DAVE FAVILA | Valley Morning Star

SAN BENITO — Host San Benito had a very solid showing at the Dog Pound Cross Country Meet on Saturday, however, it was Harlingen South and PSJA Southwest that took home the boys and girls team titles.

On the boys side, San Benito’s Joaquin Medina and David Sandoval finished one and two. However, Harlingen South had runners come in third, fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth to lead the way to the team title with 32 points. San Benito settled for second with 48 points and Brownsville Pace came in third with 61.

South’s Eric Lopez finished in third, Jorge Vidalez was fifth, Daylon Hernandez was seventh, Angel Perez was eighth and Samuel Ruiz finished ninth.

On the girls side, San Benito’s Stephanie Chavez took home the individual title, followed by Harlingen South teammates Kalen Aguerro and Kayla Rogers.

The Lady Hounds were also paced by Kat Guerra, who finished ninth and Eliza Duran, who came in 12th. Their performances were enough to help San Benito finish second in the team division.

However, the team title was won by PSJA Southwest, which had three top 10 finishers including Jaydee Guillen (fourth), Michelle Guerra (seventh) and Monica Bustilles (eighth).

Brownsville Pace rounded out the top three.

Saturday’s meet was originally scheduled for Aug. 26 but was postponed due to Hurricane Harvey.

DAVE FAVILA | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — It was almost too easy for the Harlingen Lady Cardinals.

Game 1 of their non-district home match against the Donna Bravettes on Tuesday ended so quickly that many of the fans in attendance were still buying refreshments at the concession stand when Game 2 got underway.

However, after the Lady Red Birds’ impressive opening-set victory, the Bravettes composed themselves and suddenly the match was on.

Sort of.

While Donna did indeed make the match more competitive – especially down the stretch in Game 3 – Harlingen still walked away with a 25-4, 25-13, 25-23 win to push their overall record to 8-4.

“In games 1 and 2, we took care of business. But in that third game we knew we needed to take care of business, but we have been struggling with putting teams away,” said Harlingen head coach Joslynn Torres.

“We struggle with that mentally and it’s all mental because we have the talent, but we have to overcome the lack of mental toughness.”

ERRORS: Numerous miscues, mishits and faults hurt the Bravettes, especially in the first set. While the Lady Cards’ front line – led by Taegan Dickey, Monique Gonzalez and Yazmine Martinez – was strong, unforced errors were the main reason Donna could never gain momentum or find a rhythm. For every point the Bravettes scored, errors often helped the Lady Cards score five or six. In fact, Donna did not string together more than four consecutive points at any point during the match.

BY ThE NUMBERS: Harlingen: Yazmine Martinez 17 kills; Kristen Kattan 16 kills; Julissa Martinez 18 digs; Alina Prado 21 assists and six kills; Ashlyn Suarez 16 assists.

UP NEXT: Both Donna and Harlingen are set to play at the Sharyland Tournament this weekend. The Lady Cards are set to open tournament action against District 32-6A foe Los Fresnos on Thursday.

DAVE FAVILA | Valley Morning Star

Through the first couple of weeks of the season, the San Benito Lady Greyhounds are nearly flawless.

After a 3-0 road win over Edinburg Vela on Tuesday, the Lady Hounds improved to 8-1 on the year. Their only loss of the season so far has come against Edcouch-Elsa in the gold bracket championship match of the Donna Tournament this past Saturday.

On Tuesday, the team was led by Sarah Garcia, who had 47 digs and three aces; Crystal Ibarra, who finished with 15 kills and nine digs; Kayleen Reyes, who had nine kills, 12 digs and two aces; and Ariel Garcia, who had 23 assists and a pair of aces.

The squad is now set for the Mission CISD Tournament this weekend then is at Brownsville Veterans at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

LADY CARDINALS: It’s still very early in the season, but so far the Harlingen Lady Cardinals have shown that they mean business and are capable of playing some very competitive volleyball.

Under the direction of first-year head coach Joslynn Torres, the Lady Red Birds are a solid 5-2.

On Tuesday night, the team picked up a nice 3-0 (26-24, 25-21, 25-21) road win over Edinburg North.

Yazmine Martinez and Kristen Kattan led the way with 20 and 17 kills, respectively. Meanwhile, Alina Prado had 24 assists and Ashlyn Suarez had 21.

The Lady Cards also did quite well at this past weekend’s Donna Tournament, going 3-1 during the two-day event.

On Friday, the squad went undefeated in pool play with wins over Valley View, La Joya and Donna North. The 3-0 mark landed the Lady Cards in the tournament’s gold medal bracket where they fought hard but fell to eventual champion Edcouch-Elsa, 25-19, 25-22.

Up next for the Lady Cards is a trip to the annual Mission CISD Tournament, which gets underway today, then a home match against Donna High at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

HARLINGEN SOUTH: The Lady Hawks are also doing quite well so far this season under first-year coach Anissa Lucio.

After a straight-set road win over Port Isabel on Tuesday night, the Lady Green Birds improved to 5-4.

Leading the way in the win over PI was: Cameron Del Angel, who had nine kills and 10 digs; Annelle Rodriguez, who had six kills and three blocks; Mikela Mireles, who finished with 10 kills and 10 digs; Vanessa Santillian, who had 11 assists and three aces; Zoe Garcia, who walked away with 26 digs and five aces; Odie Vidana, who had four kills; Allyah Guevara, who had six digs; and Mya Aguirre, who finished with 14 assists.

The Lady Hawks take their show on the road this weekend at the Sinton Tournament then host PSJA Memorial at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

LA FERIA: The Lionettes got a much-needed victory at Mercedes on Tuesday – but it wasn’t easy.

After taking a 2-0 lead, the squad dropped the next two games 20-25 and 9-25. Fortunately, the Lionettes managed to shake off the rust and won the fifth game 16-14 to close out the match.

With the win, the team improved to 4-8 on the young season.

The Lionettes will now play in the Port Isabel Tournament, which gets underway today. They open pool play against Brownsville Hanna, Brownsville Lopez and Weslaco East, which they defeated this past Saturday at the McAllen Poundfest tournament in the first-round of the bronze medal bracket. La Feria settled for a third-place finish in the bracket.

DAVE FAVILA | Staff Writer

One week after opening practice, several Valley volleyball teams got down to business and began the new season on Tuesday, including the Harlingen Lady Cardinals and the Harlingen South Lady Hawks.

Both the Lady Cards and Lady Green Birds entered the 2017 campaign under the direction of new head coaches, and both opened things up with tri-matches.

Harlingen, which is now led by Joslynn Torres, split its matches, beating Sharyland Pioneer then dropping one to Laredo United South.

Standouts for the Lady Red Birds included: outside hitter Kirsten Kattan, who had five kills against Pioneer and another eight vs. United South; outside hitter Yazmine Martinez, who nailed six kills in both matches; libero Julissa Munivez, who had 10 digs vs. Sharyland and 12 against Laredo; and setter Alina Prado, who had 17 total assists.

While the season just began, Torres said she was pleased with what she saw from her team so far.

“We saw a lot of great things last night, but still made a lot of fundamental mistakes that can be fixed,” she said. “Our motto this year is ‘high expectations; no excuses.’”

The Lady Cardinals take their show on the road this weekend to the annual Donna Bravette Tournament, which begins Friday, and then they travel to Edinburg next Tuesday to take on the North Lady Cougars at 7 p.m.

LADY HAWKS: Harlingen South also split its matches on Tuesday, beating Edinburg 3-0 then falling to Mercedes 3-1.

The Lady Hawks are now led by former Weslaco High coach Anissa Lucio, who was also pleased with her squad’s performance, but not too pleased.

“I definitely do like the progress we’ve made, but we’re still looking to get better every day,” she said.

Leading the way Tuesday was: Cameron Del Angel, Annelle Rodriguez, Mikela Mireles, Vanessa Santillan, Mya Aguirre and Zoe Garcia.

As with Harlingen High, South is set to compete at the Donna Tournament this weekend then is at Port Isabel at 6:30 p.m. next Tuesday.

LADY GREYHOUNDS: San Benito got out of the gate quickly, beating La Feria and Brownsville Porter in its season-opening tri-match. Leading the way was Alysa Naranjo, Kayleen Reyes and Crystal Ibarra, who all finished with 15 kills, Sarah Garcia, who had 21 digs vs. La Feria, and Ariel Garcia, who finished the matches with 39 assists.

OTHER RESULTS: The Raymondville Lady Kats beat up on IDEA Frontier 3-0 while the Port Isabel Lady Tarpons fought hard but came up short against Brownsville Hanna 3-1. Finally, defending District 32-6A champion Los Fresnos didn’t miss a beat as the Lady Falcons thumped Sharyland High in straight sets 25-22, 25-22, 25-23.

DAVE FAVILA | Valley Morning Star

While much of the Rio Grande Valley remained glued to their soft pillows and tucked under their cozy, warm blankets early Monday morning, the San Benito and Harlingen football teams were already hard at work in preparation for the upcoming season.

The Greyhounds trotted out onto the field at Bobby Morrow Stadium at 6 a.m. with the brightly lit stadium lights casting long shadows and piercing the still very dark sky.

“Let’s get it going, gentlemen,” screamed one coach at the top of his lungs. “Wake up! We’re at work now so wake up!”

Meanwhile, at the same time at Harlingen High School, the Cardinals coaching staff began issuing equipment and shortly thereafter the Red Birds hit the field at Cardinal Stadium as a relatively cool summer breeze sent the smell of fresh-cut grass wafting upward.

“It’s go time, boys,” shouted one of the Cardinals’ assistant coaches. “This is what we live for. Football’s back!”

Last season, the Hounds and Cards battled through an intense District 32-6A schedule and faced off in the final game of the regular season with the league title hanging in the balance. When the dust finally cleared, it was the Cardinals that walked away with the conference championship and Battle of the Arroyo bragging rights.

But that was then. The “now” is officially underway.

HOUNDS: San Benito finished 10-2 overall and 6-1 in District 32-6A play last year, losing to Laredo United South in the second round of the playoffs. Coach Dan Gomez, who is in his fourth year as head coach, gets back a ton of talent including senior quarterback Erick Retta, who passed for nearly 2,500 yards and 34 touchdowns last season. Senior running back Tyrone Harper is also back on offense along with senior wide receiver Isaiah Trevino, who hauled in 13 TDs in 2016. Meanwhile, senior Ryan Reza (60 tackles, 13 sacks in 2016) and Avelino Garcia (64 tackles, 20 tackles for loss) anchor the defensive line while Payne Guajardo and Ryan Castillo will patrol the secondary and backfield.

CARDINALS: Harlingen was 9-3 overall and 7-0 in District 32-6A last season, falling to Laredo United 30-26 in the area round. Coach Manny Gomez, who is in his 11th season as the Cards’ head man, is without several key offensive components this season including running back Leo Tienda and quarterback Jesse Castro. However, the Red Birds always reload and this year should be no exception. Gomez expects Daniel Ramirez, Damon Cantu and a couple of “eager sophomores” to compete for the QB spot this season. Meanwhile, running back Abel Castaneda returns for his senior season after rushing for nearly 330 yards and six touchdowns last year as Tienda’s backup. Also back for his senior campaign is wide receiver Riley Sauceda, who hauled in 34 receptions for 351 yards a year ago.

GREYHOUNDS AT A GLANCE

Coach: Dan Gomez (4th season)

2016 record: 6-1 district, 10-2 overall; area finalist

Starters returning O/D: 5/5

Players to watch: QB Erick Retta, WR Isaiah Trevino, RB Tyrone Harper, DE Ryan Reza

Scrimmage schedule:

Aug. 18 vs. Corpus Christi Carroll, TBA

Aug. 25 at McAllen High, TBA

Non-district schedule:

Sept. 1 vs. Laredo United, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 8 at San Antonio East Central, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 15 at McAllen Memorial, 7:30 p.m.

CARDINALS AT A GLANCE

Coach: Manny Gomez (11th season)

2016 record: 7-0 district, 9-3 overall; area finalist

Starters returning O/D: 6/3

Players to watch: RB Abel Castaneda, QB Daniel Ramirez, WR Riley Sauceda, OT Grant Drabek

Scrimmage schedule:

Aug. 18 at Edinburg North, TBA

Aug. 25 vs. Sharyland, 7 p.m.

Non-district schedule:

Sept. 1 at Mission Veterans, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 7 at Laredo United South, 7 p.m.

Sept. 15 vs. San Antonio Reagan, 7:30 p.m.

DAVE FAVILA | Staff Writer

PALM VALLEY — A pair of Brownsville golfers ruled the course at the annual Gillman South Texas Junior Golf Classic, which wrapped up on Sunday at Harlingen Country Club.

Julie Lucio, who will be a senior at Brownsville Veterans High School this fall, shot back-to-back 73s to win the girls 15-18-year-old division championship in dominating fashion.

Meanwhile, Santiago Garcia, who will be a senior at Brownsville Hanna, rallied on the final hole of the day to take the boys 15-18-year-old division title.

Lucio, who was the runner-up in last year’s tournament, made it clear that she was not gong to be denied this time around.

On Saturday, she fired an opening-round 1-over-par 73 to take a 15-stroke lead heading into Sunday’s final round.

Despite a double bogey, Lucio equaled her first-round performance and finished the tournament at 2-over-par 146. Mia Lerma of Mission finished in second, 20 strokes back at 166, while Linsey Garza of Palmhurst and Micaela Leandro of Harlingen High tied for third at 175.

Meanwhile, Isabel Prado, who recently graduated from La Feria High School and will play for Marymount California University this fall, shot a 183 to finish in fourth place.

“It’s quite an honor to win this tournament, especially since I’ve been playing in it since I was just a little girl,” Lucio said. “I was also pretty motivated after having come up short last year. I’m glad I was able to pull it off this year.”

While Lucio ran away with the girls title, on the boys side Garcia had to give it everything he had to pull off the victory.

Heading into Sunday’s action, Garcia trailed last-year’s runner-up Jacob Serna by just one stroke. Serna, who recently graduated from Lyford High School and is set to take his talents to Texas A&M-International University in Laredo, fired an opening-round 3-under par 69 on Saturday while Garcia was one shot back at 70.

Garcia actually fell three stokes behind at one point on Sunday, but he managed to compose himself and trailed by one shot heading into the 18th hole.

On the par-4 18, Serna’s tee shot sailed right and landed in the rough while Garcia’s first shot went right down the middle of the fairway.

That initial drive doomed Serna as he bogeyed the hole while Garcia, who’s second shot landed just inches away from the pin, easily birdied it to take home the title with a 5-under par 139. Serna, meanwhile, finished the tournament at 4-under 140. Dylan Martinez of Harlingen High, finished in third place with a 147.

“Jacob (Serna) made me play better and I had to play hard to beat him,” said Garcia. “Going into 18, I had birdied that hole on Saturday so I was confident and it worked out, but it was a fight.

“This is a big win for me because I had played in this tournament before but had never won it, so today feels good.”

As for Serna, while being the runner-up for a second consecutive year was undoubtedly tough to swallow, he graciously congratulated Garcia after his win and accepted his place in stride.

“Things just didn’t work out on that last hole, but I played well,” said Serna. “Going into the day I told myself that if he (Garcia) was going to win, he was going to have to play his best and he did.”

DAVE FAVILA | Staff Writer

After capturing the District 32-6A title in dominating fashion, the Harlingen boys golf team had hoped that momentum would carry over into the Region IV-6A tournament, which was held in San Antonio earlier this week.

Unfortunately, the competition up north proved a little too tough and the Cardinals had to settle for an 11th-place finish, which was not good enough to qualify for next month’s UIL state tournament.

Collectively, the squad shot a 655 for the tournament with senior Cole Charvat leading the way with a two-day total of 154.

Comparatively, Austin Westlake won the team title with a score of 561 while Reese Ramsey shot a 136 to not only lead his squad but capture the individual championship as well.

Despite not advancing to state, head coach Chris Milligan was pleased with his team’s success throughout the season.

“I’m very proud of our guys this year,” he said. “As a whole, these guys dominated all year long. We just didn’t have the magic in San Antonio.

“We got off to a hot start on the first few holes on Day 1 and I think that caused us to just get too aggressive off the tee box moving forward. We lost it on the tee boxes this week, plain and simple, and had way too many self-inflicted penalties and missed fairways. It definitely didn’t help that we couldn’t get any real momentum on the greens. We made a putt here and there, but we just couldn’t build on it,” Milligan continued.

“Cole Charvat was striking the ball great, but just couldn’t get putts to fall. If the putts were dropping for him, we may be talking about a trip to state right now,” added Milligan.

“Dylan Martinez has been fighting a wrist injury for a few months now. He hit a bunker shot on his fourth hole on Day 1 that caused it to flare up. He was under par at that point before the pain set in. He came back on Day 2 and showed me what he’s capable of by shooting a 74.

“We’ll miss Cole next season, but the majority of the team will be back next year and we’ll remember this feeling. They say wisdom comes from experience and we feel like we have a dump truck of wisdom after these last few days,” concluded Milligan.

Harlingen was not the only Valley team that struggled in the Alamo City. PSJA North, Edinburg Vela, McAllen High and Weslaco High all finished lower than the Cardinals.

McAllen Memorial was the only area team to crack the top 10 as they finished in ninth place with a 652 total. C.W. Phillips led the way for the Mustangs and actually qualified for state thanks to a two-day score of 143.

Meanwhile, Harlingen South’s Brandon Garza, who was an individual qualifier out of the district tournament, shot a 172 to finish in 73rd place.

DAVE FAVILA | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — After settling for second place at the 2016 District 32-6A golf tournament, the Harlingen High boys team didn’t want to have to play second fiddle to anyone this year.

And after firing a season-low 294 on Tuesday, the Cards cruised to the league championship and, more importantly, earned a trip back to regionals.

“The guys just came out ready to play,” said Harlingen head coach Chris Milligan. “They have played so well all year long, but we all know that you have to show up and play well at the district tournament in order to claim the title and advance. The rest of the year is just a memory at this point.

“We learned the harsh reality last year coming up just a few shots short at district after we dominated all year. The guys were just ready to make their mark and make a statement that this title was theirs.”

Led by Cole Charvat, who shot a 71 on Tuesday, and Dylan Martinez, who fired a second-round 74, the Cards won by a whopping 51 strokes over second-place Weslaco High, which also advanced to regionals as the runners-up.

However, despite Charvat’s two-day total of 145, Brownsville Hanna’s Santiago Garcia was one stroke better as the junior shot a 144 to grab his second consecutive individual league championship and earn a return trip to San Antonio later this month.

Meanwhile, Harlingen South’s Brandon Garza also punched his ticket to regionals by shooting a two-day total of 155.

The boys Region IV-6A tournament is set for April 26-27 at Republic Golf Course in San Antonio.

On the girls side of things, Los Fresnos won the team crown by shooting a second-round 331 to finish with a 667 total. Briana Garza, who narrowly missed out on making regionals last year, redeemed herself on Tuesday by not only qualifying, but also by winning the individual title.

Garza fired a round-two 71 to beat out Weslaco’s Anika Hovda by two strokes.

The day was not all lost for Hovda, however, as her two-day 146 was enough to earn her a regional berth.

The same could not be said for her teammates, however, as the Lady Panthers fell prey to Brownsville Hanna, which surged on Tuesday to secure the second team spot in San Antonio with a two-day score of 711.

Heading into Tuesday, Hanna and Weslaco were tied at 360. But thanks to Victoria Garcia’s second-round 84 and Alexis Rodriguez’s 87, the Lady Golden Eagles secured their second straight trip to the 6A tournament.

And while the day belonged to the Harlingen boys, one HHS girl will be joining the guys in the Alamo City.

Sophomore Micaela Leandro, who shot an 86 on Monday, rallied to fire a 76 on Tuesday and moved on to regionals.

“This was a big step for Micaela,” said Milligan. Breaking through this ceiling at this time is huge for her confidence moving forward, especially in the manner that she did it by buckling down and shooting her low round of the year on Day 2 to qualify.

“I’m very excited to watch her game continue to develop these next few years.”

The girls Region IV-6A tourney is set for April 24-25, also at Republic Golf Club.

DAVE FAVILA | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN – The Harlingen High boys fired a first-round 304 to take the lead after Day 1 of the District 32-6A golf tournament on Monday at Tony Butler Golf Course.

Led by Dylan Martinez, who shot a 73, Cole Charvat, who fired a 74, and John Ortega, who had a 75, the Cardinals put themselves in prime position to capture the league crown if they can hold off the competition in today’s final round.

Just behind the Red Birds is Harlingen South, which shot a 328, and defending champions Brownsville Hanna, which finished with a 330. Meanwhile, Weslaco High remains just 29 strokes off the leaders after a first-round 333.

The Hawks were led Monday by Brandon Garza, who shot a 76, along with Josh Torres and Aaron Arismendez, who both fired an 83. For the Golden Eagles, defending individual champ Santiago Garcia led the way with a 73 while teammate Austin O’Brien shot a 79. As for the Panthers, Bradley McCaleb fired a 77 while Quinlan Vos aided the team with a opening-round 83.

On the girls side of things, Los Fresnos shot a 336 to take the opening-round lead, but the Lady Falcons are being followed closely by Weslaco High, which shot a 360.

Briana Garza, who narrowly missed out on qualifying for regionals last season, shot a 73 to lead the way for the Lady Falcons. Meanwhile, Annika Hovda of Weslaco fired a first-round 74 to lead her squad.

Second-round action tees off today at 8 a.m.

The top two teams along with the top two individuals not on a qualifying squad advance to the Region IV-6A tournament, which is set for later this month in San Antonio.

DAVE FAVILA | Staff Writer

WESLACO — It was a clean sweep for Harlingen South as the Hawks dominated the competition at the District 32-6A tennis meet on Friday at Weslaco East High School.

South won all five divisions and qualified an astounding 10 players for the upcoming Region IV-6A tournament in San Antonio later this month.

In the girls singles final, Grace Bell defeated Skylar Snell of Harlingen High 6-4, 6-1 and in boys singles, Adrian Munguia defeated Derrick Layton of San Benito 6-3, 6-4.

In the girls doubles division, Jessie Alfaro and Thifany Yeupell defeated a team from Brownsville Hanna to qualify for regionals. Meanwhile in boys doubles, the team of Jorge Garcia and Hunter Lamon earned a trip to San Antonio by beating teammates Victor Ringheanu and Breyer Tice, who also qualified for regionals by finishing in second place.

Finally, in the mixed doubles division, the brother-sister team of Rudy Montero and Valeria Montero upset the top-seeded duo of David Gracia and Kaitlynn Jones.

“We are enjoying much success at the varsity level due to hard work,” said Hawks head coach Noe Stillman. “And the future looks bright as South won first and second in every division but one in the freshman division. We have great kids.”

But while South may have dominated on Friday, Harlingen High and San Benito managed to send some athletes to regionals.

Despite their loss in the mixed doubles competition, David Gracia and Kaitlynn Jones did qualify for a trip to San Antonio as second-place finishers. The same went for Skylar Snell, who finished second in girls singles.

The mixed doubles final was particularly close as the team from South held on for the 7-5, 6-2 win.

“We had the lead in the first set and let it slip away,” said Harlingen head coach Jay Tanamachi. “But they (South) are a great team and outplayed us.

“As for Skylar Snell, she lost in the finals to South’s Grace Bell but had to play a true second match vs. Los Fresnos and she won that match 6-2, 6-2 to qualify for regionals.”

As for San Benito’s Derrick Layton, his second-place finish against South’s Munguia may have been a bit disappointing, but regardless he is headed to San Antonio come April 18-19 at McFarland Tennis Center.