By ROY HESS | Staff Writer
It was an ideal showing for Brownsville’s public school teams during Saturday’s final day of matches at the 37th annual Brownsville ISD Boys Soccer Tournament/Showcase.
In fact, all six of Brownsville’s UIL boys squads won on the last day.
The most impressive victory Saturday among the local teams was Rivera’s 2-0 triumph on its home field against San Antonio Reagan, which is ranked No. 4 in the state in Class 6A by the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches. The Rattlers made it to the 6A state final last season.
This was Reagan’s first time to play at the BISD event.
Rivera hadn’t been playing all that consistently at the BISD Tournament that started Thursday and ran through Saturday with 24 teams playing full 80-minute matches at Brownsville Veterans Memorial, Hanna and Rivera. There was no tournament championship game this year, only three or four matches guaranteed for each participant.
Regardless of whatever issues Rivera might have had previously, the Raiders were simply unbeatable against a top-level opponent in Reagan on Saturday.
“The guys played great,” Rivera coach Salvador Garcia said. “Hopefully they believe now what we’ve been telling them since the very beginning is true. We are a team with a lot of potential.”
Reagan was coming off Friday’s 1-0 setback against Brownsville Veterans. The Rattlers won their first tournament game Thursday against Hanna 2-1 in penalty kicks, but lost two players due to red cards in the process.
It was a scoreless first half between Rivera and Reagan, but second-half goals by J.P. Garza and Alex Mendez lifted the Raiders to victory.
Meanwhile, Porter went 4-0 in the BISD event. The Cowboys won their final game 2-0 on Saturday against McAllen Rowe. Porter led 1-0 at halftime thanks to Xavier Mateos’ goal. Teammate Edward Rodriguez added an insurance goal during the second half.
“Well, the main thing (about playing in this tournament) is that our boys have been gaining confidence,” Porter coach Jose Espitia said. “Everyone has been adding minutes, and nobody got hurt (so that’s good).”
Hanna went 3-1 in the tournament. The Golden Eagles downed Laredo United South 3-1 on Saturday, breaking out of a 1-0 halftime lead and adding a pair of goals during the final 40 minutes.
Scoring Hanna’s goals were Ricardo Sandate, Marko Garibay and Luis Renteria.
“It was a great weekend of full (80-minute) games versus very competitive teams,” Eagles coach Reyes Prado said. “This (new) format helps way more than playing mini-games or having a long tournament. The guarantee of playing full games gets the teams ready for what is in front of us (soon in district).”
Another Brownsville team going 3-1 in the tournament was Pace. The Vikings led 1-0 at the half and defeated McAllen High 4-0 on Saturday thanks to three goals by Johnnatan Mendoza and another tally by Erick Chavez.
“Yes, this (tournament) was definitely a good start to the season for us despite a (3-0) loss to Laredo United South (on Friday),” Pace coach Mario A. Zamora said. “We won three of four games with zero goals against us in the three wins. And I have to say it, we learned a lot from the loss.
“Overall, it was a good showcase for us, but we’re still working on perfection,” Zamora added.
Lopez went 3-1 during the tournament, too. The Lobos won 2-0 on Saturday against Roma with first-half goals by Alan Reyes and Danny Cruz.
“Playing these full-time games in this tournament helps a lot,” Lopez coach Amadeo Escandon said. “It helps us see where we’re at as far as being physical, how our cardio is and all that, so these games are great. We know that’s the way the games are going to be in district, so we’ve learned a lot about our team from this tournament.
“Thanks to all the fans who are always supporting us,” the Lobos coach added. “We’re just starting, so hopefully by the guidance of God we’ll have another good season.”
Brownsville Veterans coach Alberto Vasquez said his team was a little emotionally and physically drained Saturday after its 1-0 victory against Reagan on Friday night.
The Chargers received all the game they wanted and more Saturday against Los Fresnos. Brownsville Veterans prevailed 1-0 on a second-half goal by Mark Boswell to complete the tournament with three wins and no losses.
“The way this tournament was structured guaranteed that teams would have good competition throughout the three days,” Vasquez said. “That’s really the only way a team is going to get ready for district is by playing these types of games. We went against quality opponents (in the tournament). They challenge your team and expose whatever weaknesses your team might have.
“We got a lot out of it,” he added. “Our players are a little banged up and tired, but overall, we’re good for what’s ahead.”