McALLEN — McAllen High head coach Patrick Arney walked off the field with his team at halftime and said to no one in particular, “That’s not good.”

His team held a 1-0 lead with a heavy wind at the Bulldogs’ back during the first half. Now it was Sharyland High’s turn.

Despite keeping the Rattlers off the scoreboard for more than 35 minutes during the second half, a screamer by Allyson Knobel from about 45 yards out hit nothing but the back of the net to tie the game and the Rattlers pulled off a victory in penalty kicks after ending the game in regulation tied at 1. It was the second time this season the Bulldogs, who came into the game having scored a Valley-high 69 goals in 12 district matches, fell in PKs, losing the district opener in the same fashion to McAllen Rowe.

The PK victory gives the Rattlers 29 points, while McAllen High remains atop an insanely tight district with 32 points and one game remaining, against Valley View.

Sharyland High defeated McHi 3-2 in regulation during the first round of District 31-5A.

McAllen Memorial moved into sole possession of second place with 30 points after defeating McAllen Rowe in PKs on Friday night. Rowe is tied with Sharyland for third place with 29 points.

During a match in which the crossbar and post were as much a part of the game as anyone on the field, McHi’s Briana Claudio scored just five minutes into the match for a 1-0 lead. McHi made several runs and fired at will throughout the first half but couldn’t connect. Julianna Millin, the team’s leading scorer, was shadowed all over the field, oftentimes by two defenders and kept quiet for most of the match, getting very few touches in any open space.

“We put a double stopper on No. 9 (Millin) for the first half but then changed it for the second half,” Sharyland High head coach Mario Ribera said. “We played more defensively in the first half. With a team like McHi you can’t just take them one-on-one. I mean, McHi is McHi. In the second, we went back to the 4-4-2 and took some risks. Sometimes you have to.”

The second half, however, was a completely different game, as foresaw by Arney at halftime. The Rattlers controlled much of the second half and, like McHi in the first half, had several opportunities but continued to come up blank. Then after a quick back-and-forth possession between the teams, Knobel rushed in after a rebound off a McHi player and launched the game-tying goal.

Just three minutes earlier, Knobel was playing sweeper.

“I was talking to my assistant coach and we decided to move her up to midfield and she just came in and got that rebound and put it in. She has come through for us,” Ribera said. “In the final five minutes against McAllen Memorial, she scored on a free kick. It’s just a great feeling.”

The Bulldogs countered whenever possible and on at least three occasions they had numbers on a breakaway. One of them, however, was called offsides and the other two ended with a shot wide and one off the more-than-invasive side post after Millin took the ball downfield, danced a pair of Rattlers stumbling off the ball, took a sidestep and let a shot rip.

McHi travels to Valley View, McAllen Memorial will play at Sharyland Pioneer, Sharyland High will host PSJA Memorial and McAllen Rowe will host PSJA Southwest on Monday to determine playoff positioning and a district champion. McHi can win its seventh straight district title with a regulation win over Valley View.

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McALLEN — Julianna Millin knew she had to get a shot off quickly. After taking a pass from Brynn Hornbuckle near the top of the box, Millin tap danced with the ball for a split second, turned and saw McAllen Memorial’s defense charging at her.

She fired.

Then, she turned around a la Stephen Curry and slowly walked toward midfield.

Then the ball went in.

It may not have been in that exact order, but it was close. The goal gave McHi a 3-2 lead with 12:38 remaining. The freshman sensation scored again a few minutes later, and McHi took control of District 31-5A with an exciting, fast-paced and rough 4-2 victory over Memorial on Friday at Joe Boxer Stadium.

“I knew the game wasn’t over after that (first) goal,” said Millin, who now has 21 goals in 11 district matches. “I knew going into the game I would need to have a quick release because of their defensive pressure.

The Bulldogs have won six straight district title and very few games during that span have matched the significance of Friday’s game for both teams.

“I think at the end of the game everybody was trying to keep a hold of the ball,” Millin said about her second goal. “We had one fast break where Gabby (Gonzalez) passed me the ball. In my head, I was making sure I executed that play to secure the win. That’s what we did.

“It feels great. I can almost taste that trophy.”

In a game that was as much a wrestling match due to its physicality as it was a track meet with nothing but sprints, the McHi wins gives the Bulldogs a 9-1-1 record and 28 points. McAllen Rowe (7-1-2) moved into a tie for second after a win over Sharyland Pioneer, while Sharyland High’s win over PSJA Southwest gives them 24 points. Now, the battle sits for second, third and fourth, for the meantime. McHi and Sharyland play, while McAllen Memorial and McAllen Rowe battle, next Friday.

Late during the second half, McHi goalkeeper Alison Tawil kept Memorial at bay. Sofia Alaniz-Choy avenged each of the first two McHi’s goals with a goal of her own for the Mustangs and looked for the hat trick. During a corner kick, Alaniz-Choy positioned herself perfectly to head the ball in high. Tawil, however, leapt, stretched and at the top of her jump stretched just a bit more to knock that goal attempt away.

“When I’m playing, I don’t think about what’s happening next. I go with the flow and my body knows what to do,” Tawil said. “I’ve been playing goalie since third grade and it’s just instinct. I just visualized it and got myself prepared.”

Mia Reyna scored McHi’s first goal while Brianna Claudio scored the second as the teams traded scores until Millin’s first one of the match.

“It popped out — a deflection — and I saw the goal was open,” Reyna said of her goal that opened the game’s scoring. “It’s great. It all comes down to who wants it more. This was very physical.”

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McALLEN — First, it was the Pink Panthers versus Twinkle Toes.

Now, it’s McAllen High versus McAllen Memorial, a match for first place in District 31-5A at 6 p.m. Friday at McAllen Memorial.

On a star-filled field, a budding rivalry continues to take shape as freshmen Julianna Millin (Pink Panthers/McHi) and Chloey Mejia (Twinkle Toes/McAllen Memorial) will once again face off with the winning team in the driver’s seat for the district title and top seed heading into the postseason.

The two have made their presence felt this year and they sit among the top scorers in the Valley. Millin has registered 19 goals in 10 district matches. Mejia has found the back of the net 17 times in nine district matches.

“We were in MYSA (McAllen Youth Soccer Association) when we first played against each other,” Millin said. “My dad coached the Pink Panthers and we would play the Twinkle Toes and she (Chloey) was seriously the best in MYSA.”

Mejia had similar memories of Millin.

“She is just so fast,” Mejia said. “And Julianna has a fight in her that she will get it done. I’ve seen it.”

Gaining acceptance isn’t always the easiest for freshmen. Both girls, however, said their teammates welcomed them with open arms, but they still had to work for where they are now.

“I definitely didn’t expect it to be easy, knowing I would have to fight for my place,” Millin said. “Thankfully I had a lot of teammates who welcomed me in so it was an easy adjustment. I couldn’t have done anything close to this without their support.

McHi and Memorial go into tonight’s game with 8-1-1 records and 25 points to sit tied atop a stuff top-heavy district. McAllen Rowe is 6-1-2 with 22 points and Sharyland High is 6-2-2 with 21 points. So, tonight’s super heavyweight matchup has major implications with just three regular-season games remaining. The winner is alone in first. The fallen will be fighting for playoff position in a district where McHi, Memorial and Rowe have all tasted first place this season – with Sharyland breathing down all of their necks.

McHi won the first meeting against Memorial this season, 3-1. Both teams have scored more than 50 goals this year, ranking as the top two offenses in district. They’ve also only allowed nine goals each, the fewest allowed in district.

“I expected a tough game since this team has been the best in the Valley for years,” Mejia said of that first meeting. “I felt we all had out moments where we could’ve done better but, overall, we worked hard and prepared and left it out there against them.”

“I’m proud of us and the preparation we had leading up to that game,” said Millin, who scored once in the victory. “We were super focused but there were things we still needed to build on and I think we’ve been working on that.

“We’ll see on Friday.”

“I didn’t expect this,” Mejia said of the growing rivalry. “But it’s fun and I feel it’s going to be good.

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DONNA — Tightly wrapped up in a jacket and holding a hand warmer prior to Friday night’s bone-chilling District 32-5A game between host Donna High and rival Edcouch-Elsa, talk of how to stifle Donna’s Madalyn Park was a brief topic.

“We have other girls who can score,” the senior offensive stalwart quickly said. “If I can’t, they’ll do it.”

Just more than 12 minutes into the first half, her words proved prophetic as Anai Mejia scored on a beautiful cross from Briana Sanchez and the Bravettes went on to claim a 2-0 win over the Yellow Jackets.

Donna improves to 8-2 in district with 24 points. Brownsville Porter (9-0-1) sits atop the district with 29 points. Brownsville Veterans (8-1-1) is second with 25 points. While Vets and Porter have played each other already twice this season in district, Donna has upcoming dates with both teams.

Edcouch dropped to (5-5-0) but remained in fourth with 15 points, six ahead of Weslaco East.

While all eyes, rightly so, were probably watching Park, who has 131 career goals and 18 goals in 10 district games following her goal in the second half, it was Donna High goalkeeper Jazmin Cedillo who had the hot hand on a night where temperatures dipped to 37 degrees with a light wind and lighter rain pellets.

Cedillo, one of several seniors on the squad, came out of goal often, and far out of goal on multiple occasions, taking on multiple charging Yellow Jackets and coming up with a clean sheet. E-E took at least two crossing attempts toward the middle of the box, both bullets, and Cedillo popped out and hauled both in.

On another occasion, two EE players were streaking at her, saddled on either side by Donna defenders. She started her raging bull charge when one of girls fired a shot. Cedillo played the angle perfectly and fell on top of the ball, letting it squirm out just a bit before tucking it back in before the second EE player had any chance at a follow up.

“She played her best game today,” Medina said. “She moved well in the box, eliminated the one-on-one opportunities the way she attacked and just popped out on those crosses.

“Sometimes she might hesitate but I tell her that she just has these natural instincts and to let it flow.”

While the win doesn’t guarantee a playoff spot, it does put the Bravettes in a spot where they are in control of how high they finish.

“It’s up to us,” Medina said. “If we play a strong game like we have the past couple and counterattack and play the defensive game we’ve been playing, we have a chance to regain losses to both of those teams ahead of us.”

SHARYLAND REMAINS HOT

While the top three spots in District 32-5A remain the same, the musical chairs group known as District 31-5A continues to flop around the top four teams.

Sharyland High, coming off a 2-1 win over McAllen High last week, claimed a 2-1 win over McAllen Memorial in PKs on Friday night.

The PK win gave Sharyland 20 points for the season while the PK loss gives Memorial one point for 22 total. McHi’s win over Pioneer pushes the Bulldogs into a tie for first with 22 points. McAllen Rowe, via a 1-0 win over Valley View, gives the Warriors 22 points in an ultra tight District 31-5A race where the top four finishers are fairly established, just not close.

Trailing 1-0, Rattlers sweeper Allyson Knobel scored on a free kick from 30 yards to tie the game.

“I feel with what we have, we can hopefully finish second and maybe fight for first place,” Sharyland High head coach Mario Ribera said. “(Allyson) has come through in everything this year, she’s even second in her class. She is very special.

“We are putting all out effort into the game. I really think we can fight for first, something that was impossible at first.”

The Rattlers have not lost in their previous six matches and are now 6-2-1 in district.

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McALLEN — Going into Tuesday night’s key District 31-5A battle, McAllen High’s Briana Claudio had scored in every game she had played against McAllen Rowe during her varsity soccer career.

Except the last one.

Claudio suffered a toe injury that sent her to the sidelines a little more than seven minutes into that game and Rowe won, 2-1, in PKs.

She got back on track Tuesday, and it may have been the biggest goal she scored against the city rival Warriors.

Claudio scored a beautiful goal, set up by freshman teammate Julianna Millin and the Bulldogs claimed a 3-2 victory over the visiting Warriors at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium. All three McHi goals were run like they were drawn on a playbook, taking the ball downfield with crisp passes and a final cross before the shot and score.

The win gives McHi a 6-1-1 record and 19 points, training McAllen Memorial, which beat PSJA Memorial 9-0 on Tuesday. The Mustangs (7-1-0) have 21 points and with Sharyland High’s victory over Valley View, the Rattlers (6-2-0) also have 18 points and are in third. Rowe is now 5-2-1 and in fourth with 17 points.

Claudio’s goal came after Rowe’s Ayloni Garcia had given the Warriors a 2-1 lead with a one-touch shot. Minutes later, however, she was red-carded and Rowe played the remainder of the match with 10 players.

“This was amazing. I wanted to score the last goal to win. I just remember Jules (Millin) had the ball and I was running and I was wide open. She split the defenders, I took a touch, the goalie came out and I took a shot to the left corner and it went in.

“We wanted to come out on top and that’s what we did.”

Claudio said she missed a week following the toe injury and it still hurt somewhat Tuesday.

“It feels better after that goal,” she said.

McHi took advantage of the extra player, scoring twice during an eight-minute span. Savannah Ruiz scored the tying goal with 12:09 remaining and Claudio’s goal came minutes later.

“We had talked about it at halftime, about crossing the ball and following the runs in,” Ruiz said. “I knew I had to be there and tapped it in.”

Freshman Julianna Millin scored McHi’s first goal for a 1-0 advantage. It was her team-leading 15th district goal of the season. Camila Gil scored later on a PK for a 1-1 tie.

“We knew we had to score. We didn’t want to go into penalty kicks again,” Claudio said.

Bulldogs coach Pat Arney wasn’t just happy with the win or the way his team played offensively.

“I loved the teamwork that we had. Rowe played a heck of a game. This was a fun game to coach,” Arney said. “The red card was a difference-maker, but the goals that we scored were gorgeous. There were three or four passes all the way up the field.”

Claudio had two other grand opportunities in the first half but Rowe goalkeeper Debrina Garcia made a magnificent save on one and Claudio hit the crossbar on the other.

“I thought it was gonna be one of those types of games,” Arney said. “She’s such a pivotal player for us. She pops up in the right place at the right time. This is where we want to be. Patient on the ball, move the ball and get lots of touches. They did a great job doing what we asked them to do.”

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While District 32-5A seems to be shaping up with the top four teams now just vying for position, anything can still happen.

One of the big games on tap this week is fourth-place Edcouch-Elsa (12 points) traveling to third-place Donna High (18) at 5:30 p.m. Friday. Both teams need a win to not only give them a spark, but better playoff positioning with six games remaining.

Brownsville Porter (23 points) leads the district with Brownsville Veterans in second (19 points). The teams played each other for a second time Friday and tied 3-3 with Porter gaining two points for a win in PKs. The squads had given up only five goals between them all year before the offensive explosion. It was the first goals scored against state-ranked Porter in district this season.

Weslaco East stunned Edcouch-Elsa on Friday night, claiming a 2-0 win and keeping the Yellow Jackets with 12 points.

Donna High is led by senior offensive standout Madalyn Park. who scored three times during a 3-2 win over Brownsville Lopez. The senior forward has 13 goals in district play and 126 total goals for her career.

“We are pushing through one game at a time,” Donna head coach Norma Medina said. “Madalyn brings a lot of hard work and determination and if teams mark Maddie, they see that we have other girls who will shoot, too. She’s always so go-go-go, it gets sometimes into the defense’s skin.”

Donna won the first meeting 3-1.

“This is always an intense game,” Medina said. “Edcouch is very physical like us and it just goes back and forth all the time.”

FRESHMEN PHENOMS

Two freshmen have made a major impact on their teams this year offensively.

McAllen High’s Julianna Millin has scored 13 goals in seven district games, while McAllen Memorial’s Chloey Mejia has found the back of the net 10 times in six district games, scoring twice last week in a windy match against then-undefeated McAllen Rowe. The Memorial win put the Mustangs alone atop District 31-5A with 18 points. Rowe is second with 17, McHi third with 16 and Sharyland High fourth with 15.

The next closest teams — Valley View and Sharyland Pioneer — each have six points.

BACK FOR MORE

McAllen Rowe’s Ayloni Garcia missed three games after suffering a high ankle sprain during a victory over Sharyland High. She scored twice during the first half but then rolled her ankle just a few minutes into the second half.

She returned Friday and scored once during an 8-0 win over PSJA Southwest and should be ready to go today against city and district rival McAllen High. The Warriors beat McHi in the first district match of the season, winning on penalty kicks after the Bulldogs’ Julianna Millin scored with less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game.

“She looked good,” Rowe head coach John Martinez said about The Monitor’s 2020 Girls Soccer All-Area Newcomer of the Year. “But I didn’t want to chance it and took her out.”

The teams play at 6 tonight at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

NEW RANKINGS

Five teams are ranked in the latest Texas Girls Coaches Association state soccer poll.

Hidalgo becomes the first Class 4A team to make the list, coming in at No. 20 with a 5-0 record. Palestine is the top-ranked team in the state with a 15-0 mark.

McAllen Rowe, 11-0-0 according to the poll, and Brownsville Porter, 16-2-1, come in at No. 8 and No. 17 respectively. Before Friday, Porter hadn’t given up a goal in district play but allowed Brownsville Veterans three goals in a PK victory.

Rowe lost the McAllen Memorial 3-2 on Friday. Abby Rocha scored twice during the loss, the goals coming six minutes apart after the Warriors trailed 3-0. Rocha has four goals during her past two games.

The only unbeaten, untied team in the Valley, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln (10-0-0), jumped to No. 11 in the Class 6A poll while Harlingen (10-1-0) debuted at No. 20.

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CYPRESS — Jessica Villanueva looked across the mat at her opponent towering over her.

The scene was reminiscent of the biblical encounter between David and Goliath.

Except Villanueva, though shorter in stature, was no underdog and the PSJA High senior ran her record to 38-0 while dominating the 6-foot-2 Annmarie Janssen (34-3) of Katy Seven Lakes to a 14-6 decision victory Friday and a spot in today semifinals at the UIL state wrestling meet at The Berry Center.

While she was racking up the points in the 185-pound weight division in Class 6A, PSJA Memorial’s Lorena Torres was working on a pin of Richmond Foster’s Taylor Rich (28-5) to up her record to 26-2, also securing a spot in the Class 5A semifinals.

By the end of Day 1, five Region IV champions from the Valley each won both of their matches, earning a spot in the semifinals and keeping their chances alive for individual state titles.

Also remaining alive to fight today were McAllen Memorial twins Serenity and Eternity De La Garza and Weslaco High’s Roman Saldana.

Saldana advanced to today’s semifinals with a pair of decisions. The 285-pound Region IV-6A champ improved to 28-2 after he defeated Southlake Carroll’s Dylan Vaughn 6-5 before earning a 3-1 victory over Logan Latham of Clear Springs. He will face off against Region I champ, Caleb Jinks (34-1) for his shot in the finals later today. All five semifinalists have earned themselves a spot on the wrestling podium, reserved for the top six wrestlers in each weight class.

PSJA Memorial’s Damien Aguilera won his first-round match before falling in the second round. Fellow 106-pounder Thiago Almeida of Los Fresnos also won his first match before being pinned.

Wrestlers who lost one match Friday are still in the mix to place through the consolation bracket. However, two losses Friday eliminated them from competition.

The boys semifinals and third-round consolation matches begin at 8:30 a.m. today and the girls semis and third round-consolation round will follow approximately at 10:30 a.m.

The 5A and 6A boys and girls championship matches will be held simultaneously, the boys using mats one and four, the girls using mats two and three, beginning at 4:45 p.m., following the traditional Parade of Champions.

Villanueva led by as much as 14-4 in her match but said she was a little troubled by the huge height advantage her opponent had.

“In the end, I took her height as an advantage for me,” Villanueva said. “Now I’m hoping for another good day tomorrow.”

Torres pinned Foster in 2 minutes, 31 seconds, after earning a pin in her first match in 1:36. The Region IV-5A champ at 185 will look to improve upon her sixth-place finish a year ago.

“My match was a little difficult and tiring but I’m always trying my best to come through with it,” Torres said. “I saw that she was kind of weak on bottom and took advantage of that even though I’m not great on top.

“It the first time I’ve won two matches in a row at state and for sure getting a medal. Hopefully, it’s gold.”

Donna High’s Precious Hernandez is the last girl, and most recent wrestler, to win a state title from the Valley, doing so Feb. 22, 2020. Victor Segura is the most recent Valley boy to win the state championship, doing so for Grulla at 106 pounds, Feb. 20, 2016.

McAllen High’s Sam Mangum, now head coach for Sharyland High, is the Valley’s only two time state champion winning the 180-pound title in 2009 and the 189-pound title in 2010.

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CYPRESS – Five of the Valley’s girls wrestling regional champions have advanced to the quarterfinal round of the UIL state wrestling meet today at the Berry Center in Cypress, keeping their hopes alive for a state title.

Each of them will wrestle later this afternoon for a spot in the semifinals, which will take place Saturday along with the finals.

In Class 5A, McAllen Memorial sisters Serenity De La Garza (138 pounds) and Eternity De La Garza (165) and PSJA Memorial’s Lorena Torres (185) each won their first match.

In Class 6A, PSJA High’s Jessica Villanueva improved to 37-0 in the 185-pound division while Edinburg Economedes sophomore Marla Jimenez also advanced.

For the boys, Weslaco High senior Roman Saldana advanced to today’s semifinals with a pair of victories. The 285-pound Region IV-6A champ improved to 28-2 with a pair of decisions. First, he defeated Southlake Carroll’s Dylan Vaughn, 6-5 before earning a 3-1 victory over Logan Latham of Clear Springs. He will face off against Region I champ, Caleb Jinks (34-1) for a shot in the finals later Saturday.

PSJA Memorial’s Damien Aguilera won his first-round match before falling in the second round. Fellow 106-pounder Thiago Almeida of Los Fresnos also won his first match before being pinned.

Wrestlers who lose one match on Friday are still in the mix to place through the consolation bracket. However, two losses on Friday eliminates wrestlers from competition.

Edinburg Vela’s Nicholas Senior, the Region IV-6A champion, dropped both of his matches Friday.

The quarterfinal round for the girls are expected to start at approximately 3:30 p.m. today.

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Eighteen boys and 11 girls kept their hopes alive for a regional championships Friday during the first day of the UIL Boys Region IV-5A tournament at the AISD Burger Center in Austin.

Sharyland High’s boys led the way with five wrestlers to advance to today’s semifinal round. Husbaldo (113 pounds), Paolo Miranda (120), Alberto Mendoza (126), Noel Torres (138) and Moses Rodriguez all collected two victories Friday to move into the semifinal round.

“We have five in the semis. They all battled and showed up,” Sharyland High second-year head coach Sam Mangum said. “They feel like they belong and it showed in their wrestling today.

“It’s good to see Valley kids finally getting into those semifinals and finals. When I wrestled, it was crazy if six kids from the Valley qualified for state. Now, I’ve had teams with six that qualify for state. The Valley is definitely on the up and up in wrestling.”

Sharyland Pioneer and Rio Grande City each advanced three to the semis. PSJA Memorial moved two in the final four — including undefeated Alberto Elizondo (23-0) at 152. Elizondo pinned Ethan Stubblefield of Corpus Christi King in 3 minutes, 38 seconds.

Luis Nieto (14-2) of Pharr Vanguard Academy Rembrandt joined Sharyland High‘s Salazar in the 113 semifinals with a pin against Corpus Christi Ray’s Shamus Ward in 3:42. It is one of five weight classes where two Valley wrestlers moved into today’s semis.

“We’re not where we need to be by any means,” Mangum said. “But once the Valley as a whole starts the huge programs up, we will be more competitive. At my school, I get a lot of my kids coming up and seeing how successful others have been. They want to share that and feed off it. When you are hanging around winner, you want to become one. And it’s definitely possible.”

MEMORIAL’S BIG THREE ADVANCE

McAllen Memorial’s Eternity De La Garza (26-1), Serenity De La Garza (25-0) and Maya Marroquin (25-2) each won their two matches Friday and improved their collective record to 76-3 on the season.

Marroquin is one of three Valley girls to make the final four in the 148 pound division. Also advancing at that weight class is Sharyland Pioneer‘s Vanessa Ramirez, who improved to 6-1 after a pin in 2:48 against Leander Glen’s Savannah Wright, owner of a 30-4 mark going into the match. Edcouch-Elsa’s Alekzandrea Uresti also moved into the semis with a fall at the 5:40 mark.

Just like during the District 16-5A meet, joining the De La Garza sisters in the semis are Rio Grande City sisters Velia and Vivien Canales. Velia Canales won a 6-5 decision at the 102 weight class, while Vivien Canales collected a pin in 5:53.

Edcouch-Elsa’s Celeste Exiga improved to 34-3 with a win over PSJA Memorial’s Mia Lozano at 119 pounds.

The UIL boys and girls state championship will be Feb. 18-19 at the Berry Center in Cypress. The top four finishers from each regional tournament advance and the fifth-place wrestler will be an alternate.

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EDINBURG — The La Joya Juarez-Lincoln and Edinburg Vela girls soccer teams took turns all night Monday making runs on goal.

With two differing styles of offense, Juarez-Lincoln looked often for the long ball breakaway while Edinburg Vela looked like the “Showtime” Los Angeles Lakers of the ’80s, running the ball up field like a fast break.

Despite the high-flying action, no one scored.

In the end, however, a set play led to a header by the Huskies’ Stephanie Jimenez, a senior, during the 63rd minute of play and the only ball to reach the back of the net and Juarez-Lincoln remained unbeaten and in sole possession of first place in District 31-6A with a 1-0 victory over Vela at Richard R. Flores Stadium.

Jimenez, the team’s leading scorer, took a free kick from Kayla Torres from about 25 yards to register the game’s only goal.

The win improves Juarez-Lincoln to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in district play. Vela is now 4-1-1 in district Vela winning in penalty kicks against Edinburg High.

While many teams would immediately send their entire team to the defensive side if the field after scoring one goal, the Huskies kept the pressure on, almost burying another goal with less than 10 minutes remaining.

“That’s our style. To attack and attack and attack,” Juarez-Lincoln head coach Arnoldo Cardenas. “We sent a lot of balls up front and were able to score thankfully.”

Both teams made multiple runs and had opportunities to break onto the scoreboard the entire night. Vela had two shots that were nearly point blank but one was saved by the Huskies’ ’keeper, and the other flew wide.

From the beginning, it looked as if this game would be a shootout as each team made runs, gaining possession of the ball and making a beeline toward the opponent’s goal. Not much came easy, however, as each squad played physical. At one point there were five or six players sprawled out after his checks, sliding tackles or other physical aggression.

“They were controlling the ball a little when we started so we made some adjustments and moved some girls around,” Cardenas said. “It worked. This was a game the girls were talking about since last year because Vela is a great team. I told them let’s just play one game at a time.

The SaberCats also had a great attempt after being down. Bailey Gonzales took a free kick from about 25 yards. The ball was deflected and another SaberCats player took a shot that went over the crossbar, preserving the Hiuskies’ lead.

TGCA RANKINGS

McAllen Rowe (9-0-0) climbed to No. 9 in the latest Texas Girls Coaches Association Class 5A state poll, following a win in PKs over perennial power and district champion McAllen High and a 2-1 victory over Sharyland High.

Brownsville Porter (12-2-2) came in at No. 20.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln made its debut in the Class 6A poll, entering tied at No. 20.

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