RIO GRANDE CITY — Friday was a great day for sisters at the District 16-5A wrestling championships.

Rio Grande City sisters Velia Canales and Vivien Canales won their respective weight classes and helped propel the Rattlers to the district team title with 158 points, beating out McAllen Memorial with 134. The Mustangs were also helped out by sisters Serenity De La Garza and Eternity De La Garza, also winning district titles in their weight classes.

Velia Canales, a senior, defeated PSJA Memorial’s Valerie Arellano 18-5 to capture the 102-pound division. Vivien Canales, a sophomore, pinned PSJA Memorial freshman Sarai Ozuna in 5:42 in the 110 division.

Velia stared wrestling last year, and wrestled for only two weeks, Pratt said.

“She couldn’t grasp the concept of technique or maintaining weight,” the 18th year head coach said. “Then over the summer she latched onto it and those two girls are students or the sport and they are perfectionists. For Velia to start it and Vivien to come in right after just made me immensely proud.”

Serenity De La Garza won all three of her matches on the day to improve to 23-0 on the season. She has been the top-ranked 148-pound wrestler in the state all year, according to wrestlingtexas.com. Friday, it took her just 1 minute, 35 seconds to collect all three pin. She defeated McAllen High’s Bronwyn Sadlier in 19 seconds to advance to the finals, then put Mission Veterans’ Alexis Soria on her back in 30 seconds to capture her third straight district championship.

In the finals, as is customary with Serenity De La Garza, she immediately attacked, going for a double-leg takedown. When that didn’t immediately work, she struck two more times before claiming the victory.

“I just wanted to try a little bit of some new things that I haven’t done in a while because we had to stop due to COVID,” Serenity De La Garza said. “I wanted to try some things to see if I was OK. She left the legs wide open so I went for the double blast. I feel great, ready to go.

After Memorial teammate Maya Marroquin improved to 23-2 with a major decision victory in the 148-pound division, Eternity De La Garza made it three weight-class wins in a row with her third pin of the day, in 1:23, against La Joya Palmview’s Liliana Guardado.

It was her second straight district title as she improved to 24-1. Last year, however, she injured herself after the district tournament and before the regional tournament.

“I’m ready – I’m going to be more careful and pay attention to what I do,” Eternity De La Garza said. “Last year, I would get mad and not wrestle right. It wasn’t good wrestling. This year I’m more focused and technical.

“Everything I do is because of her (Serenity). She inspired me like crazy to do what she does, but in my own way.”

Sharyland High and rival Sharyland Pioneer battled it out to late in the meet before Sharyland High claimed its second straight title. The Rattlers finished with 202 points to the Diamondbacks’ 190.

The Rattlers claimed five district titles: Husbaldo Salazar (113), Paolo Miranda (120), Alberto Mendoza (126), Noel Torres (138) and Moses Rodriguez (160).

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VALLEY HS WRESTLING RESULTS

Feb. 1

District 15-6A Tournament

At Edinburg High

BOYS

TEAM SCORES

1. Edinburg North 212; 2. Edinburg Vela 205; 3. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 183; 4. Edinburg High 112; 5. La Joya High 112; 6, Mission High 87; 6. Edinburg Economedes 69

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

Results from the first and third-place place matches from the Boys 2022 District 15-6A Wrestling Tournament. Top four wrestlers in each weight class advance to regionals.

106 lbs.

First-place match

Maximilian Benavides (Edinburg Vela) 9-4, Sr., def. Christian Juarez (Edinburg North, 5-6, Jr., (Fall 1:45)

Third-place match

Dane Arispe (Edinburg High) 8-7, Fr., won by bye

113 lbs

First-place match

Brandon Garza (La Joya High) 18-4, Sr., def. Mariano Ornelas (La Joya Juarez-Lincoln) 73, Ft. (Fall 1:28)

Third-place match

Jaylin Casanova (Edinburg Vela) 6-2, Fr., Def. Michael Cavazos (Edinburg North), 1-2, Jr., (Dec 7-2)

120 lbs

First-place match

Aaron Peña (Edinbrg Vela(, 17-4, Jr., def. Michael Garcia (Edinburg North) 5-7, Jr. (Fall 1:26)

Third-place match

Sergio Vasquez (Mission High), 9-5. Sr/. def. Angel Ibarra (Edinbrg High), 3-5, Jr., (Fall 3:47)

126 lbs

First-place match

Nicholas Silva (Edinburg Vela) 20-1, Sr. def. Jesus Arismendiz (La Joya Juarez-Lincoln) 12-4, Jr. (Dec 7-0)_

Third-place match

Jose Chapa (Edinburg North) 3-1, Sr. def. Jesus Martinez (La Joya High), 6-7, So. (Dec. 10-9)

132 lbs

First-place match

Andres Ochoa (La Joya High) 23-2, Sr. def. Mark Basaldu (Edinburg Vela) 19-3, Sr. (Fall 2:42)

Third-place match

Elias Ramirez (La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 5-2, Sr. def. Nick Gonzalez (Edinburg High) 1-2, So. (Fall 1:26)

138 lbs

First-place match

Julian Del Angel (Edinburg Economedes) 18-3, Sr. def. Rogelio Guerra (Edinburg North) 8-6. Sr/ )Fall 5:22)

Third-place match

Diego Carmona (Edinburg Vela) 14-9, So. Def. Emiliano Lopez (Edinburg High), 17-8, Jr. (Fall 2:32)

145 lbs

First-place match

Senastoam Ruizsariano (Mission High) 12-2, So. Def. Luis Olivarez (Edinburg North), 8-4, Sr. (Dec 5-0)

Third-place match

Bryan Blackshear (La Joya High) 11-10, Jr. def. Jose Venegas (Edinburg High), 10-12, So. (Fall 2:37)

152 lbs

First-place match

Efren Diaz (Edinburg High) 18-1, Sr. def. Kevin Cruz (La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 11-3, Sr. (Fall 2:59)

Third-place match

Michelangelo Chavez (Edinburg North) 7-2, Sr., def. Vicente Reyes (Edinburg Economedes (5-12), Fr. (Fall, 2:20)

160 lbs

First-place match

Abelardo Gloria (La Joya Juarez-Lincoln) 12-1, Sr., def. Mark Hernandez (Edinburg North) 8-3, Jr. (Dec 6-1)

Third-place match

Rogelio Cerda (Mission High) 3-1 Jr. def. Aaron Urrutia, (La Joya High), 2-2, Fr. (Fall ):31)

170 lbs

First-place match

Maddox Quinonez (Edinburg Vela) 18-2, So. def. Jacob Gonzalez (Edinburg North) 5-3, Jr. (Dec 7-1)

Third-place match

Victor Deleon (Edinburg High), 7-8, So. def. Jose Bonilla (La Joya Juarez-Lincoln) 7-4, Jr. (For.)

182 lbs

First-place match

Oscar Gonzalez (La Joya Juarez-Lincoln) 10-0, Jr. def. Diego Ramirez (Edinburg Vela) 5-3, Sr. (Fall 5:10)

Third-place match

Steven Deleon (Edinburg North) 5-4, Fr. Def. Greco Cruz (Edinburg High) 12-7, So. (For.)

195 lbs

First-place match

Julian Navarro (La Joya Juarez-Lincoln) 14-0, Jr. def. Edward Zuniga (Edinburg High) 6-6, Jr. (Dec 7-0)

Third-place match

Joe Ramirez (Edinbrg North) 12-4, Jr. def. Ramsey Ramirez (Edinburg Economedes) 4-3 Jr. (Fall 1:34)

220 lbs

First-place match

Alesandro Escobedo (Edinburg High), 19-6, Jr. def. Samuel Cerda (Edinburg North) 8-3, Jr. (Fall 5:58)

Third-place match

Jame Cantu (Edinburg Vela) 8-4, Sr. def. Alexis Rodriguez (Edinburg Economedes) 10-10, Sr. (Fall 2:09)

285 lbs

First-place match

Arian Hernandez (La Joya Juarez-Lincoln) 14-1. Jr., def. Angel Brizano (Mission High) 10-2, Sr. (Dec 9-4)

Third-place match

Jeremiah Sandoval (La Joya Juarez-Lincoln) 5-7, So. def. Joseph Caballero (Edinburg Vela) 5-3, Sr. (Fall 3:42)

District 15-6A Tournament

At Edinburg High

GIRLS

TEAM SCORES

1. La Joya High 141; 2. Edinburg High 143; 3. Edinburg North 129; 4. Edinburg Vaela 75; 5. Edinburg Economedes 67; 6. La Joy Juarez-Lincoln 50; 7 Mission High 11.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

Results from the first and third-place place matches from the 2022 Girls District 15-6A Wrestling Tournament. Top four wrestlers in each weight class advance to regionals.

95 lbs.

First-place match

Genisa Gonzales (La Joya High) 17-5, Sr. def. Allison Ambriz (Edinburg High) 21-3, So. (For.)

Third-place match

Mariana Cantu (Edinburg North) 10-3, Fr. def. Tania Vasquez (Mission High) 3-6, Fr. (Fall 4:28)

102 lbs

First-place match

Cassandra Medrano (Edinburg High) 15-1, Fr. def. Kimberly De La Cruz (La Joya High) 6-7, So. (Fall 0:24)

Third-place match

Emily Acuna (Edinburg North) 7-3, Jr. def. Danielle Silva (Edinburg Vela) 16-2, So. (For.)

110 lbs

First-place match

Alexandra Nicole Hernandez (Edinburg North) 9-2, Jr. def. Melanie Garcia (La Joya High) 8-11, Fr. (Fall 1:23)

119 lbs

First-place match

Tanya Mendoza (Edinburg High) 20-2 Jr. def. Zoe Almendarez (Edinburg North) 10-1, So. (Fall 1:00)

Third-place match

E’mon Mason (Edinburg Vela) 13-6, Fr. def. Britney De La Cruz (La Joya High) 17-6, Sr. (Fall 1:50)

128 lbs

First-place match

Kenia Islas (Edinburg High) 20-4, SO. def. Brooklyn Garza (La Joya Juarez-Lincoln) 21-3, Sr. (MD 12-3)

Third-place match

Virginia Tomlinson (Edinburg North) 10-2, Jr. def. Angelina Cantu (Edinburg Vela) 11-6, Jr. (Fall 2:58)

138 lbs

First-place match

Margarita Fuentes (La Joya High) 14-5, Sr. def. Elisami Salinas (Edinburg Economedes) 14-2, Jr. (Dec 3-2)

Third-place match

Janely Garcia (Edinburg Vela) 17-9, Jr. def. Abigail Ortiz (Edinburg North) 6-10, Fr. (Fall 1:21)

148 lbs

First-place match

Daisy Vega (La Joya High) 14-5, So. def. Valeria Olivera (Edinburg Economedes) 17-9, Fr. (Fall 3:24)

Third-place match

Jada Alfaro (Edinburg Vela) 11-5, Fr. def. Aylein Madrigal (Edinburg High) 17-9, Fr. (Fall 3:24)

165 lbs

First-place match

Samantha Ramirez (Edinburg High) 2-0, Fr. def. (Aleah Garza (La Joya High) 1-3, Jr. (For.)

Third-place match

Natasha Rodriguez (Edinburg North) 0-1, So. won by bye

185 lbs

First-place match

Yamilex Hrenandez (La Joya Juarez-Lincoln) 21-3, Sr. def. Kiara Ochoa (La Joya High) 16-7, So. (Fall 1:39)

Third-place match

Karen Liga (Edinburg North) 0-1, So. won by bye

215 lbs

First-place match

Marla Jiminez (Edinburg Economedes) 13-2, So. def. Anahi Velasquez (La Joya High) 15-6, Sr. (Fall 0:56)

Third-place match

Thais Salinas (Edinburg North) 5-5, Sr. won by bye

McALLEN – When freshman sensation Juliana Millin scored for McAllen High with 26 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game, McAllen Rowe head coach John Martinez said it felt “like a kick on the gut.”

A few minutes later, that feeling turned into elation as the Warriors outscored the Bulldogs 4-3 in penalty kicks to capture a thrilling 2-1 victory in a highly anticipated mutual District 31-5A matchup between the city rivals.

Rowe’s win snapped a 22-game district winning streak for McHi and became the first district team to upend the Bulldogs other than La Joya Lincoln-Juarez in more than 85 games. Rowe is ranked No. 12 in the most recent Texas Girls Coaches Association Class 5A state poll.”

“For them to play so hard for 79 minutes and 30 seconds and for that to happen was tough,” Martinez said. “But they continued to push and the defense was great.”

Camila Gil, The Monitor’s All-Area Girls Soccer Newcomer of the Year last year, scored with four seconds remaining in the first half on a perfectly placed free kick from about 30 yards, with a high, rainbow shot that cleared the outstretched arms of McHi goalkeeper Bethany Sanchez.

“I saw a big gap on the back side and I just made sure I paced myself,” said Gil, who started lining up the ball with less than 20 seconds remaining. “I saw her playing more in the middle so I went for the back post and it went in.”

The Warriors were already flooding the field on the defensive side, giving up the time of possession game to McHi. After Gil’s goal ended the first half, it was all feet on defense.

“Thankfully, possession doesn’t win the game,” Martinez said. “At halftime I told them to keep playing defense, to not get lazy and play hard on that back side. They did that.”

The last five minutes of the second half were near chaos as McHi kept making runs and set up for at least two free kicks and a corner, before Millin broke free in the box and made a couple swipes at the ball, knocking it in.”

Rowe’s Ayloni Garcia, The Monitor’s All-Area Newcomer of the Year two seasons ago and a transfer from Mission High who had to sit out the varsity season last year, said that goal stung, but just briefly.

“It hurt, but I mean the game keeps on going,” she said. “They could’ve scored more than one goal tonight but we did our best and shut them down.

During the penalty kick portion, Martinez switched keepers and put Mia Mata in goal, following a solid performance from starting keeper Debrina Garcia.

“That’s why Mia has been team captain since she was a sophomore,” Martinez said. “She is also an all region volleyball player and knows how to come up big in big moments. That’s why I made that call. Debrina played great the entire game and it was nothing to do with her but Mia has been in many high-pressure situations before.”

Mata stopped Millin’s PK and Gil followed with a score for a 3-2 Rowe advantage. With the PKs tied at 3, Abby Rocha gave the Warriors a 4-3 advantage and McHi’s next attempt went wide, sending the Rowe squad excitedly swarming onto the field.

“It has been a long time since we beat McHi and not since I’ve here,” Mata said. “This feels good, really good.”

The teams will meet again at 6 p.m. Feb. 22 at McAllen Memorial Veterans Stadium,

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McAllen Rowe and Brownsville Porter are ranked No. 11 and 12 respectively in Class 5A in the latest Texas Girls Coaches Association state poll, released Monday.

Dripping Springs (7-0-0) is the top-ranked team in the Class 5A poll. Dallas Highland Park (7-0-1), Forney (9-0-1), Rock Hill (7-0-0) and Cedar Park (4-0-2) round out the top five.

The Warriors are 6-0-0 and most recently canceled their trip to a tournament in Georgetown due to COVID-19 protocols, something that has been hammering teams this season, with unofficial reports of as many as eight players on a team in quarantine due to the virus.

A dynamic trio of players — juniors Mia Mata and Ayloni Garcia, along with sophomore Camila Gil, who led Rowe with 37 goals scored last year — lead the Warriors. Garcia and Gil won The Monitor’s All-Area Girls Soccer Newcomer of the Year award the past two seasons. Gil won it last year and Garcia earned the award the season before.

The Warriors will open District 31-5A play at 7:30 p.m. Friday at home against defending district champ and perennial power McAllen High.

“It seems like the past 10 years we always start with McHi as the first district game. So as far as those rankings go, those go out the window,” Martinez said. “They are at the top of the Valley and the girls know that. The rankings are nice for the school and to recognize the girls, but they don’t matter now. Everyone is 0-0.

“I don’t see many teams beating McHi, but I’m hoping for a good game. I just want to get all our girls back healthy, but this will show us where we are at. And if the ball bounces our way, well yay.”

Porter is 6-0-2 and opens District 32-5A play at 7:15 tonight at home against Brownsville Veterans.

“Vets is going to be one of the tougher opponents,” said head coach Abraham Gracia, in his 14th season leading his team. “It could go either way, but I’m expecting a great game. Right now, I just want to get us healthy. Next week, we should have the rest of our girls back between COVID and injuries.”

“The key is for us to be in our positions and do what we actually practice. Sometimes we practice and then go out there and so something else. We need to play our game and don’t fall into theirs.”

Senior forward Liberty Garza leads Porter offensively, already amassing 24 goals.

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PHARR — The Edinburg Vela team that walked off the field at halftime Wednesday wasn’t the same Vela team that walked back on for the second half.

It wasn’t even close.

After going into the half tied at 1, the SaberCats scored twice during the second half and dominated time of possession en route to a 3-1 victory over PSJA North in the District 31-6A opener for both schools.

Junior Alayna Rodriguez scored twice for the two-time defending district champion SaberCats, the first coming midway through the first period on a shot from about 10 yards beyond the top of the box. The ball hammered the bottom half of the crossbar and angled in for a 1-0 lead. She added the final goal late during the second half with a tap in as chaos ensued around her following multiple attempts in a crowded box.

Fellow junior Crystal Palma scored the second goal for Vela.

SaberCats head coach Americo Cortez said the team just needed a few minor changes here and there.

“We needed to pass the ball more, be more vertical and not hesitate too much to cross the ball and get to the end of the line,” Cortez said. “We put some girls in different spots and they settled down.”

Rodriguez was a force at times, using her strength when fighting for the ball, while also showing she finesse around, or ram through defenders, when necessary. It’s that tenacity that makes her tough for opponents.

She’s one of those players who puts everything she has in every single play,” Cortez said. “She uses her body, and never stops. She keeps going until she gets it done. If she’s doing things right or making mistakes she is just going to continue. She wants the ball from all over the field and she does whatever it takes.”

PSJA North took made several counters, using long passes during the first quarter and taking advantage of their speed with their wings. Freshman Giselle Leyva scored late during the first half to tie the game at 1.

During the second half, however, the Raiders rarely saw their opponent’s side of field. Vela, known for shooting at will, not only kept the ball for a major majority of second half but also kept pushing deep and took several shots that an impressive looking PSJA North junior, Amy Clemente, saved looking like the flippers of a pinball machine, retuning one ball after another.

“She is just so confident in goal,” PSJA North head coach Jacob Hinojosa said. “During the Brownsville tournament, she just made some unbelievable saves. She’s an excellent goalie.”

Vela, however, didn’t allow PSJA North to stretch its legs much during the second half.

“We had the ball more in the second half,” Cortez said. “We were backing up a little and picking it up from there and when they were coming, we were putting more pressure on them. We were giving them too much room in the first half.

“It was a way different team in the first half.”

Vela returns to action at 6 p.m. Friday against La Joya High at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg. PSJA North has a bye Friday and plays at La Joya High at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

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Taylor Campbell scored a whopping 52 goals in district and 61 overall last year.

It’s more than some teams scored for their entire season.

Campbell and her 177 career goals (second all-time in RGV history) are gone now and the SaberCats will need to figure out how to fill those shooting shoes. Returning five players with eight goals or more, including juniors Crystal Palma (17), Natalia Cortez (15) and Alayna Rodriguez (10), isn’t a bad start.

“We’re Vela. That’s who we are and how we play,” 10th-year head coach Americo Cortez said. “We have a good group of returning girls who are juniors and they’ll shoot the ball. We are going to attack.”

The question during the preseason, however, for the two-time defending District 31-6A champion is who will actually be doing the attacking. Hit hard with injuries and COVID-19, Cortez said he’s only had a couple of opportunities to see his team play at full strength.

What he saw there, though, was encouraging.

“We played as a team and played together,” he said. “But so far there has always been at least one player missing. We’ve faced a lot of good teams and we’ve played them well so that’s a good thing.”

Vela lost to perennial power McAllen High 2-1, tied Harlingen High 0-0 and Donna North 2-2 during the preseason. The SaberCats were scheduled to play PSJA North on Tuesday in Pharr, but that game was rescheduled to 6 p.m. today at PSJA North.

Two of Vela’s biggest threats this year will more than likely be La Joya Juarez-Lincoln and Edinburg High, at least if history and the preseason mean anything.

The Huskies started last season under new head coach Arnoldo Cardenas, but as the season progressed Juarez-Lincoln started looking more and more like the teams that made them such a threat in every game. They snuck into the playoffs with a mad rush at the end of the season and clinched the fourth spot in the playoffs.

This year, there is no slow start. Most recently, the Huskies won the Brownsville Invitational Tournament, winning all six matches and outscoring their opponents 18-1 with shutouts over Brownsville Hanna, Brownsville Pace, Weslaco High, La Feria and Brownsville Veterans 5-0 in the semifinals. They defeated Hanna 2-1 for a second time in the championship.

“You know they’re gonna be good, it just took them some time to get together last year,” Edinburg High 10th-year head coach Cerjio Elizarraz said. “They made a late run toward the end and started to peak. That’s carried over. They showed what they can do when they have their best.”

Juarez-Lincoln’s Keyla Torres scored all three of her team’s goals en route to a 3-2 victory over the Bobcats.

La Joya High defeated Mission High 1-0 in the only other District 31-6A match. Senior Michelle Garcia scored during the 22nd minute of the first half for La Joya. Edinburg Economedes at Edinburg North was also rescheduled. That game may take place Thursday, according to Edinburg North first-year head coach Marianna Watson.

Edinburg High will field a young team this season, leaning on the experience of just five returning players that had major playing time a year ago when the Bobcats took second in the district.

“We have a lot of young players,” Elizarraz said. “In soccer, it’s a double-edge sword. If you don’t let them score, you can win, but you have to score. I say it every year that the defense is key. We have a young goalie with Melanie Cruz. She’s a senior but it’s her first year in goal. She’s getting her feet wet. We have to defend and we have to help her.”

Edinburg took third in the Brownsville tournament. The Bobcats lost to Valley View before shutting out Rio Hondo, La Joya High, Sharyland High and Porter. They lost to Hanna in the gold division semis, but bounced back to claim third after downing Brownsville Veterans.

The Bobcats’ offense is led by senior Miriela, who scored more than 20 goals last year. Freshman Amily Rodriguez will take over the center mid-position while a pair of sophomores, Emily De La Garza and Dana Cruz will be at the wings.

“We had a full team at the Brownsville tournament. To be honest, with COVID there are so many uncertainties, someone could call at any time and they have to sit out. It could happen tonight,” Elizarraz said. “We finished third in Brownsville so I at least know what type of team they are when everyone’s playing.”

TWO RGV TEAMS RANKED

McAllen Rowe and Brownsville Porter were both ranked in the Texas Girls Coaches Association statewide poll released Tuesday.

Rowe (6-0-0) came in ranked No. 9 in Class 5A and Porter (5-0-2) was No. 12. The Warriors won all four of their matches in the McAllen ISD Girls Soccer Showcase, downing San Antonio Taft, Corpus Christi Flour Bluff, Corpus Christi Calallen and Corpus Christi King.

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Jessica Villanueva knew she more than likely would have to get through Isabella Alva to make it to the state wrestling tournament later this year.

When the two 185-pound wrestlers collided as a possible preview to that regional match, Villanueva, a PSJA High senior wrestler, earned a convincing result, a 44-second pin in the championship match of the 2022 Craig T Grace CenTex Wrestling Tournament over the weekend.

Villanueva improved to 29-0 this year while Alva, of San Antonio Churchill, fell to 29-5. It was also Villanueva’s 100th career victory.

The PSJA High grappler wasn’t the only big winner at Eastside High School in Austin. The McAllen Memorial girls finished the 33-team event in second with 123 points, trailing only Copperas Grove with 142 points and sneaking past Dripping Springs with 120 points.

“The girls are wrestling very well right now and are on a roll,” McAllen Memorial head coach Eddie Gonzalez said. “They are working hard and exceeding expectations. They are doing what they need to do and what they can to help at every weight class. It’s a numbers game at these tournaments.”

The Mustangs also captured three weight class championships. Serenity De La Garza (20-0) pinned Dripping Springs’ Caroline Nix (24-9) in 19 seconds at 138 pounds. Maya Marroquin (21-2) fell Leander Glenn’s Savannah Wright (26-4) in 3:36 at 148 pounds and Eternity De La Garza (22-1) dropped Leander Glenn’s Sofia Vasquez Acevedo (25-4) in 1:58 at 165. Jazmine Hernandez (19-10) also placed for Memorial, taking fifth with a 4-0 decision over Leander Glenn’s Lexie Garcia (18-3) at 215.

“We knew that this was a girl she was going to have to beat to be a regional champ,” PSJA High head coach Javier Rendon said regarding Villanueva. “She went out there and took her down to her back in the first sequence. She’s only had one match go the full three periods.

“It’s a blessing and a curse. She’s just wrestling so well that these girls don’t have an answer for her. It’s important that she believes the training she has done will take her through those tougher matches later on. Right now, she’s just blowing through everybody.”

In Rendon’s view on the girls Class 6A 185-pound weight class, Villanueva is the best in Texas.

“I 100% believe that and I think she believes that. At the state tournament, maybe four or five wrestlers can win it, or maybe all 16 can but, in my eyes, she’s the best.

“One of the biggest changes about her this year is she accepted the leadership role. We have a very young team and that’s important both for her and for them. She shows it in practice. She pushes her teammates and she pushes herself.”

Villanueva has been dominant, and the key to remaining that way is to learn from the different forms she may face, and to make sure she dictates the action. That way she keeps herself within her strengths, and doesn’t place herself in her opponent’s strengths.

“In one tournament, you’re going to face three or four different styles and you have to do what you do best and wrestle where you want to wrestle,” said Rendon, in his second year as head coach after three as an assistant at PSJA. “Get to where you want to be. There are certain positions she’s really good at. If she can get there and take care of herself, if she can wrestle where’s she’s comfortable, she can just go from there.

“You can tell from how they wrestle when they start if they’re gonna have that ‘bug,’” Rendon said. “It’s hard to see that in practice, to see if they have that edge. First one we went to with Jessica (as an eighth-grader), we saw it.”

CENTEX BOYS TOURNAMENT

PSJA High’s Damian Aguilera and Sharyland High’s Paolo Miranda and Moses Rodriguez each finished second at the CenTex boys event over the weekend.

Aguilera dropped his first match of the season and is now 31-1 after a 3-2 decision in the 113-pound division for Brett Burgess (24-3) of Austin Lake Travis.

Miranda, a junior, was pinned in the 120-pound category at 3:51 against Austin Vandegrift’s Carter Taylor (32-3). It was also Miranda’s first lost of the season and he is now 21-1.

Rodriguez (25-6) fell in an 11-1 major decision to Aidan Williams (26-4) of Austin Lake Travis at 160 pounds

Lake Travis and Vandegrift easily outdistanced the rest of the 30-school field, winning first and second, respectively. Rio Grande City was the highest finished Valley team in eighth, followed by La Joya Juarez-Lincoln in ninth and Sharyland High in 11th.

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Ayloni Garcia makes her presence known on and off the field for the McAllen Rowe girls soccer team.

On the field, head coach John Martinez said she’s a pit bull.

Off the field, teammates and coaches can hear her 10-speed Ford Mustang coming “from a mile away,” Garcia said.

“And I want to make it louder,” said the former mini-drag racer, whose dad also competes on the drag strip.

Garcia, a junior, was one of the loudest players on the field this week for the Warriors as they compiled a 4-0 record during the Mcallen ISD Girls Soccer Showcase, a three-day event hosted by the three McAllen ISD high schools. She is part of what Martinez calls his “Five-fecta,” which also includes senior Esperanza Cantu, juniors Mia Mata and Abby Rocha and sophomore Camila Gil.

Gil and Garcia were named The Monitor’s All-Area Girls Soccer Newcomers of the Year the past two years. Gil won the distinction last season while Garcia earned it the year before.

Garcia, however, had to sit out last year after transferring from Mission High, following the UIL’s 365-day rule. She said it was extremely difficult to watch her team play.

“I have a hard time not playing, even when I’m watching any game,” she said. “So it was bad last year with all the COVID and everything else. I was working out at the parks even though I wasn’t playing. I love this game, ever since I was a little girl. I want to be in the game.”

Garcia scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over San Antonio Taft with couple of minutes remaining. She took the rebound off the left post following on a penalty kick and knocked it in. She ended with three goals and three assists during the showcase. Mata led the Warriors with five goals and Gil dished out seven assists.

“They have played beyond my expectations,” Martinez said. “Going into this tournament, we had a few girls out so we had to make some changes, even tactical ones. We had six girls playing different positions — those four (Garcia, Gil, Mata and Rocha) with Esperanza on top. We have some other girls who were making overlapping runs and working hard and they are as much a part of the team’s success. It’s a special group. They make my job easier.”

With two top newcomers and one of the top Valley forces in Mata and Martinez, the Warriors have high expectations this year. Those expectations start at practice, and Martinez likes what he sees there, ever since last year.

“We were playing a short-sided game, on a short field and Mia would play a ball and continue to run, then play a ball and keep sprinting. She was sprinting for 45 seconds or more and I stopped practice,” Martinez said. “I said, ‘Mia,’ and she looked at me like saying, ‘What did I do wrong?’ And I told the team that this is how you practice, the way Mia is. This is what is going to get us farther in the playoffs.”

With Garcia’s return and Gil’s second year (she scored 37 goals as a freshman last year), the competition on the field is as, or more, intense than ever.

“Everything starts at practice and they bring it full speed,” Martinez said. “Ayloni has raised that level. The girls don’t want to give her a bad pass. Her presence is made known out there and once she gets going, she’s special.

“She and Mia take it personal if you beat them on a play. They don’t like it. They won’t do anything dirty but they’ll let you know to not do that again. I’m glad they’re on our team.”

Garcia echoed her coach’s stance regarding Mata.

“At my previous school I didn’t have anyone who really loved to play,” Garcia said. “Mia is just different. She sets everything aside and gives her all in the field on every play, the entire time. She really loves this sport, too.”

“We all knew the teams coming down were going to be thinking, ‘Oh, it’s just the Valley. How much can they have?’ And we took it to heart and gave it our all.”

Perennial powerhouse and defending District 31-5A champion McAllen High went 3-1 during the event, defeating Corpus Christi Calallen, San Antonio Warren and Corpus Christi Veterans. The Bulldogs’ one loss came to Class 6A power San Antonio O’Connor.

Gabriela Gonzalez led McHi with four goals, while Briana Claudio and Haley Nixon each added three. Savannah Ruiz scored twice against Calallen and Juliana Millen scored once.

Martinez was quick to point out however, the perfect weekend record against staunch opponents does not serve notice that there’s a new sheriff in town.

“I think McHi has the past few trophies, so that target is still, rightly so, on them,” he said. “I’d rather fly under the radar.”

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Eddie Gonzalez said it took him very little time to realize he had someone special on the wrestling mat in Serenity De La Garza.

“It was, I think, maybe the second match,” he said.

“Of her freshman year,” he added for clarity.

Ever since, now-junior has gotten better, much better. As a freshman, she compiled a 2-2 mark at the state tournament. Last year, she won the regional championship and finished third in the state, her only loss coming in the state semifinal. With a 13-0 record this season, the McAllen Memorial junior is ranked No. 1 in Texas in the 138-pound category in Girls Class 5A, according to wrestlingtexas.com.

Thirteen matches. Thirteen wins. Thirteen pins.

De La Garza, who has a 68-8 career record (29-1 in her past 30 matches), is one of four state-ranked Mustangs. Senior Maya Marroquin is No. 5 at 148 pounds. Junior Eternity De La Garza, Serenity’s twin sister, is No. 14 at 165. And Ashton Burris is No. 4 at 185.

The Mustangs are ranked No. 8 as a team by wrestlingtexas.com, while PSJA Memorial is No. 10 in Class 5A. The Wolverines have one ranked wrestler, senior Lorena Torres, who is also No. 1, at 185.

“There are definitely high expectations for her — stay healthy, wrestle as she always has and get as far as she can and become state champion. We will push for that.

“She is a heck of a role model for the kids. They see her work ethic. She never complains, hurt or not. She’s splitting time with the varsity basketball team and she’s constantly working out, but keeping her grades. The others try to emulate here and learn from her.”

De La Garza also plays basketball for the Mustangs. The two sports, which run concurrently, help De La Garza in different areas — using skills from one to play the other and vice versa.

“Basketball helps me stay in shape before the season starts to be conditioned if I have to go 6 minutes (during a match) and helps me move a little faster with my footwork,” she said. “Wrestling helped me be stronger and can move faster and use my strength. When I’m wrestling, I’m looking at their legs and hands, so when I’m guarding someone I can see their movements quicker.”

Her aggressiveness may come as a surprise for those who haven’t seen De La Garza in competition. Described as always laughing and smiling during her personal time, she steps into another atmosphere, especially on the mat.

“She is very energetic when it’s game time. She is focused and knows what she has to work on,” Gonzalez said. “Her personality is always happy but she definitely gets into game mode.

“(On the mat) she won’t stop. She tries to do whatever she can and has a variety of techniques. She takes beautiful shots and she’s a well-rounded wrestler. She’s tried everything and she listens, too. Sometimes as I’m calling it, she’s seeing it, hitting sweeps or something else. She’s very versatile.”

While De La Garza has a full menu of moves in her repertoire, she also has some favorites that are her crème de la crème. She looks for those opportunities at every moment.

“I like to shoot in for a single leg, get deep in on them and then throw them,” she said. “Or I’ll do the double blast, but only if it’s totally there. A lot of girls like to tie up and I change the level and shoot, that’s what coach says. My freshman and sophomore years it wasn’t there for me but it’s better. I like that and it looks really cool when they try to grab me but I’m gone.”

Blessed with speed, quickness, strength and a powerful knowledge of the sport, Gonzalez said their goal is a state title. But, he’s quick to add, while a No. 1 ranking is a nice indicator of her ability right now, it will mean much more when the season is completed.

“That’s the best thing about her: she’s more confident than before, but doesn’t let it get to her head,” he said. “She understands the situations. Whether she’s ranked No. 1 or not, you still have to show up. Rankings can be subjective and you don’t know who changed weight classes.

“She has the confidence. She knows she still needs to make sure and beat anybody, regardless. Just wrestle and own the match. This is a sport where one little mistake can make a huge difference.”

De La Garza echoes those sentiments.

“I feel a little pressure being No. 1 but I try not to worry about it. It’s just a number. If I get No. 1 at the end of the year it will mean something to me but it doesn’t mean as much now.

“Until I earn state champion.”

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Former McAllen High and Texas A&M standout swimmer Shaine Casas won his first international Former McAllen High and Texas A&M standout swimmer Shaine Casas won his first international gold medal Friday during the second evening of the Short Course World Championships in Abu Dhabi.

Casas is swimming for Team USA and his 100-meter backstroke championship came one day after winning a bronze medal as part of Team USA’s 400 free relay Thursday.

A three-time NCAA champion, Casas tied with Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov in the semifinals. Kolesnikov was the Olympic silver medalist. Casas narrowly missed out on an Olympic bid in the same event earlier this year, finishing third. However, he was quickly added to Team USA to represent the team internationally.

Casas exploded, as one report stated, “like a rocket” at the start and halfway through he was .16 seconds faster than the world-record pace. His 23.29 time for the first half was also 0.14 ahead of Kolesnikov. While Casas slowed down the stretch, he still maintained that advantage over second place and won in 49.23 seconds, 0.23 ahead of Kolesnikov.

According to Swimming World, Casas has still been training at A&M under the Aggies coaches through the fall, despite announcing in September he would transfer to the Texas and then turn pro. However, “his future training plans are unknown — but the implication was clear (Friday): the 21-year-old Casas was fully focused on achieving success at the international level.”

Casas still has to swim in the 50 back today and Sunday, the 200 back Tuesday and possibly three more American medley relays.

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