Sharyland High’s Danielle Salinas has a good perspective on why the upcoming cross-country season had to be postponed.

“Both my parents work at hospitals,” Salinas said. “So, I understand why the season had to be pushed back, but I still train as much as I can by practicing everyday.”

With COVID-19 striking the Rio Grande Valley with a growing number of cases, the usual routine of starting sports has been pushed back. The cross-country season, for now, begins Oct. 3.

Although the season is scheduled to start more than two months from now, some student-athletes have been optimistic and have been practicing.

The Edinburg Economedes girls cross-country team was one of the Valley’s top programs, according to the Rio Grande Valley Cross-Country Coaches Association (RGVCCCA). Based on the Meet of Champions at Donna High, the organization ranked Sharyland High the top girls team followed by Weslaco High and then Economedes.

All things considered, Edinburg Economedes girls head coach Brenda Lozano still has the same goal and mindset for this upcoming season.

“It really has affected us as a team,” Lozano said. “With this virus going on, we cannot hold our usual summer practices. I send the girls a workout routine, so they can do it every day and it is hard when we are not face-to-face to actually train them correctly.”

Lozano lost only one senior, Diane Lozano, from last year’s squad who signed with Western Texas College.

“I have a young group of girls,” Lozano said. “I see a lot of potential and I have a lot of incoming freshmen that are good and fighting for that seventh spot on the varsity team.”

Last season, Lozano had one senior, two juniors, one sophomore and three freshmen on the team.

“I want the season to begin, but I know we have to take the correct precautions,” Lozano said. “The girls are still practicing even though we don’t know if the season will actually start or not, by the way things are, the decisions can change any time.”

Dianett Garcia, an incoming junior at Economedes, is preparing as if the season will not get canceled.

“I practice almost every day,” Garcia said. “I do different workouts throughout the week like long distance and sprinting. I am pretty upset that the season has been pushed back. We would have been already two months practicing, but instead we are practicing on our own, waiting for it (season) to start.”

The same mindset goes for the Valley’s top team for the past two years, according to the RGVCCCA.

Sharyland High girls head coach Melissa Dearth is eager for the season to begin.

“I want my girls to keep practicing,” Dearth said. “It’s hard right now because we are not in person practicing and us practicing in the summer as a team is what I believe made us great, we had that advantage.”

Last season, Dearth had 41 runners on the team and this season she has 46 — only six are juniors or seniors. Last season, Dearth lost five seniors and they all signed with colleges to continue their cross-country and track career — they guided the team to an eighth-place finish at the state meet.

“I am going to have a young team,” Dearth said. “But these girls are very talented and I know that we are going to have a great season again.”

The Rattlers’ Sidney Bravo is just as eager for the season to begin.

“I have been practicing on my own,” Bravo said. “This is my last year so I know I have to give it my best shot.”

Bravo has been on the varsity team since her freshman year and is looking to advance her running career after high school.

“Anything can change,” Bravo said. “If this cross-country season does not happen, I still have track, so I still have to keep running and training for that too.”

Upcoming junior and teammate, Danielle Salinas is following Bravo’s steps.

Salinas has been on varsity her freshman year.

“We are going to be a young team, it’s like starting all over again,” Salinas said. “But I know we will do better and once we come back together as a team we will work harder.”

Dearth and her team are looking to advance to state again this season.

Despite all the chaos and the postponing of the season, McAllen High boys head coach Loui Cantu is feeling confident regardless of the switch from being in District 30-6A last year to District 31-5A this upcoming school year. McAllen High won the district title last season.

“We are going to be competing with a lot of powerhouse schools,” Cantu said. “We are going to be going into a new district and I think it is going to be very challenging, but the kids are working hard regarding the situation that is going on. They are doing what they are supposed to be doing. We have a great team coming up.”

Three-year letterman Hunter Herrera, a former district champion and incoming senior, is taking advantage of the delayed start. Last season, Herrera won the individual District 30-6A championship, helping the team clinch the district championship.

“I think postponing the season is very beneficial,” Herrera said. “It gives us more time to prepare and that will bring us to what we want to do, which is go to regionals and state.”

Herrera has been practicing with teammate and another one of McHi’s top runners, Julio Alaniz.

“We get together and we run,” Hererra said. “We just practice and try to improve, especially since we are moving districts.”

Team bonding is important for the bulldogs.

“It also gives us more time to interact with all the incoming freshmen and try to get to know them,” Herrera said. “I think if we have a good team chemistry that we will do great.”

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Ismael Chavez’s smile lit up the room, whether it was in the classroom, locker room or office. The smile impacted people’s lives. His dedication, motivation and energy along with his famous smile, touched the hearts of others.

This is how fellow coaches described him.

Chavez and fellow officer Edelmiro Garza were both shot and killed Saturday afternoon while responding to a domestic disturbance call in McAllen. Both men worked for the McAllen Police Department. Garza had more than eight years of experience as an officer, while Chavez had more than two.

Before Chavez took the role of protecting and serving, he was employed at Weslaco East High School as a science teacher for seven years and football coach for three years.

“It is tragic; this is tragic,” Weslaco East head football coach Michael Burget said. “It is such a shame. He always had a huge smile on his face every day.”

Burget knew Chavez when the former was the first assistant coach and the latter worked as the freshman football coach.

“He was always very positive and looked forward into going to the field,” Burget said. “You are talking about a guy who always showed up on time. We did not have to go out looking for him. He always thought of the kids and what he can do to help them improve both in the classroom and on the field.”

Chavez brought his football experience from playing on the Edinburg High football team. With limited coaching experience, Chavez believed he could take over a team and share his skills and abilities with students and student-athletes.

Chavez played on the Edinburg High football team when it advanced to the 1999 state semifinals under then-head coach Robert Vela.

“He was an all-around good man and good teammate,” former player and teammate Hector Bustos said. “He was a senior when I was a junior and he was always there for everyone. It does not surprise me that he ended up being a cop, with his personality of wanting to help others, being there for people and helping them with whatever situation they had. It made sense to me that he chose that path. He was a great player as well, never gave up and worked hard when it came to games and practices — he was very competitive.”

His competitive nature led Chavez into mixed martial arts. He competed in many fighting events and trained with former classmates Adrian Torres, Abram Torres, Jaime Hinojosa and Frank Treviño, who helped him build confidence.

“We trained together and competed in many events in Monterrey,” former teammate and friend Frank Treviño said. “We always would pick on him and call him the laziest on the team because we knew he was always the hardest working one and wanted to bug him about it. He did not give up on anything, whether it was in the ring or out of the ring. He was just an overall positive person.”

The man of many skills touched people throughout the community and left a hole among those mourning over his death.

“I remember when he first stumbled upon us in the locker room,” Weslaco East head girls soccer coach Rolando Ramos said. “He showed interest in coaching with us and we took him in. All I can remember is him always having a smile on his face every time he came to practice.”

Chavez was a very warm-hearted man that just wanted the best for every student, Ramos added.

“He cared so much about his job,” Ramos said. “His students were his priorities, but everyone knew that his heart was to serve his community. His dream was to always be a cop.”

After being employed with Weslaco East High School for seven years, Chavez made his dream a reality and became a police officer.

Ramos said that Chavez always made sure that people knew he loved his job and loved serving his community, Ramos said.

“I saw him just a few months back at a restaurant in McAllen,” Ramos said. “He was telling me how much he loves his job and the adrenaline he always gets being on the field. He loved working as a cop, he loved helping others.”

Chavez was known as an overall athlete who always wanted more for himself and wanted to help others.

“There is nothing negative to say about Chavez,” Weslaco East first assistant coach Rene Guzman said. “He coached my son when my son was a freshman and Chavez was also my son’s teacher.”

Guzman was the defensive line coach for Weslaco East then became defensive coordinator in the last year before Chavez pursued his police career.

Chavez and Guzman worked together on the freshmen football team.

“Such a positive person with the attitude of never giving up,” Guzman said.

“I want everyone to know that he was just honestly a great man, both officers, Chavez and Garza did not deserve any of this, may they both rest in peace,” Bustos said.

“Coach Chavez was a real genuine person – almost to a fault,” Ramos said.

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Donna North’s Anahi Banda does not let any obstacles interfere when it comes to playing soccer. Banda made sure that the injuries that she surpassed through her high school career would not get in the way with her new biggest commitment, which is extending her soccer career with Ranger College in Ranger, Texas. She officially signed early July in the safety of her home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am so excited to continue to grow as a person and as an athlete,” Banda said. “I always had the motivation and drive to play college soccer and I worked hard to get here.”

Banda set her mind to play college soccer when she was a freshman. She saw her teammate, Esmeralda Meza, who was a senior when Banda was a freshman, sign to play with Paris Junior College.

“Ever since I saw her sign, I told myself that I wanted to do that also,” Banda said. “So I practiced every day and kept in touch with her asking her for advice on how I can be able to reach this goal of mine.”

Banda started playing soccer when she was in eight grade and only joined to spend time with her friends.

“Surprisingly I made the varsity team as a freshman,” Banda said. “Which is pretty cool because the only motive I had to start playing soccer was to hang out with my friends and I did not know that I was going to end up liking it this much.”

The Summer before her sophomore year, Banda was approached by her teammates dad, Alfonso Aviles who is a head coach for a soccer traveling team called “McAllen Sharks.”

“He asked me if I wanted to be a part of his traveling team,” Banda said. “We traveled to San Antonio, Houston and Corpus Christi to play with different groups of girls, which made me more competitive.”

Banda was only part of the McAllen Sharks for a year before she started focusing on the Donna North’s soccer team.

“We had a great year as a team my sophomore year,” Banda said. “We made it up to round three in the playoffs and I wanted to keep that same momentum and motivation for us, we had it this year playoff opportunity before we had to cut it short because of the virus.”

The Donna North girls soccer team had an overall record of 16-9-1 and district record of 9-2 in the 2020 season and tied for first place with Edinburg’s Robert Vela, coming out as co-district champs.

“It was very sudden that our season ended,” Banda said. “We were looking good and we were very excited to reach the playoffs. I at least wanted to have the All-Star game, but that did not happen either.”

Banda is using this time to recover from her injuries that occurred during her sophomore year and beginning of her senior year.

“I sprained my right ankle during my sophomore year,” Banda said. “It took me a while for it to get better and till this day, it honestly still hurts. Then my senior year, I sprained my left ankle and was out in the beginning of the soccer season, luckily I got better by district. Having two sprained ankles really made it difficult for me but I am slowly healing.”

Banda was awarded with 32-5A All-District Honorable mention her freshman and sophomore year, 31-6A All-District second team and Donna North’s Most Improved Player her junior year and 31-6A First Team All-District her senior year.

“I am very happy with her (Anahi Banda) accomplishments,” Head Coach Tony Garcia said. “Her work ethic has gone a long way for Anahi, she had very minimum experience when she started with us and as years progressed she got better and better.”

As a freshman, Banda received minimum playing time but gradually increased throughout the years.

“Her dedication and hard work got to where she is right now,” Coach Garcia said. “She was that type of player that always wanted to play no matter what. When she got hurt her senior year, she was out in our own home tournament that we host here. She kept telling me she was ready but I wanted her to get better first before anything.”

The Donna North girls soccer team has been active for seven years. The team has had five playoff appearances, appeared two times in the third-round of playoffs, and have been three times district champions within the seven years, all with Coach Garcia being head coach.

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Seniors were not allowed to finish the school year like they had in mind as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic. But Hidalgo’s Juan Miguel (Mike) Vela is one of the few seniors in the Valley whose playing career will not come to an end as a result of COVID-19.

That’s because Vela will attend Jarvis Christian College, where he will play baseball.

“I really did not think that I was going to make it,” Vela said. “My parents always encouraged me to keep playing and that some day I was going to make it big. I did not believe them at first, but now I am here and I get to go to college to study and play baseball, which is something that my family has not done.”

“It feels good to be the first in the family to go to college and it feels even better that I am also the first in the family that gets to sign,” he added.

Vela started playing baseball when he was 3 years old. That’s when he was playing on a team with 4- and 5-year-olds.

“I was the only young one in the team,” Vela said. “I was just very eager to play.”

He continued to play baseball in traveling teams and stopped in the summer of his freshman and sophomore year to dedicate his focus to the high school baseball team, where he was varsity all four years.

Vela received offensive player of the year his sophomore and junior year for the Hidalgo Pirates’ baseball team, and also received first team all-district honors playing right field in 32-4A. He was also mentioned in the Top 4A Players to watch in 2020 by The Monitor.

Last season, the Hidalgo Pirates made it to the third round of playoffs and lost to La Vernia in a three-game series.

“We were supposed to be a good team this season,” Vela said. “Only two seniors had graduated and they were not starters, so we were returning with a strong team.”

In the beginning of the 2020 season, things were not going as planned for the Hidalgo Pirates.

“We had players from the JV and freshman team playing in the varsity team for tournaments because the rest of the varsity baseball players were in other sports so we were not doing that good. But as soon as we played our first district game, we were back to hustling,” Vela said.

The Hidalgo Pirates played their first district game against Rio Hondo, winning 10-0.

“We were expected to go far this year,” Vela said. “It is such a shame that this (COVID-19) happened. But I am lucky to keep playing the sport I love and I would not have done it without my parents support.”

Friendship is an important part of a student’s education career. Without friends, there are no mentors, secrets, laughs or good and bad times. It is true, friends come and go. Some move schools, cities or states, while some simply drift apart.

This is not the case for three seniors from McAllen High. Ava Alaniz, Alejandro (Alex) Rodriguez and Aaron Nixon grew up together and attended the same schools since childhood. The three seniors attended Pablo Perez Elementary, Morris Middle School and now participate in Mchi sports, while Rodriguez advances his education at IB Lamar Academy. With the help of friendship and their love for sports, the three childhood seniors will be going to a division I colleges to expand their education and sports career.

“We all went to school the year that pablo perez elementary opened up,” Alaniz said. “So there were only three girls, I had to make friends with the boys because I loved sports and the other two girls weren’t really into sports – that is how I met Alex and Aaron.”

Alaniz excels in soccer, where she got district MVP her sophomore year and received The Monitors All-Area Player of the Year her junior year, including All-State first team in division 5A. “I would play football with Alex and Aaron in elementary, that is how our friendship started, we all had the same love for sports,” Alaniz said.

Alaniz committed to the University of Houston her sophomore year, where she will continue her soccer career.

Rodriguez focuses on track. He started his track career his freshman year, where he was able to have the varsity experience towards the end of his first year track season as an alternative in the 4×4 relay at the area meet. Since then, Rodriguez has dedicated his time to track. “My sophomore year that was when things started to amp up,” Rodiguez said. “My main sport was basketball but then I got an injury on my right foot that made me take a step back from it (basketball) and just concentrate on track.” Rodriguez made it to regionals and placed sixth in the 400 meter dash. “I was very heart-broken that I didn’t prove what I wanted to prove – that led a gateway to increase my workouts and become better,” Rodriguez said. His junior year, the times that Rodriguez had in his race were ultimately a chance for him to get signed with division one schools. Rodriguez also made it to regionals his junior year and hit a personal record of 48.49 in the 400 meter dash. “I came up short and did not make it to state,” Rodriguez said. “It was the length of a pencil, the time was not the time that was needed for me to make it to state.” Rodrigurz used that as motivation and continued to increase his workouts. “This year I was really looking forward to everything, I was very confident that I was going to make it to state in the 400 meter dash, but everything got put on hold,” Rodriguez said. The UIL put sporting events on hold due to the COVID-19 outbreak until further notice.

Rodriguez signed to Duke University on Dec. 6 2019, where he will also be continuing his track career. “It is awesome and crazy how Ava and Aaron also signed to D1 schools, I know they are gonna do great. I’ve known them since elementary and just seeing them succeed is a good feeling – we grew up together,” Rodriguez said.

Nixon dedicates his time to baseball, where he won The Monitors All-Valley Newcomer of the Year his freshman year, and The Monitors All-Valley MVP his sophomore year. The summer of his sophomore year, Nixon had the opportunity to play in the Team USA national development league. His junior year, Nixon was awarded The Monitors Defensive Player of the Year. The summer of his junior year, he participated in the Prospect Development Pipeline MLB, which is the top 80 prospects (players) in the country. The prospects got cut off, leaving only the top 40 players to play in the All-Star game at the Cleveland Indians field, Nixon being in the top 40. Nixon did not stop there and traveled to California to reach his goal of making it to top 20 in Team USA to travel to South Korea. Although Nixon was not able to travel, he was classified as an alternative.

He committed to the University of Texas his freshman year.

“I remember Ava playing football with us (himself and Rodriguez) in elementary school,” Nixon said. “We were very competitive – I think the competitiveness that we have now, came from when we all used to play football together. I am very proud of them, they worked really hard.”

The three elite friends hope to continue playing their sport for the rest of their senior year – if season permits.

Charlee Salinas and Daizy Monie are first and second in District 31-5A in the shot put. Salinas, a Mission Veterans senior, leads the state in Class 5A with a record of 44 feet and 9 inches. Trailing behind Salinas is Monie, a junior from Sharyland Pioneer with a toss of 44-8.5, just half an inch difference.

“I am not where I want to be right now,” Salinas said. “But I am still working very hard. I am still pretending the season is ongoing and training mostly everyday.”

The UIL put sporting events on hold until further notice due to the coronavirus outbreak, leaving Salinas aching to come back and perform. “I am looking forward to competing again, it is my senior year and I really want to finish the season and improve my record,” Salinas said. Last year, Salinas threw her personal record of 43-3.5 which improved this year to 44-9 making her first in state and district.

Salinas signed with Sam Houston State University on Dec. 26, where she will continue both her education and track career. “I am very happy that I am able to continue what I love to do after high school,” Salinas said.

Salinas went to state her junior year, where she placed fourth. Not only does Salinas succeed in shot put, but in discus as well, where she is ranked sixth in the state with a throw of 136-10. Salinas qualified for the Wild Card in discus, which is an event that has all the best athletes in the area division and placed seventh, Salinas said.

The Pioneer junior is right behind the Veterans senior. “I am very grateful that I have her as my competitor,” Salinas said. “She (Monie) pushes me to do better- if there was no one, I would have definitely not pushed myself as much. She makes me better.”

Monie is ranked second in state in Class 5A and in district. “I have been doing track since I was in fourth grade. I come from a family that loves track,” Monie said.

Since then, Monie has set high goals and strives to reach them. “My goal when I entered high school was to make it to state,” she said.

Monie reached state as a freshman in discus and placed ninth. “I did not want to be last again, so I worked hard the summer of freshman year going into sophomore year,” Monie said. “I made it to state again my sophomore year and placed second.” Monie still has high goals regardless of the season being put on hold. “I want to win state this year, in both shot put and discus.” Monie has a personal record in discus with 145-10, which she obtained in a district meet her sophomore year at PSJA High, making her third in the state and in district. She also set a personal record of 44-8.5 in shot put, putting her behind Salinas.

“I was excelling more in shot put rather than in discus this season,” Monie said. “I was struggling a lot in discus, but I am slowly getting back to it and working on my technique. I am working hard in both events because I know I am ranked.”

Monie is still striving to finish the season strong, being only half an inch behind Salinas. “She (Salinas) is a great athlete.We are right there, close to each other. Whenever we compete with each other, it’s intense. It all depends how you show up, your mind and your goals for that meet, it can be anyone’s game.”

Monie follows in her sister’s footsteps, Nora Monie, who holds a school record at the Sharyland Pioneer high school with a 45-3.5 in the shot put.

Both Salinas and Monie are looking into going to state, if the season permits it.

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McALLEN — McAllen High’s Josiah Martinez has a different way of overcoming obstacles.

The senior pole vaulter has encountered difficulties throughout his track career that have motivated him into becoming a better athlete, while setting personal records along the way. Martinez is third in the state, and sixth in the nation with a vault of 16 feet and he still hopes to capture a state championship, if the UIL state track meet takes place.

Martinez also shines in the 110-meter hurdles, where he is ranked number one in the Valley and ranked second in the region with his personal record of 14.84 seconds.

“Josiah is one of the hardest working kids I’ve ever coached,” boys head track coach Bob Bechtold said. “He’s gone through so much in his athletic career. He doesn’t let stuff get in his way.”

Martinez lost his personal pole vault trainer, Gene Riley, a week after the area meet his freshman year. Riley died in an accident from a construction company he owned. He was in a coma for a week before taken off life support, Martinez said.

“After Riley’s passing, (McAllen High pole vault) coach (Louie) Cantu and I had no idea what to do,” Martinez said. “We learned everything that we know from Riley. We didn’t know what to do, so we kind of just kept practicing.” Martinez made it to regionals his freshman year but did not hit the mark he expected. “I hit a stump for a while after Mr. Riley’s passing,” Martinez said.

Martinez encountered both physical and emotional challenges his sophomore year. He strained his hip flexor and tore his quad, causing him to stop running hurdles, due to the pain, and focus on the vault. “I was still able to do a PR (personal record) during my injuries,” Martinez said.

During the area meet that season, Martinez’s parents received a phone call that his grandfather, Xavier Romeros, suffered a heart attack during his flight back from Las Vegas, causing an emergency landing in El Paso, Texas. “I had to finish vaulting knowing that my grandpa just had a heart attack and not knowing how he was,” Martinez said.

Romeros died after being placed on life support. Martinez competed in the regional track meet the same day as his grandfather’s funeral.

“My parents told me to choose whether to go to the funeral or my regional track meet,” Martinez said. “And I chose to go to the regional track meet because my grandpa loved to see me pole vault.”

He hit a personal record at regionals with a 15-1 vault.

“We were all there for him that day,” Bechtold said. “From the few times that I talked to Mr. Romeros, he always was so proud of Josiah so I agreed with his decision on competing in the meet instead of attending the funeral because I am sure his grandfather did not want to be the reason why he wasn’t able to compete.”

The obstacles continued his junior year. Martinez dislocated his ankle after a vault at the Meet of Champions, ending his season early. “Everything was going great,” Martinez said. “I was being consistent on my vaults.” He set a personal record one meet earlier in Sharyland, with a 15-2.

“I think his past experiences motivated him to become a better athlete,” Bechtold said. “What he went through and his losses made him stronger, instead of it affecting him, it motivated him.”

Before his senior year got put on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak, Martinez set another personal record of 16-0 at the Sharyland meet on March 13, the final meet before the virus interrupted the season. That vault is what has him ranked third in the state and sixth in the nation.

Martinez started his pole vault career in seventh grade.

“I had no idea what pole vault was, Coach Cantu introduced me to it, so I just decided to give it a try and I ended up loving it,” Martinez said. In seventh grade, he vaulted 9-6 and in eighth grade, he cleared 13-2. In his first high school track meet as a freshman, he did a 14-4, making him the number one vaulter in the nation in his age group, Martinez said.

“I felt like Riley helped me a lot,” Martinez said. “He made me improve from seventh grade to freshman year; it was a big jump from someone who had no idea how pole vault worked.”

Despite battling obstacles, Martinez caught colleges’ attention and signed with University of Incarnate Word on Jan. 31, where he will continue his education and track career.

“He is able to push through, I haven’t seen anything hold him down, not even a dislocated ankle,” Bechtold said.

Not only does Martinez focus on making himself better every day, he also strives to help others.

“He started helping coach Cantu with the younger vaulters,” Bechtold said. “He helps the middle school vaulters that come and practice with us at the high school, it’s not just about him (Martinez), it’s about making the sport better, the program better and that’s the way he is; always helping everyone. He is a student of his craft.”

Those challenges behind him, Martinez hopes he can vault this most recent obstacle and complete his remaining high school track career.

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Edinburg Vela’s Taylor Campbell is one of only three Rio Grande Valley juniors with more than 100 goals in her career. Joining her on that elite list is Donna North’s Gabby Aviles and Sharyland High’s Xochitil Nguma.

Campbell has 115 career, 45 during the 2019-2020 soccer season. Campbell has played varsity soccer since her freshman year, and was named The Monitor’s All-Area Girls Soccer Player of the Year last year.

“I am doing my best to get better every day,” Campbell said. “I have been blessed that I have already gotten college offer letters to go play for them and that is because I am only a junior, I still have an off-season and a whole year to get better and show these colleges that I can improve.”

The UIL announced Thursday that it extended its sports suspension until May 4 at the earliest due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, causing Vela to put a pause to win the district title. Vela is tied with Donna North with 26 points atop District 31-6A. With their final game postponed against Weslaco East, they will have to settle for a tie for now.

“I have no idea what is going to happen in the next few weeks,” Campbell said. “Of course, it has its pros and cons, I like how our team gets to rest in the meantime, because we put in a lot of hard work on the field. But at the same time, I know that some girls do not have access to workout like some of us. I know we might come back a little off but if the season continues, we will have to get used to playing with each other again and get that team chemistry up going.”

Vela would have secured a district title without having to go up against Weslaco East, but it fell short against the Edinburg Bobcats, falling 2-1. But this does not stop the team from aiming high and staying positive.

“I hope the season continues,” Campbell said. “We have about five seniors on our team and most of them got hurt in the beginning of the season, now they are all better and ready to go and we get postponed. We owe it to the seniors to finish off the season as district champs.”

Last season did not end well for the SaberCats, they finished up with a record of 10-2 in district and 18-7 overall, but lost in the first round of playoffs against Brownsville Hanna.

“Last year, we did not have as much team chemistry as we have this year,” Campbell said. “I think communicating as a team is very important and can really improve the way we play, which is what I think helped us a lot this year.”

Vela is 8-2-1 in District 31-6A, losing to Edinburg North and Edinburg High and tying Edinburg North for the second time, winning with penalty kicks.

“We are tied right now with Donna North,” head girls soccer coach Americo Cortez said. “This is very unfortunate on what is happening right now because for the past two years, we have been co-district champs and this year we were finally going to secure the title but they had to postpone our last game and we have no idea what is going to happen next.”

Both Campbell and Cortez are motivating the team to continue to strive.

“I know Taylor has been texting the girls to keep their heads up,” Cortez said. “A few days ago, she got some girls from the team to go run with her and stay in shape just in case we get back on the field. I am very lucky to have her on my team, she is an overall great player; since freshman year I have not seen her miss one single practice.”

As a freshman Campbell scored 36 goals and as a sophomore she scored 34, Cortez said.

Campbell was named the district’s MVP Offensive Player of the Year as a freshman and MVP as a sophomore. “We are trying to get her as MVP again this year,” Cortez said.

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McALLEN — Five minutes into Friday’s District 30-6A battle between McAllen High and La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, Westyn Henderson scored, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead en route to a 4-1 victory over the Huskies at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The win improved McHi’s season total to 35 points, one ahead of McAllen Memorial with one game remaining for both teams. McHi still has PSJA North to play while Memorial still has city rival McAllen Rowe.

“We came into this game well prepared,” Henderson said. “We knew that this game was going to be tough because they (Juarez-Lincoln) are such a good team and we had lost against them the first time we played.”

Melanie Saldaña scored McHi’s second goal of the half and the Bulldogs added a third goal with a penalty kick by Mallory Henderson with 7:06 remaining in the first half.

It was not until the second half that Juarez-Lincoln started playing high pressure offense, leading them to score one goal from about 18 yards out by Melanie Olivares.

“We saw that they started putting hard pressure on us in the second half,” McHi head coach Patrick Arney said. “So what we did is that we started to get smart offensively.”

Ava Alaniz scored the fourth goal for the Bulldogs with 32 minutes remaining in the contest.

With the win, Arney is excited for the next moves.

“The girls have been working really hard, we are so close to winning district for the fourth year in a row,” he said.

With the recent news of the University Scholastic League’s suspension of all high school sporting events due to the coronavirus, most soccer games will be moved to a later date, causing McHi to have a two-to-three week break before their final regular-season game against PSJA North (1-9-2).

“Most people are freaking out because they think with this break we will not be at the same momentum,” Henderson said. “But I think we are lucky because we have more time to practice and work on what we need to work on as a team to get us prepared for playoffs.”

Avery thinks differently. “I do not think we will perform as good as we normally do because of the long break, but my girls are excited since they get to practice more,” he said.

EDINBURG — Taylor Campbell scored two goals to lead Edinburg Vela to a 2-0 win over Donna North in Tuesday’s game.

The Edinburg Vela SaberCats and Donna North Chiefs game was one of the most critical games of the season for both schools. With Vela taking the win, both schools are tied for the District 31-6A lead. However, Vela has played one fewer game and holds a tiebreaker after beating Donna North both times in the season.

Campbell scored two goals against the Chiefs the first time the schools played while suppressing a hamstring injury, winning 2-1.

“I felt like I was not at my best when we first played against them,” Campbell said. “I was injured from my hamstring but I took care of it and now I am a hundred percent ready to go.”

Campbell did not let the injury stop her from scoring goals, now close to reaching 50 goals for the 2019-2020 season and 116 goals overall in her high school career as only a junior.

Campbell scored her first goal from inside the box with 32 minutes remaining in the second half. She added her second goal on a penalty kick with 20 minutes remaining. Campbell was named The Monitor’s All-Area Soccer Player of the Year last year.

“Tonight’s game was very tough,” Campbell said. “In the first half we were very nervous, but we molded together toward the end and played as a team like we should have.”

Vela head coach Americo Cortez agreed with Campbell.

“Tonight’s game was a battle,” Cortez said. “We knew they were going to show up and play hard because from here more or less it was going to be decided who was going to win the district title. It’s not over yet; we still have two more games left.

“Last game they were more as an offensive team, but this game they put their best forward (Gabby Aviles) to mark my number 9 (Campbell) but after the first goal, they moved her back to the front, which was the game we were expecting, more attacks.”

The ball stayed more toward Vela’s side as its defense kept improving throughout the game, not letting Donna North past midfield. Vela is 9-1 in district and looking forward to the playoffs.

“The environment for the playoffs is looking good, we have been working really hard and we are ready,” Cortez said.

Vela has reached the playoffs for the past three years but has been knocked out in the first round.

Vela travels to Edinburg High at 6 p.m. Friday.

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