KEVIN NARRO | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
MISSION — After his team gave up a 2-0 lead late in the second half, Valley View’s Mario De Los Santos laced in the game-winning goal with 40 seconds left in regulation, allowing the Tigers to escape Sharyland High with a 3-2 win on Friday night at Richard Thompson Stadium.
“It’s what we expect when we play Sharyland,” Valley View coach Damian Magallan said. “It was a physical game. There were a lot of yellow cards. I needed our kids to keep their focus and not make any costly mistakes.”
Last season, Sharyland High narrowly edged out Valley View for the District 31-5A title. Picking up one loss and one tie to Sharyland High in district play last season fueled Valley View heading into Friday’s district matchup.
“The kids were able to come out in front tonight, because of their effort,” Magallan said. “It was a challenge; we had to reshuffle our guys. I had to move my forward and put him on defense, so our mentality became defensive minded.”
Valley View set the tone early, with De Los Santos scoring the first goal of the game. In the second half, Damian Magallan Jr. would net another goal for Valley View, giving the team a 2-0 lead.
Sharyland didn’t go down quietly. Mark Stephen knocked in the first goal for the Rattlers, trimming the lead to 2-1 with 14:18 left. Alberto Martinez tied the game at two with 10:15 remaining.
Valley View managed to pick up a big road win against the defending district champions — a win that can potentially set the tone for 31-5A.
“The effort was there tonight. For it being our second district game, it was very physical, but we were able to adjust,” De Los Santos said. “After winning the tournament in Houston and beating Rio Grande City, we felt everything came in rhythm, and that’s big for us. Coach trusted us tonight, and that feels good, knowing that challenge was tough. Overall, we’re off to a great start, and we cant let up. We need to keep working, and stay hungry.”