PSJA North is moving up from 5A to 6A football this fall.

PSJA North head coach Marcus Kaufmann has made one thing clear since the team got bumped up from 5A: the expectations stay the same no matter the classification.

The Raiders have five non-district games this season. Four of them are against 6A opponents, all designed to prepare the team for District 32-6A play.

"There's not going to be any of those games where you can say this game is in the bag and let's go work on the next game," Kaufmann said. "There's not going to be one of those. It's going to be every single week. It's going to be a battle. From Week 1 all the way to Week 10. So, it's going to be a challenge to keep everybody healthy and get to the playoffs."

On defense, the Raiders return a core group of experienced players. Senior defensive lineman Rey Martinez finished last season with 125 tackles and 15 sacks and is expected to be one of the leaders on that side of the ball.

"The whole team is now pretty much depending on us now and that's a great feeling to have that they trust us that we can make the big play when it comes down to it," Martinez said.

On offense, junior quarterback Drayden Espinoza is stepping in at the position. He said the 7-on-7 work this summer helped him grow.

"It has helped me tremendously with the coverages. What are they running, cover three how the corners are playing or bailing or staying man," Espinoza said. "Mostly that kind of stuff and with the receivers too being able to build a connection we needed."

Kaufmann also said Espinoza brings something extra to the field after playing defensive back.

"He did a great job of sitting back and watching what was going on and going to play defense. He was an all-Valley corner last year," Kaufmann said. "He's going to surprise a lot some people with his ability. He's a good football player."

The Raiders open the regular season on the road against Laredo United on August 28th. Their first district game is October 9th, when they host reigning 32-6A champion Los Fresnos. They close out the regular season on the road against Brownsville Veterans.