Rio Grande Valley FC needed to go on the road to pick up its first USL Championship win this season.

Taylor Davila’s 23rd minute goal gives the Toros the three points after starting off the season with three straight 1-1 draws at H-E-B Park in Edinburg.

RGV FC (1-3-0, 6pts) needed goalkeeper Tyler Deric to make huge saves down the stretch, or a fourth straight 1-1 draw would have been the likely result. Detroit City created a few scrambles in the RGV FC box, but Deric and the defense kept the home team out of the back of the net.

Davila did most of the work for the Toros’ only goal. Davila took the ball off a Detroit City player in the midfield and with the help of teammates making runs to keep the defense from not stepping up, he easily tucked in his shot low and into the corner to give the Toros the lead.

Wilmer Cabrera’s side will now shift their focus to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Toros are in action at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday against the South Georgia Tormenta FC from USL League 1.

SAN BENITO — It is hard to beat a team four times in a season, even harder when a spot in the fourth round is on the line.

Brownsville Rivera held off a game Harlingen High to win the fourth meeting between the sides 1-0 on Friday night at Bobby Morrow Stadium in San Benito to book a spot in the Class 6A Region IV tournament next week in San Antonio.

It was not the traditional Raiders win, in which they dominate time on the ball, wear down opponents and create multiple opportunities. It was a smash and grab, and Brownsville Rivera was happy to concede possession and live off the counter.

“We bend, but we do not break,” Raiders head coach Salvador Garcia said. “Defensively, again, what else can you ask for? They put a lot of pressure on us, and we did a great job defensively.”

The Raiders were not held under siege by the Cardinals. Brownsville Rivera won challenges outside of the box frequently and did not surrender many threatening touches in the box, but they did concede plenty of set piece opportunities.

The Cardinals had a height advantage and have scored in those situations during previous encounters. Raiders captain Jose Diaz and the defense were up to the challenge.

“We did good,” Diaz said. “We had some problems, but we fixed it during the game.”

Harlingen High’s best opportunity to score came during the 54th minute, but the post denied the Cardinals from an equalizer.

“The result could have gone either way,” Cardinals head coach Joseph Johnson said. “All we could ask for is a fight for 80 minutes, and that is what they did. I am proud of them.”

Harlingen High played a high line, allowing for it to have numbers constantly in the Brownsville Rivera half. Clean dribbling and great combination play had the Raiders on their toes.

“We were expecting that,” Garcia said. “They were peaking at the right time, and they have been playing great soccer. It is a shame one of us is staying behind.”

Brownsville Rivera striker Cesar Garza had the lone goal in the match. Garza was living on the shoulders of the defenders all night. The striker found space behind the Cardinals’ defense during the 20th minute.

Harlingen High raised hands for offside, but the flag did not come up this time as Garza took his chance. Garza finished off a counter a few minutes earlier, but the flag came up that time to keep the match level.

“One game at a time,” Garcia said. We are advancing, and hopefully we can play better.”

BROWNSVILLE — District foes take to the pitch for the fourth time today, but with a spot in the regional tournament on the line.

District 32-6A’s Brownsville Rivera and Harlingen High meet at 7 p.m. Friday at Bobby Morrow Stadium in San Benito in a third-round playoff meeting.

The Raiders and Cardinals have played three times this season. Brownsville Rivera came out on top in all three matches. The first win was by a score of 2-0 in a tournament. The next two came in District 32-6A, with the Raiders taking the first district match 3-2 in Harlingen, then 1-0 in Brownsville.

The Raiders faced an improved Cardinals team each match they played, Brownsville Rivera head coach Salvador Garcia said. Garcia and Harlingen High head coach Joseph Johnson have been texting since the beginning of the playoffs, hoping for this meeting.

“We love that one of us is going to be able to represent our district,” Garcia said. “The first three games were tough, and we expect the same. They are playing with more confidence and scoring more, so we know we have to prepare ourselves.”

Garcia praised his defense for its performance against San Antonio O’Connor. The Raiders defeated the Panthers 1-0 to set up the meeting with Harlingen High.

“We have been practicing a lot, everything worked out how we trained it,” senior captain and defender Jose Diaz said. “We have played them before, but it is a new game. I know we are both going to go hard for the win.”

The Raiders won the state championship in 2015. The Cardinals have not made it to the third round since 2000, when they made it to the final four.

It took only two seasons for the Cardinals to make it under Johnson. Garcia is impressed with the Cardinals’ progression under Johnson.

“Our season ended last year on a Friday, we were back after school every day starting on Monday,” Johnson said.

A hard-working summer and a tough non-district schedule has helped the Cardinals achieve the success they have had this season, Johnson said.

“We know that as long as if we play our game, our style of soccer, we can hang with anyone,” Johnson said.

The Cardinals did a lot of defending last season, a good base to build on. This season, a switch tactically to a more offensive-minded formation has been key, the second-year head coach said. The Cardinals have eight goals in the playoffs with wins over Edinburg Economedes and Del Rio.

Harlingen High came from two goals down to beat Del Rio 3-2 on Tuesday.

“We put in a lot of work and dedication to make it this far,” senior defender and co-captain Damian Jaure said. “Us getting to the third round was because of that.”

The Cardinals beat the Raiders last season in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw. Penalties could be where the game is decided. Johnson said he has a massive amount of trust in his keeper, Juan Zapata.

“Once the whistle blows, the nerves go away,” Zapata said. “When it comes to penalties, I just need to do my job. I have nothing to lose, but everything to win.”

The Lower Valley plays host to three playoff matches Friday; the other two take place in Class 5A. Four former state champions in total are playing.

Brownsville Porter and Sharyland High meet at 7 p.m. Friday at the Brownsville Sports Park. The Cowboys have titles in 2016 and 2006, and Sharyland High has a championship in 2009.

Brownsville Lopez, the first to win it from the Valley in 2004, hosts La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at 7 p.m. Friday at Lopez High School.

Brownsville Jubilee and Hidalgo play on Friday as well, but in the Mid Valley at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco High School. The Valley is guaranteed to have at least four teams in various regional tournaments.

HARLINGEN — Only one Rio Grande Valley girls soccer team remains after two rounds of the UIL Class 6A playoffs, and that is the Harlingen High Cardinals.

The Cardinals have not lost a match since the beginning of the new year and are hoping to continue their run in the playoffs when they take on San Antonio O’Connor at 6 p.m. today at Cabaniss Athletic Complex in Corpus Christi.

“We haven’t been here in a while, and we are ready to show what the Valley can do,” Harlingen High defender Maya Quiñones said.

Goals from Naeori Resendez, Camila Hernandez and Emma Duarte fired the Cardinals past their second-round hurdle and into the regional quarterfinal round with a 3-1 win over San Antonio Brennan.

Harlingen Head coach Jose Galvan was hoping the goals would not dry up in the playoffs. The Cardinals put five past Edinburg North in the first round. Resendez has two of the team’s eight playoff goals.

“It feels good,” Resendez said about scoring goals in the playoffs. “My confidence is able to go up, and it motivates me to do more. It keeps me going.”

Resendez led the team in goals during the season. Quiñones also has been scoring goals this season despite making the switch to defense. The former forward is the sweeper this season on a stingy defense that has only given up nine goals.

“It is a lot different playing in the back,” she said. “But I feel like even as defenders we work really hard to help the offense, so even though it is different I still feel like I am a really big part of the team and I need to do my best every game.”

The basketball season overlaps a decent portion of the season. Senior midfielder Rosa Zapata was a key member of the Cardinals’ basketball team and was awarded District 32-6A Co-MVP.

Zapata has come back into the side with ease. Zapata, a point guard on the court, plays as an attacking midfielder on the pitch. Both positions require similar skill sets, especially distributing the ball.

“I think I am equally good at both,” Zapata said. “I am grateful to still be a part of this team. I am thankful for the coach for letting me have a chance to be on the field.”

The Cardinals face a familiar foe Friday. Harlingen High beat San Antonio O’Connor 1-0 on Jan. 7. The Panthers are in good form. They beat Weslaco High and Del Rio handily to set up the meeting with Harlingen High.

San Antonio O’Connor’s last loss was to San Antonio Brennan.

“Our mentality is to go as far as we can in the playoffs,” Galvan said. “We just need that mentality of play hard, play how we ask them to and implement that on the field.”

The only loss for the Cardinals (16-1-1) this season was to San Antonio Taft. The Raiders defeated Los Fresnos in the second round 3-0.

San Antonio Taft is on the other side of the Region IV bracket. Harlingen High could possibly meet the only team that bested it in the regional championship, but the Raiders have to make it past Warren — fourth in the same district — and the winner of Round Rock High and Dripping Springs.

If Harlingen High beats San Antonio O’Connor it faces either Austin Vandegrift or Round Rock Westwood, the second- and third-place teams respectively in District 25-6A. Round Rock High won the District 25-6A title.

“I am proud of the girls,” Galvan said. “We are showing that hard work and dedication can reach our objectives that we had this year. We are still in it and show that girls soccer in the Valley is growing and it is getting better every year.”

SAN BENITO — San Benito’s bats were on fire again Wednesday night.

The Greyhounds have scored at least 10 runs or more in the last seven games, including Wednesday night’s 13-8 win over the Los Fresnos Falcons in a District 32-6A meeting at San Benito High School.

The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but the recent rains throughout the Rio Grande Valley forced teams off the wet diamonds for the day.

The infield did not really matter this game as both teams were content on smashing the ball out of the infield and out of the park.

Nine homers were hit in total, four by the Greyhounds and five by the Falcons, making it excellent game between two of the best teams in the state. San Benito is ranked third and Los Fresnos is ranked eighth in the latest Texas Girls Coaches Association’s Class 6A state poll.

“We have put a lot of work into our hitting,” San Benito’s senior standout Emily Delgado said. “We spend a lot of time in the cages, so when we get up there, it is nothing different. All of that work we do, it shows.”

Delgado had the first home run of the night, way back in the second inning. The last run scored by the Greyhounds was in the bottom of the fifth when Elyssa Ruvio drove in a run on a double to make it 13-5.

Los Fresnos had a strong day at the plate as well, but a late comeback attempt in the top of the seventh was not enough. Second baseman Ella Sulkazi hit her second home run of the night. Sulkazi’s two run shot was followed up by Fernanda Pulido’s solo shot to make it 13-8.

“I thought our girls showed a lot of fight,” Los Fresnos head coach Matt Molina said. “We were down big a couple of times, and they came back and fought every time. San Benito is one of the best teams in South Texas and we hung with them.”

A JoJo Montes two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning and a two-run homer by Bethany Aguilar in the bottom of the third helped the Greyhounds build a 13-5 lead after the Falcons put up five in the top of the third.

Falcons’ pitcher Kate Perez jump started the Falcons offense in the top of the third with a two-run homer, Dakota Martinez followed with a two-run home run also and Sulkazi picked up her first of the night with a solo shot to cut the Greyhounds lead to 7-5.

“We knew going in it was going to be a dog fight,” San Benito head coach Elias Martinez said. “It was, we jumped on them, and I told the girls they are not going to lay down – they are going to fight. It is a quality program over there and sure enough they came back. It was a great battle, something we anticipated and thank goodness we came out on top.”

Delgado’s three-run home run was followed up by a two-run bomb by Amira Rodriguez to put the Falcons up 7-0 in the second inning. Montes drove in two in the top of the first to give her four RBIs on the night.

“We are seeing the ball well right now,” Martinez said.

San Benito (24-3, 4-0) meets Weslaco High at Weslaco at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The Panthers are 3-1 in district. Los Fresnos (22-4, 3-1) looks to bounce back against Harlingen High at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Los Fresnos.

EDINBURG — Sharyland High put in a dominant performance against Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial all over the pitch Tuesday evening at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

The Rattlers’ 5-0 area championship victory sets up a meeting with Brownsville Porter in a regional quarterfinal either Thursday or Friday.

“The guys showed up again,” Sharyland High head coach Jorge Guerra said. “We have been taking it one game at a time. They played really well today … it was an intense game, they were very physical and fast players, good thing we got the win.”

The Rattlers quelled any chance of a comeback attempt by the Eagles during the second minute of the second half. Sharyland High midfielder Edward Morales beat the keeper with a left-footed volley. The cross was set up perfectly for the midfielder after his late run in the box.

Rattlers striker Alan Guerrero compounded the Eagles’ woes midway through the second half to make it 5-0. Guerrero was the benefactor of a line-splitting ball by playmaker Juan Treviño. The striker kept his composure to beat the keeper.

“We know what we have to do,” Treviño said. “We are taking this one game at a time with good performances each game, with the same confidence and intensity.”

Guerrero’s composure was also on display during the final minutes of the first half. The senior was again played in behind the lines, but had a lot of work to do with the oncoming keeper closing down. Guerrero opted to round the keeper and finished by sliding his shot off the back post as an Eagles defender tried to clear the ball off the line.

Treviño was a master in distribution all evening. The junior smashed in a diving header to put his side up 2-0 and played a beautiful left-footed pass between the Eagles’ right back and center back to find winger Kevin Zepeda.

Zepeda steered the cross into the far post with a header from an extremely tight angle to start the scoring midway through the first half.

“(Zepeda) is always making that diagonal run,” Treviño said. “I just know he is going to be in the right spot. I just try and pick him out because I know he is going to finish it.”

Treviño said the Rattlers had been practicing headers because of the vulnerability the Eagles had in the air.

Brownsville Porter-Sharyland High features two teams that were in the regional tournament in 2022. Dripping Springs defeated both in the regional tournament — the Rattlers in the fourth round and the Cowboys in the fifth — to advance to the state tournament.

A spot in the regional tournament is going to be on the line at the end of the week.

“Both teams are very strong teams,” Guerra said. “In the Valley, Porter is always a powerhouse, so it should be an intense game. Hopefully, we get the win.”

HARLINGEN — Roma’s Allen Perez did not jump at last year’s RGVCA Meet of Champions because he was at his girlfriend’s 16th birthday party.

The senior jumped this year and came out with the win Saturday at Boggus Stadium in Harlingen.

“Feels good,” Perez said. “I just wanted to compete after missing last year for something important.”

Perez did not want to skip the competitive meet this year as he attempts to make it back to the UIL Class 5A state meet after qualifying for the meet in 2022. Perez finished tied for ninth at state.

When Perez qualified for state last year, he was the first boys representative in the high jump from Roma since Beto Suarez did it in 1987. Suarez was a classmate of Perez’s jumping coach, Abelardo Escobar.

Perez’s success means a lot to the program, Escobar said.

“I am hoping that he can replicate the same results as last year,” Escobar said. “And maybe even experience a better outcome, higher jumps. He is a senior and is graduating, so I hope he experiences that.”

Perez and Weslaco High’s Jake Ramirez were the last two jumpers remaining with the bar at 6 feet, 4 inches. Perez cleared 6-2 on his second attempt. Ramirez cleared it on his third attempt.

Both came close to clearing 6-4 on the second attempt, but the bar just rattled off. Clearing 6-4 and 6-6 is where Perez wants to be.

The senior has only jumped in two other meets because of a high ankle sprain during the basketball season.

“I want to thank my coach for everything,” Perez said. “He has been there through everything, helping me during my injury and all of that.”

La Joya Palmview’s Michael Hernandez finished third by clearing six feet. Raymondville’s Bryen Robles and Mission Veterans Memorial’s Cole Butel also cleared six feet.

The Cardinals picked up the first field medal of the meet when Santiago Jongintud defeated Los Fresnos’ Thomas Sandoval in the pole vault. Jongintud cleared 13-6 in less attempts than Sandoval.

Harlingen High’s Luis Galvan won the long jump. Edinburg Vela’s Jacob Trevino came in second and La Joya’s Angel Rodriguez finished third.

Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s Gerry Gomez continued his success at the triple jump by taking the gold with a jump of 45-3.50. Sharyland Pioneer’s Evan Thompson took home gold in the shot put. Sharyland High’s Chukwubueze Ikondu dominated the discus throw.

Sharyland High’s Morelia Moreno had a great day in the girls field events. Moreno won both the long jump and the triple jump. La Feria’s Keira Castillo finished behind Moreno in both competitions.

Harlingen High’s Emma Reyes cleared 11 feet to win the pole vault. Brownsville St. Joseph’s Nicole Richer came in second. Mission Veterans Memorial’s Carla Guerrero won the high jump by clearing 5-4. La Joya Palmview’s Jeslynn Flores finished second and Brownsville IDEA Frontier’s Ashley Olvera came in third.

Rio Grande City’s Serina Ramirez took gold in the shot put. Ramirez’s 42-5 beat Harlingen High thrower Jazmine Thompson’s 41-8. Lasara’s Xiomara Rodriguez, the Class 1A state champ, won gold in the discus. Brownsville St. Joseph’s Alondra Loya, a TAPPS state champion, finished second in the discus.

For full results of the meet click the link below.

RGVCA Meet of Champs Results

BROWNSVILLE — McAllen Memorial went down to Brownsville Porter early in Friday’s bi-district meeting in Brownsville, but the Mustangs responded with a dominant display to win the match 5-1.

The Mustangs advance to the area round, where they are set to face Victoria West on Monday or Tuesday.

“It was something we were hopeful for,” Mustangs head coach Matthew Kaiser said. “Coming to Brownsville always makes you nervous, but we thought we had a pretty good matchup. Things did not start well for us, getting scored on early, but I think the girls responded well … very happy.”

A four-goal performance by Chloey Mejia and a goal from Kennedy Kaiser lifted the Mustangs past the Cowgirls. Mejia a sophomore, and Kaiser, a freshman, looked to be a threat every time the ball touched their feet while the Mustangs’ defense took care of business.

Mejia’s left foot was on fire and could have had another goal or two on the night. Mejia constantly found space after being routinely found by teammates or creating space with a dribble.

The forward grabbed her fourth goal during the 67th minute, only four minutes before she scored her hat trick. Mejia scored the Mustangs’ third goal, her second, in the first minute of the second half.

“They were all special, scoring in the playoffs,” Mejia said. “We are trying to go as far as we can, and each goal counts the same.”

Kaiser finished with the eventual match winner with close-range goal following a cross with only seconds left in the first half. The freshman also did brilliantly on the ball to set up Mejia’s first goal, a beautiful left-footed shot across the keeper’s face and into the corner to level the match after 27 minutes.

“I am just happy to be able support my team and Chloey,” Kaiser said. “It was a very crucial moment for her to get a goal at the point. We had a rocky start, but we focused, set our mind to the game and came back strong.”

The goals on either side of the half were gut punches to the Cowgirls that they could not recover from. Matthew Kaiser told his team at halftime that coming out strong and scoring could be the difference, he said.

“That quick was a surprise, but it certainly helped a lot,” he added. “It was hard for them to recover from.”

Brownsville Porter defended bravely after going up inside five minutes. Cowgirls midfielder Wendy Medina busted through the Mustangs’ lines to beat the keeper and give her team a 1-0 lead.

MISSION — Sharyland High’s Alberto Mendoza IV, a standout wrestler who holds the record for the most wins in program history, signed to continue wrestling at the University of Southern Maine on Friday at Sharyland High School.

Mendoza finished with 119 career wins during his four years a varsity wrestler.

“I am just happy that it is not over for me and that I get to wrestle out there in college,” Mendoza said.

The senior qualified for the 2023 UIL Class 5A state meet in the 138-pound weight class. Mendoza qualified for state three times, won three district championships and qualified for the regional meet four times while at Sharyland High.

Mendoza finished in seventh place at the state meet in February.

Mendoza also played football for a season and is currently pole vaulting. Mendoza’s coaches — head football coach Craig Krell, assistant coach James Penbrook and head wrestling coach Sam Mangum — all praised Mendoza for his work ethic during his time with the Rattlers.

“I enjoyed my time here,” Mendoza said. “I really appreciated the people, my teammates and my coaches. I am just really appreciative.”

The University of Southern Maine competes at the NCAA Division III level. The Huskies’ wrestling team competes in the New England Wrestling Association.

“I am excited,” Mendoza said. “It is a whole different state, environment, so I am excited to see what it is all about.”

Mendoza plans on studying physical therapy while at the four-year school located in Portland, Maine. The senior plans on visiting the school for the first time in April.

RAYMONDVILLE — Raymondville goals in the beginning of each half were the difference Thursday night in a bi-district meeting with Rio Hondo.

The Bearkats won the Class 4A UIL playoff clash 7-3 at Burnett Stadium. The win is the first playoff victory in program history.

Rio Hondo’s Shovanna De Leon gave the Bobcats hope after cutting the Raymondville lead to 5-3 with only four minutes left, but the Bearkats saw out the match with goals by Mia Sayas and Adrianna Sanchez during the final two minutes.

“We have been building,” Raymondville head coach Alex Delgado said. “This is our first district championship as well.”

Bearkats forward Elizabeth Torres picked up her hat trick during the 56th minute.

Torres found space in the box with her right foot and curled a beauty over the keeper to restore Raymondville’s three-goal advantage after Rio Hondo pulled back a goal to make it 4-2.

Raymondville went up 4-1 shortly after the restart through Sanchez. The forward helped create many chances in the first half and was rewarded with the eventual match winner.

“All year long, we have been able to score goals,” Delgado said. “We knew up front we have the girls to do it. All these girls are ready to play, and they put in those goals for us.”

A Rio Hondo own goal made it 3-1 in favor of the Bearkats midway through the first half. The Bobcats threatened on the break all night. Serena Quinones finished off the counter to make it 2-1.

Torres could have had three goals within the first five minutes. The offside flag kept the goal scorer from the five-minute hat trick, but Torres grabbed two goals following a ferocious start to the match by the Bearkats.

“It was teamwork,” Torres said. “We put in the work, we did it. Great communication from everybody, the passing was great. I think it was amazing. You just have to focus, and this happens.”

The Bearkats had plenty of other opportunities to grab goals, but heroic clearances by the Bobcats’ defenders and saves by goalkeeper Cody Tamez kept Rio Hondo in the match.

Raymondville faces the winner of Beeville Jones and North Mission IDEA in the area round.