By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
The Lopez Lobos have a way of producing solid soccer teams on a yearly basis, regardless of who the players might be on their roster.
Standout players such as Moises Gonzalez and Kevin Maldonado come and go, yet the Lobos always seem to rise to the top just like last season, when Lopez went 22-3-1, won District 32-5A and advanced to the UIL state tournament for the third time in school history.
Julio “J.C.” De La Garza, a senior central defender/midfielder and one of six returning starters this season for the Lobos, said there’s a simple reason for Lopez’s success on the soccer field.
“It’s a love for the game,” said De La Garza, who was an all-tournament selection at state for the Lobos last season. “Everybody puts their heart into it, and in everything we (varsity veterans) do, we try to motivate the newcomers so they can be like the rest of us and put all their heart into the game. We never stop running, and we never stop playing hard to help the team succeed.
“It’s not how much talent you have, it’s how much heart you have,” he added.
The Lobos are one of 32 teams playing this week in the 33rd annual Brownsville ISD tournament at Brownsville Sports Park. They began play Thursday morning with an 8-0 triumph over Laredo Alexander and advanced to a match later in the day against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln.
Also taking place at BSP this week is the 28-team BISD girls tournament. Both tournaments run through Saturday. In all, there are 66 games scheduled for the boys and 105 for the girls, who have two days of pool play.
Besides De La Garza, the other five returning starters are forward Leo Martinez, goalkeepers Angel De La Cruz and Felix Nava, who previously played forward, and defenders Arturo Salazar and Ulysses Ortegon. Another returning letterman is midfielder Sergio Rincon.
Newcomers include Leo Casanova, Jose Echeverria, German Vera, Allan Ramos, Benito Cazares and Jose Luis Martinez.
“We lost a lot of players, but we also gained a lot of good ones,” said Leo Martinez, who scored both of Lopez’s goals during its 3-2 loss to eventual state champion Fort Bend Clements in their state semifinal last season in Georgetown. “I think we’ll be all right. Our team is looking solid, and from the looks of it we’re going to have a good season.
“We’re united, and we’re staying with our winning mentality,” he added. “We’re not thinking about losing, and I hope that’s the way it stays. We’re always together, and we try to never depend on just one player. If one of our key players is not on the field, we don’t think about it. We just keep on going. I think that’s what helps us (continue a tradition of success).”
Lopez went 6-0, including 3-0 in games that went to penalty kicks, at last weekend’s season-opening 42-team Mission Eagle Invitational. Last Saturday’s final day of tournament action was canceled due to inclement weather, leaving Lopez and La Joya Juarez-Lincoln tied for first place with 30 points each. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln was named tournament champion and Lopez the runner-up based on a tiebreaker.
The Lobos were calling their match against the Huskies later Thursday as “the unofficial Mission tournament championship.”
Amadeo Escandon, assisted by Abraham Torres, is now in his 18th season as the Lobos’ coach. He believes his current Lopez squad is again capable of some notable accomplishments.
“I know we lost some good players from last year, but the players (now starting) who were coming off the bench last year have the experience to come in and step it up,” Escandon said. “They have so far. We have a long season to go, and we’re still working on a lot of small details. But so far, the veterans from last year are stepping it up, and with our newcomers I think we’re getting a good chemistry and mix with them.
“Our team is living under three things,” the coach added. “They are faith, hard work and humility. Those are the things we’re emphasizing on and off the field.”