MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
Depth has been an issue for Edinburg High the past two seasons, ever since Edinburg Vela opened. The Lady Bobcats’ numbers suffered with the new school, leaving coach Deanna Dominguez with as little as eight players to field, making game-like situations difficult to simulate in practice.
This year promises to be different. Edinburg High has beefed up its roster, adding 12 players, and it has shown with its 13-4 record to start the season.
“We have that goal every year, where we want to try to go further than we did the year before,” Dominguez said. “And I think with this group of kids, we definitely have that potential. We just have to keep improving and keep on building.”
The Lady Bobcats have had a strong enough team the past two years — despite losing what Dominguez estimated to be roughly 90 percent of her roster — to advance to the area round each time. This time, they’ll have the added benefit of depth, with players like Breanna Peña.
The junior, entering her second varsity season, likened her to the basketball version of a sixth man, bringing her off the bench to provide a spark. Whenever there’s a lapse on the court, Dominguez plugs in the 5-foot-2 utility player for a boost of energy. And despite her size, the player known affectionately as “Beast” has filled in, at times, at middle blocker, where she finds ways to dump the ball and make the smart play.
“I just think she’s so competitive,” Dominguez said. “She just finds a way to score and not hurt the team so much with costing us points, missed serves, hitting into the net. She’s just a smart player. And she plays with a lot of hustle and heart.”
It’s that determination that allows Peña to play a variety of positions, from defensive setter to right-side hitter, while Edinburg High awaited clearance from the UIL on 5-foot-8 freshman Tianna Howard. By serving as that utility player, Dominguez said Peña has been able to fill in gaps, wherever needed.
“She loves to help the team out. I think she’s just that role player for us,” Dominguez said. “It’s kids like that that make us who we are.”
COMING AROUND
Lyford’s 12-player roster is filled almost entirely with seniors, suggesting a wealth of experience. But the fact is that the Lady Bulldogs have several players logging significant playing time on varsity for the first time in their careers.
The result has been a 9-7 record, giving coach Jennifer Soto reason to feel optimistic about the road ahead, especially after what she described as a turning point in the season: a moral victory in the form of an 8-25, 25-12, 15-14 loss to Harlingen High in the Mission Tournament last week.
“You know, I saw their attitude improve (after that game),” Soto said. “They loved the feeling of that game, going against Harlingen. They played completely different there. And so, after that, I think they just wanted to keep up the momentum.
“I think they’re ready now. They play together, they stay positive. And they’re keeping it together.”
HOT START
McAllen High was ranked as the No. 5 team in the Valley in the RGVSports.com end-of-the-year poll, after losing to Brownsville Rivera in the third round. The Lady Bulldogs have carried much of that momentum into this season, where they boasted the most wins of any upper-Valley team heading into Sharyland Tournament.
Following Tuesday’s sweep over PSJA High, McAllen High improved to 16-2.