DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

Sharyland High’s girls golf team accomplished something on Tuesday that it hadn’t done since 1999. It partied.

The Lady Rattlers medaled at the UIL Class 5A state tournament at Wolfdancer Golf Course in Cedar Creek, finishing third to take home the bronze medal after shooting a second-day score of 333 for a two-day score of 666. Sharyland High moved up a spot after it finished fourth after the first round Monday.

Grapevine fell from third to fourth by shooting 16 strokes worse than the 327 it shot Monday. Humble Kingwood Park won first with a total team score of 608. Austin Vandegrift won second with a 659.

“It’s really satisfying and rewarding just to see all the work pay off,” said senior Ana Jose Erana, who was the top Lady Rattler after finishing tied for seventh at her fourth state tournament. “This is a true team. We’ve put in all the time and we’re seeing the fruits of the labor.”

Indeed, it was a team effort. After Erana led the way Monday by shooting a 75, Mariana Flores shot a 77 to lead the Lady Rattlers during the final round after Erana settled for an 82.

Erana shot a two-day score of 158. Flores finished with a 163.

After finishing four strokes back of medaling during their state trip last year, the Rattlers made up for it this time.

“We were excited because we knew we had a crack at it,” Erana said. “We just wanted redemption for last year. We came so close and fell short. To finally get it, it made this sweeter. We had to work and wait for it.”

With 20-25 mile per hour winds, Erana said most of the field struggled. Erana said her putts weren’t dropping, though she was happy with the way she struck the ball and her putting stroke.

“It was a tough day for everybody,” Erana said. “The course played tough, the winds were bad. I felt I played better than what my score showed, and Mariana played really well and we all lifted each other up.”

The other members of the Lady Rattlers are Raquel Flores (87-83-170), Laura Rodriguez (85-90-175) and Christina Shinn-Roldan (87-95-182). Erana, Shinn-Roldan and Mariana Flores are seniors.

“I’m really proud of them,” Erana said. “We have three seniors on this team, so it’s really special. We’re friends on and off the golf course. This has been the goal, and for us to accomplish this, it’s really satisfying and we’re happy.”

At the Class 5A boys tournament, Sharyland High freshman Jimmy Lee shot an 82 to finish tied for 10th with a two-day score of 153. Lee shot a 71 during Monday’s opening round and was five strokes back of first place coming into Tuesday.

Austin Vandegrift’s Cooper Dossey won with a total score of 135. Alamo Heights’ Mac Meissner finished second with a 143. Austin Vandegrift’s Brandon Hoff finished third with a 144.

Weslaco High senior McLean Beckwith shot an 80 on Tuesday to finish with a two-day score of 156. Beckwith finished 45th, 13 strokes back of third-place finisher Caleb Hicks of Arlington Lamar.

Plano West’s Travis McInroe won the 6A state tournament with a two-day score of 141.

DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

Sharyland High produced impressive performances during the first day of the UIL state golf tournament Monday. If Rattlers freshman Jimmy Lee can sustain his strong start, and the Rattlers’ girls team improve incrementally upon its start, they will leave Tuesday with medals.

Lee is tied for second with Austin Vandegrift’s Brandon Hoff and is five strokes back of winning a state championship at Wolfdancer Golf Course. Lee shot a 71, three strokes below his season average.

“I’m happy, but I could’ve definitely shot a lot better,” Lee said. “I had six birdies, but I had five bogeys. The pace of play was terrible. I got off rhythm, so that might’ve been some part of it, but I can do better.”

Lee said his long game was good and the putting was inconsistent. The latter is something he plans to improve Tuesday. He also said he intends to do a better job hitting closer to the pin.

The windy conditions, however, were advantageous for Lee. Lee said playing in the Valley helps him adjust to that. He also said it had an effect on other golfers, which played to his favor.

“I was expecting more from the course,” Lee said. “I thought the greens would be in better shape. The fairways were pretty good. The layout was OK. There were some weird holes, but mostly it was pretty good.”

Senior Ana Jose Erana, who has known nothing else other than qualifying for the state tournament, shot a 75 and is tied for third with Humble Kingwood’s Ariana Saenz. Erana is three strokes back of first place.

Erana is pacing a Lady Rattlers team that is sitting in fourth place after shooting a team score of 333. Sharyland High is six strokes back of third-place Grapevine. The top three teams medal.

The Lady Rattlers finished four strikes back of medaling last year. Aside from Erana, Laura Rodriguez shot an 85, Mariana Flores 86, Christina Shinn-Rolden 87 and Raquel Flores 87.

“We know we have what it takes to pull it off as a team,” Erana said. “This course requires a lot of patience and you really need to let it come to you. You can’t force anything, and that’s basically what it’s about. We know that, and we know that if we’re patient we can do a lot of good things.”

As for her own game, Erana was pleased with her poise and control on day one.

“My overall game was pretty good,” she said. “I’m really confident in what I’m doing. It’s trusting myself and the work I put in. There’s not much we can do at this point. Everything goes back to the work and preparation and I let the game do the rest.”

Weslaco High senior McLean Beckwith shot a 76 on day one of the Class 6A tournament at Legacy Hills Golf Course.

Beckwith is six strokes back of first place and is 35th individually. Six players are tied for second with a 71, two are tied for eighth, and eight are tied for 10th.

=========================

Class 5A Golf Tournament

Day One

Wolfdancer Golf Club

Boys

Par 72

Team

1. Austin Vandegrift, 285

2. Alamo Heights, 304

3. Frisco, 311

4. Richmond George Ranch, 313

5. Austin Vandegrift Silver, 317

6. Houston Stratford, 318

7. Frisco Wakeland, 319

8. Grapevine, 320

9. Mansfield Legacy, 321

10. Fort Worth Boswell, 323

Individual

1. Cooper Dossey, Austin Vandegrift, 66.

T-2. Jimmy Lee, Sharyland High, 71

T-2. Brandon Hoff, Austin Vandegrift, 71

T-4. Levi Valadez, Alamo Heights, 72

T-4. Kyle Cox, Carrollton Creekview, 72

T-4. Daniel Martinez, Austin Vandegrift, 72

7. Mac Meissner, Alamo Heights, 73

T-8. Zane Warren, Richmond George Ranch, 74

T-8. Brody Blackmon, Sulphur Springs, 74

T-8. Jackson Powers, Mansfield Legacy, 74

11. Judd Tilson, Lubbock Cooper, 75

====================

Class 5A Golf Tournament

Day One

Wolfdancer Golf Club

Girls

Par 72

Team

1. Humble Kingwood, 303

2. Austin Vandegrift, 321

3. Grapevine, 327

4. Sharyland High, 333

5. Frisco Liberty, 336

6. Huntsville, 345

7. Magnolia, 351

8. Austin Vandegrift silver, 353

9. Fort Worth Boswell, 356

10. McKinney, 366

Individual

1. Hannah Alberto, Humble Kingwood Park, 72

2. Casey Letherman, Huntsville, 74

T-3. Ariana Saenz, Humble Kingwood, 75

T-3. Ana Jose Erana, Sharyland High, 75

5. Hailey Derrickson, Austin Vandegrift, 76

T-6. Kyoug Kim, Crowley, 77

T-6. Tori Gatling, Humble Kingwood Park, 77

T-6. Ava Schwienteck, Magnolia, 77

T-6. Sophia DiGesualdo, Austin Vandegrift, 77

T-10. Kelly Xac, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 78

T-10. Anna Takahaski, Grapevine, 78

===============

Class 5A Golf Tournament

Day One

Legacy Hills Golf Course

Boys

Par 72

Team

T-1.Plano West, 291

T-1.Mansfield, 291

T-3.Southlake Carroll, 296

T-3.Austin Westlake, 296

5. S.A. Johnson, 297

6. Conroe The Woodlands, 299

7. League City Clear Springs, 302

8. Houston Clear Lake, 304

9. Dallas Highland Park, 310

10. New Braunfels, 315

Individual

1.Kane C. Ybarra, Northside Warren, 70

T-2. Luke Davidson, Mansfield, 71

T-2. Landon Ernst, Mansfield, 71

T-2. Andre Jacobs, League City Clear Springs, 71

T-2. Travis McInroe, Plano West, 71

T-2. Colin Kober, Southlake Carroll, 71

T-2. Johnny Keefer, S.A Johnson, 71

T-8. Andy Lopez, Plano West, 72

T-8. Cody Banach, Houston Clear Lake, 72

T-10. Logan Pate, Fort Bend Travis, 73

T-10. Peyton Coursey, Mansfield, 73

T-10. Adrian Costagnola, Conroe The Woodlands, 73

T-10. Trent Oliver, Northside Brandeis, 73

T-10. Michael Rome, Austin Westlake, 73

T-10. Reese Ramsey, Austin Westlake, 73

T-10. Garrett Martin, S.A. Johnson, 73

T-10. Caleb Hicks, Arlington Lamar, 73

DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

During a regular season finale at Harlingen High in 1998, Weslaco High coach Eddie Serna, then in his first season, overused a pitcher.

“We needed the win to get in (to the playoffs) and the kid was lights out,” Serna said. “He was conditioned, and it was my judgment. He wanted to finish, and in a game like that where it’s 3-3 after eight (innings) on the road, I let him go.”

The senior threw 124 pitches over nine innings and the Panthers won. But it wasn’t ideal, and that was the last time Serna said he overused a kid.

Since then, the veteran Panthers coach has gone by a strict weekly pitch count for his pitchers: 100 pitches per week for varsity players and 60-80 per week for sub-varsity players, including freshmen and sophomores on varsity.

So Serna was pleased when the UIL’s medical advisory committee proposed last Sunday to limit pitches and require for a specific amount of rest after a player throws.

“I’m hoping it makes an effect and that it’s applied,” Serna said. “I don’t know how they’ll keep track of it. But I’m hoping something is done, though for the most part 8 of every 10 coaches or so do take care of their kids. It’s rare you see a coach just completely abuse or overuse a kid.”

Rio Grande Valley coaches are in favor of the UIL’s proposal, which, if approved, would likely go into effect in 2018. Most of them already watch a pitcher’s work and recovery period.

Coaches say a pitch count depends on the kid, but the recovery period is specific: it primarily includes a lot of conditioning, performance resistance band and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematical applications) work, and intensive throwing programs.

“The shoulder and the elbow are delicate areas,” Mission Veterans Memorial coach Casey Smith said. “You have to do a good job of really being preventative as far as conditioning the arm, the throwing program and the rehab program in getting those guys ready to throw. I think most coaches are already doing it at some level.

“Most coaches are professionals and understand that when a kid has a future, you try and take care of that kid.”

ADVANCES

Over the past few years, coaches say they have seen significant advances in the treatment of pitchers.

Stretching, band work and STEM work have become popular. Coaches more commonly have “bucket” days once each week, a day reserved for everyone to rest their arms by not throwing, instead opting for conditioning training.

Hidalgo coach Karlos Carrasco has integrated a heavier lifting program. San Benito coach Ramiro Partida said players are more aware of their number of pitches and innings.

Edinburg High coach Robert Valdez and star senior pitcher John Henry Gonzalez, a Texas Tech signee, are examples. During Gonzalez’s first two years, Valdez significantly restricted his workload, using him cautiously. The right-hander’s innings jumped considerably as a junior, but by then he was ready.

“Early on, people were saying to throw him every other day,” Valdez said. “A big part of him was what we had to surround the pitching staff. As coaches, their futures lie in our hands. Some coaches will ride a No. 1 (pitcher) all the way. But it says a lot of you as a coach to build and develop pitching, and that’s the biggest thing now the UIL will put into place.”

That’s a philosophy shared by McAllen High coach Eliseo Pompa. Pompa has consistently had four or five kids who can throw many innings, and his players rarely surpass 90 pitches during a start.

“Coaches have a tendency to overdo it with kids,” Pompa said. “We try to find as many kids as we can to rely on as pitchers. We’ll work with kids during the fall to get experience on the mound and use them during scrimmages and tournaments.”

THE DEBATE OF ICING

A considerable point of contention in regard to pitchers’ recovery has been icing. Icing a pitcher’s arm after a start has been commonplace for many years, but recent studies have shown that icing has little effect on recovery.

A May 21, 2014, report on pitching.com states that icing “delays healing, increases swelling, causes additional damage, and shuts off signals that alert you to harmful movement.”

Carrasco said he still has pitchers ice their arms — he is big on routine and doesn’t hold pitchers back if they want to ice — but prefers conditioning and weight room work.

“I went to a coaches clinic at the University of Texas at Austin, and the trainer said the research they have done has proved that ice does nothing to their arms to recover,” Carrasco said. “So the trainer does not provide ice for their pitchers.”

Valdez is no longer a believer in icing. He hasn’t had a pitcher ice after starts since 2011.

“There is a lot of literature out at the professional ranks where they talk about the dangers of icing,” Valdez said. “Blood flow is increased during starts, and now you’re constricting and limiting blood flow during icing. We’re firm believers if the legs are in shape, the arm is in shape.”

Donna North coach Leroy Rodriguez has pitchers ice on a voluntary basis. Sharyland High coach Junior Martinez and McAllen Memorial coach Octavio Oyervides have their pitchers ice after every start.

“Some kids like it, some kids don’t,” Donna High coach Joey Ramirez said. “I give them the preference. Personally, I like to ice to reduce swelling. You’re trying to overexert itself and the blood flow, you want that to go down.”

EXPLORING INFORMATION

Weslaco High played Eagle Pass C.C. Winn in a best-of-3 area round playoff series in 2011.

Serna’s Panthers faced the Mavericks’ ace in Game 1. He threw at least 120 pitches in a Winn win.

Weslaco High took Game 2 early the next morning to set up a Game 3. Winn’s pitcher for the rubber game was its ace, who returned to the mound at 3 p.m. He threw another 120-plus pitches and helped Winn to the series victory.

“To me, I’m looking across the field and knowing that’s not a good thing for that kid,” Serna said. “Yes, they won the series, but at what expense? You can mess up a kid’s arm.”

The UIL’s proposal would limit pitchers ages 17-19 to 110 pitches in a game and 95 pitches for pitchers ages 14-16.

The UIL does not have limits on pitches or innings during a game. Its only restraint is a pitcher cannot throw more than 10 innings across multiple games in one day.

“I’m for it,” Valdez said. “Our job is no different from a classroom teacher. It’s to prepare student athletes to compete at the collegiate level. We need to take care of them, and the more we’re informed of medical advancement, the more we need to explore it.”

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — After his team’s second District 30-6A game of the season, a 2-1 defeat at La Joya High, McAllen High coach Eliseo Pompa gathered his team and delivered instructions.

Start swinging at strikes. Start being patient at the plate. Start having a plan.

“Our at-bat starts on deck, not at the plate,” senior Jose Moreno said. “That’s what it took. That’s what he told us.”

Since then, the Bulldogs have been one of the hottest teams in the Rio Grande Valley, averaging 10 runs per game in winning eight of their last nine contests. With one game left in the regular season, McAllen High (16-6, 9-2 30-6A) is in the driver’s seat for the district title, 1 ½ games ahead of La Joya High.

Pitching and defense were the backbone of the Bulldogs coming into this season. But it’s an emerging offense that has offered a much-welcomed dynamic.

“It feels great. There’s no pressure on you on the mound,” senior ace Rigo Sanchez said. “You take that first game against Mission, we won 1-0 and it was stressful. Then we lose 2-1 against La Joya. You felt you had to get every guy out because one run can tie it here or win it there.

“But now we’re scoring runs, getting on base. The offense is doing its job.”

It wasn’t always like that. In their district opener against Mission High, the Bulldogs barely squeaked out a win.

“We scored just one run and we were swinging at balls,” Moreno said. “We were all over the place.”

If that wasn’t a wake-up call, the next game against the Coyotes was. Losing a district game so early into the campaign jeopardizes district title hopes, and a 30-6A championship was McHi’s goal from day one.

So Pompa talked to his players. He had them re-focus on hitting.

“Every inning, we left men on base,” Pompa said of the La Joya game. “We struck out, we lined out, we popped up. We had to concentrate on swinging at strikes and taking advantage of what the defense gives you. We get on with a hit, a walk or an error, and we bunt and move people over and we get ahead. We’ve been doing that now.”

The Bulldogs have capable hitters. Jovani Favata is batting .407 with 15 RBIs and four triples. Moreno is hitting .390 with 16 RBIs and two homers. Nate Quintanilla is batting .362 with 15 RBIs.

But the important numbers are a .427 team on-base percentage and 85 walks to 89 strikeouts as a team offense. Pompa has employed 12 different lineups, and he routinely rotates his outfielders and catchers, but there has not been a drop in production.

“We go up into that batter’s box thinking to ourselves we’re only going to swing at strikes,” Favata said. “If they want to walk us, we’ll take it. From there, we find the hole and we keep building on it. A 1-0 lead becomes 2-0 and that becomes 3-0 and it just keeps coming.”

The Bulldogs have six players with an on-base percentage of at least .417, led by Favata’s .568. And they’re only getting better as the season has gone on.

A good example is the district season series against Mission High. A 1-0 squeaker in the district opener led way to a 19-6 decision in the Bulldogs’ favor when the two teams met again in the second round.

“When I was going up to bat, I used to swing at the dirt and get myself behind in counts,” Quintanilla said. “We all were going through that. But we’re all seeing the ball better. We’re swinging at strikes. With more games, we’re getting more reps at quality at-bats. We’re only getting better as the season has gone on.”

That has been a boon to the Bulldogs’ bread and butter, the pitching and defense. McAllen High has only allowed nine runs over the last nine games, resulting in four run-rule victories, and a defense anchored by the acrobatics of sophomore Robbie Maldonado and junior Keola Zamora is able to play freely and aggressively with the consistent run support.

“My philosophy has always been pitching and defense,” Pompa said. “Hitting is the icing on the cake. Our strikeouts are down. Our averages are a lot better. It’s good to have some confidence in kids hitting with men on base.

“We’re at the point where at 2-0 in the count, hey, they know they’re throwing us a strike. We shrink our strike zone and we know where the ball is supposed to be.”

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

Jack Wang was not nervous. He had every reason to be with a Class 6A state tennis tournament bid on the line.

Instead, Wang was excited. Thrilled.

“I gave it my all,” Wang said of his 6-2, 6-0 Region IV-6A playback second-place win Wednesday over San Antonio Clark’s Zach Frisbie. “Starting since August, I knew that this year I had to go to state and I had to do whatever it takes.”

The McAllen Memorial junior, along with the Mustangs’ boys doubles team of brothers Alan and Daniel Magadan, heads to the state tournament May 16 at Texas A&M University.

Also heading to state is Sharyland High’s mixed doubles team of Sebastian Arizola and Emilia Ramos, Sharyland Pioneer’s boys doubles team of Stevan Guarneri and Gabriel Martin, and Pioneer’s Joaquin Delgado. They will compete at the Class 5A state meet, also May 16 at Texas A&M University.

In his first year playing singles, Wang said he has played more consistent this season. He has placed balls where he wants them and has worked on his forehand to where it has become more of a weapon.

Against Frisbie, Wang knew he had an advantage from a stamina standpoint.

“He had a match before ours that went long, and I had finished a bit earlier,” Wang said. “I was well-rested. I knew he was tired, so I tried to move him around the court a lot.”

Wang’s win was not a surprise. What was a shocker was the Magadans’ victory over a dominant New Braunfels duo of Zach Haynie and Alejandro Caviedes.

Haynie and Caviedes have been regulars at the state tournament recently, but freshman Alan and senior Daniel prevailed 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.

“They had really good hands, so the thing that helped us is dominating the net,” Alan said. “I was excited. It’s an opportunity to go to state with my brother, so it was great motivation.”

The Magadan brothers have played tennis since they were 4 years old.

“Being brothers, it helps a lot because we can tell each other things that can motivate us,” Alan said. “We have more trust in each other.”

McAllen Memorial coach Rhodora Elizondo said the boys’ spirit was crystal clear.

“When you watched, I felt our team had more passion,” Elizondo said. “Those are seniors at New Braunfels that have been going to state consistently, and this is the first time they were upset.”

In their first season as a doubles team, the Rattlers’ Arizola and Ramos took down Vandegrift’s Roy King and Danielle Cuteri, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6.

“In the first set, we were evaluating everything, finding out their weaknesses,” said Arizola, who qualified for state last year on the Rattlers’ boys doubles team with Carlos Ramones. “We served everything to their backhands and we started executing. It won us some close points.”

Coach Yvette Vela saw better focus the last two sets.

“There were a lot of pressure points and they managed to execute them,” Vela said. “We won 10-8 in a tiebreaker to 7 and it was incredible. They had opportunities and we had opportunities and we managed to pull through.”

Pioneer’s Guarneri and Martin placed second, falling 4-6, 6-0, 4-6 to Vandegrift’s Zach Delmonico and Chris McKenzie in the championship match. Pioneer’s Delgado beat Austin LBJ’s Naveen Yarlagadda to advance.

“We had a talk after they had won the district meet that we believed we honestly had a shot at state,” Pioneer boys coach Rick Rivera said. “It wasn’t a surprise. They worked hard and this was expected. This means everything.”

Delgado, a junior, re-aggravated a stress fracture in his foot last season that forced him to withdraw during district play. He rebounded to have a healthy and rewarding year.

“He has a very big serve, he’s very consistent and he has excellent ground strokes,” Rivera said. “He’s the entire package.”

Martin is a freshman and Guarneri is a junior. It took a while for them to build chemistry as a doubles duo, but Rivera said they have only gotten stronger as the season has gone on.

“They’re a phenomenal team now,” Rivera said. “In the beginning, it was tough, but they’ve played through it. Gabriel is aggressive, energetic. Stevan is controlled, more steady. They balance each other out very well.”

This is the first time Pioneer sends anyone to the state tennis tournament. The program is in its second year of competition.

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

Donna High senior Trey Ramirez is hitting .587 with 20 RBIs and four doubles while going 4-3 with a 1.32 ERA on the mound.

Those numbers may cause some people to raise their eyebrows, but someone who is not surprised is Trey’s dad and Redskins coach Joey Ramirez.

“I did expect this for him,” Joey said. “I see it every day at home, when he’s hitting off the tee or in the cages on his own.”

Trey hit better than .500 last season as well, but where his growth has come is as a pitcher. Coming into this season, Trey was slated to be the Redskins’ No. 2 arm. But Joey said Trey has excelled and put in the same work on the bump as he does at the plate.

Trey slowed his delivery and changed his mechanics. His back hip was staying behind on his motion, so Joey had Trey change to where he is more square to the plate now, resulting in better location and control.

Indeed, Trey has 65 strikeouts to 27 walks in 42.1 innings. In the process, Trey has emerged as a leader for a Donna High (10-9, 5-6 District 32-5A) team in the thick of the district playoff race. Trey and younger brother Jeremy, a defensive specialist as a backstop, have the Redskins scraping for a postseason berth in dad’s third year as a head coach.

The Redskins are a game back of Mercedes, Edcouch-Elsa and Brownsville Porter — each boasting 6-5 district records — for third place in district with three games left in the regular season.

“We expected to be in the hunt, but I didn’t expect some of these teams to be in the mix like us,” Joey said. “Hat’s off to them and to this district. It’s been a heck of a lot of work.”

PERSEVERING

Hidalgo has been without All-Valley player Dylan Dougherty for most of this season. He just returned from a leg injury on Tuesday and has also dealt with a shoulder injury.

The offense has been up and down, mostly down, and the pitching had been inconsistent until recently. But what’s encouraging for coach Karlos Carrasco is his team has won 10 consecutive games and in line for another District 32-4A title despite the adversity.

“I’m very happy with where we stand right now,” Carrasco said.

Defense and progress on the pitching staff have carried the Pirates (16-7, 10-1 32-4A) lately. Hidalgo has finally settled into a rotation of Samuel Jimenez, Raul Ortiz and Luis Rosales.

Early in the season, Pirates pitching accounted for 30-40 pitches per inning. It was spotty, at best. Now, however, Hidalgo throwers are throwing less than 20 pitches per inning on average.

“Our pitching at the beginning was unpredictable,” Carrasco said. “Now they’re consistently throwing strikes.”

The offense remains a work in progress as Carrasco has his team taking 300-400 swings per day in the cages, working on hitting off-speed and junk stuff. Dougherty’s bat and speed along the basepaths have been sorely missed. There have been productive hitters in the lineup, like Benji Coronado, Danny Espinoza and Mike Alvarez, but not enough.

The good news is pitching and defense are making up for it. Carrasco said these Pirates also have the best unity he’s seen in his four years at the helm.

“It’s taking us over the top,” Carrasco said. “These kids play for each other, they like each other and the bonding is there. It’s healthy for our team. It’s good to see and I enjoy being with them every day. No matter what we go through, they’re making my job easy.”

RANKED

Mission Veterans Memorial is the only Rio Grande Valley baseball team ranked in state. The Patriots are ranked fifth in Class 5A in the state by Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association.

Mission Vets is 20-3 and one of seven south Texas teams ranked in state at all. The other teams are San Antonio Johnson, Calallen, Alamo Heights, Robstown, Bishop and Refugio.

In Class 5A, Calallen is ranked No. 1.

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The following are standings for Rio Grande Valley high school baseball through Thursday, April 21.

District 30-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

*McAllen High 16 6 9 2 —

*La Joya High 16 7 7 3 1 ½

*LJ Palmview 14 9 7 3 1 ½

Mission High 9 11 5 5 3 ½

McAllen Memorial 11 10 4 6 4 ½

McAllen Rowe 6 12 4 7 5

LJ Juarez-Lincoln 1 16 0 10 8 ½

*- clinched playoff berth

District 31-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

*Edinburg North 18 7 9 1 —

*Edinburg High 13 8 7 2 1½

Weslaco High 12 8 6 3 2½

PSJA North 12 12 5 5 4

Economedes 9 12 4 5 4½

PSJA Memorial 6 16 2 8 7

Weslaco East 2 17 0 9 8 ½

*-clinched playoff berth

Edinburg High has tied twice

Economedes has tied once

Weslaco East has tied once

District 32-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

*Brownsville Vets 21 2 11 1 —

*Los Fresnos 16 4 10 2 1

*Bro. Hanna 14 8 8 4 3

*San Benito 11 7 7 5 4

Harlingen High 12 12 4 8 7

Brownsville Lopez 9 12 3 9 8

Harlingen South 9 12 3 9 8

Brownsville Rivera 4 17 2 10 9

*-clinched playoff berth

Brownsville Lopez has tied twice

Brownsville Veterans has tied once

District 31-5A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

*Mission Vets 20 3 9 0 —

*Valley View 13 8 7 2 2

Edinburg Vela 14 5 7 3 2 ½

Rio Grande City 9 11 4 5 4 ½

Roma 7 14 4 6 5½

Sharyland High 9 13 2 7 6

Sharyland Pioneer 7 14 0 10 8½

*-clinched playoff berth

Edinburg Vela tied once

Mission Veterans Memorial tied once

Valley View tied twice

District 32-5A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

PSJA High 16 7 8 3 —

Donna North 12 10 8 3 —

Edcouch-Elsa 9 9 6 5 2

Mercedes 9 9 6 5 2

Brownsville Porter 10 10 6 5 2

Donna High 10 9 5 6 3

Brownsville Pace 7 11 5 6 3

PSJA Southwest 1 19 0 11 8

Donna High has tied once

PSJA Southwest has tied once

District 32-4A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

*Hidalgo 16 7 10 1 —

*Port Isabel 14 4 9 2 1

Grulla 9 12 7 4 3

Progreso 12 9 7 4 3

Rio Hondo 9 13 4 7 6

Zapata 8 11 4 7 6

Raymondville 6 16 2 9 8

La Feria 4 15 1 10 9

*-clinched playoff berth

Port Isabel has tied once

Zapata has tied once

Many Rio Grande Valley high school volleyball athletes blocked, dug, assisted and scored their way to stardom in 2015, and three in particular stood out for their efforts.

Los Fresnos’ Joseline Caraveo, McAllen Rowe’s Mayda Garcia and Mission Veterans Memorial’s Gabby Lerma are nominated to be named the Volleyball Player of the Year at the 2016 All-Valley Sports Awards Banquet on June 14 at DoubleTree Suites in McAllen.

Representatives from the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame, The Monitor, the Brownsville Herald and the Valley Morning Star voted on three nominations for the category. The winner will be revealed at the banquet.

More on the nominees:

>> Joseline Caraveo: The 5-foot-11 middle blocker helped lead her Los Fresnos squad to a 39-9 overall record. Caraveo recorded 351 kills, 237 blocks and 62 digs. From the service line, she displayed 91.3 percent accuracy and also had six aces.

>> Mayda Garcia: Garcia amassed 688 kills, 868 digs, 144 blocks and 87 assists in leading her McAllen Rowe team to a 36-6 record and the Class 6A regional semifinals. She accomplished this despite switching roles on her team, moving from middle blocker to outside hitter. The 5-foot-9 junior was a nightmare for opponents with her rangy, athletic frame and speed around the net.

>> Gabby Lerma: The steady senior compiled 692 digs, 590 kills and 58 aces in leading Mission Veterans Memorial to the Class 5A regional quarterfinals. Lerma emerged as the Lady Patriots’ go-to offensive threat after spending much of her early career as a defensive specialist. Earlier this week, Lerma signed to continue her volleyball career at Cameron University.

Former Dallas Cowboys receiver Drew Pearson will be the keynote speaker at June’s banquet.

Pearson, who was inducted into the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor in 2011 after a standout career defined by his performances in the clutch, will highlight the function hosted by RGVSports.com in conjunction with the RGV Sports Hall of Fame. The awards banquet will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will recognize team and individual standouts in multiple sports over the past year.

To buy tickets to the banquet, log on to TheMonitor.com, BrownsvilleHerald.com, or ValleyStar.com and click on the rgvsports_banquet link on the toolbar on the home page of each website.

DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — Edinburg North coach Damian Gonzalez did not hide how big he thought Friday’s District 31-6A affair against rival Edinburg High was.

“In my eyes, it was for a district title,” Gonzalez said after his Cougars claimed a 6-2 win at Edinburg North High.

It may be too soon to officially crown the Cougars with a few more games left, but it seems inevitable. Edinburg High, the defending district champ, entered Friday 1 1/2 games back of the Cougars for first place and the lone threat to the Cougars’ pursuit of No. 1.

But this season looks to be Edinburg North’s year. The Cougars jumped out to a 6-0 lead in improving to 9-0 in 31-6A, in line for their second district title in three years.

“It doesn’t secure anything because we still have three tough opponents coming up, but this was a big win,” said junior catcher Saul Garza, who went 3-for-4 with three RBIs. “We knew winning this one means we definitely have a much better shot at that gold trophy.”

Despite a starting lineup consisting of one senior and three underclassmen, Gonzalez said he knew his team had the potential to win a district title well before the season started.

It wasn’t just coachspeak. The players believed it, too.

“We knew we could do this,” Garza said. “Yeah, we have a lot of young players, but we knew they had talent and we knew they would step up because we’d push them. We know we need them. It’s really paid off.”

Added junior Giancarlo Servin: “Our mentality was that this was going to be a really great season for us.”

The Cougars scored four runs on four hits in the second inning to jump on the Bobcats early. It began with Pito Davila’s two-run double on a 1-2 count and concluded with Garza’s two-run single.

North (18-6, 9-0) tagged two more runs in the fourth.

The Bobcats (12-8-2, 6-2) only threatened in the fifth inning. North starter Frankie Rivas allowed three consecutive singles, the last one for an RBI, as Bobcat hitters began getting the timing down on Rivas’ quirky three-quarters delivery. Rivas, who struck out four and walked none, was relieved for Servin, the team’s ace who was available because he only threw about 50 pitches during Tuesday’s run-rule win over PSJA North.

Servin walked the first batter he faced and allowed a RBI single before striking out the final three batters of the frame.

“I had trouble with that first batter, but I calmed down,” Servin said. “I got my curveball over for a strike early, and that was big for me. We had to control what we can control and keep playing.”

Edinburg High coach Robert Valdez said that fifth inning stung. The Bobcats left the bases loaded. In all, they stranded nine runners.

“We squandered opportunities, and we had veteran guys in those positions,” Valdez said. “You just have to tip your hat to (North). They made the pitches and they got out of it.”

Aside from that brief hindrance, North continued to cruise. Servin struck out a couple more batters and never allowed a baserunner past first.

The Cougars are now 2 1/2 games up on Edinburg High and 3 1/2 games up on third-place Weslaco High with three games left. Edinburg North finishes its regular season at Weslaco High, versus PSJA Memorial and at Edinburg Economedes.

“Coming out of the (preseason) tournaments, we had seen a lot of good things, a lot of positives,” Gonzalez said. “We knew we had the pieces in place. It was a matter of kids getting experience and that’s what they did. They’re continuing to get better, they’re buying in and it’s showing.”

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

Coming into this season, Edinburg North coach Damian Gonzalez knew he had good pitchers. And because he knew he had good pitching, he knew he had a district championship-caliber team.

The Cougars are in line to accomplish the latter because they have the former. Junior Giancarlo Servin has been the team’s ace as one of the best pitchers in the Rio Grande Valley, but a big boon has been senior Frankie Rivas.

Rivas is 3-0 with a 3.13 ERA in five appearances and has allowed just 21 hits and nine walks in 22.1 innings.

“We always knew he could pitch,” Gonzalez said. “He’s a tall, lanky kid who hides the ball well, very deceptive. He’s crafty. He knows he’s not one of those guys who will blow the ball by people. But he spots his pitches, he mixes arm angles and knows what the ball will do when the ball’s coming from three-quarters or over the top. He’s perfected what he does.”

Rivas has given the Cougars a capable No. 2. Though he only pitched seven innings in three games last season, he has emerged as a no-doubter at the top of the rotation. That’s in line with Servin, as Alex Canul and Sam Garza ate up most of the innings for North in 2015.

Servin, Rivas, freshman Marc Esquivel and sophomore Abram Lopez have had to grow up, and do so quickly, to keep the Cougars competing at the top of District 31-6A, where they currently reside with an 8-0 record.

“We knew we have good pitchers,” Gonzalez said. “They didn’t have the experience. It was a matter of them catching up, getting innings in tournaments. It was a gradual process evaluating our pitching, seeing guys in different situations and seeing what they can do.”

NEED FOR SPEED

Speed is a luxury for Edinburg Vela.

Through 18 games, the SaberCats have 65 stolen bases. That is due in large part to lead-off hitter Elijah Reyna and No. 2 hitter Johnny Davila. Reyna has 18 stolen bases and Davila has 16. Four other SaberCats have five stolen bases each.

“It’s something we do,” coach Jaime Perez said. “We spend a lot of time working on it. It opens up games for us, and teams know if those guys get on, we’re going to go. These boys have a lot of natural instinct.”

To be a good base-running team, Lopez has players focus on opposing pitchers’ slide steps, kicks, and how/if they hold runners. SaberCat coaches put stopwatches on opposing’ pitchers’ time in throwing to the plate, and study which pitchers throw fastballs on breaking-ball counts.

“It’s an accumulation of a lot of things,” Perez said. ““We have to be creative sometimes. For example, Mission Veterans does a good job of pitch selection and holding you. They pound away hard on hitters’ counts. It’s the game itself that dictates what we do. We just try to put a lot of pressure on teams.”

DÉJÀ VU FOR RAIDERS

PSJA North is in a similar position as it was this time last season: in charge of its own destiny.

The Raiders are 3-5 in District 31-6A, a half-game behind Edinburg Economedes for the fourth and final playoff spot with four games left in the district season.

Last season, PSJA North finished 6-6 in district to take the last playoff spot in 31-6A. That would require a 3-1 close to this district season.

“We can turn around and play like a playoff-contention team, and then we have mental mistakes. That’s cost us,” PSJA North coach Rene Soza said. “There are good teams in this district, good pitchers. Hopefully we can take these next few games.”

Soza has been frustrated with inconsistency, even more so because there are not a lot of new faces on this year’s roster.

“We’ve stressed it more than enough that they’re the ones in control,” Soza said. “We didn’t change a lot of the players. There’s a sophomore here and a freshman there. But these are the same players running in the same mistakes over and over.”

The cure, Soza said, is a change in attitude.

“The main thing is to get them in the game mentally and them having fun,” he said. “It’s a mentality. We have to finish off games. It is what it is. It’s hard to change, but we have to see where having fun takes us.”

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