KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

LA FERIA — Senior Mike Bermea hit his first shot from three-point range and put the first points on the board for Santa Rosa.

The 3-ball was foreshadowing what was to come for Bermea and the Warriors.

Bermea led the offense with 17 first-quarter points and finished with a game-high 25 as the Warriors ran past the Raymondville Bearkats 109-43 to open up their play at the C.E. Vail Tournament on Thursday.

“I feel we came out strong, and that is what we need to do,” Bermea said. “We need to come out strong so we can get what we want.”

The Warriors will meet Corpus Christi West Oso at 10:30 a.m. today in Gym A.

Along with the offense came aggressive play from the Warriors on defense. It was something Warriors coach Johnny Cipriano was looking to improve on.

“That was one thing I asked the kids to do,” Cipriano said. “I think we are pretty soft sometimes, so I asked them to pick up the intensity and show me that they don’t want the other team to score, because sometimes we are passive. If we shore that up and fix it, the defensive intensity, and keep shooting the way we are shooting, we will be fine.”

Bermea’s 25 points was his second-highest total this season. During their previous tournament, Bermea netted a season-high 27 points against Corpus Christi Moody.

“It usually takes me a little while to get hot,” Bermea said. “Then I will start hitting my 3s, and today I was just hitting them and I was feeling good.

Bermea was one of five Warriors to score in double figures. Chris Vela scored 16 points, Ruben Ochoa had 10, David Balzaldua contributed 15 while Adam Cavazos added 14 points.

Santa Rosa outran and outshot the Bearkats, taking a commanding 28-9 lead after the first quarter. During the third quarter, the Warriors didn’t let up and outscored Raymondville 32-5. The Warriors scored 100 points for the second straight game and matched their season high with 109 points.

“We shot pretty well today, and we shot well at the Corpus tournament, too,” Cipriano said. “Hopefully our shooting is coming around, but I really like how we are moving the ball around and looking for the best shot rather than just settling for a shot.”

Rio Hondo went 1-1 during the first day of tournament action. The Bobcats lost their tournament opener to La Joya High 53-37. In the loss, Jabez Villareal led the Rio Hondo offense with 17 points, and John Ayala added 10 points.

For La Joya High, Bernie Vera scored 13 points and Santiago Rodriguez finished with 11 points.

Rio Hondo rebounded with a 65-53 win over Kingsville King. Villarreal led the charge again with a team-high 19 points, and Zachariah Rios followed with 11 points in the win.

The ’Cats trailed 14-13 after the first period but managed to turn the tide with a strong second quarter and outscored King 21-7.

“This is how I wanted our boys to respond after a sluggish morning,” Rio Hondo coach Mike Alvarez said. “I talked to the boys and I wasn’t too pleased with the way we played in the morning, and the way they responded showed me a lot about their character and just being able to put away a tough loss and come out with a big win.”

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN—When junior guard A’nnika Saenz went down with a left knee injury during the final minute of the first quarter, Edinburg High coach J.D Salinas needed to find an answer without his best player.

With the Lady Bobcats trailing and Saenz not returning to the lineup, Salinas received his answers from Bre Sanchez — who scored a game-high 14 points — and Daysha Tijerina — who scored 12 points — as Edinburg High rode a strong second quarter to a 49-39 win over Harlingen South.

“A’nnika, I would say, and in a lot of people’s mind, is one of the top players in South Texas, and when you lose a kid like that in a game, it took the kids some time to get back into the flow of the game,” Salinas said. “When you lose your horse and she is out, I’m proud of how our girls responded, and we talked with them at the half and it had to bring out the best in everyone else. We had girls playing different positions, but I thought we had different girls step in and make plays for us.”

Harlingen South got off to a strong start and led 17-10 early in the second quarter after Karla Reyes and Laura Ramirez drilled back-to-back 3-pointers.

The seven-point lead was quickly erased as Edinburg High settled down and answered with a strong 15-4 run, executing in transition to end the first half and taking a 25-21 lead into the break.

“I think they just beat us in transition. They were scoring on us in transition,” Lady Hawks coach Kelly Garrett said. “Our halfcourt defense, for the most part, was better than usual, and we weren’t executing on offense like we should have been.”

Ramirez scored 10 points, and Reyes led the South offense with 12 points. Alexes Rocha finished with eight points in the loss.

The strong second quarter continued into the third quarter for the Lady Bobcats. Sanchez scored four points in the third as Edinburg High outscored South 13-6 in the period and opened their lead to 38-27.

The second-quarter swing was the momentum shifter that Salinas saw in his team, along with the response from losing Saenz early in the game.

“I think so, we tried to focus on our defensive side and tried to get our defense to lead to an easy offense, and we got a lot of those points off of transition and that gave us some confidence in the game despite not having A’nnika in the game,” Salinas said.

The Lady Bobcats are off to an 18-2 start this year and have won three straight. They will play host to Los Fresnos on Friday night.

Harlingen South, meanwhile, is 8-7 and will shift its focus to McAllen High on Friday at home.

“We didn’t execute well, and Edinburg High did,” Garrett said. “We need to execute better on offense, but we are getting there and we saw some good things tonight. We just turned over the ball tonight at the wrong time.”

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

LA FERIA—Eliza Rodriguez hadn’t had too much to talk about over her last few games, but on Friday, that all changed.

Rodriguez caught a hot hand and scored a game-high 20 points as she led Rio Hondo to a 51-31 win over Mercedes in the semifinals at the 46th annual Tommie Wiseman Tournament.

The Lady Bobcats will meet Valley View in the championship game today at 1:30 p.m.

“I felt good today,” Rodriguez said. “I felt good coming in because my previous games, I hadn’t done too well. During shoot around, I felt OK, but when I hit my first shot, I knew I was on and going to have a good game.”

Along the way, Rio Hondo has picked up some impressive wins. On Thursday, Rio Hondo beat Edinburg Vela 45-42 in overtime and followed up with a 52-30 win over PSJA High to earn a spot in the semifinals.

“We like to compete against big schools because it helps us get ready for district,” Rio Hondo point guard Natalie Martinez. “It helps us play at a faster pace, so we know and prepare for teams down the road. The wins we have been able to get, we stuck it through. Our team is built around our defense; that is one thing we can do and that is what we stuck with during this tournament.”

Rio Hondo wasted no time against the Lady Tigers. The Lady Bobcats jumped out to a 13-0 lead behind the 3-ball. Jazaline Ayala, Martinez and Rodriguez all hit from down town.

Martinez was another bright spot for Rio Hondo, netting 12 points in the win. In the third quarter, Rio Hondo pushed their lead 42-23 — its biggest lead of the game.

“We came into the game with a defensive game plan and I felt the girls did an excellent job of executing it,” Rio Hondo coach Victor Sauceda said. “We were fortunate to hit some shots from the outside and I felt that was the difference in the game.”

Valley View stuns La Feria

Valley View trailed all afternoon long until Daniela Garza drilled a three pointer in the final seconds against La Feria. The Lionettes managed to tie the game on a lay-up after full court pass as time expired.

In the overtime period the Lady Tigers kept the momentum going and rode a 13-3 run en route to a 57-49 win that sends Valley View to the championship game against Rio Hondo.

The semifinal was a tale of two halves. La Feria held a 16-point lead at the half and shot well from the floor but Valley View chipped away in the second half behind their defense and clutch shooting.

Garza finished with 15 points while Jimena Munoz had a monster game, netting a game-high 28 points.

“The adrenaline was running and one of us had to shoot the shot,” Garza said “We practice our 3-pointers a lot in practice and once I got the ball, I had the shot and I knew I had to take it. It was a clean open look each shot is 50-50 — we don’t know if it will go in but lucky for me it did.”

La Feria suffered its first loss of the tournament and will now play Mercedes for third place today at noon.

The Lionettes played a strong first quarter and in the second quarter they held their biggest lead of the game, 24-12 and led 30-16 at the half.

“We just had lapses on defense and we knew who the shooters were,” La Feria coach Angel Martinez said. “We had a few girls play most of the game and usually they will get subbed in, but towards the end I knew it would come down to who had better legs and I think Valley View was a little bit more in shape that we were.”

In the third quarter is where Valley View made some noise on offense and managed to adjust on defense and force turnovers. Munoz scored six points in the third quarter and helped trim the deficit to 30-25.

“We try to shoot a lot of 3s and when we are off I tell the girls; we need to find a different way to score,” said Valley View coach Arnold Martinez. “Our girl inside is very good and on the outside shots we have been shooting very well and we hadn’t been challenged throughout the tournament. I knew playing against La Feria it was going to be tough, they are always well coached and were on their home court.”

For La Feria, Alani Garza led the offense with 15 points, Maggie Cavazos finished with 11 points while Sabrina Castaneda scored 12 points in the loss.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

LA FERIA—La Feria will head into the 46th annual Tommie Wiseman tournament with a little swagger and a clean 4-0 record. The Lionettes will meet Edinburg Economedes today at 10:30 a.m to tip off tournament play.

A total of 16 teams will take the court later today. Defending champion PSJA North will not be in this year’s tournament. Sharyland High, Brownsville Pace, Brownsville Jubille, Valley View, PSJA Memorial, McAllen Rowe, Edinburg Vela, Rio Hondo, Rio Grande City, PSJA High, Mercedes, Browsnville Rivera, Brownsville St. Joseph and Zapata are all in this years tournament.

“It is a really good tournament to be a part of especially because of the tradition behind it,” said La Feria coach Angel Martinez. “We have good teams coming in this year. The good thing is getting everyone together and hosting the tournament and hoping people enjoy the tournament. We are looking forward for everyone getting games in as we all get closer to district play.”

The Lionettes had some questions coming into the new season at the guard position as they looked to replace both Kyla Lowe and Karina Diaz, who both graduated last year and directed the Lionette offense.

“Right now I’m missing both Lowe and Diaz, so the hard part is getting the younger guards ready.” La Feria coach Angel Martinez said.

La Feria, however, just may have found their answer in junior Sabrina Castaneda, who is continuing to have success coming off an injury shortened season last year.

“Sabrina was a sophomore last year, and this year, she has stepped into a position that Kayla excelled at and be at that level,” Martinez said. “It is hard because, last year, she had an injury and missed some time at that position.”

This year, Castaneda is fully healthy and has given Martinez the confidence that she can run the offense.

As far as the four and five position, seniors Aaliyah Stewart and Jeno Ochoa provide the size for the Lionettes and are both three-year letterman’s heading into their senior year.

Elsewhere in the tournament field, Rio Hondo is 7-2 on the year under first-year head coach Victor Sauceda. The Lady Bobcats will take on Edinburg Vela at 3 p.m.

“I’m looking for our senior leadership and play to keep us moving in the right direction,” Sauceda said. “We have played some tough competition so far and I’m looking for us to continue to get better in all aspects of our game as we head into district play.”

Pace will tipoff against Sharyland High at 9 a.m. in Gym A, while Jubilee Brownsville will meet Valley View in Gym B at the same time. Rivera takes on Mercedes at 4:30 p.m. in Gym A and St. Joseph has a date with Zapata at 4:40 p.m. in Gym B.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN—On Tuesday against Brownsville Veterans Memorial, Harlingen High’s starting five included two freshman, one sophomore and two juniors. On the current roster, there is just one senior. Overall, there are eight juniors, five freshman and two sophomores.

The household names Marissa Gasca, Sami Quilantan, Nadia Flores, Taegan Dickey and Ariel Leal are all gone and a new crop of Lady Cards are ready to continue the winning ways that was left before them.

In her sixth year as Lady Cards head coach, Ashley Moncivaiz has built a model of consistency. In each of her first five years, Moncivaiz has won at least 25 or more games, including a career-high 34 wins during the 2015-16 season.

At this time last season, the Lady Cards were 12-3, this year Harlingen is 14-4 through 18 games. Despite losing nine seniors to graduation last year, Moncivaiz returned six to the varsity squad and received reinforcements from her junior varsity along with a promising freshman group.

The Lady Cards don’t rebuild but reload. This year, Harlingen High has improved with their guard play, allowing them to have flexibility with who runs the point and have the ability to rotate on defense.

“Everybody that we lost last year, we were able to fill in the gaps this year,” Moncivaiz said. “We have maturity with these girls; they are able to fill in. In years past, we have had a few girls that can handle the ball. We are trying to push for multiple girls to handle the ball this year.”

The Lady Cards have gotten some strong play from freshman Rosa Zapata and sophomore Avery Hinojosa. Zapata is one of the five freshmen that are adapting to the varsity level and will have an impact this season.

Juli Bryant, Athena Linnartz, Layla Salas and Danielle Rodriguez make up the rest of freshman class.

“It took time for me to get going, but in the summer, we put in work,” Zapata said. “I worked hard over the summer to get to their level. Right now, I feel I’m there, but I also feel I can get better. My first varsity game against Edinburg High, I came off the bench and was nervous but once I got in there, I was good.”

Zapata will be one key piece to the puzzle not only for this year but for the next three seasons. Along with Zapata are sharp shooter Alexus Coto, Alyssa Salas and Callie Cervantes, who are all juniors and are the more experienced players of the group.

“It was good that we put in work together over the summer in order to get on the same page,” Cervantes said. “As an upperclassman, I try and make sure the younger girls stay on track and make sure no one is messing around. If they have any questions or need help with anything, I’m there.”

The Lady Cards are off to a good start this year with signature wins over Weslaco High, Tuloso Midway, Brownsville Veterans and San Antonio Clark to go along with winning the Mid-Valley classic tournament and a second-place finish in the Border Bash.

“We are moving in the right direction and we are getting better each game,” Moncivaiz said. “We are not where we need to be yet but later down the road, we will get there. We are still building chemistry and we do have different rotations and different starting groups. We had a lot of depth last year with a lot of seniors. I feel we have a lot of depth in a different way this year. We can utilize different people in different spots and people won’t expect that and that is what helps us.”

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

SAN PERLITA—The 10th annual Letterman’s Club tournament kicked off with a bang Thursday afternoon as host club San Perlita rattled off a 77-71 come-from-behind win in overtime against Macedonia.

The Trojans fought their way back after trailing by 11 at halftime and, on more than one occasion, trailed by 10 in the third and fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter belonged to the Trojans.

Junior James Herrera and senior EJ Nieto fueled the comeback win. Down the stretch, the Trojans took over in overtime after falling behind quickly 67-63.

“It was a hard fought win and I’m tired as hell, but we really wanted this win and we got it,” Herrera said. “We worked our butts off today. We played some tight defense and crashed the boards pretty well.”

That is when Herrera and Nieto stepped in. Nieto scored all 12 of his points in the fourth quarter, including some key free throws. Herrera netted six points in the fourth quarter and would finish with a game-high 27 points.

“Our team is very scrappy and we don’t like to give up,” Nieto said. “We were not shooting as well as we wanted, too, but we were able to adjust and attack the basket.”

The Trojans got outscored 27-12 in the second quarter and were also without their best player in senior Tige Johnson. Johnson left the game early in the first quarter with an ankle injury and did not return.

“I felt we had the momentum early in the game,” Garza said. “Then our big boy Tige went down with an injury, so it came down to our youth and we were down at halftime. (Macedonia) is a tough team and they are well-coached. I told our guys to just stay with it possession by possession and we did. I felt this game was big for my sophomores — they are gaining experience.”

Despite not having Johnson, the Trojans rallied behind their depth. Sophomore Ely Terry scored 17 points and made key stops down the stretch for the Trojans. With San Perlita struggling from beyond the arc, the Trojans adjusted and attacked the rim and made plays in the paint.

“Today we showed we got better and not only that we showed we can win a game in a different style and win with a possession on the line,” Garza said. “This is what I like about our tournament our younger guys are getting experience early in the year.”

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

RIO HONDO— Over the last two seasons, Rio Hondo has had hung their hat on their explosive offenses. In 2017, the offense was led by quarterback Tyler Bush, last year it was QB Josiah Ortega.

Along with the offense comes the hard-nosed defense. The Bobcats take a lot of pride in their defense and the three mainstays on this year’s unit have been seniors Sam Villines, who is a hybrid defender, Derek Castellanos, the X-Factor, and hard-hitting Joey Ortega.

The trio has been on the varsity since their sophomore year and has been around some great Rio Hondo teams. Each year, they have been able to win a playoff game and have a district title under their belt. This year, the three have helped get the Bobcats back into the playoffs and for a third straight year are in the area round.

“This is an experience, especially being able to be back in the second round,” Ortega said. “We will get a chance to play against Navarro, who we played two years ago. They kicked our butt, so this year, we are looking to put it all out on the field.”

The Bobcats 2019 season has been a roller coaster with a 2-1 district record and watched Raymondville defend their district title for a second straight year. However, two key turning points have been the reason why the Bobcats are still padding up in November.

The first turning point came on Oct. 18th, when Rio Hondo lost 35-21 to Raymondville and saw their district title hopes take a hit. Since then, the Bobcats have won three straight and are playing much cleaner football than they have the first few months of the season.

“After Raymondville, I was upset and everyone else was upset, too, and since then we were able to turn it up.” Villines said.

The second and biggest boost the Bobcats got was the return of Castellanos. Castellanos missed six weeks of action with a sprained knee. Castellanos returned to the field on Oct. 1.

“I think Derek being out really hurt the defense, he is a great football player and wreaks havoc,” said Rio Hondo coach Rocky James. “After he came back these last three games, he has dominated and has helped the defense play well. We have been stingy when it comes to points with him in the lineup. He isn’t the biggest guy, but he plays with a lot of heart and intensity.”

Castellanos, who plays defensive end, is the nucleus to the defense with his pass rush and ability to have a nose for the football.

“We didn’t have Derek for most of the year because of an injury,” Villines said. “When we got him back, we were a whole other team. He is intense and we just play so much better when he is on the field with us. Getting Derek back was a turning point for us. I feel so much more comfortable with him and Joey on the field.”

Against Orange Grove in last week’s bi-district round, Castellanos was a tackling machine, recording two sacks and 17 tackles.

“I would say we are playing better,” Castellanos said. “We have really come together as a team and as a unit. We are coming out and knowing what we have to do and making plays.”

The Bobcats will meet Geronimo Navarro in the class 4A DII area round Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Buc stadium in Corpus Christi.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

BROWNSVILLE— While the season is young, Brownsville Veterans hit the court running Tuesday night. Four Chargers scored in double figures, led by senior Damian Maldonado, who netted a game-high 17 points in a 72-46 win over San Benito.

Brownsville Veterans improves to 2-0 on the year and will travel to West Oso this weekend. San Benito meanwhile will head west for the La Joya Tournament. The Greyhounds are 0-2.

The Chargers came firing out of the gate with a 16-4 run that gave them a 16-7 lead early. Maldonado fueled the early run with eight first quarter points. The Chargers pushed their lead 18-7 after the first period and did not look back.

“That is how we want to start games; that is how we want to play,” said Chargers coach Larry Gibson. “We are trying to play at least 10 people and be 10 deep. We want to push the ball and ware people down.”

Matt Maddox, Kelly Davis and Lucky Edge scored 10 points each in the win.

Edge hit a three pointer at the end of the first half and hit another three ball in the final seconds of the third quarter. The Chargers led by as many as 20 in the second half.

“We are great right now, we are 2-0,” Gibson said. “As long as you haven’t lost any you are doing well, I think our greatest thing right now is our camaraderie we are playing together and he kids are passing the ball. We have a plus-19 turnover ratio so we are taking care of the ball.”

The Chargers still have some work to do when it comes to getting in basketball shape. Maldonado, Edge, Alex Villarreal and Thomas Pena are all making the switch from football to basketball.

“I got those four back and we are getting them in basketball shape,” Gibson said. “They came in here in good shape but there is a different kind of shape with football and basketball. We are trying to push the ball quite a bit.”

For the ’Hounds Devin Rubio and Aaron Lucio scored nine points each to lead the San Benito offense respectively.

The Greyhounds are under first-year head coach Jared Bligh and are still getting accustomed to the new system.

“There is a lot of learning to do and obviously with a new coach, there is a learning curve with a new style of play,” Bligh said. “They are getting used to it and we are trying to get the kids to buy in and continue to learn and improve throughout the year.”

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN— In their first meeting, Edinburg Vela and Harlingen High did not disappoint.

The Sabercats fell behind by 14 points early but rallied late behind junior quarterback AJ Sotelo in what shaped up to be a shootout. With 9:56 left, Edinburg Vela’s Pablo Rivera sprinted for a 41-yard touchdown that proved to be the game winner in a 42-35 victory over Harlingen High in the Class 6A Division II bi-district round.

Edinburg Vela will meet Eagle Pass in the area round sometime next week.

“I didn’t really say anything when we fell behind,” Sabercats coach John Campbell said. “It was early in the ballgame, and in playoff games like this there will be a few momentum swings. Obviously you don’t want to fall behind 14-0, but we knew there was a whole lot of football left to be played.”

After trading scores, Harlingen High got the ball back at its own 1-yard line, trailing by seven with six minutes left. Jaime Galvan connected with Rayden Berry on a 40-yard pass then followed with a 49-yard pass to his brother, Justin Galvan, setting up the Cardinals at the 11-yard line.

After a botched snap that led to a third-and-long, Galvan hit Donny Serna for a 19-yard touchdown, but the score was called back due to an illegal shift. On fourth-and-37 Jaime Galvan lofted a pass to the back of the end zone for Justin Galvan, but he slipped in the back of the end zone, turning the ball over on downs.

“It stings, but you have to give credit to Edinburg Vela, they made plays. It’s football,” Cards coach Manny Gomez said. “It is difficult, loses like this, it is difficult. We had our opportunities for sure, and it came down to playmaking ability, and they made a few more plays than we did.”

The Cardinals managed to get the ball back with 23 seconds left after a missed field goal at their own 22-yard line but couldn’t muster the miracle drive.

The big plays came in bunches for Edinburg Vela’s passing attack. Wideouts Justin Cantu and Kevin Rojas caused fits all night for the Cardinals secondary. Sotelo threw five touchdowns and hit three different receivers.

Rojas hauled in two scores, and Cantu caught one touchdown. The biggest catch came on a 91-yard drive. Sotelo hit Justin Vega in the back of the end zone to tie the game at 28.

Edinburg Vela later took its first lead of the night on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Sotelo to Rojas with 11:04 left in the fourth quarter.

Jaime Galvan quickly answered with his third rushing touchdown of the night. The senior tied the game at 35 on a 65-yard touchdown.

“It is going to be very hard to replace Rayden Berry and Jaime Galvan,” Gomez said. “As far as their legacy and how they will be remembered, is they were two of the toughest competitors that ever wore the Cardinal uniform, and I’m proud of those kids and how we fought.”

Harlingen High’s quick start wasn’t enough. A 58-yard run from Jaime Galvan gave the Cards an early 7-0 lead, and on the next possession Nathan Huerta recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown for an early 14-0 lead.

The Cardinals finish the season 9-2, along with a 5-0 District 32-6A record and the district title.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN—For a second straight year, Harlingen South is back in the playoffs. The Hawks fought tooth and nail to earn the fourth spot in a rugged District 32-6A.

The Hawks will square off against arguably the hottest team in the Rio Grande Valley in District 31-6A champion Weslaco East at 7:30 tonight at Bobby Lackey Stadium in the Class 6A Division II bi-district round.

“Weslaco East is a well-coached ballclub. Coach Mike Burget and his staff does a great job over there,” Hawks coach Brian Ricci said. “A lot of times the kids will lose focus because of the weather. We don’t get weather like this too often. As a coach we want to keep the kids focused, and I feel the kids have done a good job on staying focused this week.”

After back-to-back losses to Brownsville Hanna and Harlingen High, the Wildcats turned the tide and won their final six games. Two of those wins were signature wins against rival Weslaco High and defending district champion Edinburg Vela.

East, which is known for its strong rushing attack and solid defense, has lived up to that billing this season. This year, the Wildcats’ defense ranked second in 31-6A and the offense finished third.

The Wildcats will look to workhorse QB Ramsey Vasquez, who ran for 1,175 yards and 14 touchdowns. Through the air, Vasquez tossed five touchdowns and 275 yards.

The Hawks have familiarity with the running style that East brings. Los Fresnos went to the flexbone offense this season, giving the Hawks an idea of what’s to come.

“They are both similar because they both like to run the ball,” Ricci said. “You are going to get a physical team in East and we understand that, and I believe this game will come down to pad level. We need to play aggressive and make tackles.”

South’s underclassman have stepped in and make plays. Levi Ince, Jerimiah Rivera and Devin Montemayor — all sophomores — have all made an impact on defense.

“We have been playing a lot better over the last three weeks. We have a lot of younger kids on defense, about four or five of them are getting better each week, and they are making plays and I’m proud of that. They will need to step up and make plays tonight.” Ricci said.

Junior linebacker/safety David Cortez is humbled to be back in the playoffs and feels the experience from last year’s playoff appearance will help make a difference.

“I feel this has been the best week of practice that we have had all year,” Cortez said. “We have all been focused and ready to go. On defense we are just focusing on the run because of the style Weslaco East brings, along with gap control.”

On offense, the Hawks will look to establish their rushing attack with senior running back Israel Vasquez, who carried the workload last week in place of sophomore running back Marcos Gonzales, who missed the Hanna game with a shoulder injury.

Gonzales is listed as probable for tonight’s game but can add a boost to the Hawks’ offense if he is able to go. Senior QB David Torres also is playing at a high level and has made a connection with wideout Alex Esparza.

The speedy Esparza has the ability to stretch the field along with 6-foot, 4-inch Brady Bennett, who provides the Hawks with a big target.

“When you have an opportunity with the football, with the style of offense they run, you don’t get a lot of possessions on offense, so you need to take advantage of them. So we need to limit the mistakes, penalties and turnovers in a big game like this,” Ricci said. “We need to execute and make plays.”