RGVSPORTS.COM
Rio Grande Valley student-athletes thrived in soccer and golf this season.
The Valley was represented well at each sport’s state tournament. Brownsville Porter won a state championship in Class 5A, and Sharyland High freshman Jimmy Lee and the Lady Rattlers’ girls team were amongst the top of their class at state.
There were plenty of stars this season. Three boys and three girls golfers and three boys and three girls soccer players are nominated to be recognized as Boys Golfer of the Year, Girls Golfer of the Year, Boys Soccer Player of the Year and Girls Soccer Player of the Year at the 2016 All-Valley Sports Awards Banquet on June 14 at DoubleTree Suites in McAllen.
Representatives from the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame, The Monitor, the Brownsville Herald and the Valley Morning Star voted on three nominations for each category. The winner will be revealed at the banquet.
The nominees for Boys Golfer of the Year:
>> McLean Beckwith, Weslaco High: Beckwith won a play-off against Brownsville Hanna’s Santiago Garcia at the Class 6A regional tournament to become the first Panthers boys golfer to make it to state since 2002.
>> Santiago Garcia, Brownsville Hanna: Garcia fell to Weslaco High’s McLean Beckwith in a play-off at the Class 6A regional meet and finished seventh individually at the regional tournament.
>> Jimmy Lee, Sharyland High: A freshman, Lee has the best scoring average in the Valley in 2016 with a 72.8. Lee shot a two-day score of 143 at the Class 5A regional tournament to advance to the state tournament, where he was in second place after the first round Monday.
The nominees for Girls Golfer of the Year:
>> Ana Jose Eraña, Sharyland High: The senior recently helped lead her Lady Rattlers team to the state tournament for the fourth straight year. Eraña finished second individually at the Class 5A regional meet with a two-day score of 146 and paced a Lady Rattlers team that medaled by finishing third overall.
>> Hannah Greer, Harlingen High: Greer qualified for the Class 6A state meet for the second straight year after finishing third at the regional meet.
>> Julie Lucio, Brownsville Hanna: A sophomore, Lucio won the District 32-6A title, finished second at the Class 6A regional meet and earned a trip to her first state tournament this season.
The nominees for Girls Soccer Player of the Year:
>> Clarissa Castañeda, Los Fresnos: The junior playmaker led the Lady Falcons to a 33-9-2 overall record this season and to the fourth round of the playoffs.
>> Isabella Marinaro, Sharyland High: A senior, the Rattlers’ leading scorer during an undefeated district play, Marinaro scored 19 goals in helping Sharyland High to the league championship and to the Class 5A regional tournament.
>> Kaitie Watson, Sharyland High: Watson, a sophomore, scored 17 goals during the Rattlers’ undefeated run to the district championship. She is the Rattlers’ primary distributor as a midfielder and directed their run to the Class 5A regional tournament.
The nominees for Boys Soccer Player of the Year:
>> Robert Briseño, Brownsville Porter: The junior helped anchor the Cowboys’ defense as Porter won the Class 5A state title. Briseño is a three-year starter as a central defender.
>> Jose Echevarria, Brownsville Lopez: A sophomore midfielder, Echevarria was a key playmaker for the Lobos.
>> Avi Garcia, Valley View: The senior was the Tigers’ leading scorer in helping advance them to the Class 5A regional quarterfinals.
Former Dallas Cowboys receiver Drew Pearson will be the keynote speaker at June’s banquet.
Pearson, who was inducted into the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor in 2011 after a standout career defined by his performances in the clutch, will highlight the function hosted by RGVSports.com in conjunction with the RGV Sports Hall of Fame. The awards banquet will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will recognize team and individual standouts in multiple sports over the past year.
To buy tickets to the banquet, log on to TheMonitor.com, BrownsvilleHerald.com, or ValleyStar.com and click on the rgvsports_banquet link on the toolbar on the home page of each website.