GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
GEORGETOWN — Progreso senior Juan Puentes stood surrounded by his teammates on the visiting sideline, fighting back tears and barely able to walk.
Puentes, Progreso’s stopper and team captain, had just played 100 minutes with an injured right hamstring. He spent many of those 100 minutes sprinting sideline to sideline with abandon, breaking up chance after chance as Progreso held Palestine scoreless in regulation and overtime, only to have the state title slip away in penalty kicks.
Eventually, Puentes let the tears flow, but not without holding the state runner-up trophy proudly overhead.
Though Progreso had fallen one step short of its ultimate goal, losing the Class 4A state championship game 1-0 (4-3 in penalty kicks) to Palestine on Friday at Birkelbach Field, the team took solace in producing by far the best season in the school’s 18-year history and earning a trophy to bring home.
“I’m so proud of my team,” Puentes said. “We played as a family — like what we are. We aren’t just a team. We’re a family. And that’s how we’ve played since the season started.”
Throughout Friday’s game, Progreso coach Margarito Jimenez gave Puentes the opportunity to sub out. Puentes had tweaked his hamstring during Wednesday’s semifinal win, reigniting an injury that cost him a month of playing time earlier in the season. Jimenez said Puentes struggled to even get out of bed Thursday night.
“He is a true warrior. A lion,” Jimenez said. “He told me, ‘No.’ ‘Juanito, you want to get out?’ ‘No, coach, I’m going to finish this game.’ When it came down to PKs, I wasn’t going to use him, but he said, ‘Let me take it.’ And you saw what he did.”
Puentes took and made the first attempt of the penalty shootout, sending the ball into the right side of the net. His was the first of three straight makes for Progreso, but Palestine answered by also sinking its first three attempts.
Going with the same penalty lineup he had used in each of the team’s shootouts this year, Jimenez sent Jesus Treviño to the line, only to watch his shot low and to the left be saved by Palestine keeper Bennett Gierkey.
After Palestine’s Edgar Ayala scored to put the Wildcast in front 4-3, the Red Ants’ Rodrigo Blanco missed high and left, sealing the game for Palestine. Blanco lifted his jersey to cover his mouth as Progreso’s other shooters collapsed face-first to the turf at midfield.
“We were sad. We really worked hard for this,” said Progreso captain Rogelio Zamora, who connected on the Red Ants’ second penalty try. “I think it was a pretty good game. Both teams were good. I just didn’t want to cry. We were proud of being here in the final.”
As happy as the Red Ants were to reach the final, Zamora came away feeling like the game was theirs for the taking.
Although Jimenez felt his team grew nervous against the Wildcats’ larger, stronger lineup and deviated from the game plan of keeping the ball on the ground, Progreso outshot Palestine 15-7 overall.
The Red Ants put nine of those shots on target compared to four for the Wildcats.
“I really think, honestly, they weren’t better than us,” Zamora said.
Progreso finishes the winningest season in program history 22-6-2 overall.
The Red Ants advanced to the regional semifinals, the regional finals, the state semifinals and the state finals all for the first time.
“Unforgettable,” Jimenez said. “I think this is one the kids will remember until the day they die. I know I will.”
Jimenez expressed optimism that the Red Ants would return to this point next season. Progreso graduates just four seniors from its starting 11, bringing back its leading scorer in Zamora.
The biggest turnover will be on defense, where Puentes is one of three graduating starters. Puentes didn’t offer his teammates any parting words on the field Friday, overwhelmed by the emotions of the loss. But as the Red Ants met with friends and family and readied for the trip back to Progreso, he formulated a short speech in his head.
“I know in the bus right now, I’m going to tell them how much I’m proud of them,” Puentes said, looking down at the runner-up trophy in his hands. “Thanks to them, we’re taking this back to Progreso.”