By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
For the 13 Metro-area soccer teams advancing to the postseason from Brownsville, Los Fresnos and Port Isabel, it’s time to get the playoff party started.
The bi-district round of the UIL state playoffs begins Thursday for boys and girls teams in Classes 6A, 5A and 4A. The winners advance to the area round early next week.
Highlighting the schedule Thursday for area teams are three girls and boys doubleheaders.
The Lopez Lady Lobos play host to Edinburg North at 6 p.m., followed by the Lobos taking on PSJA North at 8 p.m. The games have been moved from Lopez to Sams Memorial Stadium.
At Weslaco East, also Thursday, Hanna’s teams play the girls and boys from Edinburg Economedes. The Lady Golden Eagles face the Lady Jaguars at 5 p.m., with the Hanna boys taking on the Jaguars at 7 p.m.
At Sharyland High’s Richard Thompson Stadium, also Thursday, the Port Isabel girls go against Grulla at 6 p.m. followed by the Port Isabel boys taking on Zapata at 8 p.m.
The Hanna boys are one of the many teams entering the playoffs with high expectations.
With somewhat little fanfare and plenty of solid play, the Eagles went about posting an 11-3 record with 33 points for a second-place finish in District 32-6A and have risen to a No. 3 ranking in the Rio Grande Valley. They were the ones that put up the toughest challenge against undefeated 32-6A champion Rivera, the Valley’s top-ranked team.
Having missed the playoffs last season after advancing to the state final in 2013, the Eagles appear motivated to do well now that they are back in the postseason.
“Seeing us in the playoffs is the reward of our team for working very hard,” Hanna coach Reyes Prado said. “Just like all our teams in the district and around the state, every team works hard to be in this situation (of reaching the postseason). I feel our chances are just as good as any other team in the playoffs.”
The Lopez Lobos and Lady Lobos are feeling fortunate to have their games at home. In past years, the Lobos often have had to go on the road for their playoff games because of their lack of success when it comes to the coin flips that decide such details. This time, though, they won the flip that mattered most.
“That flip for home and home was the only one we won out of four (to determine details of the match with PSJA North), but it was the most important one,” Lobos coach Amadeo Escandon said. “Playing at home is an advantage as far as having your fan support there and not having to travel.”
Concerning his team’s bi-district matchup, Escandon said, “PSJA North is a well-coached team. They are very synchronized on all three lines of their formation, and that will be a good challenge for us to try to find open spaces where we can hurt them (by scoring).”
Two other bi-district games at 6 p.m. Thursday involving Brownsville teams will find the Rivera boys in Edinburg taking on Edinburg High at Cats Stadium and the Pace girls going against Sharyland High at Harlingen’s Boggus Stadium.
On Friday, the bi-district schedule for area teams has the Brownsville IDEA Frontier boys at Grulla at 6 p.m., the Los Fresnos girls at PSJA Memorial at 6:30 p.m. and the Brownsville Veterans Memorial boys playing host to Edinburg North at 7:30 p.m.
On Saturday, the Porter boys play host to Sharyland Pioneer at 2 p.m. at Sams, and the Pace boys are at Valley View at 6 p.m.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.