By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Winning state championships in soccer will always be a great source of pride for Brownsville.
Proof of that was obvious Thursday as the Porter Nation packed the school gym to honor the Cowboys, 2016 Class 5A state champions who finished with a 28-0-1 record. City officials and Brownsville ISD administrators were also in attendance along with a number of parents.
Porter won its second UIL state title in soccer last April 16 in Georgetown by defeating highly regarded and previously undefeated Frisco Wakeland 3-2 (10-9 penalty kicks). Porter captured its first 5A state crown in 2006. No other Rio Grande Valley school has won more than one UIL state title in a team sport.
Before a full house Thursday, the Porter band played lively, spirited melodies while students and staff members offered heartfelt cheers as the Cowboy players, coaches and additional team personnel were presented championship rings, letterman jackets and framed copies of a letter of congratulations from President Obama.
The letter was read to the audience by Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, and in part said, “Your achievement reflects the importance of joining together in a common purpose to reach a goal … I trust that you will always hold on to the dedication that has brought you this far. I know the lessons you have learned will continue to guide you both on and off the field … congratulations, I wish you the best, Barack Obama.”
Several players who graduated last June came home from college on fairly short notice for the ceremony, saying there was no way they wanted to miss it.
Two of them, Alexis Anzures and Uriel Sepulveda, now play soccer at Wiley College in Marshall. They boarded a bus Wednesday evening and traveled 11 hours to make it back to Brownsville in time for the event. After Thursday’s ceremony, they quickly boarded the bus again to return to Marshall for a Wiley College soccer match scheduled this weekend.
“We couldn’t miss this,” said Sepulveda, a key player in the midfield as a senior for the Cowboys last season. “We just got a text from our coach (Jose Espitia) saying the rings were here. We got excited, packed whatever we could in the dorm and jumped on the bus to get here as soon as possible.
“I never imagined that I would be in this position in front of a packed gym,” he added. “I still can’t believe it and there is so much mixed emotion in my heart. We never let ourselves down (in winning state). If other people see us as an inspiration that can lift them up when they’re down, then that’s great. We had so much faith in each other and we grew up together. We believed in each other, and that’s how we did it.”
Added Anzures, a standout senior forward-midfielder last season for Porter, “This is amazing. I never expected so many people to show up for a ring ceremony like this. It’s unbelievable. We’ve written our names in the history of Porter, and we can see our state trophy (in the trophy case) there in the school lobby. It’s not only for us, it’s for our school, Brownsville and the whole Valley.”
Espitia said hearing the letter from President Obama read to the team and everyone else was one of the highlights of the day.
“It’s not too common to receive a letter from the president,” the Porter coach said. “It’s awesome.
“To see the team back together again and see their faces when they received their rings and jackets was great,” he added. “Of course, they’re young guys and they might treasure more the material stuff like the jackets and rings right now. But at some point, they’ll look back and have an even greater appreciation for what they’ve accomplished. I’m really proud of them and what they’ve done. To top it all off, there was the letter from President Obama. It’s positive news for BISD, and at the end of the day, that’s what we want — positives for our city and our school district.”
Enrique Soto was another standout midfielder for Porter as a senior last season. He said Thursday’s event was a pretty memorable experience.
“Winning a state championship is great, and knowing you won it is an amazing feeling,” said Soto, who now attends UT-Rio Grande Valley after recording perfect attendance during his previous years of schooling. “A state championship is something that stays here at the school and lasts forever. You always have your faith, and if you believe that anything is possible (like winning state), it will happen.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess