DAVE FAVILA | Staff Writer
Going into Week Nine, the Raymondville Bearkats needed to a win if they wanted to remain in the hunt for a district title.
After dropping their district opener to Orange Grove in Week Seven, the Bearkats stormed back in Week Eight to thump Corpus Christi West Oso 42-6.
No time for any letdowns.
And senior running back Miguel G. Tristan made sure the Kats’ momentum stayed high as he led his team to a 46-7 win over Progreso this past Friday.
In the victory, Tristan rushed for 290 yards on 16 carries for four touch-downs.
For his efforts, Tristan was named the Valley Morning Star’s Athlete of the Week.
Tristan shares the accolade with Mercedes’ Summer Vento, who also aided her team when it needed her most.
Vento and the Lady Tigers volleyball team entered its match against PSJA Southwest on Saturday needing a win in order to stay alive in the playoff race.
Thanks to Vento’s 19 kills and two blocks, the Lady Tigers held off the Lady Javelinas to win the match 25-21, 25-19, 21-25, 20-25, 15-11.
The Lady Tigers now control their own postseason destiny for the fourth and final playoff spot in District 32-5A. They host Brownsville Porter tonight in their regular-season finale.
Vento, a senior, scored two points in the final set and was Mercedes’ go-to player throughout the match.
“We worked on going to our big hitter,” Gutierrez said of Vento after the match on Saturday. “Whatever it takes, get her the ball. She’s our most consistent player.”
Ever the competitor, Vento was critical of her team’s win.
“We make it so hard on ourselves,” Vento told the Monitor after the match. “We came into the third set overconfident. We had the lead, and then we let it go.
“We watched film, and we were able to see their defense and find their open spots,” Vento said of PSJA Southwest.
The winner between Mercedes and Porter tonight advances to the playoffs. Porter, which beat PSJA 25-17, 25-15, 22-25, 26-24 on Saturday, knocked off Mercedes in five sets in their first head-to-head meeting.