ROY HESS | Staff Writer
There is a sisterhood of soccer at Harlingen South.
In a sense, all the Lady Hawks see themselves as sisters. Past and present, some of them are related by bloodlines, too.
The Lady Hawks (22-3) are preparing to play Austin Westlake (20-1) at noon Friday in the semifinals of the Region IV-6A Tournament at Brownsville Sports Park. It is the first return appearance for South at the regional tournament since 2007.
Actually, there have been numerous sister combinations in the South girls soccer program during Omar Pedroza’s 23 years as the team’s head coach.
Current sisters playing for the Lady Hawks are Mellory and Caroline Grannum. They are a senior and a junior, respectively, for South this season. Another sister duo is senior varsity goalkeeper Reid Davis and younger sister Dell, a freshman who plays on South’s JV Dark squad.
“I think it’s really fun and a good bonding experience for the two of us because we get to spend a lot more time together,” Reid said. “It’s fun to be playing soccer along with someone you’ve spent pretty much your whole life with. (After I graduate) I can still come back and it’s like a part of me is still part of this program. It gives me an excuse to come back to watch South play (after I graduate).”
Added Dell, “It’s makes me a lot less nervous because I already know a lot of my sister’s friends (on the varsity).”
The Grannums had an older sister, Verita, who played for the Lady Hawks and graduated about 10 years ago.
“I really look up to my sisters,” Caroline Grannum said. “My older sister (Verita) wore No. 5 and that’s the number I wear now. I’ve kept her number alive.”
There’s another varsity player, Jackie Guillen, whose younger sister, Juliza, plays on South’s JV Dark.
“It’s a tradition,” Pedroza said. “We’ve been fortunate enough to have some great players here. It ends up that some of them have older sisters who played here, and they did well, so the younger sisters follow up in the footsteps of the ones who played here before.
“We have had a lot of that happen here at South,” the coach added. “On my JV Dark team I have a couple of players whose moms played for me.”
Current senior Stephanie Torres had an older sister, Cassandra, who played for the Lady Hawks and graduated four years ago.
“It’s great,” Stephanie Torres said. “Seeing Cassandra win all those playoff games with the Lady Hawks made me want to reach that bar and exceed it. It just makes you want to play a lot harder with a lot more heart and passion, so I think it was a great thing she came here first.”
Also, Abigail Velazquez, a senior, had two older sisters, Emily and Gabby, who played for the Lady Hawks even before her time on the squad. Emily graduated in 2017 and Gabby followed in 2018.
“It’s fun because the ones on the team are already sisters to you (thanks to your older sisters),” Abigail said. “Having actual sisters on the team is really good because you have this (closer) connection on the field and it makes it even more special.”
Current Lady Hawks assistant coach Ashley (Dawi) David, a 2010 South graduate, played for the team when she was a senior and her sister, Georgie Dawi, was a freshman. She is in her first year as a South assistant coach. Monica Silva is the Lady Hawks’ first assistant.
“My sister and I were both here in 2010 playing for the Lady Hawks,” said David, who is now married. “Now I’m back again (as a coach).
“It was really great to play with Georgie when I was a senior and she was a freshman,” David added. “All of my friends on the team already knew her, so it was great. There really wasn’t anything difficult about it. We were all family. It all came together and we got along so easily because we all knew each other. My sister was actually a starter as a freshman.
“Not only have we had sisters play together here, we’ve had sisters (Kayla and Courtney Gaither) who were twins (play here).”
A GREAT RUN
The South boys will remember this season as the year they won in the playoffs for the first time.
After a wait of 25 years or so, the Hawks won in bi-district against Edinburg Economedes (3-2) and in the area round against McAllen Rowe (4-1).
Of course, the South boys wanted their playoff run to last longer, but a 4-2 setback against Brownsville Hanna in the regional quarterfinals last Friday at Brownsville Sports Park ended their season.
“It’s been a great season,” Hawks coach Julian Robles said. “Hopefully we can built on this season next year. We have seven starters coming back.
“It’s heartbreaking to lose at this point (in the regional quarterfinals),” he added. “I think we’re turning things around. We’re coming along and things are changing.”