LA JOYA — No Rio Grande Valley high school baseball program has won more postseason series over the last four years than the La Joya High Coyotes with eight — and they’re not done yet.

The Coyotes are prepared to make their second Sweet 16 playoff appearance in three seasons as La Joya is locked into a Region IV-6A semifinal best-of-three series against San Antonio Johnson.

Game 1 between La Joya (23-14-1) and San Antonio Johnson (25-9) is at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Veterans Field in Laredo. Game 2 is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday at Veterans Field in Laredo. Game 3, if necessary, will be played 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2.

“I gotta give it up to our coaching staff and our kids because without them we wouldn’t be able to do this,” La Joya head coach Mario Flores said. 

La Joya’s return to the regional semifinal hasn’t been easy. The Coyotes have had their backs against the wall in both Rounds 2 and 3, yet they’ve found ways to fight their way out and advance.

In the area round, the Coyotes stormed back from a Game 1 loss against San Antonio Brennan to take Game 2, 3-0, and Game 3 in blowout fashion, 15-5.

In last week’s regional quarterfinal against Weslaco High, the Coyotes dropped Game 1 before bouncing back in Game 2, 3-0, and then won an 11-inning thriller 6-5 in Game 3 to get past the Panthers.

“When it comes to the playoffs, I think the guys that have experience calm the young guys down and I have to give credit to them because we have some young starters that don’t have that experience, but our older starters are able to settle them down and get them focused,” Flores said.

Senior pitcher Santiago Tijerina has been lights out in all three of his playoff starts so far, two of which were elimination games for the Coyotes.

He’s pitched three complete games this postseason, two no-hitters and hasn’t allowed a single run in 21 1/3 innings while striking out 28 batters.

“We just never give up, man. We just wanted to show everyone how bad we wanted to win and advance,” Tijerina said about the Coyotes’ battling back from 1-0 series deficits. “My mentality is just to stay focused and be able to hit every spot they give me and also make my defense work because I know I’m not going to do it by myself, I have to trust my defense. It feels good because they have my back and I have theirs.”

The last time La Joya was in the regional semis was in 2022 which ended in a 2-0 sweep at the hands of Lake Travis.

Now, the Coyotes must get through a three-game series against San Antonio Johnson to keep their playoff run alive. 

SA Johnson has defeated Cibolo-Steele, AustinBowie and Round Rock Westwood to reach Round 4. Johnson was also the team that ended PSJA High’s run to Round 4 just last season.

La Joya hopes to break through and advance to next week’s regional final against the winner between San Antonio O’Connor and San Antonio Reagan.

“It’s going to take situational hitting like we have had the last few rounds and hopefully we keep up with our bats,” Flores said.

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McALLEN — McAllen Memorial is marching into the fourth round of the state playoffs for the first time in program history, and it has proven people wrong every step of the way.

The Mustangs have played like a team that has nothing to lose and everything to gain because nobody thought McAllen Memorial would be here in the first place except the guys inside their own dugout.

“You can actually see the maturity in these guys in the last month — from not being a program that’s been very successful — it was more coming out here and doing it just to do it. Once they started seeing the results, that we have a pretty good team, we have a chance, they’re really enjoying it out here and feeling like they have a purpose to be out here every day,” said second-year head coach Roque Cortinas, a McAllen Memorial alumnus. “It’s making us a better team because we’re so relaxed with the attitude we have nothing to lose. We weren’t supposed to be here, so the pressure is off our shoulders when it comes to that.”

Now, the 2024 Mustangs have a chance to continue writing program history as they enter a Sweet 16 best-of-three playoff series against the Kerrville Tivy Antlers this weekend.

McAllen Memorial (24-13) opens its Region IV-5A semifinal series against Kerrville Tivy (20-19) at 7 p.m. today at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi. Game 2 is scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday at Cabaniss Field, with Game 3 to follow 30 minutes after, if necessary.

“Tivy is a team, similar to us, that relies a lot on their pitching. They’re a good team with some good arms, so we’re just going to go out there and enjoy it and give it everything we got,” Cortinas said.

McAllen Memorial has won back-to-back Game 3s on their road to the regional semifinals, showing it can grind out a tough, three-game series win.

First, against Coastal Bend power Corpus Christi Veterans in Round 2. Then last weekend against crosstown rival McAllen High, which historically has dominated Memorial during the past decade with a 14-1 record in the last 15 meetings.

The Mustangs once again showed this season is different by winning Game 3 against the Bulldogs 12-2 in six innings to earn their spot in the Sweet 16.

“It feels great making history. We all believed in each other from the start,” sophomore pitcher Hugo Rodriguez said after the win. “Everyone counted us out, but we just stuck together and did what we believed we could do.”

Memorial starts four seniors in UTRGV signee Manuel Villa, a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher; right fielder Jacob Sanchez, catcher Lukas Cabrera and second baseman Daniel Flores, who both signed to play baseball at Luna Community College in Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Their senior experience combined with a strong sophomore and junior class has provided a boost, and the Mustangs have put it all together this season to make program history at McAllen Memorial.

“We just kept battling, stuck through it and believed in each other. Last year we got the freshmen, this year they matured, we matured, we grew together as a team, and just balled out as a team and played together,” Flores said. “As the season kept going, we just put our faith in each other, our trust in each other and things started going our way. We worked hard all year and we’ve, for sure, proved people wrong.”

In the opposite dugout in Round 4 will be the Antlers. Tivy has defeated Liberty Hill, San Antonio Southwest and Boerne-Champion in the playoffs to reach this weekend’s regional semifinal series against McAllen Memorial.

“I feel like we need to practice with a chip on our shoulder because we are definitely the underdogs in this series, but who doesn’t like an underdog story?” Cabrera said. “What I want to see from our team is just continue playing the way we’re playing right now. We’re hot right now, so we just have to keep playing together and be united.”

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WESLACO — La Joya High and Weslaco High needed 11 innings and four hours, forty-four minutes to decide Game 3 of their Region IV-6A quarterfinal playoff series as the Coyotes emerged victorious 6-5 at Weslaco High School just after the clock struck midnight.

The Coyotes (23-15-1) advance to the Region IV-6A semifinals to face San Antonio Johnson. It will be La Joya’s second regional semifinal playoff appearance in three seasons. Game details are to be announced. Weslaco High’s season ends at 26-11-1 overall with the program’s first third round playoff appearance since 2007.

“We hit adversity in the first few innings but we came together. The kids came together and we kept saying ‘believe that we’re going to win’ and I’m glad we got it done,” La Joya head coach Mario Flores said. “I knew Weslaco was going to be tough. We just had to believe that we were going to win and we did.”

Weslaco jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings before La Joya responded with a three-run third and added another run in the top of the fifth to tie the game at 4-4.

The score stayed even for the next five innings as pitching and defense became the key for both teams, exchanging pitch for pitch and out for out.

That changed in the top of the 11th as La Joya’s Alfonso Balboa drew a four-pitch walk with one out to put the winning run on base. After a flyout to right field, Rolando Solis singled on a hard hit ground ball to right field as Balboa advanced to third.

In stepped La Joya’s Homer Munoz, the Coyotes’ leading hitter in batting average, RBI and home runs with six on the season. A passed ball brought Balboa across from third to make the score 5-4, then Munoz hit a ball deep to left center to score Solis for a 6-4 lead.

“I just wanted to make hard contact. I found a pitch I liked, I ripped it and I felt relieved we went up two runs instead of one,” Munoz said. “At the end of the day, we allowed one in (in the bottom of the seventh) so I’m glad we scored that second run to score an insurance run because it came back to count in the end.”

Weslaco had no quit in them, however. The Panthers drew two walks to put runners on first and second with two outs and Isaiah Garza singled to left field to drive in Toby Perez from second to make it 6-5 in the bottom of the 11th.

Diego Castillo drew a four-pitch walk with two outs to load the bases for the Panthers, but a chopper to first base was caught by La Joya’s Roel Garcia who stepped on first for the final out of the game, sending the Coyotes into Round 4 once again. 

La Joya used three pitchers for one out each in the bottom of the 11th in Ivan Marron, Lucas Zambrano and Santiago Tijerina, who threw a no-hitter on 104 pitches in a Game 2 win against Weslaco on Friday.

Nick Balderas started and went six innings, allowing four runs, one earned, off five hits and five walks with four strikeouts. Edwin Zuniga took over in the seventh and pitched four scoreless innings with three hits, one walk and five strikeouts. Zuniga earned the win and Tijerina picked up the save.

“I’m proud of our pitching staff. Nick Balderas came in throwing strikes and we talked about that it was going to take us throwing strikes and good situational hitting,” La Joya head coach Mario Flores said. “I told Homer that he was due today, he was seeing the ball and he came through with a big hit. I’m very proud of our pitching though.”

Munoz led La Joya at the plate on 3-for-4 hitting with two RBI and two walks. Garcia, Zambrano and Kevin Flores all finished with one RBI apiece for La Joya.

Weslaco used three pitchers across the 11 innings with Stone Gomez getting the start. He gave up four runs, three earned, off six hits and three walks while striking out three. Julien Caseres entered in the sixth and pitched five shutout innings with three strikeouts.

Weslaco freshman John Reyna finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and two walks. Ryan Everitt went 3-for-5 with one walk and Tony Qunitero finished 1-for-4 with two walks and one run.

The Coyotes will now prepare for a fourth round playoff series against San Antonio Johnson (25-9).

“We wanted this really bad. I think today was a great day and we accomplished everything we set out to,” Munoz said. “We started off slow but we ended up coming back fast. … Each inning it got tougher and tougher, I know they were tired too. Our pitching was great and it was a great game even though we were tired. We came through at the end of the day, especially with the pitching. The pitching was on point today.”

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McALLEN — McAllen Memorial has rallied around the phrase “Why not us?” this season.

The Mustangs have defied the odds all year long, first by clinching a playoff spot in a brutal district, then winning two postseason series against Brownsville Porter and Corpus Christi Veterans.

On Saturday, the McAllen Memorial Mustangs made program history by winning Game 3 of their Region IV-5A quarterfinal playoff series against crosstown rival McAllen High 12-2 in six innings at McAllen Memorial High School to punch their ticket next week’s regional semifinals, the furthest the Mustangs have ever advanced in the postseason.

“This is just exciting — to come back home to my alma mater and be able to do it here for the first time in my career. It’s my third shot at it and I’ve always lost that Game 3, and this time it worked out for us so I’m super excited for those young boys,” said Mustangs’ head coach Roque Cortinas, a McAllen Memorial alumnus.

McAllen Memorial (24-13) will meet Kerrville Tivy (18-18) in next week’s regional semifinals. Playoff details are to be determined. McAllen High’s season ends at 23-15 overall.

“It just feels great making history. We all believed in each other from the start,” Memorial sophomore pitcher Hugo Rodriguez said. “A lot of people counted us out, but we just stuck to ourselves and did what we believed we could do.”

The Mustangs exploded offensively with a seven-run second inning off five hits, two walks, two hit batters and one passed ball to take a commanding 8-0 lead after two.

“We had a talk about it in our clubhouse before and we just said this is what we wanted. I thought we had the upper-hand with the pitching we had left, so let’s just come out at home and give a good show,” Cortinas said.

Erik Serrano added an RBI single during the bottom of the fourth, Jacob Sanchez drove in one on an RBI single to left field and Gael Aguirre scored another on a sacrifice fly to right field for an 11-2 advantage after five.

Memorial shortstop Jose Rivera ended the game with a hard hit grounder that stayed just inside the third base line and rolled into left field for a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the sixth for the 10-run rule. Rivera hit a two-run home run in Game 1 against McHi, drove in Memorial’s only two runs on a two-run double in Game 2, and came through again on Saturday with the walk-off.

“(Rivera) has been our MVP all year, no doubt. He steps up every time we need him. Extremely hard-working kid and he deserves everything he gets,” Cortinas said of Rivera.

Memorial’s sophomore left-handed pitcher Rodriguez suffered an early injury that sidelined him for the majority of the season. He returned last week in relief against Corpus Christi Veterans and pitched well, which gave Cortinas the confidence to hand him the ball in the decisive Game 3. 

On Saturday, with a spot in the regional semifinals on the line, Rodriguez pitched 4 2/3 innings with two earned runs off three hits and six walks while striking out nine. RJ Rios finished the game with three strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings.

“I just believed in God’s process to get me healed and I never gave up and kept working my butt off to get back on the mound. My team never gave up on me and I never gave up on them,” he said. “Everyone counted us out but we never counted each other out.”

“He was tremendous — it goes back to his preparation for his craft. He works his butt off,” Cortinas said of Rodriguez. “At the end you could tell he was out of gas, but his heart kept going and he gave us all he had and it was enough.”

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McALLEN — The McAllen Memorial Mustangs had their backs against the wall against crosstown rival McAllen High following a Game 1 loss and responded with a 2-0 shutout victory in Game 2 of their Region IV-5A quarterfinal playoff series Friday at McAllen High School to keep their postseason run alive.

Now, the Mustangs and Bulldogs — who have played four times this season with two wins apiece — will meet in a decisive Game 3 at 1 p.m. Saturday at McAllen Memorial High School for a spot in the Class 5A regional semifinals.

“We talked about not giving up. It’s a series and a series will determine the better team. I think we’re evenly matched and I think it’s going to be a hell of a game tomorrow,” McAllen Memorial head coach Roque Cortinas said.

Mustangs right-handed pitcher and UTRGV signee Manuel Villa threw a complete game shutout, allowing just four hits and one walk across seven innings. He struck out five including two in the bottom of the seventh to secure the shutout in a must-win situation.

“We wanted to extend this to a third game and I’m glad I could come out here, shut them out and give my team a chance to take it all tomorrow and go to Round 4,” Villa said. “It was a team-effort. Defense played well today and it was a great team-win. ”

Memorial shortstop Jose Rivera, who blasted a two-run home run in Game 1 of the series against McHi on Thursday, showed off his power again with a shot off the center field wall in the top of the third to drive in Gael Aguirre and Lukas Cabrera to put the Mustangs in front.

“(Rivera) has been our MVP all year, no doubt. He steps up every time we need him. Extremely hard-working kid and he deserves everything he gets,” Cortinas said of Rivera.

McHi had its best scoring opportunity in the bottom of the fifth after a one out double by Justin Garza. Luis Esquivel followed with a single to left field, but the throw home from Memorial’s Erik Serrano was on the money and in time for the tag by the catcher Cabrera to save a run. Cabrera then threw to third in time to catch Esquivel trying to advance for a heads up inning-ending double play.

McHi pitcher Austin Ramos went all seven innings for the Bulldogs, allowing two earned runs off two hits and three walks while striking out five.

Austin Cortez, Max Villarreal, Justin Garza and Luis Esquivel had the hits for McHi.

Through four games against each other this season, Memorial is narrowly outscoring the Bulldogs 17-16. If their previous meetings are any indication of what’s in store, Game 3 should be a dog-fight between crosstown rivals battling for bragging rights and a spot in the fourth round of the state playoffs.

“We brought a lot of energy throughout the playoffs. We haven’t given up, and if we can carry that over, I think we’ll have a good chance,” Cortinas said.

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WESLACO — Weslaco High scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to get past La Joya High 6-4 in Game 1 of their Region IV-6A quarterfinal series Thursday at Weslaco High School.

The Panthers (26-9-1) lead the best-of-three series 1-0 against the Coyotes (21-15-1). Game 2 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday at La Joya High School. Game 3, if necessary, will be played at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Weslaco High School.

“It was exactly the type of game we expected against these guys,” Weslaco head coach JJ Garcia said. “We’re very evenly matched — we have good hitting, good pitching, and both sides didn’t give up today. It was a well-played game.”

Weslaco saw a 3-1 lead evaporate after La Joya plated three runs in the top of the fifth on a bases loaded walk by Kevin Flores and a 2-run single by Isaac Sayavedra

Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth, Weslaco’s Julien Casares singled to shortstop and advanced to second on a throwing error to first. Tony Quintero followed with a bunt single to move Casares to third.

Stone Gomez stepped into the batter’s box and blasted a shot deep to center field to score Casares and Quintero, then scored himself on a throwing error trying to get him out at third making it a 6-4 game.

“We were down by one with no outs, so I was just trying to get the ball deep in the outfield to get a run in and I did just that. Thankfully the ball got by them and we scored every single one,” Gomez said. “It was a battle and a good game from them, but we came out with the victory today and hopefully we can get it tomorrow.”

Panthers pitcher Diego Castillo capped off his complete game performance with a strikeout, pop out to second and a groundout to short to earn the win. He allowed four earned runs off six hits and two walks while striking out five.

Weslaco’s designated hitter Ryan Everitt finished 3-for-4 while Toby Perez went 2-for-2 with two walks. Gomez led the Panthers with two RBI and one run. Casares finished 1-for-2 with one walk and two runs scored.

La Joya’s Hunter Morales gave up three runs, two earned, off seven hits and four walks with five strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.

Coyotes center fielder Matthew Ortiz finished 2-for-3 with one RBI and Sayavedra went 1-for-3 with two RBI.

The Coyotes will look to bounce back from a 1-0 series deficit for the second week in a row after coming back to win two against San Antonio Brennan in the area round.

Weslaco, meanwhile, is one win away from punching its ticket to the regional semifinals.

“We can’t get too over-confident. We still have to go play at their place and they’re still the dangerous team they’ve been all year,” Garcia said. “We got to go out there, play a complete game and take care of it.”

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Lower Valley powers Brownsville Veterans and Lyford are headed to the Coastal Bend this weekend as the Chargers and Bulldogs enter the regional quarterfinals of the Class 5A and Class 3A state playoffs, respectively.

Brownsville Veterans (25-4-2) will meet Victoria East (28-9) in a three-game Region IV-5A quarterfinal series beginning with Game 1 at 7 p.m. Friday at Cabaniss Stadium in Corpus Christi. Game 2 will be played at 5 p.m. Saturday at Cabaniss Stadium. Game 3, if necessary, will follow 30 minutes following the conclusion of Game 2.

Meanwhile, Lyford (21-9) is set to lock horns with state-ranked Corpus Christi London (26-3) in a best-of-three series beginning with Game 1 at 7 p.m. Friday at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi. Game 2 is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at Whataburger Field, with Game 3 to follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2, if necessary.

BATTLE-TESTED BULLDOGS

Lyford is making its first third-round playoff appearance in 30 years after winning a three-game dogfight against Goliad in the second round.

All three games were decided by one run, with Lyford taking Game 1 6-5, Goliad stealing Game 2 13-12 in eight innings, and Lyford bouncing back in Game 3 for a 3-2 victory to take the series.

The battle-tested Bulldogs are now set to face off against state-ranked Corpus Christi London in the regional quarterfinals.

Sophomore Gael Silva leads Lyford at the plate with a .477 batting average, 42 hits, 41 RBIs and 17 doubles, all team highs. The big man also has stolen 16 bases.

Pitchers Aiden Olivas-Romo and Jacob Reyna have formed a steady 1-2 punch all year with freshman Diego Medina delivering a key performance in Game 3 against Goliad to help lift Lyford into Round 3. Olivas-Romo has scored 46 runs with 35 steals and a 5-2 record on the mound. He has a 2.75 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings pitched. Reyna is 4-1 with a 3.45 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings.

Senior Isaias Gonzalez also has been big for the Bulldogs, hitting .388 with 31 RBIs, four home runs, 48 runs and 22 steals.

Lyford is an underdog on paper, but the Bulldogs are ready for another dogfight against Corpus Christi London, a 2023 state qualifier.

CHARGED UP

Brownsville Veterans has been one of South Texas’ most dominant teams all year and has opened the 2024 postseason with back-to-back sweeps of Sharyland High and Rio Grande City.

Now in the third round of the playoffs for the first time in program history, the Chargers are looking to keep the run going as they head into a three-game series against Victoria East.

The Chargers are three-deep with solid starting pitching in Carlos Garza, Alfonso Bueno and Victor Beltran. The senior Garza’s 126 strikeouts this year set a single-season program record to go with a team-best .90 ERA in 70 innings. He’s 10-1 on the year and has pitched nine complete games, five shutouts and one no-hitter.

Bueno, a sophomore, is second on the team with 43 1/3 innings pitched, a 7-2 record, 1.29 ERA and 43 strikeouts to only eight earned runs. He’s thrown three complete games, one shutout and picked up two saves. Junior Victor Beltran is 3-0 in eight appearances and has pitched 28 1/3 innings this year with a .99 ERA and 21 strikeouts. Jose Jimenez also has pitched well in big games for the Chargers this season.

Brownsville Veterans is just as dangerous at the plate, with eight of nine regular starters batting north of .300. Garza leads the Chargers with a .457 batting average, 43 hits, 20 RBIs and 28 runs scored. Senior catcher Oscar Rodriguez bats a team-high .486 with 34 hits and 27 RBIs.

Victoria East is coming off a three-game series win against Sharyland Pioneer, and if this series with Brownsville Veterans should go all three, the Chargers have the pieces to match East.

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Last week belonged to La Joya High and Weslaco High’s softball programs as the two squared off in a third round playoff series featuring Valley vs. Valley teams.

One week later, it’s the boys’ turn to step into the spotlight.

La Joya (21-14-1) and Weslaco (25-9-1) baseball are set to collide in a three-game Region IV-6A quarterfinal playoff series Thursday through Saturday.

Game 1 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Weslaco High School. Game 2 is set for 7:30 p.m. at La Joya High School. Game 3, if necessary, will be played at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Weslaco High School.

The two teams met during tournament play on March 9 with La Joya winning 5-4 in six innings.

Now, a possible three games will determine whether the Coyotes or Panthers fight on in the state playoffs.

PANTHERS BREAK THROUGH

Weslaco High has been knocking on the door of the third round for years. This season, the Panthers kicked that door down by winning a Game 3 thriller at home last Saturday against Eagle Pass by a score of 9-8, winning on a walk-off bases loaded RBI single by freshman John Reyna.

“This team, some of these guys that are seniors and juniors, they’ve been around for a while on varsity and we’ve been close to the third round before, it just hasn’t happened,” first-year head coach JJ Garcia said. “This year, we were able to punch through and get here. These guys are ready to go. This is what we set our sights on at the beginning of the year and one of them was to make a deep playoff run.”

Now, Weslaco is preparing to play in its first regional quarterfinal playoff series since 2007.

“We’ve been putting in lots of work, just the second team in Weslaco Panther baseball history to make it to Round 3. It means a lot to everybody in the community,” senior Ryan Everitt said.

The Panthers have been consistent all season using a blend of senior leadership and young pitching. 

Seniors Everitt and Stone Gomez are both four-year lettermen who contributed early in their careers for the Panthers. Now, they’re the leaders the rest of the dugout looks to to steer the ship.

“I thought we had good enough teams to get to Round 3, but we finally put the pieces together and got it done. It feels good to make history,” Gomez said. “It’s going to be a battle for sure. We’ve played (La Joya) the past four years and they’ve always been a good team. They have good pitchers, good batters, but so do we. It’s going to be a good series.”

COYOTES BACK IN ROUND 3

The La Joya Coyotes are set to make their third regional quarterfinal playoff appearance in four seasons, a tough run to pull off for any program at any level.

“We have a few guys that were freshmen that first year we made it to the third round, now they’re seniors. They may not have gotten a lot of playing time that first year, but they got that experience of the playoff atmosphere and now they’re hungry,” La Joya head coach Mario Flores said.

The Coyotes finished as runner-up in District 31-6A and opened the playoffs with a bi-district sweep against San Benito. In Round 2, La Joya lost Game 1 of its series against San Antonio Brennan before storming back to take Games 2 and 3 to advance. 

“We came together as a team to battle through that first game loss. We got the bats hot and were able to run-rule them in Game 3,” La Joya junior Hunter Morales said.

For La Joya’s seniors, their experience of putting together deep postseason runs has been key and will be again against Weslaco. They also know what it takes to win a regional quarterfinal playoff series featuring Valley vs. Valley teams after defeating Edinburg Vela in the third round of the 2022 state playoffs to earn their spot in the regional semifinals.

“I’ve been in this program all four years and it feels amazing to be back. A lot of people doubted us from the start, but we’re here now,” senior Lucas Zambrano said. “The atmosphere is amazing. It’s going to be fun for both communities. It’s going to be a good series.”

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