For that reason the annual Rio Grande Valley Coaches Organization All-Star East-West Showcase was expanded from two to four games four years ago.
Having so many talented seniors available for multiple all-star teams, it made sense to have four games instead of just two so more players could have additional playing time and have a better chance to display their skills for college recruiters. Under the current format, the RGVSCO event features East vs. West matchups in Class 6A and sub-6A games for boys and girls.
A full day of soccer is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. today at Valley View High School.
The 6A girls game kicks off the 10th annual RGVSCO event and will be followed by the 6A boys match at noon. The sub-6A girls match is scheduled for 2 p.m. with the sub-6A boys playing at 4 p.m.
Expanding the all-star showcase to four matches is an idea credited to Edinburg High girls coach Cerjio Elizarraraz, who is better known as “Coach Eli.”
“Oh yes, it’s definitely (a plus for the players),” said Elizarraraz, also the RGVSCO treasurer. “Players from the smaller schools get a very good chance to showcase their talents (too). We thank the high school coaches for helping us make up the teams and for helping us coach them as well.”
The Valley sent three boys teams to the UIL state tournament during the recently completed 2017 season. They were La Joya Juarez-Lincoln in 6A, Brownsville Lopez in 5A and Progreso in 4A. Players from those teams along with players from other squads that did well in the postseason are expected to play in Saturday’s games.
Coaches from across the Valley will be guiding the teams.
For the 6A squads, the coaches include Brownsville Rivera’s Salvador Garcia (East boys), McAllen Memorial’s Eduardo Calderon and McAllen Rowe’s Eloy Moran (West boys), Rivera’s Peter A. Rodriguez (East girls) and La Joya High’s Guadalupe Moreno (West girls).
The sub-5A coaches include Edcouch-Elsa’s Mauro Tijerina (East boys), Valley View’s Damian Magallan (West boys), E-E’s Juan Romero (East girls) and Hidalgo’s Frank Alday (West girls).
Stadium gates open at 9 a.m. T-shirts and concessions will be sold.