By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — For 12 years, Lalo Rios took his lumps at Edinburg Economedes.
After a standout career at Edinburg High and UTPA, Rios moved into a coaching role at Economedes, which had just opened at the time. He made the playoffs only three times during that stretch, including once in his final six seasons as head coach.
“Obviously there were difficult times,” Rios said. “The kids (at Economedes) worked hard and they gave everything they had. But you’re going up against schools with way more tradition, way more experience, like Harlingen, Harlingen South, Edinburg, Edinburg North and PSJA North.
“But I’m glad I went through those lessons of learning how to build a program, run a program. Learning how to lose in order to learn how to win.”
In his second go-around overseeing a program from the ground up, Rios is enjoying historic success. Since Edinburg Vela opened in 2012, he has guided the team to three playoff appearances, including two Sweet 16 trips, and now a spot in the UIL state semifinal — a first for a Valley team in Class 5A.
As the SaberCats gear up for Lancaster, the defending state champions, Rios is better able to appreciate the moment, if only for the uphill battle he’s faced. He described the early part of his coaching career as both “a difficult process” but one that was necessary to prepare him for this opportunity, where Vela is only one win away from the state title game.
“Looking back, it was very tough,” Rios said. “I was young and had a lot of passion for the game. Sometimes we had tough seasons, but we knew as coaches that our time would eventually come.”
As an assistant an Economedes, Josue Sanchez saw a fiery, ultra-competitive coach in Rios, driven by naysayers. Even in games in which the Jaguars were considered overwhelming underdogs, Sanchez saw Rios work tirelessly to compile scouting reports, draw up plays before and after school, and watch film whenever he could fit time between classes.
“He’s a student of the game,” Sanchez said. “We’d come in, and he’d have a game plan ready for us. He’d have every player’s tendencies (from the opposing team) and the majority of their sets, and he’d share that with us.”
The decision to leave Economedes did not come without some reservation. In his sixth year, Rios led the Jaguars to an 18-2 start before finishing with a 25-7 record. But with five of those losses coming in district, Economedes fell out of the playoff picture. What Rios saw at Vela, though, was an opportunity to groom a promising group of incoming freshmen, led by Hector Ruiz and Alec De La Cruz, and later Ryan Garza.
Their first year, the SaberCats went 8-23, including 4-12 in district, as they missed the playoffs. To help cope with that, Rios was reminded of his lessons at Economedes.
“I had to be patient,” Rios said. “As a first-year program, you know success is probably going to come later rather than sooner. So I think that’s what helped me over here (at Vela), saying, ‘Hey, it’s going to take time.’”
By the following year, the SaberCats were in the playoffs, and over the next two seasons they went on to capture two district titles.
Senior guard Alex Cisneros was taken aback the first time he saw Rios call opposing coaches, asking for film, and later receiving a comprehensive scouting report on their next opponent.
“I was surprised because I didn’t know someone would put that much time into it,” Cisneros said. “It’s like, ‘Wow, he really cares.’”
As a student in Rios’ business and information management class, senior post Luis Salinas sees Rios scribbling plays between classes and incorporating it into that afternoon’s practice.
“All day, he’s there on the computer, going through film, taking notes,” Salinas said. “He’s just determined to win. He’s given a lot to the program. He’s been dreaming and dreaming, and just pushing us.”
At times, Sanchez has joked that to play for Edinburg Vela is to be spoiled by success. Having endured shorten seasons, by their standard, Sanchez sees Rios “valuing this opportunity just a little bit more” than most would.
“To make the playoffs in general, and to go this deep, is very difficult,” Rios said. “You’re not always going to have those teams, you’re not always going to have those years. You hope for it, but sometimes it just doesn’t pan out.
“So we’re definitely appreciating the moment right now. We probably get a little more excited (than some of the players) because we’ve been on the other side of things for quite some time. But we definitely want to take advantage of this, and hope it just continues.”