By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — The University Interscholastic League and Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools announced Friday that all remaining spring sports seasons and championships have been canceled.
The decision was not unexpected after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared that public and private schools would not reopen for the remainder of the school year, but that doesn’t mean the news didn’t hurt.
“As much as we probably anticipated it, it’s still a shocking thing to see. You think of the kids right away, the seniors, kids who invested so much,” Brownsville Veterans Memorial athletic director David Cantu said. “I still remember my last game, my last at-bat, and I immediately think about those kids that won’t have that final moment. But it comes down to bigger things. Sports are a beautiful thing, but our health and our lives are the most critical.”
Harlingen High boys track coach Efrain Ambriz agreed that the decision is in the best interest of all students, but he said it’s disappointing that his team won’t get to build on its momentum.
The Cardinals won their last five meets before the initial UIL postponement March 13 and “were hitting their peak” as they prepared for the crucial part of the season. When the Cardinals were competing at their final meet, the Jimmy Platt Relays in Weslaco, Ambriz told his guys to give it their all, which now brings them a little closure in this difficult situation.
“At the last meet we had in Weslaco, my (1,600-meter) relay was comprised of three seniors (Jaylen Salas, Jesiah Uribe and Manuel Conde), and I told them, ‘You need to run this race like it’s your last,’” Ambriz said. “They went out and set a meet record in the race. We won the meet, and I think (the relay time) put us as one of the top (1,600-meter relay) teams time-wise in the region. We look at that now and at least we went out on a high, but it’s still heartbreaking in the end.”
Santa Maria athletic director and track coach Israel Gracia said he feels for his seniors like Julissa Garcia and Giovanni Diaz. Both athletes were looking to make return trips to the state meet and “make a statement their senior year.” He said the situation also makes things difficult for fall sports such as football, because coaches don’t get that extra time to train their athletes.
“This is time that we’re going to lose, so it hurts and it’s going to be tough to get them back into it, but when things do get going the kids are going to be excited,” Israel Gracia said.
Porter girls soccer coach Abraham Gracia was keeping his hopes up that his first-time District 32-5A champion Cowgirls would get to compete in the playoffs, but wasn’t surprised by the season’s cancelation. Even though he wanted to see his seniors reach their goal of making a deep run in the playoffs, he agreed that player safety should be the main priority.
“I would have liked to see how far this team would have made it in the playoffs, it has been the most complete team since I have been here at Porter,” Abraham Gracia said. “I was sad mostly because of our seniors that will not get to play in the playoffs their senior year after all their hard work these past four years. But I always say God has a plan and everything happens for a reason, even if sometimes we don’t know what that might be.”
Baseball and softball teams were just starting to find their forms when the seasons were put on pause, and it’s hard for coaches and players to know they won’t get back on the diamond this year.
Lyford senior Jerrica Rojas, a Prairie View A&M signee, had a storied career with the Lady Bulldogs and is struggling with the fact that she won’t return to the diamond with her team. She’s leaving her teammates and other young athletes with a message to not taking anything for granted, and to make the most of their high school experience.
“Hearing this today, it broke my heart. People keep saying, ‘Well, at least you’re going to keep playing at the collegiate level,’ but I don’t think they understand it’s not the same. High school ball is different,” Rojas said. “I’ll really miss making memories with the girls and having fun with them. I know the other senior girls are hurting, and it’s just hard for all of us.”
Harlingen South baseball coach Chris Gracia and Los Fresnos counterpart Rene Morales, like many others, said they’re hurting for their seniors and are sad to see promising seasons get cut short.
Morales set a team meeting for Monday via Zoom to give his Falcons a chance to help each other through the news.
“I am extremely disappointed, but of course I understand. We were playing so well, and it is extremely hard to see the season canceled,” Morales said. “I’m having difficulty finding the words to share with my players, especially with my seniors.”
Chris Gracia said his heart sank when he heard the news and said the day “just feels like a bad dream.”
He praised the work his senior group put in during their Hawks careers and said they left an impact on the program that goes beyond wins and losses.
“They have solidified the culture that we’ve been building at South through their hard work and leadership,” Chris Gracia said. “They have made me a better coach, and they have been role models to my two children. They really have set the standard for what it means to be Hawk baseball players.”