VALLEY HS BOYS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
Monday’s Games
District 32-4A
Raymondville 73, Rio Hondo 66
District 32-2A
Santa Maria 69, Premont 53

Tuesday’s Games
District 31-6A
Edinburg North 64, La Joya High 54
Edinburg Economedes 85, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 36
Edinburg Vela 77, PSJA High 43
Edinburg High 57, PSJA North 52
District 32-6A
Harlingen South 64, San Benito 39
Weslaco High 49, Harlingen High 40
Los Fresnos 68, Brownsville Rivera 36
Brownsville Hanna 83, Donna North 33
District 30-5A
La Joya Palmview 52, Mission Veterans 43
Rio Grande City 58, Laredo Cigarroa 32
Laredo Martin 76, Roma 64
District 31-5A
McAllen Memorial 78, PSJA Memorial 53
Sharyland Pioneer 66, PSJA Southwest 17
Sharyland High 54, Valley View 46
McAllen High 71, McAllen Rowe 44
District 32-5A
Donna High 53, Edcouch-Elsa 46
Mercedes 53, Brownsville Porter 44
Brownsville Pace 81, Brownsville Lopez 49
Weslaco East 38, Brownsville Veterans 34
District 32-4A
Hidalgo 33, Grulla 26
La Feria 77, Rio Hondo 66
Raymondville 58, Port Isabel 57
District 31-3A
North Mission IDEA 103, Alamo IDEA 40
Edinburg IDEA Quest 60, Lyford 44
District 32-3A
Santa Rosa 65, Brownsville Jubilee 33

Wednesday’s Game
District 31-6A
Edinburg North 60, Edinburg Economedes 56

Thursday’s Game
District 31-6A
Edinburg Economedes 58, Edinburg High 47

Friday’s Games
District 31-6A
Edinburg Vela at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 7:30 p.m.
La Joya High at Edinburg High, 7:30 p.m.
Mission High at Edinburg Economedes, 7:30 p.m.
PSJA North at PSJA High, 7:30 p.m.
District 32-6A
Brownsville Hanna at Brownsville Rivera, 7:30 p.m.
Harlingen High at San Benito, 7:30 p.m.
Harlingen South at Donna North, 7:30 p.m.
Los Fresnos at Weslaco High, 7:30 p.m.
District 30-5A
La Joya Palmview at Rio Grande City, 7:30 p.m.
Roma at Mission Veterans, 7:30 p.m.
District 31-5A
McAllen Rowe at Valley View, 7:30 p.m.
PSJA Memorial at PSJA Southwest, 7:30 p.m.
Sharyland High at McAllen Memorial, 7:30 p.m.
Sharyland Pioneer at McAllen High, 7:30 p.m.
District 32-5A
Brownsville Porter at Donna High, 7:30 p.m.
Brownsville Veterans at Mercedes, 7:30 p.m.
Edcouch-Elsa at Brownsville Pace, 7:30 p.m.
Weslaco East at Brownsville Lopez, 7:30 p.m.
District 32-4A
Hidalgo at Port Isabel, 8 p.m.
La Feria at Raymondville, 8 p.m.
Rio Hondo at Grulla, 8 p.m.
District 31-3A
Lyford at Edinburg IDEA College Prep, 7 p.m.
District 32-3A
Progreso at Santa Rosa, 7 p.m.

VALLEY HS BOYS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES
Tuesday’s Games
District 31-6A
EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 85, LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN 36
Juarez-Lincoln   9 10 14 3 —   36
Economedes   24 20 17 24 —   85
EDINBURG ECONOMEDES (85): R. De Leon 41; S. Lopez 15; O. Martinez 10; R. Moreno 7; D. Hernandez 6; R. Gonzalez 2; M. Barrientos 2.

EDINBURG VELA 77, PSJA HIGH 43
PSJA   4 12 14 13 —   43
Vela   15 13 27 22 —   77
PSJA HIGH (43): J. Garcia 12; S. Riojas 10; H. Sanchez 6; D. Santos 7; V. Cano 4; E. Montalvo 2.
EDINBURG VELA (77): J. Rodriguez 14; J. Rodriguez 10; R. Rodriguez 9; A. Avelar 7; O. Garza 5; T. Requena 5; J. Gonzalez 5; O. Ybarra 3; F. Salinas 3; A. Mancias 2; J. Tovar 2; E. Trigo 2; J. Balderas 2; J. Campos 2.

EDINBURG NORTH 64, LA JOYA HIGH 54
North   20 12 14 18 —   64
La Joya   11 10  8 25 —   54
EDINBURG NORTH (64): E. Gonzalez 17; A. Thomas 15; J. Santa Maria 11; C. Faz 9; J. Cruz 8; N. Rios 2; D. Garza 2.
LA JOYA HIGH (54): E. Moya 23; A. Quintanilla 11; H. Cantu 10; J. Cortina 5; D. Treviño 5.

EDINBURG HIGH 57, PSJA NORTH 52
PSJA North   10 15 15 12 —   52
Edinburg   10 16 15 16 —   57
PSJA NORTH (52): L. Palacios 18; G. Beltran 18; J. Torres 8; A. Stewart 7; N. De La Garza 3
EDINBURG HIGH (57): D. Guerra 24; J. Soto 12; R. Abrego 9; N. Garza 4; R. Rivera 3; G. Negrete 2; I. Garcia 2; J. Fagan 1.

District 32-6A
WESLACO HIGH 49, HARLINGEN HIGH 40
Harlingen   12 10  9 9 —   40
Weslaco   7 13 10 19 —   49
HARLINGEN HIGH (40): R. Sanchez 15; J. Salinas 11; J. Rendon 4; I. Solis 3; L Rodriguez 3.
WESLACO HIGH (49): A. Olmeda 22; L. Smith 10; A. Lopez 6; R. Salazar 3; N. Avila 2; E. Hernandez 2; G. Renteria 2; C. Peña 2.

District 30-5A
RIO GRANDE CITY 58, LAREDO CIGARROA 32
RIO GRANDE CITY 8 18 18 14 —   58
CIGARROA   11 2 10 9 —   32
RIO GRANDE CITY (58): M. Compean 16; B. Peña 10; D. Martinez 9; R. Peña 8; S. Canales 5; L. Villanueva 2; J. Gomez 2.

District 31-5A
McALLEN HIGH 71, McALLEN ROWE 44
McHi   13 22 17 19 —   71
Rowe   13 13  9 9 —   44
McALLEN HIGH (71): R. Canul 21; D. Canul 17; Jo. Chappell 13; Ja. Chappell 8; E. Alvarado 8; N. dos Santos 2; I. Solano 2.
McALLEN ROWE (44): E. Alcantar 16; E. Ramirez 15; J. Avila 9; N. Sandoval 2; A. Velasco 2.

McALLEN MEMORIAL 78, PSJA MEMORIAL 53
PSJA Memorial 17 13 12 11 —   53
McAllen Memorial 17 19 31 11 —   78
PSJA MEMORIAL (53): O. Garcia 20; R. Cisneros 13; J. Garcia 10; J. Sandoval 5; L. De La Cruz 2; A. Garza 2; A. Barrera 1.
McALLEN MEMORIAL (78): A. Elizondo 17; A. Hougro 16; Jad. Muhammad 15; Jal. Muhammad 8; C. Keller 6; M. Treviño 4.

SHARYLAND PIONEER 66, PSJA SOUTHWEST 17
Southwest   2 2  6 7 —   17
Pioneer   21 11 21 13 —   66
PSJA SOUTHWEST (17): X. Aranda 5; I. de Leon 4; K. Garcia 3; A. Arredondo 3; J. Lopez 2.
SHARYLAND PIONEER (66): L. Espinosa 13; J. Garcia 11; I. Reyes 9; E. Yong 7; C. Martinez 6; J. Verjel 6; J. Valdez 5; J. Ruiz 5; M. Maldonado 2; J. Gaither 2.

SHARYLAND HIGH 54, VALLEY VIEW 46
Valley View   6 11 10 19 —   46
Sharyland   10 16 16 12 —   54
SHARYLAND HIGH (54): N. Suelto 14; R. Salinas 10; J. Gonzalez 8; M. Escamilla 8; F. Sullivan 6; J. Ortiz 4; F. Garza 2.

District 32-5A
DONNA HIGH 53, EDCOUCH-ELSA 46
Donna   9 16 16 12 —   53
Edcouch-Elsa   5 8 14 18 —   46
DONNA HIGH (53): R. Lopez 11; P. Contreras 13; D. Fuentes 8; C. Sanchez 6; Alex S. 7; J. Calvillo 8.
EDCOUCH-ELSA (46): J. Suarez 13; R. Flores 13; J. Olivarez 9; R. Lucio 8; J. Lugo 4.

District 31-3A
NORTH MISSION IDEA 103, ALAMO IDEA 40
Alamo IDEA   8 8 10 13 —   40
North Mission   29 24 26 24 — 103
NORTH MISSION IDEA (103): R. Bejarano 35; M. Bejarano 19; J. Leach 11; R. Silva 9; A. Garcia 9; M. Macias 6; J. Bermea 3.

Wednesday’s Game
District 31-6A
EDINBURG NORTH 60, EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 56
North   13 15 17 15 —   60
Economedes   5 11 12 28 —   56
EDINBURG NORTH (60): C. Faz 17; E. Gonzalez 14; A. Thomas 12; J. Santa Maria 11; J. Cruz 6.
EDINBURG ECONOMEDES (56): R. De Leon 22; M. Barrientos 13; O. Martinez 13; S. Lopez 5; D. Hernandez 3.

McAllen Memorial girls soccer head coach Matthew Kaiser describes senior Bethany Garr and sophomore Madisyn Sosa as lightning on the field, in terms of both speed and quickness.

He also said sophomore Sofia Alaniz-Choy and freshman Chloe Mejia run on thunderous cannons instead of normal legs to take explosive shots from long range.

That combination should prove to be a powerful offensive weapon, especially when District 31-5A play begins. It’s a district Kaiser said is probably the toughest Class 5A district south of San Antonio. Even though the matches his Mustangs are playing this week in the McAllen ISD Girls Soccer Showcase have plenty of benefits, he just wants to get to district play soon.

“I don’t think we can handle another injury,” Kaiser said following 7-6 loss to perennial power Corpus Christi Flour Bluff on Friday at McAllen Memorial. “We’ve struggled so far. The early games before Christmas went well, but we had to cancel a game and this tournament is our first time playing since we left for break, and we have some players out where I think we would have had different outcomes. The key for us is to stay healthy. If not, it could be a tough year.”

Sosa scored a pair of goals and dished out two assists during the high-octane matchup Friday and will be one of the keys if Memorial is going to advance to the postseason again this year. Last year, the Mustangs notched the No. 4 spot and all four 31-5A teams defeated their 32-5A counterparts in the bi-district round of the playoffs.

Now a sophomore, Sosa said she feels more in place.

“I feel that I help contribute more to the team this year,” Sosa said. “Last year, I was a little timid on the field and not as aggressive as this year.

“Since Bethany and I are faster and Sofia and Chloe and have strong legs, if the defense goes for them then they chip the ball over and we make use of that. We just start running to intercept it and go.”

Kaiser said not enough credit is given to freshmen who contribute on their varsity teams, such as Sosa and Alaniz-Choy last year, and, he hopes, Mejia this year.

“Madisyn and Sofia are tested now,” said Kaiser, in his 15th year at the helm. “It’s a big jump and an entirely different experience to what they are used to even in club where you’re playing in your age group. Then suddenly, you’re toe-to-toe with a bigger and more experienced kid. You’re asking a 14-year-old to play with the experience and maturity of tough 18-year-olds. It’s not easy.”

Maybe the biggest growth he’s seen is in Alaniz-Choy.

“Their explosiveness is different,” Kaiser said. “Madisyn and Beth are two of the quickest and fastest girls I’ve had in a long time — track stars on the soccer field. Sofia’s explosiveness is from her shot, from 30-40 yards out with some punch behind it. You can’t give her very much space, she’ll drop a missile on you.

“But, I have seen already she has gotten smarter. She knows when it will work and when she needs to try something different. Last year, it was her go-to weapon but it wasn’t always at the right time. I already see that she knows when to cut loose and when she needs to stay under control.”

The Mustangs play their final game of the showcase at 9 a.m. today against Alamo Heights at home.

[email protected]

Jazmin Cuellar wasn’t a prodigy, with everyone knowing she was coming up the pipeline since middle school or before.

She just appeared — well, exploded — onto the scene. Bit, have no doubt, there was a grueling amount of work that put her on that rocket-like trip to the top

The senior middle hitter/blocker for Edinburg High was a dominant force this year for the Bobcats, helping them to a 22-11 overall record, a 14-2 mark in District 31-6A and a co-district championship. For her performance this season, Cuellar has been named The Monitor’s 2021 All-Area Volleyball Middle Hitter/Blocker of the Year.

Cuellar stood out offensively and defensively for the Bobcats, leading the team with 372 kills (4.1 per set) and with a 49.7 kill percentage. Defensively she was just as dangerous, compiling an astonishing 190 solo blocks and 200 total blocks (2.2 per set). She was, in essence, a rally starter and an opposing team’s rally killer.

Cuellar started playing when she was 13 — “Kind of a late start,” by her admission — and spent two seasons on the Edinburg JV team, not allowed to play varsity due to UIL transfer restraints. Those restraints fueled the fire for Cuellar, who wasn’t that fiery on the outside during those first two years. She still had a burning passion, however, on the inside.

“I would tip everything the whole time. I was afraid of making a mistake, but then I learned that’s just how the game is. You make a mistake and move on,” Cuellar said. “I had to build both the mental and physical parts of my game.

“After tipping the ball for two years, you get pretty smart with the ball, though. You couldn’t hide a spot from me.”

Her junior year, her first on the varsity squad, Cuellar developed power — a lot of it — and used it to collect 255 kills and 109 total blocks during a COVID-19-shortened season. The Bobcats went 13-6 overall and 10-4 in district.

This year, as Cuellar become a premier player, her teammates also grew. Emily Carranco, the team’s other middle, tallied 203 kills while outside hitters Natalie Hernandez and Mia Dominguez, a freshman, added 203 and 171 kills, respectively.

“Teams that thought all we had were two middles, Emily and Jaz, and prepared for that learned that we had more and they had to stay on their toes,” Cuellar said. “They couldn’t predict where the ball would go and that contributed to us getting stronger all season.”

Cuellar said the past two summers have been the hardest-working of her career.

“There was nothing else to do during COVID, so I worked all the time. Being denied varsity by UIL drove me both inside and outside of school,” she said. “I put in the hours. My priority was volleyball and it still is. If you have the love for something, it drives you. And when I was told I couldn’t play, that drove me.”

And while the booming kills are exciting and bring along loud cheers and plenty of momentum, Cuellar said there’s nothing like a really good, no doubt about it, block.

“When it comes to a nasty block and the ball goes straight down, that’s another feeling completely,” Cuellar said. “You don’t know what kind of celebrations will come out of you when you stuff the heck out of the ball.”

Kenisha Martinez made her presence felt early and often this volleyball season for the Sharyland High Rattlers.

In fact, the season had barely started when one District 31-5A coach said “she’s gonna be a force we are gonna have to deal with for the next few years.”

Martinez led her teams in kills and was one of the top hitters in the Rio Grande Valley. For her performance this season, Martinez has been named The Monitor’s 2021 All-Area Volleyball Newcomer of the Year.

Martinez finished the season with 487 kills. 3.8 kills per set, as the Rattlers claimed a 30-14 overall record and finished 7-7 in a brutal District 31-5A where the top five teams, including the Rattlers, were all ranked in the Texas Girls Coaches Association Top 25 Poll during the season. Her 37.3% kill percentage also led the team.

Her 487 kills were a school record.

Junior America Hernandez finished second on the team with 256 kills, while fellow freshman Kassandra De La Garza added 237 kills. Those three gave defenses fits through the season, and they’ll all be back next year.

A freshman maybe by age, but her performance on the court was beyond her years — her composure and ability to come up big at critical moments was senior-like and leader-esque.

During a tournament in Corpus Christi, Sharyland head coach Raul Castillo lost his starting setter and inserted Martinez as a setter. The first thing, he noticed, however, was how much her serve receive and passing skills were missed. The second thing was that here was a freshman with very little setting experience, yet she was still trying to run plays and not “just do the easy thing and put up high balls for the hitters.”

“I knew right then that she was incredibly special,” Castillo said. “I had never seen her play in person, just mainly on videos but when she came this summer for strength and conditioning I noticed how tall she was and her physicality. She quickly surpassed what I was expecting.”

Martinez said she was nervous early on, starting as a freshman in a district as strong as 31-5A and with a preseason tournament schedule in which the Rattlers would face multiple state-ranked teams.

“I started feeling comfortable during summer leagues and we starting clicking along,” the 5-foot-10 outside hitter/emergency setter said. “We connected well, trusted each other and that gave me confidence.”

With only one senior on the team last season, the Rattlers are expected to once again battle for a playoff position and should be considered among the top teams to compete for the district title. Martinez will be in the mix, using her advanced and well-rounded game to lead a strong Rattlers arsenal.

“She just played big for us. Sometimes you have great freshmen but they don’t play at the level she played at. She played like a junior or a senior. When they help you carry the team, they make a big impact. She stepped up a lot and would do whatever was needed. You could tell at times she was a freshman early on but as she began meshing and gaining confidence. That was the big thing: she just played at another level.”

And, like that one coach said, she still has three years for other teams to have to deal with her.

[email protected]

Ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the state by the Texas Girls Coaches Association, both Fayetteville and San Isidro’s volleyball teams had thoughts that this might be the biggest battle throughout the remainder of the UIL state tournament.

They sure played that way during the regional semifinal Friday.

Fayetteville, however, overcame a first-set loss to advance to today’s UIL Class 1A regional championship match with a 23-25, 25-14, 25-22, 25-22 victory at Brenham.

Fayetteville (41-2) will play Round Top-Carmine, which beat Utopia, in today’s Region IV-1A title match.

The Tigers end their dominant season with a 34-5 record after their 19-match winning streak was stopped.

“I think we started playing our game and we knew who their hitter was and we got control and knew we could take them,” San Isidro head coach Elva Smith said. “But then in the second set, they just kept giving the ball to their big hitter and we just froze and let them take control. We had the opportunity to take them but couldn’t regroup to get back into the ballgame.”

Senior Mia Alvarado, who set a career mark with 30 kills in the previous round in five sets, recorded 33 kills in four sets Friday, despite playing with a sore shoulder she injured during the regional quarterfinals. She added two blocks.

Senior setter Nicole Delgado, part of the 1-2 punch with Alvarado, ended the day with 24 assists and junior Alexandra Garcia contributed 11 kills. The Tigers lose four seniors — Alvarado, Delgado, libero Emma Garcia and Angeles Carmona.

“I’m still so proud of the season and getting to where we did,” Smith said. “We worked hard to get further than that, but we need to keep our heads up and the girls should be proud of what we accomplished. It was heartbreaking. We’ve been talking about it since the seniors were freshmen, that we were going to make history. We still did that, though.

“We told the state of Texas who San Isidro was.”

[email protected]

Every football offseason starts off the same: t-shirts and dream boards dedicated to winning the district championship and/or playoffs. After District 31-6A three games, four teams remain undefeated. Even though the race for the playoffs is already taking shape, one can’t seem to get anyone to talk about it.

Edinburg High head coach Rene Guzman and Mission High head coach Daniel Longoria are singularly focused on tonight’s matchup featuring unbeaten teams at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

“Mission has some good talent on their offense and defense. … We never look ahead; our focus is on Mission,” Guzman said.

For Longoria, the respect for his opponent was plentiful and understands the stakes of being in 31-6A.

“You can never, ever sleep on anyone, it’s a tough district. Every team in our district is well coached, every team has good kids. For Edinburg, their quarterback is a heck of an athlete. He’s their leading rusher. They’ve got a good defense, and they’re tough up front,” Longoria said. “They’ve got playmakers, but at the end of the day, we have to match up and get the job done.”

Edinburg High quarterback Roland Abrego leads the team in rushing with 36 carries for 369 yards and a whopping 10.3 yards per carry. His rushing stats include six touchdowns, a romp of 75 yards, averaging 123.0 yards per game. Through the air, Abrego has completed 27 of 41 passes for 339 yards. Offensively, Abrego is a handful, but his leadership impresses his coach the most as he was one of the first players he met during the offseason in March.

“(Abrego) has really taken that leadership role on offense, and we’re really looking for him to be the captain on the field, but not just on the offense, for the team,” Guzman said.

This game will feature another top quarterback in Mission High’s Kevin Guerra. Guerra, The Monitor’s Player of the Week in Week 4, threw for 349 yards and accounted for four touchdowns. His two-yard touchdown plunge with 44 seconds clinched the district win and weekly recognition.

Guerra is also the leading rusher on his team with 218 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown against La Joya High that put the game out of reach. His flair for dramatic doesn’t end there, as he is possibly more potent through the air. His numbers are just as jarring: 55 of 93 passes for 823 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 205.8 yards per game.

“He had his best game,” Longoria said. “He found his rhythm and distributed the ball very well and that’s what made us move.”

Guerra’s passing numbers come from a young receiver corps that is building confidence with each game. In familiar fashion, the Eagles have a pair of receivers that tear through defenses. Josiah Guzman has torched defenses for 255 yards on 15 receptions, including one for a 64-yard touchdown, while Fernie Ramos has chipped in 230 yards on 13 catches, topping Guzman with a 77-yard touchdown of his own.

Longoria recognizes the components that compliment his quarterback and feels a workman-like mentality keeps them focused.

“We understand that we have weapons that can be used, and these kids are putting the work in,” Longoria said.

Guzman added: “We’re trying to build off each game that we play, the kids have really responded well and are believing in what we’re doing now, and the program is getting better.”

After this week, Edinburg faces two playoff contenders. First, it meets Edinburg Vela on Oct. 1, followed by PSJA North on Oct. 7.

Mission’s schedule is more favorable. While it faces a challenge in PSJA on Oct. 1, it will not face Vela until after a bye week Oct. 28.

The crowd was literally popping inside of the Sharyland gymnasium Saturday afternoon as the Texas Girls Coaches Association’s 16th ranked Sharyland High Rattlers took on the 11th ranked district foe, McAllen Rowe.

In what is becoming common when two of the top five teams in District 31-5A meet up, the Sharyland Rattlers slithered their way to a five set, 25-23, 18-25, 26-24, 17-25, 15-9 victory and burst McAllen Rowe’s undefeated district record.

The Rattlers dropped a five-set match to McAllen Memorial earlier in the week, and the sting was clearly lingering. In District 31-5A, four teams are ranked in the top 20 in the Texas Girls Coaches Association poll, Sharyland Pioneer, McAllen Rowe, Sharyland High, and McAllen High, so the competition is it grueling and plentiful.

“We knew it was going to be a big game. We were going up against the number one team in the Valley,” Rattlers’ head coach Raul Castillo said. “We told the girls that if they don’t come out and play like they can, (Rowe) is going to do what they do — defense and let you create your own mistakes.”

The Rattlers were led by freshman Kenisha Martinez. If high-definition video is 4K, Kenisha Martinez is ‘8K’ ultra-high-quality volleyball. The versatile Martinez was a menace from the back line in the first set. Her service brought the Rattlers from down 19-15 to 19 all, but her back row kill secured the first set.

“One of those kids, that are freshmen but play like juniors, carry themselves like juniors, work like juniors, and take control,” Castillo said.

The Rattlers’ freshman star power is not limited to Martinez. Kassandra De la Garza is another freshman that contributes to the Rattlers success. While De la Garza was also potent from the outside, her setting is what impresses Castillo.

“I have her setting…she’s the quarterback of the team and if the play isn’t there she has to be make something happen,” Castillo said.

Rowe would not relent. The Warriors came back in the second with a definitive win behind another versatile player, Mia Mata. Mata’s massive kills and aggressive serves squandered the Rattlers hopes of winning the second set. Mata’s match point poke found an empty spot and brought the Warriors even at on set apiece.

After dropping the third, the Warriors rode the service of Ariana Castro and got contributions from Jillian Pantillano at the net in the fourth. Mata would again offer the match point dagger in the form of a booming kill that ricocheted off the opponent.

“She’s a very aggressive, a very assertive young lady,” Rowe head coach Magda Canales said.

The final set would be another set filled with back row bombs and front row kills for the Rattlers freshman duo. Martinez’s booming shot set brought the Rattlers to match point, and De la Garza’s kill would seal the match. They would account for the final five points.

“We knew coming into this game that it was going to be a tough one,” Canales said. “We knew their offense was going to be hard to stop them… we made adjustments, but they came out on top.”

  The match was highly contested and further proves the level of competition in the district. The Warriors will prepare for their next test against Sharyland Pioneer.

  Mata understands the level competition and is reflective of what still lies ahead.

“This game was a very important game because we have five strong teams in our district, and it’s a fight every day, every game to see who’s going to playoffs,” Mata said.

“Of all the area’s greats, (Bobby) Lackey ranks near the top.”

That’s how the RGV Sports Hall of Fame’s website leads off its profile of the former Weslaco athlete and the person Weslaco ISD named its high school football stadium after in 2002.

Lackey, 83, died Thursday at John Knox Village in Weslaco.

Lackey was a three-year starter at quarterback and punter for the Panthers in the mid-1950s. Under center, he led the Panthers to the state semfinals in 1955, as the Panthers compiled a 13-0 record before falling to Hillsboro.

Lackey was a two-time all-state quarterback and an All-American, according to rgvshof.net, where he was inducted in 1990. He was also inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in 2011 and the UT Hall of Fame in 1977.

Lackey’s eldest son, John, said that his dad had heart issues and a procedure for a pacemaker about six years ago. But it was losing his wife that proved too much to bear.

“But the main problem was a broken heart — he was married for 63 years,” John Lackey said, adding that his father moved back from Houston to live with him right after his wife died May 24, 2020. “Honestly, she took care of him and did everything for him. He was lost without her.

“This was his home and he always called it home. He was glad to be back home and he finished it off the way he wanted. He just missed her more than he wanted to remain here.”

Lackey went on to play at the University of Texas, under head coach Darrell Royal and quarterbacked the Longhorns to a share of the 1959 Southwestern Conference title. He led the Longhorns in scoring in 1958 and 1959.

“Weslaco ISD is saddened by the news of Valley legendary, multisport star Bobby Lackey’s passing. Lackey’s legacy with the Weslaco Panthers and Texas Longhorns is well-established. He excelled in football, basketball and baseball,” the Weslaco school district said in a news release Thursday. “Lackey is best known for taking the 1955 football team to the Class 2A state semifinals, earning him First Team All-State honors. Lackey won multiple championships and numerous honors in baseball and basketball where he was named First Team All-State.”

Lackey appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, the first Longhorns player to do that, in the Nov. 9, 1959 edition, walking up the tunnel after defeating Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.

“In honor of his numerous athletic accomplishments, Weslaco High School named the gymnasium after Lackey in the mid 1970s,” the Weslaco ISD statement read. “In September 2002, Weslaco ISD renamed the football facility after Bobby Lackey. The WHS athletic program also honors the top male athlete with the Bobby Lackey Award every year.

“Weslaco’s favorite son also contributed to the community as a member of the city council from 1964-69 and the Weslaco ISD School Board from 1968-1974.

Bobby Lackey spent part of his childhood living in a labor camp before moving regularly from rental to rental with his family.

“Neither of his parents could read or write and athletics was his ticket,” John Lackey said. “He had eight brothers and sisters and was the only one who went to college, and the only way was a football scholarship.

“He was a poor boy and he met my mom, the prettiest girl, head cheerleader and from a good family. It was a movie in the making.”

After his freshman year, he married the cheerleader and they lived in a small house. Bobby Lackey was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers but didn’t like the wild party-like lifestyle.

“He got a call that my mom was pregnant with me and said, ‘I’m coming home,’” John Lackey said. “He worked for his father-in-law. He never regretted that decision and knew it was the right decision.

“He loved what he did and was successful at it. We are going to miss him very much.”

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Perfect Pioneer

Diamondbacks don’t MISSION — The Sharyland Pioneer volleyball team is blessed with great hitters, blockers and defenders.

Add setter Natalie Reyes to the mix and the team plays at a different level – a much higher one.

The Diamondbacks flexed their muscles all weekend en route to winning the Sharyland Volleyball Tourname the with a convincing 25-18, 25-20 victory over McAllen High on Saturday at Sharyland Pioneer High School.

The D-backs didn’t drop a set in their eight matches over the three days, and capped off the event with impressive wins over powerful District 31-5A foes Sharyland High in the semifinals and McHi in the finals.

Reyes, the tournament MVP, was as dominant as a setter could be. During the match against the Bulldogs, she collected 25 assists, 13 digs, four kills and one ace. However, maybe even more important than her stats was the way she controlled the game, making sure blockers didn’t leave her too early, pushing the ball deep to keep the defense off balance and, most importantly, having pinpoint accuracy and timing as she ran the offense as smooth as silk and connected with her variety of hitters over and over.

“She is just so much more comfortable and confident now,” Pioneer head coach Laura Cavazos said. “She’s on another level.”

According to stats provided by both teams, Pioneer finished the match against McHi with 33 kills compared to just 14 for the Bulldogs.

Reyes found Thalia Ochoa for seven kills, Mariana Treviño with six, Katie Salazar with five, Jordan Bravo for four and Lorelai Hill with seven, including two quick sets down the stretch, making the Bulldogs pay for three service errors near the end of the match. Reyes also had four kills.

“We attribute our success to everyone taking part of it. That’s a huge factor,” Cavazos said. “Nat puts the ball where it needs to go and they execute. They played well, strong on the outside and actually all over the place. Whoever she set, they were able to execute.”

Cavazos and the Diamondbacks have been gifted with eight years of standout setters. Reyes started as a freshman and is a senior. She stepped in for Audrey Smith, who started all four years and signed her senior year to play for Texas Tech.

Pioneer improved to 21-2 on the season, winning its past two tournaments, the last one being the Mission High Tournament. McHi dropped to 24-2, its only other loss coming to district rival McAllen Rowe. Sharyland High finished fourth at the weekend event and also crossed the 20-win threshold, now at 23-5.

Defensively, Lizzy Fina was a human backboard, getting touches on nearly everything that came her way, often lurching after McHi attacks and saving them for Reyes to work her magic.

“Sometimes you can lose your patience when you’re playing a team that’s very good defensively like them,” Cavazos said. “Lizzy has done a great job for us and has been a leader in that back row. She’s very calm and you don’t see a lot of ups and downs from her, and she gets touches on everything.”

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Former McAllen High and current Texas A&M rising senior swimmer Shaine Casas advanced to the finals of the 100-meter backstroke at the U.S. Olympics Swimming Time Trials on Monday in Omaha, Nebraska.

The finals for the 100-meter backstroke will be held today and televised beginning at approximately 7 p.m. CST on NBC.

The top two finishers in each event will make the American Olympic team, with the top six likely to qualify in the 100- and 200-meter freestyles or to fill out relays.

Swimming in lane five, Casas finished second in his heat. He was .25 seconds ahead after the first 50 meters. Hunter Armstrong, however, gained some ground in the final 20 meters to touch the wall first. Three-time gold medalist and world record holder Ryan Murphy won his heat in 52.22 seconds, setting up what many prognosticators expect to be the first of two finals showdowns between Casas and Murphy, the other coming in the 200-meter backstroke.

Earlier in the day, Casas moved to the semis in the after he tied for the third best time overall in 53.08 seconds, equaling the time Murphy.

Leading the quarterfinals was Bryce Mefford with a time of 52.99, his all-time best by nearly one second, followed by Justin Ress at 53.07. Mefferd finished third in the second heat, behind Casas. Ress also advanced, taking second in the first heat. Six time Olympic medalist Matt Grevers took third in the first heat, completing the six swimmers who will compete for a shot on the U.S. Olympic team.

Casas and Murphy are projected by many swimming experts to capture the top two spots in both the 100- and 200-meter backstrokes and advance to the 2021 Tokyo Summer games.

“I was so impressed at the NCAAs to see how fast he gets into the turns,” said Jared Anderson, senior writer for SwimSwam.com, adding that he also expects Casas and Murphy to compete for the top two spots. “It’ll be interesting to see them compete and how Shaine paces the stuff. You have to be patient in NCAA races so that will help him, but it will be curious to see how they race because Murphy’s experienced here.”

“I don’t care if I win or not,” Casas said about the time trials last week. “I just want to be in the top two. I have to finish in the top two. Anything else is unacceptable.

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