquivel. “We’ve had these boys since sophomores, juniors, and now seniors. What’s good is consistency. They’ve been running the same offense, the same defense, and the kids believe that we can win.”

Kids like senior quarterback Simon Fernandez.

After missing most of last year with a fractured ankle, Fernandez was hungry to get back on the field.

He’s one of the team’s playmakers who says the turnaround began three years ago.

“Our freshman year, we went 8-2,” said Fernandez. “We were undefeated until we lost two games, but we were doing well and we just kind of clicked as a team.”

As good as the Valley View offense has been this year, the defense might be even better.

Last week against Brownsville Rivera, Valley View allowed just 44 yards of offense.

The Tigers swarmed the Raiders, recording 10 sacks and seven takeaways.

“We’ve been coming out here and we’ve been working on our defense stuff,” said senior safety and wide receiver Javi Lopez. “We’ve been on our mistakes every time and we work on them.

Lopez has led the Valley View defense. In three games, the safety already has returned two interceptions for touchdowns. One of them, he took back 101 yards.

“We picked him up as a sophomore,” said Esquivel. “He believes in what he’s doing. He’s a multiple athlete. He does football, basketball, and track. That’s what we want to establish here. We need to have athletes and compete in other sports.”

The ball-hawking defensive back has also scored three times on offense as a receiver for the Tigers.

With playmakers like Lopez and Fernandez, Valley View’s next goal is to go 4-0 for the first time in school history.

“We just keep working,” said Lopez. “Be there for each other. Keep our heads up and be a great team. Try to get those titles.”

“We’ve been trusting in each other and we’ve been believing in each other that we can execute together as one heartbeat,” said Fernandez.

The Tigers take on Donna North Friday.