BROWNSVILLE — Brownsville St. Joseph quarterback Ethan Gallegos only had one year to make his mark with the Bloodhounds.

The senior did.

Gallegos threw for 2,964 yards and 37 touchdowns, along with 960 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. The quarterback is now headed to join former Brownsville Veterans Memorial coach Kelley Lee at Eastern New Mexico University.

“It was a lot of hard work that got me here,” Gallegos said. “I thank my family and friends for supporting me throughout the whole process.”

Gallegos transferred to Brownsville St. Joseph from Weslaco High for his senior year. The Bloodhounds went 8-3 and hosted a bi-district playoff game.

“We would have never been as good as we were this year if Ethan did not transfer to St. Joe,” Bloodhounds head football coach Tino Villarreal said. “The QB position here at St. Joe is the most important. The hole was huge, and we had no idea how to fill the void. In comes Ethan Gallegos, and the rest is history.”

Gallegos replaced Luigi Cristiano, who replaced Kai Money, two four-year starters at the position. Villarreal said Gallegos did a tremendous job learning the system in a year.

“Couldn’t be more proud,” Villarreal said. “I wish we had him for three more years. He is a kid that has an amazing work ethic and is as tough as nails.”

Gallegos joins a long list of Rio Grande Valley athletes who are headed to Eastern New Mexico University. Brownsville Veterans’ Bryan Chavez, Brownsville Hanna’s Kriz Perez, San Benito’s Homer Quiroz and La Feria’s Justin Rodriguez have already signed.

The senior, like other players on the list, had options but instead opted for a spot to compete at the NCAA Division II school that plays football in the Lone Star Conference.

“Once they came into the picture, it was an easy decision for me,” Gallegos said.

Gallegos has played with the Valley commits at the RGVCA All-Star game and is now excited to join them in New Mexico. The quarterback plans to study sports science at the university.

Signing on Wednesday always has been a dream since he started playing football, Gallegos said.

Edinburg North’s Maya Chen is only a freshman and has already established herself as one of the best in the region and soon, the state.

Chen punched her ticket to state as a runner-up at the Region IV-6A tournament on Wednesday at the NEISD Tennis Center in San Antonio.

The Edinburg North freshman picked up a semifinal win over Lake Travis’ Juliana Creel to advance to the final, where Chen lost to last year’s Class 6A state runner-up, Austin Westlake’s Chloe Zeng.

Chen avoided a true-second match, in which the third-place winner could play the loser of the final if they did not lose to that player in their semifinal.

Chen was the only tennis player from the Rio Grande Valley remaining after Day 1. Next, the freshman will be in action at the Class 6A state tournament April 25 at the NEISD Tennis Center in San Antonio.

Sharyland High’s Alan Gonzalez, the Class 5A state runner-up in 2022, picked up the three wins needed to advance to the Region IV-5A final. Gonzalez is set to face Smithson Valley’s Rowan Olsen today at the H-E-B Tennis Center in Corpus Christi.

The Region IV-5A boys singles title is on the line.

Sharyland High’s Koen Aggarao is still in the running in boys singles but would only be able to play for a chance at state with a Gonzalez loss. The teammates would meet for a true-second match if needed.

Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s Patricio Castaneda picked up a win but ran into Gonzalez. Harlingen South’s Alfonso Maldonado also won a match but lost to Aggarao.

The boys doubles Region IV championship is going to feature two teams from the Valley. Sharyland High’s Hugo and Guillermo Garcia takes on Harlingen South’s Ethan Carter and Diego Garcia. The two recently faced off at a tournament in Harlingen, and the Sharyland High boys came out on top.

Both can avoid a true-second match depending on the results from the third-place match.

McAllen Memorial’s Diego Salvo and Dania Casas also picked up three wins to advance to the mixed doubles championship.

The Mustangs’ pair beat Harlingen South’s Caitlyn Morales and McLean Wittenbach in their quarterfinal. The two take on a team from Leander Rouse and can avoid a true-second match if the team from Kerrville Tivy that they beat in the semifinal round wins the third-place match.

Sharyland High’s Grace Shahin and Ximena Uresti are in the third-place match in the girls doubles. The Sharyland High pair needs a team from Corpus Christi Flour Bluff to win and themselves to win to have a shot at state.

RIO GRANDE CITY — The Rio Grande City Rattlers secured at least a share of the District 30-5A championship with a 5-1 win over Mission Veterans Memorial on Tuesday night in Rio Grande City.

The Rattlers are undefeated in District 30-5A with an 11-0 record and only three games remaining in district play.

“Huge win,” Rattlers head coach Nicole Lopez said. “They are a very tough opponent, very solid team — not going to take anything away from them. We were able to come out and get runs when we needed them and play really solid defense as well.”

Rattlers pitcher Denzy Saenz finished with nine strikeouts on the night and picked up extra run support in the bottom of sixth because of errors and advantageous base running by the Rattlers.

Saenz did not need the extra runs.

“She did really good,” Lopez said. “I know she had a lot of walks in there, but a lot of them were against tough hitters. In certain situations where it called for it, we were not going to give certain hitters a nice pitch. We were going to pitch around them as much as we could and get them to chase.”

Lopez said if they did walk, the defense was ready to step up. In the seventh, the defense pulled off a nice double play to help end the game before Saenz struck out the last batter.

Mission Veterans pitcher Mickey Castillo also had a great night in the circle. Castillo struck out 13 Rattlers. The pitcher just did not have the run support, and Rio Grande City took advantage when having runners in scoring position.

Rattlers leadoff hitter Jorja Fuentes drove in a run in the bottom of the fifth after Jaylen Gonzalez moved the runner into scoring position after laying down a bunt. Fuentes’ RBI gave the Rattlers a 3-0 lead.

Defense was the name of the game for most of the night. The Rattlers picked up their first two runs of the night all the way back in the first inning. Designated hitter Dayra Lazos drove in both runs with a blooper over the first baseman’s head to give the Rattlers the 2-0 lead.

“They are a veteran team and have been here before,” Lopez said. “We are trying to get that third district title in a row. We set our goals in the beginning of the season and every practice has worked up to this point, so I am very pleased.”

Rio Grande City is going to be on the road to close out the season. The Rattlers face Laredo Martin at 6 p.m. Friday in Laredo. Mission Veterans is set to face Roma at 6 p.m. at Mission Veterans.

The Rio Grande Valley is going to have one tennis player advancing to the second day of the Region IV-6A tennis championships at the NEISD Tennis Center in San Antonio.

Edinburg North freshman Maya Chen picked up two wins to set up a semifinal meeting with Lake Travis’ Juliana Creek today in San Antonio.

Chen defeated Brownsville Hanna’s Alyssa Luna and Laredo Alexander’s Pamela Ramos to advance to the semifinal. Chen only dropped one set on the day.

Harlingen High had two doubles teams pick up wins. Naomi Macmanus and Julia Pearcy in girls doubles and the mixed doubles team of Erik Galvan and Diana Ruiz advanced to the quarterfinal round.

Macmanus and Pearcy defeated a team from Laredo United, and Galvan and Ruiz beat Edinburg North’s Byron and Carolyne Pereira.

Edinburg Economedes’ Leonardo Flores knocked out Harlingen High’s Will Buford 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, but lost in a quarterfinal. Edinburg High’s Noah Garza and Los Fresnos’ Mark Coronado were eliminated in the first match of boys singles play.

Harlingen High’s Olivia Villarreal and Edinburg High’s Corina Salas also were eliminated in the first match of girls singles play, but the two put up fights against their opponents. Villarreal lost 7-5, 6-2, and Salas lost 6-3, 6-4.

No boys doubles team made it out of Day 1. PSJA High’s Leo and Jake Cortez was beaten by a team from San Antonio Johnson. Harlingen High’s Isaac Martinez and Jack Rios lost to a team from Austin Westlake.

Harlingen High’s Charlie Hirst and Stanton Keath won a set but lost their match. Edinburg High’s Joel Colunga and Kenneth Hernandez lost 6-4, 6-2 to a team from San Antonio O’Connor.

The Region IV-4A tournament also was taking place at the NEISD Tennis Center.

Representing the Valley was Raymondville’s Jose Bolanos and Port Isabel’s Kirin Cantu in boys and girls singles, respectively, and Raymondville’s Vriseis Ilita and Jazzlyne Espinoza in girls doubles.

Port Isabel’s Ezequiel Palestina and Xaria Boling had the closest match of anyone from the Valley at the regional tournament. The District 32-4A mixed doubles team lost 7-6 (8), 7-5 to a team from Orange Grove. No team or individual advanced past the opening round.

The Region IV-5A tournament is set to take place today at the H-E-B Tennis Center in Corpus Christi.

BROWNSVILLE — Leander Rouse raised eyebrows with their 5-2 victory over Brownsville Lopez Friday night, murmurs all over the Brownsville Sports Park about the quality that came down from Leander.

The Raiders are a talented side and they showed that this weekend in Brownsville.

So are the Sharyland High Rattlers.

Sharyland High took the match to Rouse and came out with a 2-1 come-from-behind win and a Region IV-5A title Saturday at the Brownsville Sports Park.

From the opening whistle, the Rattlers were brave into challenges. They twisted and turned Raiders defenders and played a clean match. Even after going up in the final minutes, the Rattlers were on the front foot.

“I think we were the better team,” Sharyland High head coach Jorge Guerra said. “Not by a lot, Leander Rouse was right there with us. It could have gone either way. We had the chances and put them in.”

Rattlers winger Iker Urueta bagged the match winner eight minutes from time.

The winger cut inside well throughout the match and did the same to move the ball onto his left foot. It was a speculative effort that probably would have found the arms of the Rouse keeper, but a wicked deflection rooted the keeper to his spot and the ball rolled in the back of the net.

“I am very happy because I took it to the next step,” the winger said. “I am just so happy we are going to the state tournament.”

Rattlers midfielder Juan Treviño leveled the match with a header only five minutes after going down. The build-up play to find Treviño’s head was outstanding.

Senior Edward Morales held off his opponent and delivered a perfect pass to Jose Sanchez on the wing. Sanchez fired in a beautiful cross with pace. All the Raiders could do was watch as Treviño steered his header into the gaping opening at the back post.

“I knew he was going to put a cross in, so I just tried to get my head on it,” he said. “Fortunately, I got the goal.”

Leander Rouse took the lead 15 minutes into the second half when senior Brendon Fournier looped a header over Rattlers keeper Luis Chavez. Fournier was terrific in the midfield. The senior glided with the ball at his feet and looked just as good off the ball.

Both teams had moments where they possessed the ball with intent to carve out chances. A Chavez save denied the Raiders of a goal and the edge of the cross bar and post kept out Sharyland High in the final minutes of the first half.

Sharyland High says goodbye to the Brownsville Sports Park after winning three-straight matches on the Sports Park’s pitch. The Rattlers now head to Georgetown where they are set to play Thursday in the Class 5A state semifinal. If the Rattlers win Thursday they play in the state championship Saturday.

Sharyland High previously won a state championship in the 2011-2012 season.

LOS FRESNOS — On a cold April night, it was the Weslaco High Panthers that came out hot and never cooled down.

The Panthers defeated the Los Fresnos Falcons 10-3 on Thursday night in Los Fresnos. Both teams are now tied for second place in District 32-6A.

“This is probably our best performance to this point,” Weslaco High head coach Mario Rodriguez said. “We graduated a lot of girls last year and had a lot of girls coming in and stepping in different roles. I think finally today we were able to put the whole thing together.”

The Panthers’ whole lineup was having a good night at the plate, top to bottom. Senior Lexie Escamilla, Weslaco High’s seventh hitter, went 3-for-4 with two singles and a home run in the top of the fifth to give the Panters an 8-2 lead.

“I honestly felt it right off the bat, but I was not too sure,” Escamilla said.

Weslaco High’s No. 8 hitter, Hannah Montelongo, drove in three runs during the top of the third. Montelongo’s bases-clearing double gave the Panthers a 6-1 advantage.

“It is good when the stuff that you put on in practice is executed in the game,” Rodriguez said. “We are always looking to put one or two hits together — or two to three hits together — so we can score a run. I think that is what we did today.”

Weslaco High’s defense also performed well against a hard-hitting Los Fresnos team. Freshman pitcher Madelynn Cantu was composed in the circle and, if not for a couple of minor miscues from the defense, a shutout could have been possible.

“Our pitcher has come a long way,” said Escamilla, the shortstop. “I am so proud of her, this was one of her better games. So just seeing her perform out there the way she did, I am just so proud of her.”

Weslaco High and Los Fresnos are now tied for second place in District 32-6A at 5-2. Los Fresnos won the first-round meeting. A playoff could be in store if they finish tied at the end of the season.

“Our district is tough, but I know it is preparing us for the next step after this,” Rodriguez said.

Weslaco High returns to action at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday against Brownsville Rivera at Weslaco High. Los Fresnos hopes to bounce back at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at home against Brownsville Hanna.

Rio Grande Valley FC’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup run has come to an end after only a match.

The Toros lost 2-1 to South Georgia Tormenta FC on Wednesday night in Georgia.

Tormenta FC was a tricky draw for the USL Championship Toros. Tormenta FC is the 2022 USL League 1 champion, and with the match being played in Georgia it was not going to be a walk in the park for the team in the higher division.

A 91st-minute goal by Toros forward Ricky Ruiz helped RGVFC get back into the match, but last-gasp set pieces and crosses into the box did not yield the equalizer.

Tormenta FC scored the match winner during the 82nd minute. Second-half substitute Kingsford Adjei finished off a Tormenta FC counter.

The Toros had a chance to equalize during the 69th minute, but Taylor Davila, who has been in goal-scoring form to start the season, had his penalty saved and his follow up float wide.

Tormenta FC was up for it from the start as it moved the ball with intent and closed down quickly when not in possession. John Murphy Jr. had a great first half for Tormenta and was rewarded with a goal. Murphy Jr. found space in the box and sent his shot over the Toros’ keeper for the first goal of the night.

The Toros continue their road trip with a USL Championship match at 6 p.m. Saturday against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. RGVFC (1-0-3) is unbeaten so far in the league.

BROWNSVILLE — Brownsville St. Joseph and Los Fresnos jerseys draped the district titles that star guard Gerry Martinez was a part of as he signed to join the University of St. Thomas basketball team in Houston.

Martinez joins the NCAA Division III program after having an outstanding career playing high school basketball in the Brownsville metro area. Martinez split his time between Los Fresnos and Brownsville St. Joseph, finishing off his career with the Bloodhounds.

“It’s something you dream of as a kid,” Martinez said about signing. “I did not think I was going to get emotional, but as you start explaining all of the coaches you have had and stuff like that it really takes you back to the old days. It feels great.”

Martinez teared up a bit when thanking his coaches during his speech. All of them agreed they could not get the star guard that had 2,700 high school career points to leave the gym.

“We were lucky to have Gerry for these two years,” Brownsville St. Joseph head basketball coach Sam Lucio said. “He has shown us as a team where we want to be. He puts in so much work, stays after practice and watches film. It was like having another coach on the court. His basketball IQ is very high for a high school kid. We are going to miss him.”

Martinez said he developed the good habit of watching film while at Los Fresnos. The guard busted onto the high school scene with the Falcons. Martinez was awarded All-Metro MVP as a sophomore.

“I feel like that is where I really grew,” Martinez said. “I made the biggest improvement as a player over there. Coach Marco Hinojosa taught me how to break down film really well. I am really grateful for the coaches and teammates I had over there.”

The senior also was extremely grateful for his time with the Bloodhounds, where he upped his all-around game even further, especially defensively.

“I could not ask for anything more really. I had a great coaching staff and made great friends,” Martinez said.

The senior is ready to focus on his future in Houston.

“I am just really excited to get in there and start working,” Martinez said.

BROWNSVILLE — Mercedes came into the top of the seventh inning down 7-5 to Brownsville Lopez in a pivotal District 32-5A meeting Tuesday night at Brownsville Lopez High School.

The Tigers rallied to pick up the 8-7 win and now are alone atop the District 32-5A standings. A Tigers loss would have created a tie at the top, but Lopez would have had the tiebreaker.

“This district is tough,” Mercedes head coach Kristy Leal said. “And these kids continue to fight. It does not matter if they are down or up, they are constantly fighting. I think tonight really proved they are a great team.”

Mercedes’ Klarissa Rizo, Rhianna Sierra and Zelinda Camacho each smacked RBI doubles to put the Tigers up in the seventh. Seeing the other girls hit the ball put Camacho at ease before she drove in the game-winning run, she said.

“I looked for a pitch that I can handle and went with it,” Camacho said. “Just knowing that my girls had my back, I was good.”

Camacho started the game in the circle but was replaced by Rizo in the bottom of the fifth.

Back-to-back RBI doubles by Jenny Shank and Arianna Lezama gave the Lobos a 7-5 lead in the sixth. Lezama hit two doubles on the night.

Rizo settled down after the sixth to retire the side in the seventh and pick up the win.

“All I had to do was keep my confidence up,” Rizo said. “No matter what, I knew the big man upstairs was with me and each and everyone of us as well.”

Mercedes’ Adamari Perales tied the game at 5 in the fifth. Brownsville Lopez’s bottom half of the lineup helped give them the lead in the third.

The Lobos’ five-run third was an answer to the Tigers’ four-run first.

The Tigers (20-5, 12-1) are now up two games in District 32-5A with five games remaining.

“It was a big win, especially because Lopez took one from us in the first round,” Leal said. “The kids really wanted to come in and take it from them in the second round.”

The Tigers are at home against Donna High at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, and Brownsville Lopez is in action against Brownsville Pace at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Pace if the rain permits the games to happen.

BROWNSVILLE — It was expected that girls from the Rio Grande Valley would be bringing home gold medals from the Texas High School Women’s Powerlifting Association’s state championships a couple of weeks ago, as many returning state champs littered the field.

A total of 26 powerlifters brought back gold, some expected like three-time champion Georgina Alaniz from Edcouch-Elsa, Santa Rosa’s two-time champion Leslie Flores and Los Fresnos’ two-time champ Tyler Martin. But one unexpected winner was Brownsville IDEA Riverview senior Mia Ramos.

Ramos’ ascent from competing in a one-act play to a Class 3A Division I state champion in the 259-pound weight class is an astonishing one. The senior never lifted weights properly, or at all prior to this season.

No sports — just one-act play and exercising at the park with her sister.

In seven months, Ramos became a state champ, lifting a total of 1,135 pounds in Frisco.

“It is surreal,” Ramos said. “It does not feel like it could have been accomplished in that short amount of time. Everybody believed in me, so I said, ‘Why not?’ I got my stuff together and focused on the sport. Once I got my mind together, we were already at regionals and making numbers. Once all the facts were presented, it was possible — and we did it.”

The senior had no interest in lifting weights and had never even stepped into a gym. However, a friend persuaded Ramos to join powerlifting, she said.

“Now it is like an obsession,” Ramos said. “I just find myself thinking of new techniques and forms for when I lift.”

IDEA Riverview powerlifting coach Matt Barba is humble about Ramos’ success, not trying to take glory from Ramos, but it is hard not to provide him some credit with Ramos’ rapid rise in the sport. Ramos does have to lift the weights, but someone has to teach her.

“It is every coach’s dream to have a student take what you are saying, your knowledge, and project it, but living it out as quickly as she did tells you what kind of person she is,” Barba said. “I cannot say how proud I am as a coach.”

IDEA Riverview, like the other IDEA schools, are growing their sports programs slowly but surely. Edinburg IDEA College Prep has been the exception to the slow rise part in powerlifting. Mia Rincones and Amaris Garza, two more expected champs, have won multiple state titles in Class 3A DII. Rincones has three championships and Garza has two.

Edinburg IDEA College Prep won team state titles in 2018 and 2021.

Barba landed at IDEA Riverview after previously being at Los Fresnos and Brownsville Lopez for almost a decade before taking the coaching job at the IDEA school. Barba won a team state championship with Brownsville Lopez in 2017, and no other coach in the city of Brownsville has coached more individual state champs, seven to be exact.

Having a coach like Barba at IDEA Riverview could provide a huge boost to other programs that share athletes with powerlifting. In just one year, Ramos became a state champ despite not having everything she needed when they started, but the support is there from athletic coordinator Albert Perez and principal Adriana Ramos, Barba said.

“We could not have done it without them, it was literally a team effort,” Barba said.

Ramos is still lifting weights. The senior thought she could sleep in after the season was over, but the sport has other plans for the state champ. Opportunities are arising for Ramos, colleges are knocking on the door and the senior is happy to answer.

“It is a reality that I am going to do this in college, so I have to continue lifting and improving.” Ramos said.