McALLEN — McAllen Memorial girls soccer head coach Matthew Kaiser told his team at halftime that Gregory-Portland would come out during the second half with a vengeance.

It did.

After Sofi Alaniz-Choy scored from in front of the goal off a Chloey Mejia corner kick early during the second half, Gregory-Portland rallied to tie the game and, eventually, claim a 4-2 overtime victory during Saturday’s Region IV-5A quarterfinal matchup at Boxer Hernandez Stadium at McAllen Memorial High School.

The win sends G-P to its second straight regional semifinal, also known as the Sweet 16, on Friday at the Cabaniss Sports Complex in Corpus Christi.

While the Mustangs were at home, there wasn’t much of a home field advantage as the sun peered out from behind the clouds and the heat and humidity skyrocketed during the second half and into overtime, comprised of two 10-minute periods played in its entirety. Between the opportunistic sun, the taller and possibly stronger, and the Mustangs’ first time playing the extra 20 minutes since District 31-5A doesn’t use the OT rule, the Wildcats were able to “ground-and-pound” and slow the fleet-footed Mustangs.

With Madisyn Sosa, one of the Mustangs’ top offensive weapons, not available, Kaiser made a risky move. Since the team has been playing so well in recent weeks, instead of moving players around, he called up JV Dark player Ava Casas to insert into Sosa’s spot. The JV Dark season has long been over and Casas just had a couple of practices to prepare herself for her first varsity game, starting in the regional quarterfinal.

About midway through the first, Kaiser’s move turned brilliant. Casas got the ball, dribbled it deep into G-P territory with confidence then, as two defenders closed in on her, she sent a pinpoint perfect through ball to Bethany Garr in stride. Garr then streaked past a defender, stopped the ball on a dime, made a quick fake move that sent the defender stumbling and scored the game’s first goal.

“That was such a good play by Ava,” Garr said. “Then I got there and the goal was right there in front of me, almost made me nervous.”

The Mustangs controlled a ball about 65% of the first half, once they adjusted to a larger and very physical G-P team. That physicality, which Memorial met with equally physical play, eventually along with all the other factors, wore the Mustangs down.

“In looking back, the only thing that changed was the sun came out. It got hot very quickly and both teams slowed things down, which was good for Gregory-Portland,” Kaiser said. “We hadn’t played OT all season; our district isn’t set up that way. So to ask these kids to play 20 more minute for the first time and in a high-pressure situation, that’s hard.”

G-P goalkeeper Sydney Kuzma also played a factor. One of the top keepers in the region with wide lateral range and a strong vertical jump, Kuzma kept Alaniz-Choy from scoring on one of her patented 30- to 50-yard bombs to the top corner of the goal. Instead, Kuzma was ready for those shots, which most keepers haven’t been able to accomplish this year.

“It’s been a great year and it was a great surprise for us that we were able to mesh the way we did in district,” said Kaiser, whose team finished one point behind McAllen High for the district championship. “The preseason was a combination of unlucky moments. We played some great teams and our record didn’t look great but we were potentially a good team.

“Once it all settled down and everyone was there, things started to mesh quickly.”

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McALLEN — McAllen Memorial’s Esteban Gonzalez and McAllen High’s Samira Salinas walked into the clubhouse Friday at Champion Lakes Golf Course (formerly Palm View) not completely satisfied with their rounds during the second day of the District 31-5A golf tournament.

They were thrilled with the final results, however, each earning individual district championships.

Gonzalez fired a 2-over-par 74 for a two-day 145 total. Salinas penciled in a 78 and ended with a 154.

Gonzalez paced a Memorial team that captured first-place, beating out teammate and defending champion Dylan Villarreal by three strokes. Villarreal, a sophomore, held a one-stroke lead after shooting a 2-under 70 during the first round.

As a team, Memorial put together eight rounds of sub-80 performances from their top four golfers for a 298-305-603 total. Sharyland High was second with a 651 and Sharyland Pioneer was third at 674.

The top two teams, as well as the top two individuals not on those teams, advance to the regional tournament. The boys’ regional tournament is April 18-19 at the Golf Club of Texas in San Antonio. The girls’ regional tournament is April 20-21 at the same golf course.

“My round today was kind of weird,” said Gonzalez, who entered the tournament as the Valley’s lowest-scoring golfer, averaging a 74.00 per round. “I didn’t play that well. Right from the start I missed a lot of easy putts, then I made a double (bogey) on 15 and that shouldn’t have happened. I got rattled a bit and finally made my first birdie at No. 4.

“Then I just kind of stayed there, maintaining my score because I knew I wasn’t playing very well. I just had to make the best out of the situation.”

Sharyland High captured the girls’ team title, shooting a two-day 691, led by Ximena Paz’s 167 and Carolina Tirado’s 168. Sharyland Pioneer scored a 737 and finished second. Joslyn Lopez registered a day’s best 75 during the second round to capture second place individually at 156.

Salinas will be one of the individuals advancing to the regionals along with Memorial’s Sofia Alaniz-Choy. Pioneer’s Ryan Montoya will represent Pioneer as one of the two individuals advancing to regionals, after scoring a 79-75-154. McAllen High’s Ben De La Garza also advanced

“It was a bit of a roller-coaster ride,” said Salinas who, like Gonzalez, is a senior. “I had some good and bad holes, but overall I kept it together and came out with the lead. I didn’t want to think about winning district. I just wanted to play my game today and I was praying everything would work out. Glad it did.”

Salinas said she’s an aggressive player who goes for some shots most players won’t.

Also in her group was Memorial’s Alaniz-Choy, a very long hitter off the tee,

“I wanted to keep it simple today and stay patient and within myself,” Salinas said. “I can’t worry about how others hit the ball and just focus on me against the course. When it comes to winning, it’s all in the putting. If I stay patient with my putting and let the putts fall, I knew I would be all right.”

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CORPUS CHRISTI — Savannah Ruiz didn’t see teammate Julianna Millin streaking toward the goal.

“All I did was hear her and I sent the ball,” Ruiz said.

What transpired was a beautiful no-look pass that hit Millin perfectly in full stride for the first of her three goals as McAllen High claimed a 5-0 victory over Corpus Christi Veterans on Monday in the UIL Region IV-5A area match at the Cabaniss Sports Complex.

The win sets up a Region IV-5A quarterfinal against the winner of Victoria West and Brownsville Porter, which play tonight.

The seven-time defending District 31-5A champions dominated a very aggressive Eagles squad, outshooting them on goal unofficially 14-1.

Ruiz scored the game’s first goal and was part of a picture perfect give-and-go with Briana Claudio that ended with a goal from Mallory Henderson for the next score. The Bulldogs led 2-0 at the half and the defense kept in check Eagles’ heavy hitters Victoria Torre and Jordan Lotts. Lotts, found two openings early in the first half, using her speed to set up those attempts. However, the Bulldogs’ was up to the task of keeping her almost non-existant the rest of the match.

“I think today I knew I had to find one of the forward’s feet because you could tell they were man-marking us,” Ruiz said. “They were playing tight in the middle and are an aggressive team. We had to keep the ball moving.”

“The defense, I couldn’t be any more proud of,” McAllen High head coach Pat Arney said. “Charlotte Beck had so many headers, one after another and kept those balls in play. Karla Paredes came off the bench and played a great, complete game for us.”

Millin scored her second goal after being brought down in the penalty box. Eagles keeper Clarissa Carmona saved the shot, diving to her left but couldn’t control it and Millin, a freshman who scored 27 district goals this season, followed it in and knocked it into the corner of the net for a 4-0 lead. She has 40 total goals for the season.

“I definitely knew I wanted to take it. I’ve had some difficulties with penalty kicks in the past,” she said. “Unfortunately, I didn’t finish it with the first one but knew if a rebound like that happened I had to be there and I was.”

Millin scored again on a one-on-one, toying with the defender with a variety of moves before dancing away from the defender, finding an opening and completing the hat trick.

“I knew she was closing out the middle in previous plays where I tried to cut her off and get a shot off,” Millin said. “So I just took her wide and shot for the far post.”

The Bulldogs have outscored their two playoff opponents by a combined 13-0 this postseason.

“The girls are playing phenomenal right now. They’re clicking,” Arney said. “They are going to the ball. They are attacking. It’s fun to watch, it’s hard to defend, we’ve got a lot of weapons and I think we’ve still got more to do, to be firing on all pistons. “

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VALLEY HS TRACK AND FIELD

Saturday

Meet of Champions

Boggus Stadium

Harlingen

Boys (top 6 finishers)

Discus

1. Daniel Rodriguez, Edinburg North, 161-08; 2. Evan Thompson, Sharyland Pioneer, 149-05; 3. Marco De Ochoa, McAllen Memorial, 148-00; 4. Dustin Earhart, Hidalgo, 141-03; 5. Taylor Medina, La Joya High, 141-01; 6. Gabriel Elicerio, PSJA North, 140-07

High Jump

1. Orlando Martinez, Edinburg Economedes, 6-04; 2. Kaies Affognon, Los Fresnos, 6-02; 3. Nicholas Karam, McAllen High, 6-00; 4. (tie) Alex Moreno, Los Fresnos, 5-10; 4 (tie) Jake Ramirez, Weslaco High, 5-10; 6. Bryen Robles, Raymondville, 5-10.

Triple Jump

1. Mark Marroquin, Lyford, 43-07.00; 2. Jaime Mendoza, San Isidro, 42-09.00; 3. Max Alvarez, McAllen High, 41-09.50; 4. Gerrardo Gomez, Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 41-08.00; 5. Jaxon Schupe, Edinburg Vela, 41-07.00; 6. Daniel Zamaron, Port Isabel, 41-04.50

Long Jump

1. Jaime Mendoza, San Isidro, 21-08.00; 2. Justin Vela, Lyford, 21-01.75; 3. Fidencio Mesa, Harlingen South, 20-10.25; 4. Mark Marroquin, Lyford, 20-05.75; 5. Orlando Martinez, Edinburg Economedes, 20-05.50; 6. Isaiah Talamantez, Brownsville Hanna, 20-01.75

Shot Put

1. Evan Thompson, Sharyland Pioneer, 53-04; 2. Gerry Garcia, Los Fresnos, 50-05; 3. Saul Hernandez, Hidalgo, 49-09; 4. Kristopher Perez, Edinburg Vela, 47-09; 5. Trevor Huddleston, Sharyland Pioneer, 47-00; 6. Dustin Earhart, Hidalgo, 45-04

Pole Vault

1. Villarreal Warren, Edinburg High, 12-06; 2. Santiago Jongintud, Harlingen High, 12-06; 3. Gabriel Sanchez, Sharyland Pioneer, 12-06; 4. Adalberto Del Angel, Mission High, 12-00; 5. Daniel Hinojosa, Edcouch-Elsa, 12-00; 6. Ernesto Rios, Mission Veterans, 11-06

100-meter

1. Josue Landaverde, Harlingen High, 11.00; 2. Gael Romo, Weslaco East, 11.13; 3. Weston Guzman, McAllen High, 11.16; 4. Alberto Garcia, Harlingen High, 11.22; 5. Devon Ortiz, Port Isabel, 11.24; 6. Luis Silva, Donna High, 11.29

200-meter

1. Keyshawn Garcia, Edinburg North, 22.47; 2. Cristopher Barrera, Edinburg North, 22.96; 3. Manuel Islas, Valley View, 23.11; 4. Jordon Chappell, McAllen High, 23.16; 5. Alberto Leal, Edinburg High, 23.30; 6. Gabriel Garza, Sharyland High, 23.35

400-meter

1. Rene Renteria, Harlingen High, 49.61; 2. Alejandro Arellano, Brownsville Hanna, 50.69; 3. Noah Garcia, Mission Veterans, 51.57; 4. Michael Gower, McAllen High, 51.68; 5. Jarod Cavazos, Weslaco High, 51.93; 6. Jacob Molina, 52.33

800-meter

1. Sebastian Salinas, McAllen Memorial, 1:55.60; 2. Dominick Luna, Harlingen High, 1:56.39; 3. Michael Gower, McAllen High, 1:57.38; 4. Ryan Servantes, Sharyland Pioneer, 1:59.06; 5. Dalys Hernandez, Edinburg Economedes, 2:00.05; 6. Albert Garza, McAllen IDEA, 2:00.32

1,600-meter

1. Ayden Granados, McAllen Memorial, 4:19.92; 2. Sebastian Salinas, McAllen Memorial, 4:25.58; 3. Dominick Luna, Harlingen High, 4:25.58; 4. Valdemar Meza, Sharyland High, 4:27.04; 5. Diego DeLeon, McAllen Memorial, 4:28.72; Leo Flores, Sharyland High, 4:32.91

3,200-meter

1. Ayden Granados, McAllen Memorial, 9:31.27; 2. Valdemar Meza, Sharyland High, 9:40.39; 3. Julius Contreras, McAllen Rowe, 9:53.43; 4. Patricio Garza, Sharyland High, 10:00.1; 5. Evan Torres, La Feria, 10:04.33; 6. Jose Torres, 10:07.49

110-meter Hurdles

1. Victor Salinas, Edinburg Economedes, 15.00; 2. Lisandro Lopez, Sharyland High, 15.32; 3. Masyn Vela, McAllen Memorial, 15.44; 4. Ethan French, McAllen High, 15.45; 5. Leo Espinoza, Sharyland Pioneer, 15.64; 6. Isaac Castellano, Edinburg North, 15.90

300-meter Hurdles

1. Lisandro Lopez, Sharyland High, 38.86; 2. Masyn Vela, McAllen Memorial, 40.02; 3. Chris Rodriguez, Harlingen High, 40.20; 4. Victor Salinas, Edinburg Economedes 40.25; 5. Dylan Salinas, Sharyland Pioneer, 41.24; 6. Leo Espinoza, Sharyland Pioneer, 42.12

4×100

1. Harlingen A, (Kian Torres, Rene Renteria, Luis Galvan, Alberto Garcia) 43.75; 2. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln A, 43.81; 3. McAllen High A, 43.93; 4. Sharyland High A, 44.10; 5. PSJA High A, 44.14; 6. San Benito A, 44.21

4×200

1. Edinburg North A, (Martin Zapata, Ulysses Melendez, Cristopher Barrera, Keyshawn Garcia), 1:30.39; 2. Lyford A, 1:30.63; 3. PSJA High A, 1:31.33; 4. Edinburg High A, 1:31.47; 5. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln A, 1:31.87; 6. Mercedes A, 1:31.95

4×400

1. Harlingen A, (Fernando Quintanilla, Dominick Luna, Chris Rodriguez, Rene Renteria) 3:25.47; 2. McAllen High A, 3:28.18; 3. Edinburg Economedes A, 3:28.45; 4. Edinburg Vela A, 3:29.62; 5. Edinburg North A, 3:29.63; 6. Sharyland High, 3:30.01

Girls (top 6 finishers)

Shot Put

1. Jazmine Thompson, Harlingen High, 39-01; 2. Jasmine Ortiz, Harlingen South, 38-00; 3. Karina Alvarez, Los Fresnos, 37-06; 4. Ana Rodriguez, PSJA Southwest, 37-04; 5. Celina Saenz, McAllen High, 34-04; 6. Natalie Reyes, Sharyland Pioneer, 34-02.

Long Jump

1. Faith Franklin, Harlingen High, 17-01.00; 2. Kaya Dickerson, La Feria, 16-11.50; 3. Delicia Drain, Edinbrg Vela, 16-09.00; 4. Tara Madrid, Mission Veterans, 16-06.50; 5. Sophia Pecina, Progreso, 16-04.50; 6. Leslie Sequera, McAllen High, 16-04.00

Triple Jump

1. Francesca Alvarado, Edinburg Economedes, 35-08.00; 2. Miranda Quintanilla, McAllen High, 35-00.00; 3. Isabella Mares, Harlingen South, 34-03.50; 4. Elizabeth Sandoval, McAllen High, 34-03.00; 5. Desiree Keith, Harlingen South, 33-11.50; 6. Dianett Garcia, Edinburg Economedes, 33-10.00

Discus

1. Keyla Olguin, Brownsville Lopez, 135-04; 2. Jazmine Thompson, Harlingen High, 128-07; 3. Jaylah Martinez, PSJA North, 127-00; 4. Ana Rodriguez, PSJA Southwest, 123-08; 5. Ximena Puenta, Mercedes, 123-07; 6. Alondra Loya, Brownsville St. Joseph, 122-02.

High Jump

1. Madison Ramos, Port Isabel, 5-04; 2. Dianett Garcia, Edinburg Economedes, 5-04; 3. Emily Jones, 5-02; 4. (tie) Jayda Hough, Weslaco High, 5-00; 4. (tie) Penny Alanis, Los Fresnos, 5-00; 6. Michealle Rodriguez, La Joya Palmview, 5-00

Pole Vault

1. Haley Guzman, Edcouch-Elsa, 10-06; 2. Emma Reyes, Harlingen High, 10-00; 3. Sofia Correa, Sharyland High, 9-00; 4. Jenai Martinez, McAllen High, 9-00; 5. Alyssa Castillo, Harlingen South, 8-06; Ariana De La Fuente, McAllen High, 8-06

100-meter

1. Faith Franklin, Harlingen High, 11.99; 2. Samara Rodriguez, Brownsville Rivera, 12.50; 3. Delcia Drain, Edinburg Vela, 12.52; 4. Arely Vasquez, Edcouch-Elsa, 12.67; 5. Natalie Garcia, McAllen High, 12.70; 6. Sadie Romero, Weslaco High, 12.94

200-meter

1. Faith Franklin, Harlingen High, 25.08; 2. Samara Rodriguez, Brownsville Rivera, 25.84; 3. Jaymie Flores, Mercedes, 26.02; 4. Karyna Gonzalez, McAllen Memorial, 26.22; 5. Aliyah Castillo, Brownsville Hanna, 26.54; 6. Kimora Fagan, Edinbug High, 26.61

400-meter

1. Aliyah Castillo, Brownsville Hanna, 58.60; 2. Sabrina Garza, McAllen High, 1:00.7; 3. Emily Jones, Donna High, 1:00.59; 4. Carla Guerrero, Mission Veterans, 1:01.18; 5. Kailey Kaufman, Mission Veterans, 1:02.10; 6. Dyani Garcia, Progreso, 1:02.28

800-meter

1. Sabrina Garza, McAllen High, 2:15.92; 2. Ayelen Torvik, Los Fresnos, 2:21.34; 3. Naia Gracia, Brownsville Veterans, 2:21.84; Kennedy Villapando, Weslaco High, 2:23.86; 5. Selissa Gonzales, Lasara, 2:25.88; 6. (tie) Carla Guerrero, Mission Veterans, 2:26.27; 6. (tie) Dyani Garcia, Progreso, 2:26.27

1,600-meter

1. San Juanita Leal, Edinburg North, 5:05.09; 2. Destiny Quintanilla, La joya Palmview, 5:09.73; 3. Mia Guillen, Edinburg High, 5:16.71; 4. Danielle Salinas, Sharyland High, 5:17.46; 5. Naia Gracia, Brownsville Veterans, 5:21.47; 6. Alexa Mendoza, McAllen Memorial, 5:28.61

3,200- meter

1. Destiny Quintanilla, La Joya Palmview, 10:57.94; 2. San Juanita Leal, Edinburg North, 11:13.19; 3. Liana Navarro, La Feria, 11:30.81; 4. Cecilia Cavazos, Sharyland High, 11:38.71; 5. Danielle Salinas, Sharyland High, 11:41.34; Ayianna Olivas, Harlingen High, 11:53.35

100-meter Hurdles

1. Alicia Ziegler, McAllen Memorial, 15.96; 2. Federica Gongora, Sharyland High, 16.48; 3. Anayeli Hinojosa, Rio Grande City, 16.61; 4. Bethany Garr, McAllen Memorial, 16.64; 5. Cachelle Flores, Edinburg Vela, 16.76; 6. Jennamarie Rios, Los Fresnos, 16.98

300-meter Hurdles

1. Herminia Corado, Edinburg Economedes, 46.69; 2. Abbigail Villafranca, McAllen High, 47.02; 3. Kalissa Cavazos, Weslaco High, 47.74; 4. Alicia Ziegler, McAllen Memorial, 48.00; 5. Cachelle Flores, Edinburg Vela, 48.68; 6. Christina Hernandez, Edcouch-Elsa, 48.84

4×100

1. McAllen High A, (Abbigail Villafranca, Natalie Garcia, Miranda Quintanilla, Leslie Sequera) 50.55; 2. McAllen Memorial A 50.72; 3. Harlingen High A, 50.97; 4. Los Fresnos A, 50.98; 5. Edinburg Vela A, 51.10; 6. Harlingen South A, 51.40

4×200

1. Edinburg Economedes A, (Marcela Herrera, Genesis Rodriguez, Francesca Alvarado, Herminia, Corado), 1:46.48; 2. McAllen High A, 1:47.17; 3. McAllen Memorial A, 1:47.48; 4. La Feria A, 1:47.75; 5. Los Fresnos A, 1:48.01; 6. San Benito A, 1:48.29

4×400

1. McAllen A, (Abbigail Villafranca, Sabrina Garza, Katelyn Vaden, Aleah Saenz), 4:03.62; 2. San Benito A, 4:07.97; 3. Weslaco High A, 4:09.41; 4. Mission Veterans A, 4:09.72; 5. Sharyland High A, 4:11.24; 6. Edinburg Vela A, 4:11.64

VALLEY HS GIRLS SOCCER RESULTS

Thursday’s Games

Class 6A

Edinburg Vela 1, Harlingen South 0

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 5, Brownsville Hanna 0

Los Fresnos 1, Edinburg Economedes 0

Class 5A

McAllen Rowe 3, Brownsville Veterans 1

McAllen Memorial 8, Donna High 0

Flour Bluff 4, Mission Veterans 0

Victoria West 3, La Joya Palmview 1

Class 4A

Hidalgo 4, Rio Hondo 0

North Mission IDEA 4, Ingleside 3

Riverview IDEA 12, Lyford 0

VALLEY HS GIRLS SOCCER

BOX SCORES

Thursday’s Games

CLASS 6A

EDINBURG VELA 1, HARLINGEN SOUTH 0 (OT)

Edinburg Vela 0 0 — 1

Harlingen South 0 0 — 0

EDINBURG VELA (1): Alayna Rodriguez.

HARLINGEN SOUTH (0): None.

LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN 5, BROWNSVILLE HANNA 0

Juarez-Lincoln 3 2 — 5

Brownsville Hanna 0 0 — 0

JUAREZ-LINCOLN (5): Deisy Reyes, Daniela Castillo, Keyla Torres, Samantha Jimenez, Ana Rocha.

BROWNSVILLE HANNA (0): None.

LOS FRESNOS 1, EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 0

Los Fresnos 0 1 — 1

Economedes 0 0 — 0

LOS FRESNOS (1): Sara Garza.

ECONOMEDES (0): None.

CLASS 5A

MCALLEN ROWE 3, BROWNSVILLE VETERANS 1

McAllen Rowe 0 3 — 3

Brownsville Veterans 1 0 — 1

AWAY TEAM (3): Esperanza Cantu (2), Ayloni Rodriguez.

HOME TEAM (1): NR.

MCALLEN MEMORIAL 8, DONNA HIGH 0

McAllen Memorial 6 2 — 8

Donna High 0 0 — 0

MCALLEN MEMORIAL (8): Madisyn Sosa (3), Bethany Garr (2), Sophia Alaniz-Choy (2), Chloey Mejia.

DONNA HIGH (0): None.

PHARR — When the girls’ soccer season got underway this year, Pharr IDEA head coach Yasmine Lopez’s first concern was being able to field enough players to have a full team.

Those concerns are a distant memory now for the Lions, who were crowned District 31-4A champions. They open the Class 4A bi-district playoffs at 6 p.m. Friday against Brownsville Jubilee at the Brownsville Sports Complex.

It is the second playoff appearance for the Lions in program history. The previous time, they advanced as a charter school. Now, they are part of the University Interscholastic League (UIL) and have won the first soccer district title to the school.

Through the first four games of the season, however, it didn’t look as if the Lions would clinch a postseason berth, let alone roll to the district’s top spot. They lost 4-2 to Hidalgo and dropped an overtime tie with Raymondville in penalty kicks. Even their first victory wasn’t won on the field but on a forfeit against Donna IDEA.

Then, something changed.

The Lions won their next eight matches to close out an unprecedented season, outscoring opponents 30-7 during that span. They took it to both Hidalgo and Raymondville during the second time through district play. Senior Liliana Zuniga scored three times in a 3-1 win over Hidalgo and scored twice more in a 3-1 victory over Raymondville, while Elva Rodriguez added another score. They finished with 31 points, beating Hidalgo by one point and Raymondville by five.

“They were nervous the second time around because Hidalgo was undefeated at that point,” Lopez said. “I told them to go hard or go home and this was their time to beat Hidalgo. I said if we win this game we will win out. We did. They were definitely hungry that game.”

Zuniga is exceptionally quiet, until she’s on pitch. That’s when meek and mouselike transform into confident and Lion-like. She scored a team-high 15 goals and tallied a team-tying 10 assists during district. Five of those goals were during the two biggest games of the season, against Hidalgo and Raymondville.

“She’s quiet when she’s in front of someone,” said Lopez, in her first year as head coach. “But on the field it’s all about the team, communication and trusting each other. And she can shoot. Ashley (Hernandez) and Lily have been big, big armor for us this year to win district.”

Sophomore center mid Ashley Hernandez, who started playing at age 4, was often on the passing side of Zuniga’s goals. Hernandez dished out 10 assists. She also found the back of the net eight times, second on the team. Jessica Rodriguez followed with seven goals, Nailea Cepeda scored six and Rodriguez added three.

“We all knew we could get this far, we’ve been working so hard and doing our best,” Hernandez said. “We thought Hidalgo was going to be our toughest matchup. Everyone gave their best effort. They were undefeated and we beat them.”

“The goal was to win,” Zuniga said, matter-of-factly. “When we beat Hidalgo, we started believing.”

Now the Lions, making a triumphant return to the pitch after not playing for the past two seasons due to COVID-19, will play a Jubilee team that finished fourth in its district.

“Those girls eat, breathe and sleep soccer,” Lopez said. “I know mine haven’t played for two years but I’m not worried about them, I’m just worried about our girls. I’ve been confident in these girls. They just needed a push and someone to believe in them because they didn’t believe in themselves.”

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VALLEY HS BASEBALL SCHEDULE
Monday’s Games
Non-District
Brownsville Hanna 12, Donna High 10
La Joya Palmview 5, Los Fresnos 2, 8 innings
Brownsville Veterans 12, Mission Veterans 2, 5 innings
Sharyland High 3, Brownsville Rivera 1
San Benito 7, Roma 1

Tuesday’s Games
District 31-6A
Edinburg Economedes at Edinburg North, 7 p.m.
Edinburg Vela at PSJA North, 7 p.m.
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at Edinburg High, 7 p.m.
Mission High at La Joya High, 7 p.m.
Non-District
Donna North at McAllen Memorial, 6 p.m.
Edcouch-Elsa at Hidalgo, 6 p.m.
La Feria at PSJA Southwest, 6 p.m.
Monte Alto at Progreso, 6 p.m.
San Benito at Brownsville Veterans, 6 p.m.
Brownsville St. Joseph at Brownsvillle Lopez, 6 p.m.
Brownsville Porter at Harlingen South, 6:30 p.m.
PSJA Memorial at Raymondville, 6:30 p.m.
Sharyland Pioneer at Harlingen High, 6:30 p.m.
Weslaco High at McAllen High, 7 p.m.

CYPRESS — Valley wrestling officials and coaches couldn’t remember the last time the RGV produced two girls state champions in the same year.

They won’t have to look back very far anymore.

McAllen Memorial’s Serenity De La Garza and PSJA High’s Jessica Villanueva each completed an unblemished season, pinning their opponents in the championship match of their weight classes to claim gold at the UIL state wrestling championships Saturday at the Berry Center in Cypress.

Serenity De La Garza improved to 31-0 — all wins by pins — with a fall over Azle’s Alicen Dillard, who dropped her first match of the season. Likewise, Villanueva improved to 40-0, pinning Euless Trinity’s Shenita Lawson at the 2:50 mark. Lawson held the best record of all wrestlers in the event at 50-0 going into the finals.

Serenity’s twin sister Eternity De La Garza, finished second in the 165-pound weight class and PSJA Memorial’s Lorena Torres earned a third place in what was a very successful tournament for Valley girls.

Several Valley boys also fought their way onto the podium, including Sharyland High’s Paolo Miranda (120 pounds) and Noel Torres (138), PSJA Memorial’s Alberto Elizondo (152) and Weslaco High’s Roman Saldana (285). All four boys captured fifth place. Saldana’s came in the 6A division, the rest were in 5A.

De La Garza was injured during her first match Friday but still earned the pin in 5 minutes, 5 seconds. After going to the hospital to check on her collarbone — which she said she felt a pop somewhere in that vicinity — she came back to pin her next three opponents in 7 minutes, 11 seconds combined. Before the state tournament, De La Garza hadn’t wrestled for more than two minutes in any single match. She and her coach estimated that she wrestled in matches for maybe an hour total to earn those 31 wins, showing her dominance.

During her championship match, De La Garza was having some early difficulty and trailed 7-5 at one point. Battling from the standing position her opponent took her down twice. One time when she tried to throw De La Garza, her arm popped and the match was stopped for injury time.

De La Garza immediately turned away from the injured opponent.

“It’s happened before where something like that will happen and she will freak out,” McAllen Memorial head coach Eddie Gonzalez said. “I just told her to stay calm and be ready because she was going to come back more angry. I told Serenity to not lose focus and just keep working.”

He also told her to stop wrestling from the standing position.

“I told her to go to the bottom and grab those ankles,” he said. “Then she got that reversal and that was all she needed.”

Now her plans are to work harder and make a return to the state tournament next year to defend her title. And, along the way, keep her 32-match winning streak alive, which started when she captured third place last year. In the past two seasons, the junior is 47-1 and most assuredly will once again be the top-ranked girls wrestler in her weight class next year by wrestlingtexas.com.

Villanueva went two and out last year at the state meet, wrestling and losing both of her matches and ending her tournament during Day 1. This year, the PSJA senior had two of the quickest pins of the state tournament, winning her first-round match in 32 seconds and her semifinal match in just 29 seconds. There was plenty of anticipation as well for her championship match, with a combined record of the two wrestlers at 89-0.

“She was 50-0, really? I’m glad I didn’t know that,” Villanueva said after the match. Like with De La Garza, Villanueva started slow but, as she has done all year, she outworked her opponent for the title. Once Villanueva took control of the match, she did what she’s done all season — dominate with power and technical skills.

“It’s amazing. I got that reversal on her and turned her over for a pin and got it,” Villanueva said. “It has been a lot of hard work the past four years to get here and this last year I made it count and going out with a boom. This year, my motivation was bigger. This is for my family. This is for all of them.”

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CYPRESS — By the time wrestling concluded Friday, McAllen Memorial’s Serenity De La Garza had gotten hurt and her sister Eternity De La Garza had gotten angry.

Their results, however, were pretty much the same as all year, each winning their two matches by pins and advancing to today’s semifinal round of the UIL state wrestling tournament at the Berry Center.

Serenity, the top-ranked Class 5A wrestler in the state according to wrestlingtexas.com, improved to 29-0 with 29 pins after taking down Frisco’s Destiny Simms (38-8) in 5 minutes, 5 seconds — the longest match of Serenity’s season — and then pinning Jaden Culifer (35-4) of Amarillo Caprock in 2:00.

During her first match, Serenity said something “popped near her collarbone,” and she ended up at the hospital before her second match. She was visibly uncomfortable during that second match, even though she steamrolled through it

“During my first match, I was trying to get a chicken wing on her and she jerked and I popped something in my collarbone,” she said. “It was hurting and I got scared for this match and thought I wasn’t gonna be able to do it, but I did fine.

“I kept thinking, ‘Just one more (match) today.’ Now it’s rest, ice and get something to eat.”

Eternity, who improved to 30-1 with pins of New Waverly’s Beverly Brock (22-8) in 4:21 and Burleson Centennial’s Brijatte Garcia (37-6) in 2:59, said a key to her year was staying focused.

Garcia, however, got “into my head a little and I was a little nervous,” Eternity said. “She just kept moving and kept slapping me and I haven’t had a girl like that and it scared me a little bit.”

Her response, however, was epic.

“She got me mad,” she said. “And I got my head straight. Now I feel good. I’m going to the second day.”

Eternity said she was also hungry after a long day.

“I want some pizza and wings,” she said, before pointing to her sister and teammate, Maya Marroquin. “But they won’t let me.”

“I just want the gummies. They are so good,” Serenity responded. “They keep my energy up.”

Eternity will face Midlothian freshman Eve Smith (28-11), while Serenity will wrestle Fricso Reedy Senior Hadley Snyder (31-3), the Region II champion.

“I feel good. I’m a little faster when it comes to things this year,” Serenity said. “Last year I didn’t feel ready. This year, I feel ready to kick some butt.”

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VALLEY HS GIRLS SOCCER

BOX SCORES

Tuesday’s Games

DISTRICT 31-6A

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 1, LA JOYA HIGH 0

Economedes 1 0 — 1

La Joya High 0 0 — 0

ECONOMEDES (2): Denise Herrera.

LA JOYA HIGH (0): None.

RECORDS: Economedes 2-5-1 in district; La Joya High 3-2-2 in district.

EDINBURG HIGH 5, PSJA HIGH 1

Edinburg High NR NR — 5

PSJA High NR NR — 1

EDINBURG HIGH (5): Miriela Munoz 4, Emily De La Garza.

PSJA HIGH (1): Clarissa Garza.

RECORDS: School Edinburg High 4-1-3 in district; PSJA High 0-8-0.

LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN 3,

EDINBURG NORTH 2

LJ Juarez-Lincoln 3 0 — 3

Edinburg North 0 2 — 2

JUAREZ-LICOLN (3): Stephanie Jimenez 2, Deisy Reyes.

EDINBURG NORTH (2): Ariana Gonzales, Devanaras Hernandez.

RECORDS: Juarez-Lincoln 8-0 in district; Edinburg North 3-3-2 in district.

PSJA NORTH 2, MISSION HIGH 0

PSJA North 2 0 — 2

Mission 0 0 — 0

PSJA NORTH (2): Mia Maldonado, Kassandra Garza.

MISSION HIGH (0): None.

RECORDS: PSJA North 2-4-1; Mission High 1-7-9 in district.

DISTRICT 31-5A

MCALLEN MEMORIAL 3, MCALLEN ROWE 2

McAllen Memorial 2 1 — 3

McAllen Rowe 0 2 — 2

MCALLEN MEMORIAL (3): Chloey Mejia 2, Madisyn Sosa.

MCALLEN ROWE (2): Esperanza Cantu 2.

RECORDS: McAllen Memorial 6-1-0 in district; McAllen Rowe 4-1-1 in district.

SHARYLAND HIGH 3, MCALLEN HIGH 2

McAllen High 0 2 — 3

Sharyland High 3 0 — 3

MCALLEN HIGH (2): Julianna Millin, Mallory Henderson.

SHARYLAND HIGH (3): Yhoalibeth Alvarez, Anacecy Perez, Clarissa Gonzalez.

RECORDS: McAllen High 4-1-1 in district; School Sharyland High 4-2-0 in district.

SHARYLAND PIONEER 2, PSJA MEMORIAL 0

Pioneer 1 1 — 2

PSJA Memorial 0 0 — 0

SHARYLAND PIONEER (2): Nevely Yanez, Anelisa Ale.

PSJA MEMORIAL (0): None.

RECORDS: Pioneer 2-4-0 in district; PSJA Memorial 0-5-1 in district.

DISTRICT 32-5A

DONNA HIGH 5, MERCEDES 2

Donna 2 3 — 5

Mercedes 1 1 — 2

DONNA HIGH (5): Madalyn Park 3, Anai Mejia, Nydia Selvera.

MERCEDES (2): Sujey Coronado, Nieshia Martinez

RECORDS: Donna 5-2 in district; Mercedes 0-7 in districtf .