The end of the season is here for Rio Grande Valley softball.

Teams take to the field for the last time today, others are set to begin the playoffs next week. Seeding and district championships are on the line tonight.

One of the most interesting games on today’s schedule is PSJA North and McAllen Rowe at 7 p.m. at PSJA North.

The Raiders flipped two losses from the first round of District 31-5A action and have not lost in 14 straight games since losing to Sharyland Pioneer. The Raiders are tied with the Diamondbacks for first place in the district.

Sharyland Pioneer takes on city rival Sharyland High at 7 p.m. today at Pioneer.

Both teams have stern competition for the final day, but McAllen Rowe is a playoff team even though it lost the first time to PSJA North 16-0. Sharyland Pioneer can not count out a rival.

If both PSJA North and Sharyland Pioneer win, the title is split and a seeding game will be scheduled. McAllen High is going to be the third seed of the district.

District 31-5A Standings

		W	L
1	Sharyland Pioneer	15	2
1	PSJA North	15	2
3	McAllen High	13	4
4	McAllen Rowe	11	6
5	PSJA Memorial	8	8
6	McAllen Memorial	8	9
7	Sharyland High	7	10
8	Edinburg Vela	5	12
9	PSJA Southwest	2	14
10	Valley View	0	17

The Mercedes Tigers wrapped up District 32-5A’s title race a week ago. The rest of the playoff picture is a bit of a mess in District 32-5A.

Harlingen South controls its own destiny against Weslaco East. If the Hawks win, they are the second seed. If the Wildcats win and Brownsville Lopez wins, it will create a three-way tie for second because each split games with the others in the regular season.

Brownsville Veterans is on the outside looking in and needs to beat Edcouch-Elsa and for Donna North to beat Brownsville Lopez to force a playoff with the Lobos.

District 32-5A Standings

		W	L
1	Mercedes	16	1
2	Harlingen South	13	4
3	Brownsville Lopez	12	5
3	Weslaco East	12	5
5	Brownsville Veterans	11	6
6	Edcouch-Elsa	10	7
7	Brownsville Porter	5	12
8	Brownsville Pace	4	13
9	Donna North	2	15
10	Donna High	0	17

District 30-5A’s title stayed in Rio Grande City for another year. The Rattlers have gone unbeaten so far and end the season against Roma, the district’s fourth seed.

Mission Veterans and La Joya Palmview can end in a tie for second if both teams win their games tonight against Laredo schools. The two split district games this season and lost twice to Rio Grande City.

District 30-5A Standings

		W	L
	Rio Grande City	13	0
	Mission Veterans	10	3
	La Joya Palmview	10	3
	Roma	8	5
	Laredo Nixon	5	8
	Laredo Martin	3	10
	Laredo Cigarroa	3	10
	La Joya Juarez-Lincoln	0	13

District 32-6A ended Tuesday. San Benito, Los Fresnos, Weslaco High and Harlingen High enter the playoffs in that order. The Greyhounds

District 32-6A Standings

		W	L
1	San Benito	10	0
2	Los Fresnos*	7	3
2	Weslaco High	7	3
4	Harlingen High	4	6
5	Brownsville Hanna	2	8
6	Brownsville Rivera	0	10

La Joya and PSJA High are also on the verge of a split after the regular season. Both split games at their place and have cruised against the rest of the district.

Edinburg High is the third seed in the district and already has a playoff game set up with Los Fresnos, the second seed from District 32-6A. Mission High is the fourth seed and faces District 32-6A champ San Benito.

District 31-6A

		W	L
1	La Joya High	8	1
1	PSJA High	8	1
3	Edinburg High	5	4
4	Mission High	4	5
5	Edinburg North	1	8
6	Edinburg Economedes	1	8

Zapata won District 32-4A’s title, but second is still on the line when La Feria and Port Isabel meet at 7 p.m. today at La Feria’s softball field. The Lions beat the Tarpons 6-5 in the first meeting. Raymondville is headed to the playoffs as the fourth seed in the district.

District 32-4A Standings

		W	L
1	Zapata	11	0
2	La Feria	9	2
3	Port Isabel	8	3
4	Raymondville	5	6
5	Grulla	3	8
6	Hidalgo	3	8
7	Brownsville Harmony	0	11

Lyford is the District 32-3A champion and could finish the district season undefeated with a win against Santa Rosa tonight. Rio Hondo is the No. 2 seed in the district, Santa Rosa is third and Monte Alto is the fourth seed out of District 32-3A.

District 32-3A Standings

		W	L
1	Lyford	7	0
2	Rio Hondo	6	2
3	Santa Rosa	4	3
4	Monte Alto	2	6
5	Progreso	0	8

La Villa and Riviera-Kaufer play at 6:30 p.m. tonight at Riviera with the District 32-2A title hanging in the balance. The Cardinals are 7-2 and the Seahawks are 8-1 in the district. La Villa won the first meeting 14-10.

District 32-2A Standings

		W	L
1	Riveria-Kaufer	8	1
2	La Villa	7	2
3	Freer	6	3
4	Agua Dulce	4	5
5	Premont	1	8
6	Ben Bolt	1	8

San Perlita is guaranteed a spot in the Class 1A playoffs. Only two teams make it out of the Class 1A districts, and the Trojans are going to be one of them.

District 32-1A *as of 4/14/23

		W	L
1	San Perlita	6	2
2	Benavides	4	4
3	Bruni	2	3
4	Lasara	1	4

It was an easy decision for Brownsville Veterans Memorial forward Ari Soriano to pick Texas Southmost College to continue his soccer career — a familiarity with the roster and a new program has Soriano staying in Brownsville for at least the next two years.

Soriano signed with the Brownsville college Monday at Brownsville Veterans Memorial High School. The senior is the latest Brownsville area soccer player to commit for the club’s return to collegiate sports when they play in the fall at the NJCAA level.

“It is a very important milestone for me,” Soriano said. “I am just happy that TSC gave me the opportunity. They gave me the opportunity because of that hard work I put in. I am just very happy to continue my student-athlete career at TSC.”

Soriano scored nine goals in the highly competitive District 32-5A for a Chargers team that advanced to the playoffs, where they lost to state semifinalist Sharyland High in the first round.

“Ari played a very important role for the team this year by coming up with big goals and assists throughout the year,” Brownsville Veterans Memorial head coach Alberto Vasquez said. “I strongly believe that his level of play will easily transition to the next level, ensuring his success.”

The forward was thankful for his time at Brownsville Veterans. It was a tough year this season, he said, but he still enjoyed the process and winning a district title his sophomore season with the team.

Soriano is set to link up with former teammates and already knows most of the TSC roster, he said. Being able to be at a new program under former Brownsville Pace head coach Mario Zamora also led to Soriano choosing the Scorpions.

“We are going to have a really good chemistry,” Soriano said. “We are going to have a good time.”

Soriano plans to work on an associate degree while at TSC with hopes of studying kinesiology after leaving the school in Brownsville in two years. Soriano also hopes to continue playing soccer after his time with the Scorpions, he said.

“I am thankful for TSC for this opportunity, as well as my former coaches and my parents,” Soriano said.

SAN BENITO — They were pushed in District 32-6A, but the San Benito Greyhounds pushed back even harder.

The Greyhounds finished district play perfect after defeating Weslaco High 4-2 on Tuesday night at San Benito High School.

“The girls have that never-die attitude,” San Benito head coach Elias Martinez said. “Regardless of the circumstances, whatever adversity they face, they are going to bounce back. Do not ever count us out because we are going to fight, scratch and whatever we have to do to win. If we do come up short, it was a heck of a game.”

The Panthers pulled within two runs in the top of the sixth. Romy Nunez drove in a run but hit into a 6-3-5 double play to end the inning, and in the seventh, a two-out rally was ended when Greyhounds starting pitcher Amira Rodriguez struck out the batter swinging.

“It went down to the wire,” Martinez said. “They fought to the bitter end and it could have gone either way, but that is our district.”

Greyhounds catcher JoJo Montes gave her team the lead with a blast over the left-field wall. The home run brought in three runners for a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning. Rodriguez drove in the run to tie the game on the previous at-bat.

Weslaco High pitcher Madelynn Cantu and Rodriguez had great games in the circle. Cantu was in trouble against the heart of the Greyhounds’ lineup, one of the best in the Rio Grande Valley, a couple of times, but looked solid besides that fourth inning.

Rodriguez was in a jam during the third inning. The bottom of the Panthers’ lineup loaded the bases, but Weslaco High hit into a 1-2-3 double play. Lola Reyes’ RBI single on the next at-bat was all the Panthers picked up in the inning.

Rodriguez had not pitched in nearly a month for the Greyhounds. The sophomore was nervous because of the layoff in the circle but wanted to show out, she said. Senior pitcher Emily Delgado is the usual starter, but having two pitchers available in the playoffs — especially in a series — is a huge boost.

Rodriguez, along with the defense behind her, pulled off some great plays throughout the game, including some nice double plays.

“It really plays out because we work on that a lot in practice,” Rodriguez said. “It shows whenever we were able to do it on the field and it makes us look pretty.”

Weslaco High and Los Fresnos end the season tied at 7-3 in District 32-6A. The Panthers and Falcons will play in a seeding game to decide second.

San Benito (30-3, 10-0) is on an 18-game winning streak heading into the playoffs, which begin next week.

“Love the purple and gold,” Martinez said. “San Benito is very proud of our community, and our girls are very proud to represent San Benito.”

McALLEN — Sharyland High’s Ximena Paz and Sharyland Pioneer’s Joslyn Lopez were the two best girls golfers this season in the Rio Grande Valley, averaging an 81 throughout the year.

The two were grouped together at McAllen’s Champion Lakes Golf Course for the final day of the girls Region IV-5A golf tournament.

Paz and Lopez embraced after finishing the final hole of the tournament and of their high school careers. It is not all gloomy for the golfers from Sharyland ISD, like the weather was at Champion Lakes. A steady mist complemented the overcast day. Sometimes the sky would open, but only for a couple minutes.

The seniors will be playing the sport at the collegiate level.

“I think I could have done better,” Lopez said. “I am not mad with how I finished. At the end of the day it happened, you just got to move on.”

Lopez is off to the University of La Verne in California. Paz is headed to the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Lopez finished with a score of 158 and tied for 16th. Paz tied for 32nd with a 172 over the two days.

“I did not expect to finish the way I did,” Paz said. “But I had a good senior season.”

Both are excited about the new experiences awaiting in college but take pride in some they already learned, like playing until the last hole of a tournament.

“Anything can happen as a golfer,” Lopez said. “If you are a golfer, do not think it is late because you have not played since you were 5. You can still do it.”

Paz is an example of that. The senior did not start playing until the spring of her sophomore year, she said, and turned into one of the Valley’s best.

Sharyland Pioneer and Sharyland High finished seventh and eighth, respectively. The two teams were the highest finishers in the Valley.

McAllen High’s Kayla Vargas had the third-best average this year in the Valley with an 83. Vargas only finished a stroke behind Lopez, the best from the Valley over the two days, with a 159 and an 18th-place finish.

Sharyland Pioneer’s Ritzy Dominguez was the third best from the Valley after posting two 82s. Dominguez tied for 23rd. Paz was the fourth best and teammate Carolina Tirado was not far behind, only a stroke behind Paz.

The winner was grouped with Paz and Lopez. Boerne Champion’s Savannah Dupre tore up the course with under-par scores for both days. Dupre posted a 137, four strokes better than Smithson Valley’s Sayers Allen. Alamo Heights blue, Alamo Heights gold and Boerne Champion finished in the top three, respectively.

The boys take to McAllen’s Champion Lakes Golf Course at 8 a.m. Wednesday.

RGV Girls Region IV Class 6A and Class 5A results

Class 5A Region IV Golf Tournament at Champion Lakes Golf Course in McAllen

T16. Joslyn Lopez, Sharyland Pioneer, 77-81-156
18. Kayla Vargas, McAllen High, 80-79-159
T23. Ritzy Dominguez, Sharyland Pioneer, 82-82-164
T32. Ximena Paz, Sharyland High, 83-89=172
T35. Carolina Tirado, Sharyland High, 89-84-173
T38. Alyssa Cedillo, Sharyland Pioneer, 85-89-174
42. Brianna Vela, Sharyland High, 87-88-175
43. Sofia Alaniz-Choy, McAllen Memorial 89-88-177
45. Arianna Vela, Sharyland High, 90-90-180
46. Madison Davis, Mission Veterans, 92-90-182
T48, Ivana Silva, Sharyland High 94-90-184
T50. Peyton York, Sharyland Pioneer 98-89-187
T50. Jordan Hernandez, Edcouch-Elsa, 95-92-187
T54. Victoria Sandoval, Sharyland Pioneer, 97-91-188
T54. Kylie Mitchell, Harlingen South, 92-96-188
56. Yessenia Medellin, Brownsville Porter, 96-94-190
T58. Lillian Marroquin, Mission Veterans, 98-95-193
T58. Belinda Cortinas, La Joya Palmview, 97-95-193
61. Daniella Sanchez, Harlingen South, 98-97-195
64. Dalissa Poras, Rio Grande City, 97-109-206
66. Alexis Silva, Brownsville Veterans, 107-101-208
67. Jaylen Gonzalez, Rio Grande City, 103-110-213
69. Mya Salinas, Harlingen South, 114-101-215
T73 Kara Jensen, Harlingen South, 119-105-224
75. Amy Perez, Mission Veterans, 111-114-225
T76. Salma Sotelo, Brownsville Veterans, 106-120-226
T76. Susan Lopez, La Joya Palmview, 111-115-226
T78. Isabella Venable, Brownsville Veterans, 122-105-227
T78. Valeria Martinez, La Joya Palmview, 120-107-227
82. Victoria Olivarez, Mission Veterans, 115-114-229
83. Anapola Nunez, Brownsville Veterans, 116-117-233
T86. Taryn Mata, Brownsville Veterans, 129-118-247

Class 6A Region IV Golf Tournament The Golf Club of Texas in San Antonio

T55. Reagan Ramirez, Harlingen High, 100-94-194
T58. Kassandra Monroy, PSJA High, 102-94-196
T58. Abigail Cavazos, Harlingen High, 99-97-196
T61. Clarissa Longoria, Los Fresnos, 105-92-197
T61. Avy Martinez, Los Fresnos, 103-94-107
T65. Camila Calderon, Los Fresnos, 98-100-198
T67. Audrey Sauceda Puentes, Los Fresnos, 102-97-199
T72. Celeste Cortez, Los Fresnos, 103-104-207
T72. Janelle Castillo, Weslaco High, 99-108-207
T74. Gabby Pacheco, Edinburg North, 102-108-210
76. Jade Segura, Weslaco High, 106-106-212
77. Isabella Rivera, Mission High, 100-113-220
79. Salma Carreon, Weslaco High, 116-104-220
T82. Isabela Rodriguez, Weslaco High, 115-111-226
T82. Audree Leija, Edinburg High, 116-110-226
85. Joslynn Villareal, PSJA High, 119-108-227
86. Madalynn Garza, PSJA High, 116-113-229
90. Ashley Garcia, Edinburg High, 127-118-245
92. Carla Flores, PSJA High, 123-129-252
93. Lorelai Martinez, PSJA High, 136-122-258
94. Shelby Celedon, Edinburg High, 104-162-266
95. Katie Lewis, Edinburg High, 146-131-277
96. Emily De La Mora, Edinburg High, 149-135-284

McALLEN — Boerne-Champion’s Savannah Dupre and Smithson Valley’s Sayers Allen separated from the pack during the first day of the Class 5A Region IV golf tournament Monday at Champion Lakes Golf Course.

Dupre shot a 66, and Allen a 68. Smithson Valley’s Maddie Lawless and Victoria West’s Harper Edwards both carded a 72 and are tied for third place. Par for the course at Champion Lakes is 72.

It was a beautiful morning at Champion Lakes. Cool weather was met by a nice breeze as the girls took to the course first this week. The boys are set to play Wednesday and Thursday after the girls finish today, when they take to course at 8 a.m.

Alamo Heights blue and Smithson Valley finished tied for first in the team scoring portion of the tournament. Both team scored a total of 309 from their four highest-scoring players.

Alamo Heights gold and Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial are tied for third with 316.

Sharyland Pioneer’s Joslyn Lopez had the best day of all the golfers from the Rio Grande Valley. Lopez posted a score of 77 and is in the hunt for a spot in state.

McAllen High’s Kayla Vargas is also hanging around after finishing with an 80. Sharyland Pioneer’s Ritzy Dominguez shot an 82, Sharyland High’s Ximena Paz scored an 83 and another from Pioneer, Alyssa Cedillo shot an 85 to round out the top five from the Valley.

Sharyland Pioneer as a team is currently in sixth place with a total score of 341. Sharyalnd High is not far off with 349 points and are sitting in eighth place.

La Joya Palmview is 11th with a 400, Mission Veterans Memorial is 12th after posting a 416, Harlingen South is 13th with 423 and Brownsville Veterans Memorial is in 14th with a 453.

Players are scheduled to tee-off at 8 a.m. all week at Champion Lakes Golf Course in McAllen.

BROWNSVILLE — In the fight capital of the world, Las Vegas, two Brownsville natives are hard at work.

Marie J. Magdaleno, a filmmaker, is working on a project with professional boxer Omar “El Relámpago” Juárez for arguably the biggest fight of the 23-year-old boxer’s career as he steps into the ring with former two-time champion Rances Barthelemy on May 13 in Las Vegas.

Magdaleno began filming Juárez for the upcoming documentary Thursday as the boxer has already begun his camp for the fight.

“She is a hard worker and goes all out on her films,” Juárez said. “They are going to get every detail needed for people to know my story. That is exactly what I have always wanted. It is a dream come true.”

Magdaleno is an award-winning filmmaker who has worked across North America and has had films shown at festivals in large markets such as New York City and Los Angeles. Magdaleno recently released a short film titled “Petals” that she wrote, directed, produced and served as the lead actor. Petals was filmed in a weekend and was in post-production for only 48 hours.

Brownsville’s Omar Juárez on the treadmill while filmmaker Marie J. Magdaleno and her crew films the boxer. Photo courtesy of Marie J. Magdaleno.

The filmmaker jumped on the opportunity to work with Juárez after doing research on the boxer. It is hard not to root for Juárez after watching interviews and reading about charity work he has done in his hometown.

“Him and I got in touch,” Magdaleno said. “We spoke, and I can just hear in his voice his humbleness and the determination to succeed in his career.

“I thought, scratch everything off the table — we are going with Omar.”

Juárez (14-1-0) is a hard-hitting super lightweight with a clean right hand and a strong left hook, both as fast as lightning, hence the nickname. The Brownsville native is on a three-fight winning streak after his lone blemish to All Rivera in an extremely entertaining fight in the summer of 2021.

Brownsville’s Omar Juárez is gloving up while Brownsville filmmaker Marie J. Magdaleno films for her upcoming documentary on the fighter. Photo courtesy of Marie J. Magdaleno.

Juárez has five knockouts to his name since turning pro in 2018.

“I love boxing, I have always been a fan of the sport,” Magdaleno said. “My first film, almost 10 years ago, was on boxing. Fast forward, here we are with a new documentary that I am going to direct on a star that is from my hometown. It is pretty exciting.”

Magdaleno brought some of the Valley with her.

The filmmaker works with people from all over Texas and even Canada, but does like to uplift local talents. Producer Alyssa Ochoa, editors Carlos Alvarez and Steven Sanders, first assistant director Gerardo Salinas, production assistant Meagan Magdaleno and cinematographer Alexis Lerma are all from the Valley.

“I know as a director and as a woman filmmaker, I want other people to continue to see that it does not matter where you are from — you can keep finding those opportunities,” Magdaleno said.

Juárez is ready for his opportunity in the ring and to show on film that he is more than just a fighter, he said.

Brownsville filmmaker Marie J. Magdaleno and an assistant films boxer Omar Juárez as he trains at Pound 4 Pound boxing gym in Las Vegas. Photo courtesy of Marie J. Magdaleno.

The fight with Barthelemy is an important one for his trajectory with Premier Boxing Champions. A win against a two-time world champion that only has two losses on his record at the age of 37 could yield a big fight in the promotion for the Brownsville native.

“It is perfect for my resume,” Juárez said. “Beating him will only get me closer to my goal, world champion. I am just looking at this opponent, later we will talk about the next. I am 100% focused on my opponent right now.”

Juárez’s fight with Barthelemy is going to be available on Showtime. The documentary itself could be available by the end of summer, as Magdaleno plans to film after the fight as well.

Magdaleno has directed six projects, they are: “Fearless Fight” (2015), “Redemption: Between the Lines” (2016), “Home” (2016), “Piper” (2017), “121” (2019) and “Petals” 2022.

Updates on filming can be found on Magdaleno’s Instagram account, @mariej23, and updates on Juárez’s camp can be found at his Instagram account, @iamomarjuarez.

BROWNSVILLE — Harlingen High is back in the softball playoffs after a seven-year hiatus.

The Cardinals did not need to beat the Brownsville Rivera Raiders in a District 32-6A meeting Friday night in Brownsville to make the playoffs, but they held off the Raiders 10-6 to pick up the win.

“It is amazing,” Harlingen High head coach Kevin Ledesma said about his team returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. “It’s a testament to what the girls have been able to do.

“To be able to see the seniors and everybody that his been part of the program the last couple of years just be rewarded. It did not happen overnight, we are super proud of these girls. It is awesome to be able to coach some girls that are very coachable,” Ledesma said.

Senior Athena Linnartz scored and pitcher Madison Vargas drove in a run to help the Cardinals take a 10-6 lead in the top of the seventh inning after the Raiders cut the Cardinals’ lead to one run after being down 7-1 early.

Brownsville Rivera’s Ariel Allen and Hazel Gonzalez drove in runs to cut the Cardinals’ lead to 7-6 in the fifth and sixth innings.

The Cardinals did most of their damage during the third and fourth innings. Zuelly Cruz had a bases-clearing single in the third, then Lilly Rocha drove in two with a double and Vargas drove in a run right after in the fourth to go up 7-1.

“We all played together,” Rocha said. “We all know how we work, we were in sync — it was a great performance.”

Rocha, like other seniors on the team, is reveling in the experience of playing postseason softball with their teammates. The team has a great bond and chemistry, Rocha said. Rocha has seven home runs on the season and has signed to play at McLennan Community College in Waco.

Harlingen High clinched after Brownsville Hanna lost Tuesday. The Cardinals came into Friday night with three wins, two of them off the Eagles, who had only one win.

Harlingen High finishes the season against Los Fresnos at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at home. The Cardinals have four wins and cannot move up from their fourth seed.

“We do not know if we are going to play a tune-up game,” Ledesma said about finishing the season against Los Fresnos. “We always want to steal one if we can, and go and do things to teams that are great in our district. It is going to help us prepare for the playoffs.”

Brownsville Rivera faces Brownsville Hanna in the last game of the season at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Brownsville Hanna. The Raiders had a great non-district season, but could not pull-out close ones against Harlingen High and Brownsville Hanna.

The Cardinals did by sweeping the Brownsville schools in District 32-6A and are now off to the playoffs.

HARLINGEN — Harlingen High’s Kristopher Cantu started swimming to stay in shape after freshman football at Weslaco High.

The Cardinals athlete took a liking to the sport and became one of the best 50- and 100-yard freestyle swimmers in the Rio Grande Valley, and was a Class 6A Region VIII qualifier.

Cantu signed with McMurry University in Abilene to continue his swimming career Wednesday at Harlingen High School.

The senior hopes his signing helps inspire other swimmers to continue to be better at the sport as well as to try and earn a scholarship for it.

“Swimming is a very hard sport,” Cantu said. “Not everyone can swim, it takes a long time to learn how to swim — not just learn, but get faster at swimming. It is a very tasking sport on your entire body. It is fun, but not fun on your body. I just want my friends and teammates to get recognized for what they do.”

Cantu is the first Harlingen High swim signing in more than 20 years, head swimming coach Daniel Euresti said.

“I think everyone is super excited,” Cantu said. “Everybody around the swimming community in Harlingen is really excited.”

McMurry University is a NCAA Division III program that competes in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. Cantu is ready to swim in whatever event he is needed in while in Abilene, he said.

Cantu won gold in the 50- and 100- freestyle at the District 32-6A championships in January. Cantu had a solid day in the pool at the regional meet against stiff competition with the addition of San Antonio schools to the region this year. The senior finished sixth in the 50 and and 10th in the 100.

Cantu plans to study history with hopes of becoming a history teacher and a coach in the future.

BROWNSVILLE — Our Lady of the Lake University’s baseball roster has 13 players from the Rio Grande Valley.

Add another one.

Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s Juan B. Garcia IV signed to play baseball with the San Antonio university on Wednesday at Brownsville Veterans High School.

“I have a lot of friends that are already there,” Garcia said. “I am excited, this is not just for me, but my family as well. I want to thank them.”

Garcia has teammates from the South Texas Sliders, a youth baseball team, who also committed to Our Lady of the Lake University and former Chargers players currently on the roster.

The senior is playing catcher for the Chargers but can play anywhere the team needs him, he said. The senior has played multiple positions under head coach Adam Vera.

“It is really nice,” he said. “It is a small university that is family oriented. I felt really welcome there.”

In San Antonio, the senior is going to study kinesiology and hopes to stay near sports after graduating. The Owls play competitively in the Red River Athletic Conference of the NAIA.

Garcia has power in his bat. The senior leads the Chargers with three home runs this season. Brownsville Veterans is second in District 32-5A with five games remaining.

“I feel like we did not start out the best,” Garcia said. “But we are on a good streak right now, hopefully it does not end.”

The Chargers are on a seven-game winning streak and have important series coming up against Brownsville Porter and Harlingen South to end the season.

Brownsville Veterans Memorial faces Brownsville Pace at 7 p.m. tonight at Brownsville Veterans High School.

Sharyland High’s Alan Gonzalez is heading back to the Class 5A state tournament after winning the Region IV-5A boys singles title Thursday in Corpus Christi.

Gonzalez and other Rio Grande Valley tennis players hit the courts for the final day of the regional tournament at the H-E-B Tennis Center in Corpus Christi. Five athletes came home with gold medals, two landed silver and three earned bronze on the final day of regional tennis.

Gonzalez defeated Smithson Valley’s Rowan Olsen 6-3, 7-6, (2). Gonzalez returns to state as the runner-up in 2022. Fort Bend Kempner’s Noey Do defeated Gonzalez in 2022 for the state title and also qualified for the state tournament as the Region III champion.

Sharyland High’s Koen Aggarao took home the bronze in boys singles. The Rattlers also picked up a bronze medal in girls doubles. Grace Shahin and Ximena Uresti defeated a team from Leander Glenn but did not have a chance at a playback match for second like Aggarao.

The Rattlers’ boys doubles team of Hugo and Guillermo Garcia defeated Harlingen South’s Ethan Carter and Diego Garcia to win the doubles championship. Carter and Garcia bounced back to win their true-second match and qualify for state as well.

McAllen Memorial’s No. 1 boys tennis player, Diego Salvo, and No. 1 girls tennis player, Dania Casas, combined in mixed doubles and are now regional champions as well. It would have been tough for Salvo to oust Gonzalez or Aggarao at the District 32-5A meet, or combining with a boy to beat Sharyland High’s now regional champs.

The pairing paid off and the duo is now heading to state after having to come back from dropping the first set to beat Leander Rouse’s Shannon Barton and Lucas Alden 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Thursday’s long list of qualifiers join Edinburg North’s Maya Chen as state qualifiers from the Valley. The tennis players head to the Northside ISD Tennis Center for the tournament. Both the Class 6A and Class 5A state championships will be held April 25-26 at the tennis center in Helotes.