WESLACO — Jaisy “Piper” Caceres took a massive swing and the ball rose high into the air toward right-center field.

“I wanted to get a pitch I could drive to the opposite field,” the Weslaco East junior catcher said. “But I didn’t get all of that one.”

A wind from home plate toward center, however, may have given the towering shot just a little extra nudge to clear the wall for athree-run homer and Weslaco East defeated McAllen Memorial 5-0 in the UIL softball Class 5A bi-district round of the playoffs.

It is the second straight year for the Wildcats to advance past the first round and they will play the winner of Corpus Christi Flor Bluff at a time and place to be determined.

Senior pitcher Melissa Cabrera pitched a complete-game two-hit shutout, striking out eight. Cabrera is one half of the Weslaco East twin-pitching combo. Her twin sister, Ariana, is a left-handed starter for East.

“The plan was to let my defense do their job,” said Cabrera, who used the whole strike zone the first two times through the lineup before mixing in her rise ball in the later innings. “My best pitch is my riser and I wanted to give them some differentlooks there.”

East led 2-0 on a pair of hits and an error after one inning. During the second, Melissa Cabrera hit a one-out single to left and Ariana Cabrera followed with a walk. Caceres followed with her seventh home run of the season.

Caceres and Cabrera have been a catcher-pitcher duo for 10 years, the pitcher said. During the third inning with one out and arunner on third, both made eye contact during a pitch and Caceres fired the ball down to third to nail a runner leading too far off the bag.

“We had watched a little film and saw they liked taking big leads,” Cabrera said. “I knew it was coming. She has an amazing arm.”

Weslaco Each fifth-year head coach Victoria Vasquez said her team is more experienced after having 11 returners come back from last year.

“We had some gung-ho freshmen come out as well,” Vasquez said. “This team all year has been team-before-me. Every single one of them has a role and they know what that role is, whether it’s a practice player, a courtesy runner or no matter what it is.”

After the second-inning homer, Memorial sophomore pitcher Kaitlyn Martin settled down, allowing just two hits during the final five innings and setting down the Wildcats on three pitches in the fourth.

Melissa Cabrera led Weslaco East with three singles and two runs scored. Ariana Cabrera added an RBI double, a walk and a pair of runs scored. The top three hitters in the Weslaco East lineup accounted for five of the team’s seven hits and all five runs scored.

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McALLEN — For those not familiar with all the different events in track and field competition, don’t be alarmed by theawkwardness of those competing in the triple jump.

What looks akin to a baby giraffe attempting to walk for the first time is an event that was inspired by the earliest OlympicGames and has been a part of those games since their inception in 1896. It has also been known as the hop, skip and jump.

No matter the name, it still looks awkward and it’s tremendously challenging.

Those are precisely the two reasons McAllen High’s Miranda Quintanilla decided to compete in it.

“There isn’t anything like it. It’s such an odd jump,” the junior said. “That’s what attracted me to it. I basically tried every otherevent and it just clicked. I continued doing it until now.”

Now, Quintanilla is headed to the UIL Class 5A regional track championship Friday and Saturday at Heroes Stadium in SanAntonio, after winning the area meet last weekend with a jump of 35 feet, 5 inches. She is ranked third overall in Region IV witha personal best jump of 37-3. Zaniah Hoskins from Johnson High is third at 37-5, while Leander Rouse’s Ella Lewis is second at38-7. Leading the region with a 39-8.75 jump is Georgetown freshman Lily Muzzy.

The top two finishers advance to the state meet.

“The plan moving forward is to stay in the right headspace and just jump,” said Quintanilla, who also competed in the 200-meterdash, the 100- and 300-meter hurdles, the long jump and the 4×100 relay this season. “When I relax and just jump, let it happen, it works better. I’ve been doing that the past couple meets. Right before I jump my coaches say relax. I just jump better when I don’t focus on a PR.”

McHi head coach Luis Cantu said Quintanilla is starting to jump well at the right time and her fitness is also at a peak level.

“The big thing is that some people get to a point where they start looking at numbers like, ‘I want to get a 38 or 39,’ and forget about working the little things that get you to that mark. Once you forget about those things everything plays itself. Once she gets on her mark, then on the board, all other phases will come through and she will jump well.”

Quintanilla also has some emotional inspiration as well. Her father, Robert Quintanilla, died on New Year’s Day 2022. He was a Pharr Police Department patrolman, K9 handler, task force officer and criminal investigator during his 12 years with the department.

For those who know Miranda, more than likely they knew her father, omnipresent when his oldest of two daughters was competing and, often times, there when she was practicing.

“That’s been the hardest thing to happen to me, but also one thing that has pushed me to keep going,” she said. “That’s what he wanted. Traveling was our thing. He was always with me, talking about track. So I’m going into it with my full heart.

“I took a break and coming back was a bit hard. But after that first practice, I knew I needed to be back here. He would want me here.”

Cantu said the timing is right and with a breakout day Quintanilla could end up on the podium and maybe with a trip to state next.

“That event challenges your body to do different things. You don’t just wake up and say, ‘I’m going to do the triple,’” Cantu said.“It’s a very complicated thing to teach. You have to have rhythm, to find a little rhythm.

“Come regionals and on any given day, sometimes jumpers that are doing 37 or 38 (feet) are not having a good day and we’re hoping she has one of those breakout days. She just needs to put everything together and work all her phases.”

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McALLEN — Sabrina Garza won the 800-meter run at the Meet of Champions on March 26 in Donna, it was the beginning of a meteoric two weeks for the McAllen High runner.

Days later, the senior broke the school record in the mile, set in 1983.

That led to her securing yet another milestone, announcing her commitment last week to the Texas A&M track & field team, one of the reasons she left the volleyball court as one of the best defensive specialists in the Valley to focus 100% on running.

“I sacrificed something that was a big part of my life for so long for these events (the 800 and 4×400). I’ve put my all into it,” Garza said. “It has been so exciting, and all this happened in a matter of six days. I’ve been working so hard. For the the good things to happen so fast, it’s been such an awesome feeling, and I haven’t reached my full potential.

“I’ve known that I could run a 2:15 since my sophomore year. It was just gaining the confidence, keeping up with everything my coaches were telling me and I started seeing those drops in times. Running faster would feel easier.”

That included second-year coach Daniel De La Rosa, a former 800-meter state champion, who incorporated mileage into the workouts, for both cross-country and track.

“It was a big adjustment,” Garza said. “You’d look at the schedule and see a 10-mile-long run in the middle of July and it was a bit intimidating. I didn’t want to wake up most days to put in the mileage but it helped a lot to get to the next level.”

“The time doesn’t lie. She put herself in a good position with that,” McAllen High track head coach Luis Cantu said. “Once she ran that 2:15(.92) at the Meet of Champs, the calls and emails from colleges started pouring in. That was a big number.”

Garza then set the mile record in 5 minutes, 14.96 seconds, April 1 at the Rio Grande City Rey Ramirez Relays . It was only her second time running the event this year.

“Once she committed to just running, it took her to the next level,” Cantu said. “She has been really driven and lasers focused on wanting to run at A&M. Now, she’s been able to put those afternoon runs in where she wasn’t able to before. She made the change to get to where she’s at now.”

Peaking at the right time is always critical for runners and, Cantu said, it looks like Garza is doing it at the right time as the second day of the District 31-5A track meet beginning at 6 p.m. today at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.

Garza is third in Region IV Class 5A in the 800. The top two runners make it out of the regionals to advance to state, but there’s also one old card for the best time that isn’t among the top two. Cedar Park’s Isabel Conde de Frankenbberg is first in the region and state with a time of 2:10.97. Boerne-Champion’s Anastacia Gonzales is second in the region, third in the state, at 2:12.97.

“She will have to have another PR and a big performance,” Cantu said. “She just has to put it together all at the right time.”

But first is district, where Cantu and his girls track team are looking for a fourth straight district title. The boys team is also hoping to defend its title.

Today, Garza will compete in the 400, 800 and 4×400 relay, with a team that set a school record last year in the event.

“Things are aligning for her right now,” Cantu said. “Her fitness and drive is at a different level. She sees the big picture and getting to state in the 800 and giving herself a good shot is the goal. Her dreams are reality now. If she has good race in the 800 and tucks in and waits for the kickers’ race, she can make it a reality, too.”

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CORPUS CHRISTI — When Julianna Millin scored with 6:42 remaining during the first half to close McAllen High’s deficit to one goal, suddenly there seemed to be a different air of Bulldogs’ confidence.
That same air of confidence rose again after a Mallory Henderson penalty kick, coming after a handball call in the box, cut the deficit once again to one.
Boerne-Champion, however, struck one more time late during the second half to capture a 4-2 win over McHi in the Region IV-5A girls soccer semifinal Friday at the Cabaniss Sports Complex.
“It was about scoring chances and we had some,” McHi head coach Patrick Arney said. “The girls played well and had this team scared.”
The Chargers jumped out to a 2-0 lead and looked to be in a mismatch with a somewhat shaky starting Bulldogs group. However, Millin, a freshman who led the Bulldogs in scoring this season, took a pass from senior Briana Claudio during a flurry in front of the goal and scored. Millin took another shot at 3:57 remaining that the B-C keeper stopped to keep her team in front at the half. The standout freshman scored in all four Bulldogs’ postseason games this season.
B-C opened the scoring on a goal from Mackenzie Arendali during the fifth minute and went up 2-0 when Emily Peters drilled a shot from about 35 yards out.
While the Chargers didn’t necessarily hold possession for long persiods, their pressing and aggressive defense forced McHi completely out of their ball control possession game, making them pass the ball early and accurately. B-C, however, often was a step in front of McHi and made several more runs on goal.
With 10:45 remaining in regulation, the Chargers created a flurry of activity in front of the goal, but keeper Bethany Sanchez fully extended in traffic, made the save and preserved her team’s one-goal deficit, keeping them in the contest.
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“This would’ve been Moira time.”

McAllen High girls soccer head coach Patrick Arney quietly uttered those words on the sidelines as he watched his Bulldogs hold a 4-0 lead over Corpus Christi Veterans in the Region IV-5A second-round match.

But Moira wasn’t there. She collapsed while practicing soccer for her club team. Her father rushed to her from watching on the sidelines — a parent’s nightmare manifesting — but it was too late. Moira Arney, a 15-year-old incoming sophomore, died Aug. 17, 2021.

“I had to give her mouth-to-mouth,” Arney said earlier this week, the pain still resonating in his voice. “She died in my arms. I still wish to wake up. It’s been a f— nightmare.”

Now, everywhere he looks during McHi soccer matches, there are reminders of Moira, his Moira, the one he bragged about without really bragging. He loved talking about her and playing soccer. He still does, but he’s a bit more subdued about it. There are still times when the emotions are too great. He was her father and coach. But it was cut way too short.

Several of her teammates wear her name and jersey number — “Moira 16” — on their inside forearms as a reminder, an almost living memorial and tribute. The Bulldogs play in the Region IV-5A semifinals, also known as the Sweet 16, against Boerne-Champion at 4:30 p.m. today at the Cabaniss Sports Complex in Corpus Christi. McHi was the first girls soccer team from the Valley to make it to the Final Four, doing so in 2018.

Teammate and lifelong friend Mia Reyna remembers that nightmarish day. Well, she remembers parts — the rest are blacked out from her mind and memory. Even today she says she still doesn’t think she’s processed it all.

“We’ve been friends and our families have been friends basically since me and Moira were born,” said Reyna, who was practicing on an adjacent field that day. “We made eye contact a couple times. Then I saw her going down and fall. After that everything is a blur, My mind kind of dismissed that type of trauma.”

Arney, after taking some time to mourn and undergo hip replacement, didn’t miss a beat when it came to returning to the pitch. Reyna said his return was a huge step toward healing for everyone involved.

“I’m glad he’s back. It’s a way of coping with the situation. And he’s happy,” Reyna said. “I hope he feels that this is his second family. In this type of distress, you need unity. I’m glad McHi soccer can bring that to him and his family.

“It’s not the same, but this has made us strong.”

“They have been so supportive and giving and caring, I don’t think I’ve ever been unattached,” Arney said. “They’ve been everything someone could ask for.”

Now the attention turns to a Boerne-Champion team (17-3-4) that is ranked 67th in the nation and 18th in the state, according to MaxPreps.com. McHi is 368th and 96th in comparable rankings, respectively. The Bulldogs have scored 128 goals this season and given up 38, while B-C has netted 90 goals and allowed just 13.

“I think they’re a mirror image of us but maybe just a little better,” Arney said. “They play very experienced and they are in a tough district and they beat Liberty Hill, who beat us first early in the year. It’s tough to face that type of aggression and pace.

“They are going to come after us, there’s no doubt about it, and force us to make good passes, making us play better. It’s different. We have to win the ball quick. It’s gonna be difficult to face a team that can possibly out possess us. We’re gonna need to play a perfect game.”

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HARLINGEN — Sofia Alaniz-Choy has a booming leg.

So, when she was given a free kick from the 40-yard line with a driving wind behind her, everyone on the field and in the stands (at least on the McAllen Memorial side) knew where the ball was going.

And no one could stop it.

Alaniz-Choy, who has regularly scored from a seemingly different solar system at times this season, blasted the kick straight at the goal. Corpus Christi Flour Bluff kept Jillian Martinez reaching as high as she could while backing and grabbing it — but inside the goal line.

The goal came just two minutes into the second half and was the first of three second-half goals within the first 5 minutes, 30 seconds as McAllen Memorial captured a 4-1 victory over Flour Bluff in the Region IV-5A area playoffs Tuesday at Harlingen South High School.

“She just brings another level of danger really from anywhere on the field,” Memorial head coach Matthew Kaiser said. “What’s crazy is she can do it with both legs. She has a strong left foot and a cannon of a right leg. She can put it in front of the goal and she can score from a long way.”

The Mustangs face Gregory-Portland, which defeated McAllen Rowe 2-1, in the to the Region IV-5A quarterfinals at a time, date and site to be announced. It’s the first time Memorial advances to the third round since 2015, when it reached the fourth round.

“The wind was going across the field, so I was going to hit it a little more to the left than normal,” Alaniz-Choy said. “I was pretty far out and knew the wind would help me. After I kicked it I knew it was gonna get there but if it didn’t I knew Madisyn (Sosa) or someone would be there for a simple putback.

“I thought it was going to be off the goal so it wasn’t the perfect way I wanted to go but it was the outcome I was hoping for.”

After shutting out Flour Bluff during the first half — while the Hornets had the stiff wind to their backs, and Bethany Garr scoring with 3 minutes remaining for a 1-0 lead — the Mustangs took better advantage of that wind. Following Alaniz-Choy’s bomb from deep, Bailey Sullivan scored just a minute later off an Alaniz-Choy corner kick that freshman Chloey Mejia popped over to Sullivan for a 3-0 advantage.

“Going in, we were hoping for a 0-0 score at halftime, fighting the wind. And we chose that in the coin flip,” Kaiser said. “We felt good about not getting scored on and that goal by Bethany was a great start and gave a lot of confidence at the half.”

Two minutes later it was Madisyn Sosa, barreling down the middle of the field on a breakaway and finding the back of the net. A hard-fought first-half for a 1-0 lead was suddenly 4-0.

“I’ve said before Madisyn can explode at any given moment and I know she was hungry,” Kaiser said. “You could see it on her face.”

Sosa and company had multiple clean shots, breakaways and opportunities on goal during the first half, along with two breakaways called back for being offside, but didn’t find the back of the net until Garr’s shot late during that period. Kaiser said it was definitely frustrating. Then they exploded offensively to start the final four minutes.

“(The first half) was super frustrating. During halftime we talked about being a little disappointed but told the girls it’s in the past, redeem yourselves,” Kaiser said.

“They did.”

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McALLEN — One year ago suddenly seems like ages for McAllen High senior Briana Claudio.

That’s how long it was, nearly to the day, when Claudio tore her left ACL during the bi-district round of the playoffs against Edcouch-Elsa.

Claudio said at the time she was done with soccer forever. She tore her other ACL prior to her sophomore season and missed the year. But, with some persuasion from mother and teammates, she returned.

Friday, at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, that decision to play again paid monster dividends. Claudio scored three times during the first half and McHi claimed an 8-0 victory over the same Edcouch-Elsa Yellow Jackets in the same bi-district round of the playoffs.

It was a story that came back full circle, and with a “they all lived happily ever after” ending.

The win sends McHi, the District 31-5A champions, to the area round at 6 p.m. Monday against Corpus Christi Veterans at the Corpus Christi’s Cabaniss East Field, a rematch of last year’s regional quarterfinals won by McHi 5-1. It defeated Veterans by the same score during the McAllen ISD girls soccer tournament at the beginning of this season.

“At first I was scared, just remembering that this is the team,” Claudio said. “But talking to (teammate) Mallory (Henderson) and my team they were like, ‘No, Bri, you’re OK.’ After awhile I got my confidence back and just started playing without thinking about it.

“I’ve had so many people supporting me who say they are amazed at what I have done. It’s been just so much support.”

From the start, the Bulldogs began raining shots on Edcouch, which came out playing 100% defense, hoping for a counter attack and score, and led 3-0 during the first 11 minutes of the match.

Then, Claudio scored on a cross from freshman Julianna Millin, who scored the previous two goals after Mallory Henderson opened the scoring seven minutes in.

“It was great to see them connect like that early on,” McHi head coach Pat Arney said. “They passed the ball and were patient. But it was huge to score that early. The longer you go without scoring, the more confidence the other team gains and the more anxious you get.”

Claudio scored again on a free kick from 20 yards with a wall of defenders in front of her. Her shot cleared the human wall and had enough touch on it to not climb over the crossbar, but hit the left post and ricochet into the right side for a 5-0 lead.

“(Coach Michael) Smith came up and said, ‘What about Bri here,’” Arney said. “She has such a great touch and showed it there. What a goal that was.”

Nine minutes later she rocketed a rebound off a keeper save, volleying it in the air and to the back of the net for the hat trick and a 6-0 lead.

Emma Wilkins and Milan Diaz got in the scoring action with a goal apiece during the second half.

Despite giving up those first-half goals, Edcouch-Elsa sophomore goalkeeper Alexa Rodriguez made several impressive saves while the Bulldogs barraged her with shots from all over the field. The Bulldogs controlled the ball close to 80% of the time during the dominant first half, making multiple runs on goal, using precision passing and giving Edcouch very few opportunities to counter.

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One year ago, McAllen High’s Briana Claudio heard one of the worst sounds known to athletes. It was a sound that has become all too familiar in the sports world.

Pop.

“I knew what that meant,” she said. “Oh no, I did it again.”

It was the first round of the playoffs against Edcouch-Elsa with about 10 minutes remaining and Claudio had just torn her left ACL. Her season was over.

In her mind, after tearing her right ACL following her freshman season and missing her sophomore year, that was it. It meant the season was over and goodbye to soccer, forever.

“I said I was done. I wasn’t going to play again,” she said.

But Claudio’s mother told her, “You’re just saying that now. You’re going to come back stronger than ever. You’ve been raised on a soccer field.”

Mom, as always, was right again.

She’ll be back on the field at 7 p.m. Friday as the Bulldogs host the same Yellow Jackets for the Class 5A bi-district round at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Claudio, who head coach Patrick Arney calls a “huge sparkplug” on the team, was the Bulldogs’ second-leading scorer with 10 goals during District 31-5A play. She missed a little more than two games with a toe injury in the district season opener against McAllen Rowe but has been back ever since.

“Bri brings so much to this team,” said Arney, who coached Claudio’s mother, Claudia, during his second year at the McHi helm. “I’ve known that girl all her life. She’s smart, aggressive and just gets after it. She’s a major piece to our puzzle. And it’s just fun to watch her play.”

Arney, however, was on the same side as Claudio’s mother when it came to whether or not he would see her back on the pitch.

“I never wrote her off, even when she said I’m not going to play. She’s too much of a competitor,” Arney said. “We all would have been plenty happy to have her on the sidelines and she would’ve been around. But I just had this feeling.”

Claudio said her mind change as a decision as quickly as flipping a switch. She added that her friends and teammates, especially Mallory Henderson and Brynn Hornbuckle kept encouraging her to get back out there one more time as seniors.

“One minute I was done and the next minute it was let’s go — one last ride with my team. And I’ve been so happy to play with all my teammates, from the new freshmen to my old teammates. It’s just awesome to be playing with them again.”

It was an exciting District 31-5A race to the finish this year. During the final game of the season, McAllen Memorial held a one-point lead, with 33 points, over McHi, after defeating Sharyland Pioneer, earlier in the day. McAllen Rowe and Sharyland High also won their final games and they were tied with McHi at 32 points. The Bulldogs, however, defeated Valley View 9-0 to capture their seventh straight district title.

“Here’s a kid who, if anyone has ever had a legitimate excuse to quit, it was Bri,” Arney said.”She worked hard to return, then tore the other one. Then she got her surgery and during the summer she was working out at 6 a.m. She would go to Doc’s (trainer Joe Ramos) every day in the summer, worked hard and got better.

“You can’t tell she had surgery on either knee. It’s a joy to see a kid who had worked, so hard after the unlucky things in life that happened. It’s been so special to see that.”

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MISSION — When Kenan Nuñez walks the Mission Veterans High School hallways these days, the questions have changed from those wondering about the Patriots girls soccer team.

“They don’t ask anymore if we won,” the fifth-year head coach said. “Now they’re asking how much we’ve won by.”

At a school known for perennial success, especially on the gridiron and the volleyball court, Mission Veterans girls soccer is carving its way along a similar successful path. The Patriots won their second straight District 30-5A title, going unbeaten along the way — also for a second straight year.

“That was the goal since the beginning of the year,” said Aliyah Pelayo, a junior forward who leads the team in district goals scored with 18, placing her 10th in the Valley. “Coach told us that no team has won back to back, so we wanted to make history. It was tougher this year. Teams played us harder, but we were able to accomplish it.”

The Patriots, 9-0-1 in district play, are set for a rematch with District 29-5A No. 4 seed Corpus Christi Flour Bluff in the bi-district round of the playoffs. Time, date and place will be announced Monday. Flour Bluff won last year’s meeting 2-1.

“We know we can play with them. It was a great game last year,” team captain Gabby Longoria said. “It’s not revenge, but more for vindication this time. It’s going to come down to who wants it more.”

The team has battled through a plethora of injuries throughout the year and, at one point or another, each of their three goalkeepers has been hurt. Mia Sanchez, the district MVP last year, is also out for the season with an Achilles injury. She was leading the team in goals and assists before she was injured about three weeks ago.

“She’s the one that dictates pace and tempo for our team,” Nuñez said. “Aliyah stepped up big time when she went down.”

Pelayo scored in every match this year for the Patriots, including a pair of 1-0 wins against La Joya High and second-place Laredo Martin. The only goal given up this year by Mission Veterans came in a 1-1 tie with Martin during the first round of district play. Vets won that match in a shootout.

Mission Veterans scored 39 district goals this season in their 10 matches. Pelayo is the offensive firepower while Longoria, also a junior on a team that will return all but three players, is the stop gap player who has been asked to perform many tasks and play multiple positions.

“I can put her anywhere,” Nuñez said. “She can play every position and has been so valuable filling in wherever we need her, especially with the injuries we’ve had this season. She’s going to do whatever she needs to do to help the team.”

The team uses ball control as its best defense, usually keeping the ball on their side of the field up to 70% of the time, Nuñez said.

When Nuñez first arrived at Mission Veterans, girls soccer was more of an afterthought. Winning has changed that, gaining interest both in the eyes of the school and in the eyes of District 30-5A opponents. The Patriots are standing firmly now at the top of the District 30-5A food chain.

“There was a time when we were looking for targets to go after, to show what we could do,” he said. “Now, we’re the ones carrying the target.”

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MISSION — McAllen Memorial head coach Matthew Kaiser likes to “release” forward Bethany Garr.

Her “release” translated into three goals and an assist — along with multiple other offensive attacks — Tuesday morning as the Mustangs rolled to a 7-0 victory over Sharyland Pioneer in the teams’ final District 31-5A match of the season.

The win pushed Memorial to 10-2-2 in district play and with 33 points, atop the district, prior to McAllen High’s game later Tuesday against Valley View. If McHi wins, the Bulldogs will clinch their seventh straight district title.

Memorial scored three times during the first 20 minutes of the first half, Garr putting in a rebound off a save after teammate Madisyn Sosa fired the shot on goal. The Mustangs played to near perfection, showing their speed, ball handling skills, passing and ability to dribble the ball up the middle, deep into Pioneer territory.

It’s a different Memorial team than the one early in the season, where long-balls and counter attacks were more prevalent. Now it’s a team with the same number of weapons, but weapons used more frequently and in abundance. The 70 goals scored in district play are tied with McHi prior to the Bulldogs’ game later Tuesday against Valley View.

At the Memorial forefront sits Garr, a senior captain, who has 15 district goals and 19 overall for the season, second on the team to freshman sensation Chloey Mejia.

“We had key players come in this year and at the start of the year we were adapting to playing with a new center of the field,” Garr said. “We’ve adapted to it really well and we’re not just playing long balls. More room is opening up and we’re not having to run as long and that’s a good thing.”

“She is a phenomenal athlete; she’s all hustle and muscle. That’s her style. There’s no stop, there’s no governor on her,” Kaiser said of this three-year forward. “She’s all-out all the time. She’s a very consistent and dependable player and she never runs out of gas.

“She creates moments for herself with her burst of speed and a real hunger to go and score. Not everybody has that. Sure, they like to score but don’t have the hunger to make it and create it. It’s nice to release her and let her go do her thing.”

Garr wasted no time doing her thing throughout the first half as she streaked down the sideline time and again, beating her defender(s) with speed and grace, with or without the ball. She took multiple runs for shots on goals or crosses, like the pass she delivered to Sofia Alaniz-Choy, leading her perfectly to launch a shot during the ninth minute, giving Memorial a quick 2-0 lead.

“She’s always going to be there,” Garr said about Alaniz-Choy. “I know that’s where she’ll be and she was.”

Garr followed that with a beautiful crossover move, leaving a pair of defenders stumbling and a step behind, which was more than enough room to power in another goal, with 20:07 remaining in the half for a 3-0 advantage.

“They had one of their defenders trying to clear it, but it bounced of her thigh and I got it and drove it into some space,” Garr said. “I saw two girls in front of me and I cut back and found myself in the middle of the goal.

“You never know how much space you’re going to have until you look up and I was at kind of close and had confined space but I knew it was my chance.”

Mejia scored the final goal of the half, dribbling the ball deep into Pioneer territory, one-timing the ball from right to left and ripping a shot from 25 yards into the back of the net.

“The goal is to always play ahead and set the tone,” Kaiser said. “There was a concern with it being Spring Break and a morning game so let’s not wait until halftime. You’ve got to play the game and never take anybody for granted.”

Garr, Sosa and Mejia all scored in the second half.

“We’ve developed into a more diverse style of play and can do more than just one thing. We’re not just a one-trick pony,” Kaiser said. “We need to be able to do different things and take what other teams give us. If they give us space, take it but when we play a team like Rowe or McHi, get rid of it because they will pressure you right away. We want them to see how different teams play and make adjustments.”

Memorial will more than likely play Donna High in the bi-district round of the Class 5A playoffs. The Bravettes finished third in District 32-5A. Details have yet to be announced.

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