GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
Last year marked a breakthrough season for PSJA Southwest forward Luis Escudero, but he and the Javelinas were unable to finish the year the way they had hoped.
Although Escudero scored twice in Southwest’s 8-0 bi-district round win against Port Isabel, he suffered a broken hand during the game and missed the rest of the season after undergoing surgery. Without Escudero, Southwest lost 1-0 to Georgetown in the Region IV-4A semifinals.
“We felt he was one of the key factors for us to not go through the regional semis,” Southwest coach Jesus Palomin said. “But he did his rehab, he did his strength and conditioning program, and he looks faster, quicker and stronger this season.”
A senior back in the starting lineup for the third consecutive year, Escudero has scored 14 goals to propel the Javelinas to a 7-2 record in District 32-5A.
Escudero scored four goals last season, and Palomin said the biggest reason for the jump is improved speed and strength. Escudero shaved more than a second off of his 40-yard dash time, down to a 4.45. He also benches 175 pounds — “Pretty good for a little guy like him,” Palomin said.
After a few nagging injuries, including one to Escudero, hampered the Javelinas early in the district season, the team is hitting its stride. Southwest has won five games in a row. On the season, the team has scored 31 goals — the highest total in the district and already more than double the 15 they scored in district play last season.
“We’re using the same system, we’re still using the same offensive scheme, and Luis Escudero is still a major part of our offense,” Palomin said. “The difference is he’s been able to capitalize in the first part of the game.”
SCORING IN BUNCHES
When coach Jacob Hinojosa started at PSJA North seven years ago, he thought the 4-4-2 was the only formation that could work. He considered himself an old-school coach in that way.
But, as time has gone on, he’s started to experiment with more aggressive styles. Last year, running a 3-4-3, the team scored 50 goals. Even after switching to a 3-5-2 for this season, the Raiders lead District 31-6A with 26 goals, more than double the second-highest scorers. Edinburg North, Edinburg Economedes and PSJA Memorial all have 12.
That scoring surge is a big part of the reason the Raiders are 5-2 and contending with Edinburg North and Economedes for the district title.
The two players providing the bulk of the scoring are Margarito Carpio and Juan Rodriguez.
Carpio, a senior lefty and North’s varsity football kicker, is in his third year as a varsity starter.
“He’s one of those guys that every coach would want on his team,” Hinojosa said.
Rodriguez, a junior in his second year on varsity, scored four goals in Friday’s 7-1 win against Weslaco High.
FINDING OFFENSE
Last year, La Joya High struggled to score, converting just 10 goals on the year. The Coyotes still clawed their way to a 6-10 mark, but four of those wins came in shootouts.
This season, La Joya has picked up its offensive pace significantly, already netting 11 goals in just eight games — better than twice the pace of last season. The surge has the Coyotes at 4-4 and in the thick of the playoff race in a muddled District 30-6A.
“We have more offense much easier than last year, because I have the players to do it,” coach Eugenio Milla said. “Last year, we did not have forwards. The forwards I used, they were originally midfielders.”
That’s no longer the case this year, with freshman Johnny Gutierrez providing an immediate impact and Erasmo Rosales moving up from junior varsity. Their arrival has helped create more scoring opportunities for midfielders Noe Mata and Edgar Cortinas — two returners from last year’s team and the Coyotes’ leading scorers.
La Joya snapped a three-game winning streak with a 2-0 loss to McAllen High on Saturday but still has 12 points, tied with La Joya Palmview and Mission High for third. District-leading McHi has 20, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln has 14 and McAllen Memorial trails the pack with 11.
A year after finishing next-to-last in district, the Coyotes are in a position to contend.
“Our boys are not pushed around any more,” Milla said. “These guys are really skilled. That, and a good conditioning base, are probably our strengths.”
BOYS Top 10
1. Brownsville Rivera
2. Valley View
3. Brownsville Porter
4. Brownsville Lopez
5. Brownsville Hanna
6. Sharyland High
7. McAllen High
8. Edinburg North
9. Edinburg Vela
10. PSJA Southwest
GIRLS Top 10
1. McAllen Memorial
2. Los Fresnos
3. Harlingen South
4. Brownsville Hanna
5. Brownsville Lopez
6. Sharyland High
7. Sharyland Pioneer
8. McAllen High
9. Edinburg North
10. Edinburg Economedes
Soccer standings through Feb. 28
Boys
District 30-6A
District
Team W L Pts
McAllen High 7 1 20
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 4 3 14
La Joya Palmview 4 3 12
Mission High 4 4 12
La Joya High 4 4 12
McAllen Memorial 4 4 11
McAllen Rowe 0 8 0
District 31-6A
District
Team W L Pts
Edinburg North 6 1 16
PSJA North 5 2 16
Edinburg Economedes 5 2 15
Edinburg High 4 2 10
PSJA Memorial 2 5 7
Weslaco East 1 6 4
Weslaco High 1 6 3
District 32-6A
District
Team W L Pts
Brownsville Rivera 10 0 30
Brownsville Hanna 8 2 24
Brownsville Lopez 7 3 22
Harlingen South 5 5 14
Brownsville Veterans 4 6 13
Los Fresnos 3 7 9
San Benito 2 8 6
Harlingen High 1 9 2
District 31-5A
District
Team W L Pts
Sharyland High 7 1 21
Valley View 6 1 18
Sharyland Pioneer 5 3 15
Edinburg Vela 5 3 14
Roma 3 5 10
Rio Grande City 1 7 3
Mission Veterans 0 7 0
District 32-5A
District
Team W L Pts
Brownsville Porter 9 0 26
PSJA Southwest 7 2 22
Donna North 5 4 15
Brownsville Pace 5 4 14
Donna High 4 5 13
Mercedes 4 5 11
PSJA High 1 8 4
Edcouch-Elsa 1 8 3
District 31-4A
District
Team W L Pts
Hidalgo 6 1 18
Grulla 5 1 15
Monte Alto 2 3 6
Zapata 1 4 3
Raymondville 0 5 0
District 32-4A
District
Team W L Pts
Progreso 5 0 15
Port Isabel 2 3 8
IDEA Frontier 3 2 7
La Feria 0 5 0
Girls
District 30-6A
District
Team W L Pts
McAllen Memorial 8 0 24
McAllen High 7 1 21
McAllen Rowe 5 3 14
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 3 4 9
La Joya Palmview 2 5 6
Mission High 2 6 7
La Joya High 0 8 0
District 31-6A
District
Team W L Pts
Edinburg North 7 0 21
Edinburg Economedes 6 1 18
Edinburg High 4 2 10
PSJA Memorial 3 4 10
Weslaco High 3 4 9
Weslaco East 1 6 4
PSJA North 0 7 0
District 32-6A
District
Team W L Pts
Harlingen South 8 2 24
Brownsville Hanna 8 2 24
Los Fresnos 8 2 22
Brownsville Lopez 6 4 19
Brownsville Rivera 5 5 16
Brownsville Veterans 2 8 6
Harlingen High 2 8 6
San Benito 1 9 3
District 31-5A
District
Team W L Pts
Sharyland High 8 0 24
Sharyland Pioneer 7 1 21
Edinburg Vela 5 3 15
Roma 4 4 11
Mission Veterans 2 5 6
Valley View 1 6 4
Rio Grande City 0 8 0
District 32-5A
District
Team W L Pts
Donna North 8 1 23
Edcouch-Elsa 8 1 21
PSJA Southwest 6 3 20
Brownsville Pace 6 3 18
Brownsville Porter 5 4 15
Donna High 2 7 7
Mercedes 1 8 3
PSJA High 0 9 1
District 31-4A
District
Team W L Pts
Hidalgo 5 0 15
Grulla 2 2 6
Raymondville 2 2 6
Monte Alto 0 5 0
District 32-4A
District
Team W L Pts
La Feria 7 0 21
Progreso 5 2 15
Rio Hondo 3 3 9
Port Isabel 3 4 9
Lyford 1 5 4
IDEA Frontier 1 6 2