By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
Noe Moraida IV had big shoes to fill when he took over the tennis program at La Feria.
The first-year coach played tennis for the Lions under Juan Hernandez, who led the program for 20 years and established La Feria as one of the top programs in the Rio Grande Valley. Moraida served two years as an assistant under Jaime Rodriguez, who was named the RGV Tennis Coaches Association Sub-5A Coach of the Year in 2017-18, before taking the top job.
The experience and knowledge he gained while working with those men helped Moraida get off to a strong start as he aims to continue the tradition of success in La Feria.
“Pretty much since I was a senior, I knew I wanted to go into teaching and coaching. I talked to (Hernandez) about it in high school, and he gave me some advice,” Moraida said. “It’s been fun because the kids we have are really good kids, but it’s also been a challenge trying to go from a player and knowing the expectations of the program to now me being in charge.”
Moraida is leading his young squad with the same principles instilled by the coaches before him. He has high expectations for his players and pushes them to take pride in everything they do, both on the court and in the classroom.
Implementing those high standards led the Lions to their best team tennis season in several years. La Feria rode its District 32-4A three-seed all the way to the Class 4A Region IV tournament in San Antonio. The Lions defeated Beeville Jones, Pleasanton and Hondo before falling to Boerne in the regional semifinal.
“It was a great experience going through the team season because it was the furthest we’ve gone (in some time), none of the seniors I have now had gone that far,” Moraida said. “We took 17 kids and about 15 of them had never really been (to San Antonio), so things that you don’t really think about like them going downtown and seeing the Alamo and staying in a hotel, those things were great experiences for them.”
The playoff trips also helped the Lions with team bonding. Azrael “AZ” Gamboa, the only senior boys player, was looking forward to riding that strengthened chemistry to a successful spring season and is disappointed that his last year is in jeopardy.
“It flat out sucks, especially your senior year because I’ve been preparing for this and wanting to make it to regionals and try to get to state,” Gamboa said. “I hope district still happens, but it is getting a little hard to believe. But my coach is staying optimistic, and I’m still putting in work.”
Setbacks are nothing new for Gamboa, who has battled back from injuries throughout his career. Gamboa took on a leadership role this season and has been performing well for the Lions alongside doubles partner junior Damien Cantu and mixed doubles partner junior Marlene Gutierrez.
Neena Rios is another senior hoping for a chance to cap off her La Feria career on the court. Rios has found success competing in singles and doubles. She and sophomore Julia Conde have been using a strong relationship to get wins on the court, and Rios hopes to use that chemistry and Moraida’s influence to achieve her goal of reaching the regional tournament.
“I’ve been getting ready for district and keeping myself mentally ready my senior year to try and make it to regionals, that’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” Rios said. “(Moraida) helps me relax because he knows I get really stressed out, and he’s seen me when I have an anxiety attack or I freak out because I’m messing up a lot, so he’ll calm me down and tell me a game plan.”
Gamboa and Rios are two of La Feria’s top players, but Moraida said other players like juniors Nicolas Jimenez, Eduardo Anell and senior Melissa Pizana are working hard and should have success if the spring session is completed. He praised the depth of his roster, saying the strong team season wouldn’t have been possible without the middle- and lower-ranked players doing their jobs, too.
La Feria has developed a culture of competitiveness and camaraderie among the team, which Gamboa said is one of his favorite things about being in the program. He loves supporting his teammates and representing the Lions, and thinks more playoff success is in the cards if they can get back on the court.
“Our team is really competitive, we all do little jabs at each other and we compete at each other’s level. But we’re also really supportive with each other, and that’s what got us to the regional semifinals,” Gamboa said. “That’s the best feeling in a match, when you win a good point and your teammates go crazy cheering for you. That’s when you start feeling more confident.”
Though Moraida’s impact is evident despite his short time as head coach, he credits all the success to the dedication his athletes show the sport year round.
“They put in the hard work, and I’m just the lucky one that gets to coach them,” Moraida said.