By STEFAN MODRICH, Staff Writer
Coming off of a historic run to the regional tournament, District 32-6A champion Los Fresnos was well-represented in the all-district teams and superlative awards given for the 2019-20 season, as voted by 32-6A coaches and coaches in their respective districts across the East Valley.
Senior Elian Gonzalez and freshman Gerry Martinez shared the most valuable player award for Los Fresnos. Senior Ricky Altamirano was named offensive player of the year.
Defensive player of the year honors went to Harlingen South junior Alex Rodriguez, and the newcomer of the year was Ashton Adams, a senior from Harlingen High.
Brownsville players that made the cut for the 32-6A first team were Hanna senior Sabian Arceneaux and sophomore Charles Thirlwall, as well as Brownsville Rivera senior Johan Morales.
Harlingen boasted four first-teamers, including senior Mike Vasquez and junior Eric Quilantan of the Cardinals, and senior Brady Bennett and junior Rudy Rodriguez of the Hawks.
Seniors Luis Gonzalez of Los Fresnos and Jeremy Sauceda of San Benito rounded out the 32-6A first team.
In District 32-5A, district champion Brownsville Veterans Memorial was headlined by coach of the year selection Larry Gibson, senior Damian Maldonado the MVP, and Gerry Castaneda, who shared newcomer of the year honors with Aaron Elizondo of Edcouch-Elsa.
Brownsville Pace sophomore Cristian Guajardo was named offensive player of the year, and Donna High’s Eddy Epperson was chosen as the defensive player of the year.
The Vikings’ other standout sophomores — Elias Fortanelli and Alexander Agado — were selected to the 32-5A first team, along with Chargers senior Kelly Davis and junior Matt Maddox.
Mercedes senior Jordan Ovalle, Edcouch-Elsa senior Aaron Aguinaga and Donna High seniors Brandon Chavez and Trey Rodriguez also were named to the first team.
East Valley players representing District 32-4A were Rio Hondo senior Jabez Villarreal, the offensive player of the year, and Port Isabel junior Cole Pinkerton, the defensive player of the year.
Tarpons sophomore Kaiden Martinez was voted newcomer of the year.
Hidalgo senior Gus Sanchez and junior Kyle Perales split the MVP award; the Pirates’ Esteban Casas, a junior, was named sixth man of the year.
A quartet of East Valley seniors were featured on the 32-4A first team: Port Isabel’s Dennis Lozano and Daniel Rinza, Rio Hondo’s CJ Leal and Isaiah Vento of La Feria.
The remaining first team selections also were seniors — Progreso’s Josh Garza, Grulla’s Chris Salinas and David Chapa of Zapata.
In District 32-3A, three players took home superlative awards from the East Valley, including Brownsville IDEA Frontier’s Tyrese Arellano, the MVP; Lyford’s Justin Vela, the offensive MVP; and Christian Vela of Santa Rosa, the defensive MVP.
Jeffery Nguyen of Edinburg IDEA Quest earned newcomer of the year honors.
Santa Rosa’s CJ Olivarez and David Bazaldua, Brownsville Jubilee’s Fabian Noble and Cameron Davila, Lyford’s Diego Garza, and Arturo Mendez of Brownsville IDEA Frontier made up the 32-3A first team.
The season in District 32-2A was marked by a clash of small-school hoops powerhouses in San Perlita and Santa Maria, which made two of the deepest playoff runs of any school in the Rio Grande Valley not named Los Fresnos.
The coach of the year award went to Nataniel Garza of San Perlita, and the MVP was Trojans senior Tige Johnson. San Perlita senior Gabriel Lopez was named the defensive player of the year.
Bernie Castellanos of Santa Maria was awarded the offensive player of the year, San Isidro’s Marcos Barrera was named newcomer of the year, and the sixth man of the year went to Christian Ortiz of La Villa.
The Cougars and Trojans filled out much of the 32-2A first team, as James Herrera,
Enrique Nieto Jr. and Ely Terry were San Perlita’s selections and Andrew Morales, Geovanni Diaz, and Jesse Ortiz made the list from Santa Maria.
Sebastian Lopez of La Villa and Jay Sanchez of Lasara were voted onto the first team.
District 32-6A
Co-Most Valuable Player
Elian Gonzalez, Sr., Los Fresnos; Gerry Martinez, Fr., Los Fresnos
Offensive Player of the Year
Ricky Altamirano, Sr., Los Fresnos
Defensive Player of the Year
Alex Rodriguez, Jr., Harlingen South
Newcomer of the Year
Ashton Adams, Sr., Harlingen High
First Team
Sabian Arceneaux, Sr., Brownsville Hanna; Charles Thirlwall, So., Brownsville Hanna; Mike Vasquez, Sr., Harlingen High; Eric Quilantan, Jr., Harlingen High; Brady Bennett, Sr., Harlingen South; Rudy Rodriguez, Jr., Harlingen South; Luis Gonzalez, Sr., Los Fresnos; Johan Morales, Sr., Brownsville Rivera; Jeremy Sauceda, Sr., San Benito
Second Team
Diego Escovar, Jr., Brownsville Hanna; Michael Castillo., Jr., Harlingen High; Ryan Fechner, Jr., Harlingen South; Gabriel Mares, Sr., Harlingen South; Tony Aldrighetti, Sr., Los Fresnos; Jose Galarza, Jr., Brownsville Rivera; Andres Perez., Jr., Brownsville Rivera; Jermaine Corbin, So., San Benito; Joseph Sanchez, Jr. San Benito
Honorable Mention
Isaiah Talamantez, So., Brownsville Hanna; Kevin Flores, Fr., Brownsville Hanna; Jared Zarate, Fr., Brownsville Hanna; Ruben Gonzalez, Sr., Harlingen High; Jordan Crenshaw, Sr., Harlingen High; Manny Gutierrez, Sr., Harlingen High; Reis Chamberlain Sr., Harlingen South; Ethan Mireles, Sr., Harlingen South; Alex Moreno, Jr., Los Fresnos; Dayton Noriega, Jr., Los Fresnos; Esteban Rodriguez, Sr., Brownsville Rivera; George Anthony Perez, Sr., Brownsville Rivera; Devin Rubio, Sr., San Benito; Cody Martinez, Sr., San Benito
District 32-5A
Most Valuable Player
Damian Maldonado, Brownsville Veterans
Offensive Player of the Year
Cristian Guajardo, Brownsville Pace
Defensive Player of the Year
Eddy Epperson, Donna High
Co-Newcomer of the Year
Gerry Castaneda, Brownsville Veterans; Aaron Elizondo, Edcouch-Elsa
Coach of the Year
Larry Gibson, Brownsville Veterans Memorial
All-Defensive Team
Abraham Rincon, Jr., Brownsville Pace; Kelly Davis, Sr., Brownsville Veterans; Brandon Chavez, Sr., Donna High; Aaron Aguinaga, Sr., Edcouch-Elsa
First Team
Elias Fortanelli, So., Brownsville Pace; Alexander Agado, So., Brownsville Pace; Kelly Davis, Sr., Brownsville Veterans; Matt Maddox, Jr., Brownsville Veterans; Brandon Chavez, Sr., Donna High; Trey Rodriguez, Sr., Donna High; Aaron Aguinaga, Sr., Edcouch-Elsa; Jordan Ovalle, Sr., Mercedes
Second Team
Marco Coello, Fr., Brownsville Lopez; Abraham Rincon, Jr., Brownsville Pace; Rocco Almanza, Sr., Brownsville Porter; Joey Suarez, So., Edcouch-Elsa; Justin Closner, Sr., Mercedes; Horacio Pequeno, Jr., Mercedes; Kevan Diaz, Jr., Valley View
Honorable Mention
Mario Vargas, Jr., Brownsville Lopez; Angel Aguirre, Sr., Brownsville Lopez; Joe Sanchez, Sr., Brownsville Lopez; Esequiel Hernandez, Sr., Brownsville Pace; Marcos Cuevas, Sr., Brownsville Pace; Matthew Garza, Sr., Brownsville Pace; Diego Moreno, Jr., Brownsville Porter; Ejay Hinojosa, Sr., Brownsville Veterans; Lucas “Lucky” Edge, Jr., Brownsville Veterans; Kelly Davis, Sr., Brownsville Veterans; Thomas Pena, Sr., Brownsville Veterans; Roger Rodriguez, Jr., Donna High; Avery Bowen, Jr., Donna High; Javier Calvillo, So., Donna High; Alex Sanchez, Sr., Donna High; Damian Granados, Jr., Edcouch-Elsa; Lupe Balderas, Sr., Edcouch-Elsa; Mando Uribe, Sr., Edcouch-Elsa; Ramiro Ortiz, Sr., Mercedes; Jordan Gonzales, Jr., Mercedes; Erik Trevino, Jr., Valley View; Elian Camarillo, Jr., Valley View; Miguel Flores, Jr., Valley View
All-Academic Team
Angel Aguirre, Sr., Brownsville Lopez; Jose Sanchez, Sr., Brownsville Lopez; Wally Guevara, Sr., Brownsville Lopez; Cristian Guajardo, So., Brownsville Pace; Alexander Agado, So., Brownsville Pace; Chase Morales, So., Brownsville Pace; Abraham Rincon, Jr., Brownsville Pace; Esequiel Hernandez, Sr., Brownsville Pace; Bryan Camacho, Sr., Brownsville Pace; Marcos Cuevas, Sr., Brownsville Pace; Mathew Garza, Sr., Brownsville Pace; Adalberto Alvarez, Sr., Brownsville Veterans; Thomas Pena, Sr., Brownsville Veterans; Damian Maldonado, Sr., Brownsville Veterans; Gerardo Castaneda, Sr., Brownsville Veterans; Eddy Epperson, Jr., Donna High; Brandon Chavez, Sr., Donna High; Alex Sanchez, Sr., Donna High; Joshua Aguilar, Sr., Donna High; Javier Calvillo, So., Donna High; Avery Bowen, Jr., Donna High; Aaron Elizondo, So., Edcouch-Elsa; Orlando Gonzalez, Sr., Edcouch-Elsa; Rolando Sanchez, Jr., Edcouch-Elsa; Joseph Rocha, So., Mercedes; Horacio Pequeno, Jr., Mercedes; Ramiro Ortiz, Sr., Mercedes
District 32-4A
Co-MVP
Gus Sanchez, Sr., Hidalgo; Kyle Perales, Jr., Hidalgo
Offensive Player of the Year
Jabez Villarreal, Sr., Rio Hondo
Defensive Player of the Year
Cole Pinkerton, Jr., Port Isabel
Newcomer of the Year
Kaiden Martinez, So., Port Isabel
Sixth Man
Estaeban Casas, Jr., Hidalgo
First Team
Josh Garza, Sr., Progreso; Daniel Rinza, Sr., Port Isabel; Isaiah Vento, Sr., La Feria; Chris Salinas, Sr., Grulla; CJ Leal, Sr., Rio Hondo; David Chapa, Sr., Zapata; Dennis Lozano, Sr., Port Isabel
Second Team
JJ Villarreal, So., Zapata; Eddie Rodriguez, Sr., Progreso; Jayson Cantu, So., Raymondville; Julio Zamorano, Sr., Hidalgo; Jason Lowe, Sr., Port Isabel; Daniel Garcia, Sr., Rio Hondo; Dario Sanchez, So., La Feria; Zechariah Rios, So., Rio Hondo; Ethan Tagle, So., Raymondville; Angel Lopez, Sr., Hidalgo; Robert Toledano, Jr., Hidalgo
Honorable Mention
Carlos Gonzalez, So., La Feria; Xander Barrera, Jr., La Feria; Aaron Villarreal, Jr., Port Isabel; Josue Navarro, So., Port Isabel; Dewitt Jones, Sr., Grulla; Jauqin Molina, Jr., Grulla; Santiago Sifuentes, Sr., Grulla; Josue Barrera, So., Grulla; Tomas Diaz, Jr., Progreso; Raul Rivera, Fr., Progreso; Elian Rodriguez, Jr., Progreso; Johnathan Ayala, So., Rio Hondo; Ivan Juarez, Jr., Rio Hondo; Zeke Rios, Sr., Rio Hondo; Mario Garcia, Jr., Zapata; Vari Morales, So., Zapata; Xavy Rodriguez, Zapata; Ethan Moreno, Sr., Raymondville; Juan Rosas, Sr., Raymondville; Dominic Gonzales, So, Raymondville; Diego Gutierrez, Fr., Raymondville; Samy Zamorano, Jr., Hidalgo; Ray Martinez, Jr., Hidalgo; Fabian Frias, So., Hidalgo; Kevin Cerda, So., Hidalgo
District 32-3A
MVP
Tyrese Arellano, Brownsville IDEA Frontier
Offensive MVP
Justin Vela, Lyford
Defensive MVP
Christian Vela, Santa Rosa
Newcomer of the Year
Jeffery Nguyen, Edinburg IDEA Quest
First Team
CJ Olivarez, Santa Rosa; David Bazaldua, Santa Rosa; Fabian Noble, Brownsville Jubilee; Cameron Davila, Brownsville Jubilee; Diego Garza, Lyford; Arturo Mendez, Brownsville IDEA Frontier
Second Team
Andres Solis, Vanguard; Mike Bermea, Santa Rosa; Osiel Escamilla, Brownsville Jubilee; Jose Garcia, Lyford; Adrian Sierra, Lyford; Raul Macias, Monte Alto
Honorable Mention
Ramon Martinez, Edinburg IDEA Quest; Kevin Macias, Edinburg IDEA Quest; Alan Palomo, Edinburg IDEA Quest; Alec Garza, Edinburg IDEA Quest; Eric Ocanas, Edinburg IDEA Quest; Adrian Ramirez, Weslaco IDEA Pike; Raul Leal, Weslaco IDEA Pike; Julio Oviedo, Weslaco IDEA Pike; Austin Torres, Brownsville Harmony; Gael Garza, Brownsville Harmony; Adam Cavazos, Santa Rosa; Jose Marroquin, Brownsville Jubilee; Micah Elbert, Brownsville Jubilee; Brandon Salinas, Brownsville Jubilee; Jeremy De La Garza, Brownsville IDEA Frontier; Gael Alatorre, Brownsville IDEA Frontier; Jacob Rivera, Brownsville IDEA Frontier; Ismael Garcia, Weslaco IDEA Pike; Benny Sairion, Monte Alto; Jonathan Lugo, Monte Alto; Von Cavazos, Monte Alto; Marcus De La Garza, Pharr Vanguard; Ruben Trevino, Pharr Vanguard
District 32-2A
MVP
Tige Johnson, Sr., San Perlita
Offensive Player of the Year
Bernie Castellanos, Santa Maria
Defensive Player of the Year
Gabriel Lopez, Sr., San Perlita
Newcomer of the Year
Marcos Barrera, San Isidro
Sixth Man
Christian Ortiz, La Villa
Coach of the Year
Nataniel Garza, San Perlita
First Team
Sebastian Lopez, La Villa; Jay Sanchez, Lasara; James Herrera, Jr., San Perlita; Andrew Morales, Santa Maria; Enrique Nieto Jr., Sr., San Perlita; Ely Terry, So., San Perlita; Geovanni Diaz, Santa Maria; Jesse Ortiz, Santa Maria
Second Team
Francisco Garcia, Lasara; Leo Alvarado, Lasara; Ruben Gamez, San Isidro; Josiah Solis, La Villa; Adrian Beas, Lasara; Jaime Mendoza, San Isidro; Benito Gutierrez, Jr., San Perlita; Matthew Cantu, Santa Maria
Honorable Mention
Nathaniel Rodriguez, Santa Maria; Mark Sanchez, Santa Maria; Chris Ibarra, Santa Maria; Salvador Lasoya, Santa Maria; Jose Castellon, Lasara; Alex Carrillo, Lasara; John Peña, Lasara; Ruben Ramirez, Lasara; Juan Ortiz, La Villa; Keanu Escobar, La Villa; Christopher Rivera, La Villa; Kris Cardoza, La Villa; Daniel Rodriguez, San Isidro; Angel Lucio, San Isidro; Diego Ortiz, San Perlita; Max Graciani, San Perlita