Rick Hinojosa took over the Edinburg IDEA Quest Trailblazers girls’ soccer team when head coach Teresa Gomez had to deal with a medical emergency.
It was a seamless transition. Hinojosa said his biggest goal and challenge was to “maintain the reputation Quest has built,” he said. “They’ve had some really good years here and I was stepping into an already-established program.
Mission accomplished.
The Trailblazers lived up to their name, running through District 30-4A unscathed with a 10-0 mark to win the district title. The Trailblazers will play their Class 4A bi-district matchup at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Tuloso-Midway High School.
Edinburg IDEA Quest is in the playoffs a year after finishing second. However, last year, the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic and there was no postseason.
Hinojosa said this year’s team gained a lot of experience, however, and now the senior-heavy team with nine seniors and only 13 players has their eyes set on a deep run. But first, they’re focusing on District 29-4A’s fourth seed, Tuloso-Midway.
The Trailblazers go into their bi-district game ranked as the No. 7 team in the state according to the Texas Girls Coaches Association’s latest poll.
Senior Karen Ramirez leads the offense with 21 goals and 16 assists. She was District 30-4A’s top scorer this season. Freshman Alma Ramirez was right behind her with 20 goals and senior Kayla Nunez added seven scores.
Defensively, senior Karla Barroso leads the team with 39 tackles. The Trailblazers gave up just eight goals in their 10-0 season, with four shutouts.
Tuloso-Midway comes into the match with a 0-4-1 district record, squeaking into the final playoff spot.
Despite the record and what seems to be a lop-sided matchup, Hinojosa said in the playoffs and in the sport, anything can happen.
“We don’t take them lightly,” Hinojosa said. “They come from a tough district and we will play them just like any top 10 team in the state. We hope to score quick and come out on top.”
The Trailblazers took on District 31-5A powerhouse Sharyland High as a warmup for both teams. Hinojosa said he was impressed with Xochitl Nguma, the Valley’s all-time leading scorer, and the rest of the Rattlers, who finished second in district, losing just two games, both to McAllen High.
“Sharyland is a different type of monster,” Hinojosa said. “Their passing and they way they play it flows so natural. They are the best team we played throughout the year.”
Still, Hinojosa saw a lot of positives with his Trailblazers.
“We did penetrate and got into their box and took some shots on goal,” he said. “We had a few opportunities to put it in the net but couldn’t get it to the back post. I was impressed with our girls, who worked hard and faced a lot of adversity this year and pulled through it. We had a couple opportunities to put it in the net.
“We’re excited and ready. The girls are motivating each other and it has worked all year. Now, our goal is to make a deep run. This program has never been past the second round, so that’s our goal. We have to win the first one though.”
The winner will play the winner of Port Isabel and Donna IDEA with time and date yet to be determined.