VALLEY-BOYS SOCCER SCHEDULE

Tuesday, Feb. 2

Non-District

St. Joseph 2, Marine Military Academy 0

Mission IDEA at IDEA Frontier, not reported

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial 6, McAllen Rowe 2

McAllen High 2, La Joya High 1, PKs

La Joya Palmview 4, Mission High 3, PKs

District 31-6A

Weslaco High 2, PSJA North 1

Edinburg Economedes 3, PSJA Memorial 2, PKs

Edinburg North 1, Weslaco East 0

District 32-6A

Brownsville Lopez 2, Brownsville Rivera 0

Harlingen South 4, Los Fresnos 2

Brownsville Hanna 1, Brownsville Veterans Memorial 0, PKs

San Benito 1, Harlingen High 0

District 31-5A

Sharyland High 5, Mission Veterans 2

Rio Grande City at Sharyland Pioneer, not reported

Edinburg Vela 5, Roma 1

District 32-5A

Brownsville Porter 1, PSJA Southwest 0

Donna North 6, Edcouch-Elsa 0

Mercedes at Donna High, not reported

PSJA High at Brownsville Pace, not reported

District 31-4A

Monte Alto at Hidalgo, not reported

Friday, Feb. 5

Non-District

La Feria at Marine Military Academy, 7:30 p.m.

District 30-6A

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at McAllen Memorial, 7:30 p.m.

McAllen Rowe at McAllen High, 8 p.m.

La Joya High at La Joya Palmview, 8 p.m.

District 31-6A

Edinburg High at Weslaco High, 8 p.m.

Weslaco East vs. PSJA Memorial at Alamo Middle School, 8 p.m.

PSJA North at Edinburg North, 8 p.m.

District 32-6A

Lopez at Hanna, 7:30 p.m.

Harlingen South at Rivera, 7:30 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans Memorial at San Benito, 7:30 p.m.

Los Fresnos at Harlingen High, 7:30 p.m.

District 31-5A

Roma at Mission Veterans, 7:30 p.m.

Sharyland Pioneer at Edinburg Vela, 8 p.m.

Valley View at Rio Grande City, 8 p.m.

District 32-5A

PSJA Southwest at Donna North, 7:30 p.m.

Donna High at PSJA High, 7:30 p.m.

Mercedes at Edcouch-Elsa, 7:30 p.m.

Brownsville Pace at Brownsville Porter, 7:30 p.m.

District 31-4A

Hidalgo at Zapata, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 6

TAPPS

St. Joseph at San Antonio Central Catholic, 2 p.m.

VALLEY-BOYS SOCCER BOX SCORES

Tuesday’s Games

District 30-6A

McALLEN MEMORIAL 6, McALLEN ROWE 2

McAllen Memorial 0 6 — 6

McAllen Rowe 0 2 — 2

McALLEN MEMORIAL (6): Armando Perez 6

McALLEN HIGH 2, LA JOYA HIGH 1, PKs

McAllen High 1 0 — 2

La Joya High 1 0 — 1

McALLEN HIGH (1): Kenny Fielder

RECORDS: McAllen High (2-0); La Joya High (1-1)

District 31-6A

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 3, PSJA MEMORIAL 2 (PKs)

PSJA Memorial 1 1 2

Edinburg Economedes 1 1 3

PSJA Memorial (2): Humberto Bernal, Giovanni Salinas

RECORDS: PSJA Memorial (1-0); Edinburg Economedes (0-1)

District 32-5A

BROWNSVILLE PORTER 1, PSJA SOUTHWEST 0

Brownsville Porter 0 1 — 1

PSJA Southwest 0 0 — 0

BROWNSVILLE PORTER (1): Angel Silva

VALLEY-GIRLS SOCCER SCORES

Tuesday, Feb. 2

Non-District

Mission IDEA at IDEA Frontier, not reported

Progreso at Raymondville, not reported

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial 4, McAllen Rowe 1

McAllen High 5, La Joya High 0

Mission High 5, La Joya Palmview 4

District 31-6A

Weslaco High 3, PSJA North 1

Edinburg Economedes 3, PSJA Memorial 0

Edinburg North 7, Weslaco East 2

District 32-6A

Brownsville Lopez 3, Brownsville Rivera 0

Brownsville Hanna 3, Brownsville Veterans 2

Los Fresnos 2, Harlingen South 1

San Benito 2, Harlingen High 1, PKs

District 31-5A

Sharyland High 5, Mission Veterans 0

Sharyland Pioneer 9, Rio Grande City 0

Roma 4, Edinburg Vela 2

District 32-5A

Brownsville Porter 1, PSJA Southwest 0

Brownsville Pace 4, PSJA High 0

Donna North 2, Edcouch-Elsa 1, PKs

Donna High at Mercedes, not reported

Friday, Feb. 5

District 30-6A

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at McAllen Memorial at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, 6 p.m.

McAllen Rowe at McAllen High, 6 p.m.

La Joya Palmview at La Joya High, 6 p.m.

District 31-6A

Edinburg High at Weslaco High, 6 p.m.

Weslaco East at PSJA Memorial, 6 p.m.

PSJA North at Edinburg North, 6 p.m.

District 32-6A

Brownsville Lopez at Brownsville Hanna, 5:30 p.m.

Harlingen South at Brownsville Rivera, 5:30 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans Memorial at San Benito, 5:30 p.m.

Los Fresnos at Harlingen High, 5:30 p.m.

District 31-5A

Sharyland Pioneer at Edinburg Vela, 6 p.m.

Roma at Mission Veterans, 6 p.m.

Valley View at Rio Grande City, 6 p.m.

District 32-5A

PSJA Southwest at Donna North, 6 p.m.

Donna High at PSJA High, 6 p.m.

Brownsville Pace at Brownsville Porter, 6 p.m.

Mercedes at Edcouch-Elsa, 6 p.m.

District 32-4A

Lyford at IDEA Frontier, 6 p.m.

Port Isabel at La Feria, 6:30 p.m.

District 31-4A

Monte Alto at Raymondville, 6 p.m.

.

VALLEY-GIRLS SOCCER BOX SCORES

Tuesday’s Games

District 30-6A

McALLEN HIGH 5, LA JOYA HIGH 0

McAllen High # # — 5

La Joya High # # — 0

McALLEN HIGH (5): Dana Idrogo 2, Zoe Flores, Jackie Lemus, Gaby Gonzalez

McALLEN MEMORIAL 4, McALLEN ROWE 1

McAllen Memorial 1 3 — 4

McAllen Rowe 0 1 — 1

McALLEN MEMORIAL (4): Connie Avila 2, Leslie Santana, Jackie Quintero

McALLEN ROWE (1): Victoria Castro

MISSION HIGH 5, LA JOYA PALMVIEW 4

La Joya Palmview 0 4 — 4

Mission High 0 5 — 5

MISSION HIGH (5): Sammy Arriola, Maria Brionnes, Iveth Guzman, Caitlin Green, Annie Gonzalez

District 31-6A

WESLACO HIGH 3, PSJA NORTH 1

Weslaco High 1 2 — 3

PSJA North 0 1 — 1

WESLACO HIGH (3): Margarita Trevino, Kristen Palomo, Veronica Bararon

EDINBURG NORTH 7, WESLACO EAST 2

Edinburg North 2 5 — 7

Weslaco East 1 1 — 2

EDINBURG NORTH (7): Gloria Gutierrez 4, Vanessa Cuevas 2, Itza Rios

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 3, PSJA MEMORIAL 0

PSJA Memorial # # — 0

Edombirg Economedes # # — 3

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES (3): Ayssa Ozuna, Krysta Armstrong, Olga Ramirez

RECORDS: Edinburg Economedes 1-0

District 31-5A

SHARYLAND HIGH 5, MISSION VETERANS 0

Mission Veterans 0 0 — 0

Sharyland High 1 4 — 5

SHARYLAND HIGH (5): Kaitie Watson 2, Isabella Marinaro 2, Marifer Farias

Former NFL quarterback and Mission High alum Koy Detmer was approved as the next head football coach and athletic coordinator at Mission High during a special meeting of the MCISD school board Monday morning.

Having worked six years as an assistant coach at Somerset, Detmer jumped at the opportunity to head home to Mission. He said the opening in MCISD was the only one he’s applied for since starting at Somerset.

“Obviously, I was very excited,” Detmer said. “It’s a great opportunity to come back and be at the school where I went to high school. It’s a sense of coming back home.”

Detmer graduated Mission High in 1992 after throwing for 3,934 passing yards in 1991, the second most in a single season in Valley history. The Eagles went 11-1 that year after advancing to the state semifinals with a 12-2 mark in 1990, a season during which Detmer threw for 3,685 yards. Detmer ended his career as the Valley’s all-time leader with 8,221 passing yards and ranks second with 82 passing touchdowns.

Following four years at the University of Colorado, Detmer spent nine seasons as a backup with the Philadelphia Eagles. For his career, he competed 184 of 354 pass attempts for 1,944 yards and 10 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. After taking a year or two away from the game working in personal training, Detmer found he had the itch to get back into coaching.

“What you miss is the gameday and all of that,” Detmer said. “Building the team, and the sense of being on the team, and the competition. I knew then that I needed to get into coaching and be somewhere I can work with kids and get a chance to go compete.”

Detmer started as a lower-level assistant at Somerset before most recently serving as the offensive coordinator under his father, Sonny, who has been coaching high school football for 31 years.

As time went on, Koy said he got used to developing his coaching style and relating to different types of kids.

“It’s definitely a little different being a coach versus a player,” Detmer said. “You have to learn to transition. Now you’re on the other side, delivering a message.”

The Bulldogs advanced to the playoffs in each of Koy’s six seasons, posting an overall record of 48-20. In 2015, Somerset was an undefeated 7-0 in District 29-5A despite boasting the district’s smallest enrollment and dropping to Class 4A during Monday’s realignment.

“He’s a terrific coach, and he has a really good football mind,” Sonny said. “It should be a lot of fun for him having a team. The job itself is better, because when you’re an assistant coach you have the classes and all of that stuff you have to take care of. He’ll be pretty much a football coach. So I think it’s a really nice deal for him. He’s excited.”

Sonny said Koy had almost complete control of the offense at Somerset, running the same pro style, two-back set Koy played in when Sonny was coaching him at Mission High. Koy said he planned to take that system with him to Mission, plus a few tweaks to keep up with the times.

When the Bulldogs found out they would be without their starting quarterback just before the first game of this season, Koy switched the offense from a pass-happy unit to a run-first bunch, proving he could adjust on the fly by sliding linemen into different positions. More often than not, Koy was the one calling the offensive meetings at Somerset.

“He really got some great experience doing that, because he ran the show,” Sonny said. “He really did. He was really good at what he does. I just got out of his way. … I think that’s really prepared him.”

At Mission High, Detmer replaces Mario Peña, who announced his retirement in December after 37 years of coaching. The Eagles finished 4-6 in 2015, missing the playoffs with a 2-4 record in District 30-6A.

Detmer was selected from a list of 33 applicants, including 12 with previous head coaching experience.

“We felt like Mission High needed a little boost to get it going again,” Mission CISD athletic director Joe Sanchez said. “The way Koy came across in interviews and just the name Detmer, the past history that he’s had here, and that the Detmers have when he graduated from high school here in Mission, that was something that I think is going to bring excitement in the community”

Koy’s brother, Ty, also played in the NFL after winning the Heisman Trophy at BYU as a junior in 1990. He threw for 5,188 yards and 41 touchdowns that season, setting 42 NCAA records in the process. Sonny coached at Mission High from 1989-97, posting a record of 68-31.

Koy said he plans to get started at Mission on Monday, with his wife and four children still living at home — a fifth is in college — to follow him to the Valley as soon as possible.

VALLEY-BOYS SOCCER SCORES
Friday’s Games
Tournaments
Progreso Tournament
Non-District
Laredo United 6, PSJA North 1
Edinburg North 3, Hidalgo 2, PKs
District 30-6A
La Joya High 3, McAllen Memorial 2
McAllen High 6, Mission High 0
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 9, McAllen Rowe 0
District 32-6A
Brownsville Hanna 3, Harlingen High 0
Brownsville Lopez 2, Harlingen South 1
Los Fresnos 2, San Benito 1
Brownsville Rivera 2, Brownsville Veterans 1, PKs
District 31-5A
Valley View 3, Sharyland Pioneer 2
Roma 2, Rio Grande City 1
Sharyland High 2, Edinburg Vela 0
District 32-5A
PSJA Southwest 3, PSJA High 2
Brownsville Porter 3, Edcouch-Elsa 0
Brownsville Pace 3, Donna High 2
Donna North 4, Mercedes 0

Saturday’s Games
Tournaments
Progreso Tournament

VALLEY-BOYS SOCCER BOX SCORES
Friday’s Games
District 30-6A
LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN 9, McALLEN ROWE 0
McAllen Rowe 0 0 — 0
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 4 5 — 9
LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN (9): Leonardo Pruneda 2, Manuel Castrejon 2, Angel Garcia, Gerardo Reyes, Juan Hernandez, Elias Adame
RECORDS: La Joya Juarez-Lincoln (1-0); McAllen Rowe (0-1)

McALLEN HIGH 6, MISSION HIGH 0
Mission High 0 0 — 0
McAllen High 2 4 — 6
McALLEN HIGH (6): Oscar Davila 2, Humberto Silva 2, Elias Garcia, Oscar Huerta.
NOTE: McHi GK Edrei Barbosa 3 saves, 1 PK
RECORDS: McAllen High (8-3-2, 1-0)

District 31-5A
VALLEY VIEW 3, SHARYLAND PIONEER 2
Sharyland Pioneer 1 1 — 2
Valley View 1 2 — 3
VALLEY VIEW (3): Ivan Rodriguez, Roberto Serna, Avinadan Garcia
SHARYLAND PIONEER (2): Not reported
RECORDS: Valley View (1-0), Sharyland Pioneer (0-1)

District 32-5A
PSJA SOUTHWEST 3, PSJA HIGH 2
PSJA Southwest 3 0 — 3
PSJA High 0 2 — 2
PSJA SOUTHWEST (3): Jesus Acosta, Francisco Montoya, Miguel Vasquez
RECORDS: PSJA Southwest (9-4, 2-0)

VALLEY-GIRLS SOCCER SCHEDULE
Friday’s Games
Non-District
Edinburg High 4, La Feria 0
Weslaco High 6, Port Isabel 0
District 30-6A
McAllen Memorial 4, La Joya High 0
McAllen High 2, Mission High 1, PKs
McAllen Rowe 1, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 0
District 32-6A
Brownsville Hanna 2, Harlingen High 0
Brownsville Lopez 1, Harlingen South 0, PKs
Los Fresnos 4, San Benito 1
Brownsville Veterans Memorial at Brownsville Rivera, not reported
District 31-5A
Sharyland High 5, Edinburg Vela 1
Sharyland Pioneer 4, Valley View 0
Roma 6, Rio Grande City 0
District 32-5A
PSJA Southwest 8, PSJA High 2
Donna North 4, Mercedes 1
Brownsville Porter 3, Edcouch-Elsa 0
Brownsville Pace 3, Donna High 1

Saturday’s Game
Non-District
Donna IDEA at IDEA Frontier, 9 a.m.

VALLEY-GIRLS SOCCER BOX SCORES
Friday’s Games
Non-district
EDINBURG HIGIH 4, LA FERIA 0
Edinburg High 0 4 — 4
La Feria 0 0 — 0
EDINBURG HIGH (4): Yessi Molina 2, Itzel Flores 1, Jessica Sierra 1

District 30-6A
McALLEN MEMORIAL 4, LA JOYA HIGH 0
La Joya High 0 0 — 0
McAllen Memorial 3 1 — 4
McALLEN MEMORIAL (4): Daisy Robles 2, Cameron Alaniz, Natalie Young
RECORDS: McAllen Memorial (1-0); La Joya High (0-1)

McALLEN HIGH 2, MISSION HIGH 1, PKs
Mission High 1 0 — 1
McAllen High 1 0 — 2
McALLEN HIGH (1): Serena Cervantes
RECORDS: McAllen High (1-0); Mission High (0-1)

McALLEN ROWE 1, LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN 0
McAllen Rowe 1 0 — 1
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 0 0 — 0
McALLEN ROWE (1): Ashley Carlos
RECORDS: McAllen Rowe (1-0); La Joya Juarez-Lincoln (0-1)

District 31-5A
SHARYLAND HIGH 5, EDINBURG VELA 1
Sharyland High 3 2 — 5
Edinburg Vela 1 0 — 1
SHARYLAND HIGH (5): Isabella Marinaro 2, Marifer Farias 2, Kaitie Watson
RECORDS: Sharyland High (1-0); Edinburg Vela (0-1)

SHARYLAND PIONEER 4, VALLEY VIEW 0
Sharyland Pioneer 2 2 — 4
Valley View 0 0 — 0
SHARYLAND PIONEER (4): Andrea Reyes 3, Nikki Cuellar
RECORDS: Sharyland Pioneer (1-0); Valley View (0-1)

District 32-5A
DONNA NORTH 4, MERCEDES 1
Donna North 2 2 — 4
Mercedes 0 1 — 1
DONNA NORTH (4): Elizabeth Reyes 2, Ariel Perez, Yamile Gonzalez
RECORDS: Donna North (2-0)

GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

McAllen Rowe’s girls scored six goals in a shutout win against Brownsville Rivera on Friday, and five of them came from freshmen. Ashley Carlos had three while Emily Morin and Celeste Narbaez each had one for a Rowe team that starts five freshmen this season.

With Carlos at forward, Morin, Narbaez and Jewel Palomo in the midfield and Melida Flores on the back line, the freshman group has helped paved the way for Rowe to start 9-4-1 in non-district play.

“It took some time for them to get adjusted to the speed of the game, but it looks like they’re coming into form,” Rowe coach John Martinez said.

Martinez describes Carlos as a stocky, sneaky player who finds unconventional ways to score. He highlighted the play of Morin, a tall distributor on the right wing who has started to look for her scoring more as the season has progressed.

“She looks years above her skill level,” Martinez said. “She’s fast, conditioned, and she puts those crosses in the box. She’s had a few goals already this year. She stands out on the field.”

The Lady Warriors also have a veteran presence on the roster, including five seniors. All-district first-team player Nyssa Davila anchors the defense, along with fellow first-team pick Amaris Lopez in the midfield.

Victoria Castro returns at forward after earning all-district offensive player of the year last season. Martinez said Castro has missed about eight games in 2015 with a hamstring injury — one of as many as six starters Rowe was without during non-district play — but that she’s back at full strength.

“She’s a baller,” Martinez said. “She’s a threat. She’s the fastest one on the field. Great ball control, and she just has a knack for scoring goals.”

REBOUND YEAR

With a tournament title at the Gulf Coast Classic and a strong non-district slate already on his team’s resume, Weslaco East coach David Castro believes he has a group that can snap a two-year playoff drought.

The Wildcats finished last season just 3-9 — good for last place in District 31-6A.

“These kids have dedicated themselves to bring this program up to par,” Castro said. “They’re tired of not making the playoffs, and they want to do something special.”

Losing just one senior starter from last year, Castro boasts an experienced, cohesive group. Castro said the team will remain focused on defense first and hopefully find opportunities to counter attack off of that.

“We don’t have that superstar,” Castro said. “Every individual is a small little star that all together, we’re going to shine, and we’re going to shine bright.”

Senior captain Angel Alejos, a four-year varsity player in the center midfield, was named the MVP at the Gulf Coast Classic.

Castro said the ball will flow to Alejos on almost every Wildcats attack.

“His confidence is up this year,” Castro said. “He knows what’s expected, and I think his confidence is high. He’s always been the one kid that there’s always somebody above him, but now he’s the one, and he knows it.”

DISTRICT OPENER

Districts 32-6A and 32-5A for boys and girls started district play Tuesday, and the rest of the Valley will follow suit over the next week. Districts 30-6A and 31-5A get underway Friday, while District 31-6A opens Tuesday.

[email protected]

Boys Top 10
1. Brownsville Porter
2. Valley View
3. Sharyland High
4. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln
5. Brownsville Hanna
6. Brownsville Lopez
7. Sharyland Pioneer
8. Weslaco East
9. McAllen High
10. McAllen Memorial

Girls Top 10
1. Sharyland High
2. Sharyland Pioneer
3. Brownsville Lopez
4. Los Fresnos
5. Browsville Hanna
6. McAllen Memorial
7. Harlingen South
8. Edinburg Economedes
9. PSJA Southwest
10. McAllen High

VALLEY—BOYS SOCCER SCHEDULE

Tuesday, Jan. 26

Non-district

Weslaco East 1, McAllen High 1

Hidalgo 3, Weslaco High 2, PKs

Brownsville St. Joseph 7, Brownsville IDEA Frontier 1

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 5, Edinburg High 0

Sharyland Pioneer 2, McAllen Memorial 1

Mission High 2, Laredo Alexander 0

La Feria at Grulla, not reported

Edinburg Economedes at Roma, not reported

District 32-6A

Brownsville Hanna 3, San Benito 1

Brownsville Rivera 1, Harlingen High 0

Brownsville Lopez 2, Los Fresnos 0

Brownsville Veterans 2, Harlingen South 1, PKs

District 32-5A

PSJA Southwest 2, Donna High 0

Edcouch-Elsa 5, PSJA High 2

Brownsville Pace 2, Mercedes 0

Brownsville Porter 5, Donna North 0

Wednesday, Jan. 27

TAPPS

St. Joseph at Laredo St. Augustine, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 28

Tournaments

Progreso Tournament

Friday, Jan. 29

Tournaments

Progreso Tournament

Non-District

PSJA North at Laredo United, 6 p.m.

Hidalgo at Edinburg North, 7 p.m.

District 30-6A

La Joya High at McAllen Memorial, 7:30 p.m.

Mission High at McAllen High, 8 p.m.

McAllen Rowe at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 8 p.m.

District 32-6A

Brownsville Veterans Memorial at Rivera, 7:30 p.m.

Harlingen High at Hanna, 7:30 p.m.

Lopez at Harlingen South, 7:30 p.m.

San Benito at Los Fresnos, 7:30 p.m.

District 31-5A

Sharyland Pioneer at Valley View, 8 p.m.

Sharyland High at Edinburg Vela, 8 p.m.

Roma at Rio Grande City, 8 p.m.

District 32-5A

PSJA Southwest at PSJA High, 7:30 p.m.

Brownsville Pace at Donna High, 7:30 p.m.

Edcouch-Elsa at Brownsville Porter, 7:30 p.m.

Donna North vs. Mercedes, 7:30 p.m., site TBA

Saturday, Jan. 30

Tournaments

Progreso Tournament

VALLEY—GIRLS SOCCER SCHEDULE

Tuesday, Jan. 26

Non-District

Roma 7, Grulla 0

Valley View 1, Weslaco High 1

Rio Grande City 6, Laredo Alexander 0

Edinburg High 1, La Joya Palmview 0

Edinburg North 2, Edinburg Vela 1

Raymondville at Kingsville Pan Am, not reported

Weslaco East at La Feria, not reported

District 32-6A

Brownsville Lopez 3, Los Fresnos 0

Harlingen South 1, Brownsville Veterans 0, OT

Harlingen High 2, Brownsville Rivera 1

Brownsville Hanna 2, San Benito 1

District 32-5A

PSJA Southwest 5, Donna High 0

Donna North 1, Brownsville Porter 0

Brownsville Pace 7, Mercedes 0

Edcouch-Elsa 6, PSJA High 0

Friday, Jan. 29

Non-District

Edinburg High at La Feria, 6 p.m.

Port Isabel at Weslaco High, 6:30 p.m.

District 30-6A

La Joya High at McAllen Memorial, 6 p.m.

Mission High at McAllen High, 6 p.m.

McAllen Rowe at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 6 p.m.

District 32-6A

Brownsville Veterans Memorial at Rivera, 5:30 p.m.

Harlingen High at Brownsville Hanna, 5:30 p.m.

Brownsville Lopez at Harlingen South, 5:30 p.m.

San Benito at Los Fresnos, 5:30 p.m.

District 31-5A

Sharyland High at Edinburg Vela, 6 p.m.

Sharyland Pioneer at Valley View, 6 p.m.

Roma at Rio Grande City, 6 p.m.

District 32-5A

PSJA Southwest at PSJA High, 6 p.m.

Donna North at Mercedes, 6 p.m.

Brownsville Pace at Donna High, 6 p.m.

Edcouch-Elsa at Brownsville Porter, 6 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 30

Non-District

Donna IDEA at IDEA Frontier, 9 a.m.

VALLEY—GIRLS SOCCER BOX SCORES

Non-District

EDINBURG HIGH 1, LA JOYA PALMVIEW 0

La Joya Palmview 0 0 — 0

Edinburg High 1 0 — 1

EDINBURG HIGH (1): Yessi Molina

RECORDS: Edinburg High 7-7-1

VALLEY VIEW 1, WESLACO HIGH 1

Valley View 0 1 — 1

Weslaco High 1 0 — 1

VALLEY VIEW (1): Not reported

WESLACO HIGH (1): Margarita Treviño

DONNA NORTH 1, BROWNSVILLE PORTER 0

Brownsville Porter 0 0 — 0

Donna North 0 1 — 1

DONNA NORTH (1): Elizabeth Reyes

RECORDS: Donna North (1-0); Brownsville Porter (0-1)

VALLEY-BOYS SOCCER SCHEDULE

Thursday, Jan. 21

Tournaments

Laredo Tournament

Non-District

IDEA Frontier at Marine Military Academy, not reported

Friday, Jan. 22

Tournaments

Laredo Tournament

Non-District

Brownsville Lopez 4, McAllen Memorial 3

Weslaco East 1, Harlingen South 0, PKs

PSJA Southwest 6, Hidalgo 1

Sharyland High 5, La Joya High 0

Brownsville Pace 2, McAllen High 2

La Joya Palmview 4, Edinburg Vela 0

Edinburg High 3, Mission Veterans 0

Valley View 2, Donna North 1

Port Isabel at Grulla, not reported

La Feria at Kingsville, not reported

PSJA Memorial at Rio Grande City, not reported

Saturday, Jan. 23

Tournaments

Laredo Tournament

TAPPS

St. Joseph at San Antonio St. Anthony’s, 3 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 25

Non-District

IDEA Frontier at St. Joseph, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 26

Non-district

McAllen Memorial at Sharyland Pioneer, 5:30 p.m.

Laredo Alexander at Mission High, 6 p.m.

McAllen High at Weslaco East, 6 p.m.

Edinburg Economedes at Roma, 6:30 p.m.

Edinburg High at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 7:30 p.m.

Weslaco High at Hidalgo, 7:30 p.m.

La Feria at Grulla, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-6A

Los Fresnos at Lopez, 7:30 p.m.

Harlingen South at Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 7:30 p.m.

Hanna at San Benito, 7:30 p.m.

Rivera at Harlingen High, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-5A

Donna High at PSJA Southwest, 7:30 p.m.

PSJA High at Edcouch-Elsa, 7:30 p.m.

Mercedes at Pace, 7:30 p.m.

Porter at Donna North, 7:30 p.m.

VALLEY-BOYS SOCCER BOX SCORES

Friday’s Games

Non-district

BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ 4,

McALLEN MEMORIAL 3

McAllen Memorial 1 2 — 3

Brownsville Lopez 3 1 — 4

McALLEN MEMORIAL (3): Luis Cardenas 2, Leo Saavedra

PSJA SOUTHWEST 6, HIDALGO 1

HIDALGO 0 1 — 1

PSJA SOUTHWEST 3 3 — 6

PSJA SOUTHWEST (6): Robert Coluoa 3, Miguel Vasquez, Jesus Acosta, Daniel Salinas

RECORDS: PSJA Southwest 11-4

VALLEY-GIRLS SOCCER SCHEDULE

Friday, Jan. 22

Tournaments

McAllen High Round Robin

Progreso Tournament

Non-district

McAllen Rowe 6, Brownsville Rivera 0

San Benito 6, PSJA North 2

Brownsville Pace 4, Rio Grande City 0

Donna North 4, La Feria 0

Edinburg Economedes 3, Edinburg Vela 0

Weslaco High 2, Mercedes 1

Mission Veterans 3, Hidalgo 0

Edinburg North 3, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 0

La Joya Palmview at Brownsville Hanna, canceled

Saturday, Jan. 23

Tournaments

McAllen High Round Robin

Non-District

McAllen Memorial at Laredo Alexander, 2 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 25

Non-District

Edinburg IDEA Quest at IDEA Frontier, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 26

Non-District

Grulla at Roma, 5:30 p.m.

Valley View at Weslaco High, 6 p.m.

Edinburg North vs. Edinburg Vela at Cats Stadium, 6 p.m.

Rio Grande City at Laredo Alexander, 6:30 p.m.

Raymondville at Kingsville Pan Am, 6:30 p.m.

Weslaco East at La Feria, 7 p.m.

La Joya Palmview at Edinburg High, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-6A

Los Fresnos at Lopez, 5:30 p.m.

Harlingen South at Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 5:30 p.m.

Hanna at San Benito, 5:30 p.m.

Rivera at Harlingen High, 5:30 p.m.

District 32-5A

Donna High at PSJA Southwest, 6 p.m.

PSJA High at Edcouch-Elsa, 6 p.m.

Brownsville Porter at Donna North, 6 p.m.

Mercedes at Brownsville Pace, 6 p.m.

VALLEY-GIRLS SOCCER TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

McHi Girls Soccer Round Robin Tournament

Friday, Jan. 22

Harlingen High 4, McAllen High 3

Laredo United South 3, Laredo United 0

Harlingen High 1, Laredo United 0

McAllen High 2, Laredo United South 2

Saturday, Jan. 23

Laredo United South vs. Harlingen High, noon

McAllen High vs. Laredo United, 2 p.m.

VALLEY-GIRLS SOCCER BOX SCORES

Friday’s Games

Non-district

McALLEN ROWE 6, BROWNSVILLE RIVERA 0

Brownsville Rivera 0 0 — 0

McAllen Rowe 2 4 — 6

McALLEN ROWE (6): Ashley Carlos 3, Emily Morin, Celeste Narbaez, Victoria Castro

HARLINGEN HIGH 4, McALLEN HIGH 3

Harlingen High # # — 4

McAllen High # # — 3

McALLEN HIGH (3): Serena Cervantes 3

McALLEN HIGH 2, LAREDO UNITED SOUTH 2

Laredo United South # # — 2

McAllen High # # — 2

McALLEN HIGH (2): Serena Certantes, Gaby Gonzalez

GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

With two of McAllen High’s top attacking options out of the picture, senior midfielder Brandon Rangel is under more pressure than ever.

Adrian Rodriguez, District 30-6A’s leading scorer in 2015, left the program to join a select club in Houston. One of his replacements, Miguel Lopez, may have suffered a season-ending ACL tear last weekend. That leaves the Bulldogs looking for scoring threats.

“The main weight falls on my captain, Brandon Rangel,” coach Fernando Segovia said. “He’s being more vocal. He’s taking on more of a leadership role. He’s done very well.”

Rangel netted 10 district goals in 2014 and produced another 11 last year despite missing almost all of the non-district season with a hamstring injury.

Segovia said Rangel returns this year in much better shape, putting more effort and emphasis on his time with the cross country team during the fall.
“Everyone looks up to him,” Segovia said. “Everyone understands he’s the captain, and in soccer the No. 10 is the one who directs the midfield. We were missing that last year at the beginning.”

McHi advanced to the Navy Bracket Championship at the Brownsville Tournament before taking down Edinburg Vela 4-1 on Tuesday. Segovia gave much of the credit to his senior midfield, which he called the team’s strongest point. Rangel is flanked by Jose Gil and Beto Silva.

“As seniors, they finally took leadership,” Segovia said. “They understand that whatever success we have has to go through them.”

GIRL IN THE MIDDLE

Lizeth Cantu came to PSJA Southwest four years ago as a striker, but coach Juan Rodriguez knew she’d be a better fit in the middle. Yes, Cantu moved like a forward, but she had the mentality of a player fit to run the offense and wear No. 10.

“It’s like every person that you move away from the goal — she questions it a little bit,” Rodriguez said. “But once she saw it and understood it, she said, ‘Yeah, this is where I belong. Now, she identifies herself as a good midfielder.”

Four years after the shift, Cantu is still a varsity fixture at the center of the Lady Javelinas formation and the team’s primary leader on the field. She is Southwest’s best distributor, an occasional scorer, and the player most often called upon to take free kicks and direct the attack.

“She’s developed big time,” Rodriguez said. “Her understanding of the game, the passing, and the movement of the game.”

Rodriguez has seen the entire team develop and take on his mentality in his four years at the helm of a new program at PSJA Southwest. Cantu is the only four-year varsity player, but the others have been in the system long enough to understand and meet Rodriguez’s expectations.

Those strengths were key last weekend, when PSJA Southwest advanced to the Silver Bracket final of the Gulf Coast Classic before losing to Corpus Christi Carroll.

“We can be on the field with any team and give them a good game,” Rodriguez said.

STRONG IN THE BACK

Behind the strong play of sweeper Maritzela Guzman and stopper Carolina Pardo, Edinburg Economedes has established itself as a strong defensive team.

The Lady Jaguars didn’t surrender a goal during their final five games at last weekend’s Brownsville Tournament, winning the Silver Division Championship.

After playing right defender last year, Guzman has slid into the sweeper role to better utilize her speed. Pardo is a returning starter at stopper.

“What we’re looking forward to right now is that the girls are getting better,” coach Robert Garcia said. “As a matter of fact, from where we’ve started until now, I’ve seen an improvement already.”

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Boys Top 10

VALLEY-BOYS SOCCER SCHEDULE

Monday, Jan. 18

Non-District

Santa Rosa at IDEA Frontier, not reported

Tuesday, Jan. 19

Non-District

McAllen Memorial 1, Edinburg North 1

Rio Grande City 3, Mercedes 3

Edcouch-Elsa 2, Progreso 2

Valley View 3, Weslaco East 1

Mission Veterans 2, Hidalgo 2

Brownsville Veterans 1, Sharyland High 1

La Joya High 3, Donna High 1

PSJA North 1, La Joya Palmview 1

McAllen High 4, Edinburg Vela 1

Sharyland Pioneer at Edinburg Economedes, not reported

San Benito at Port Isabel, not reported

Grulla at Weslaco High, not reported

San Benito at McAllen Rowe at McAllen ISD Stadium, not reported

Port Isabel at Monte Alto, not reported

Roma vs. PSJA Memorial at Alamo Middle School, not reported

Thursday, Jan. 21

Tournaments

Laredo Tournament

Non-District

IDEA Frontier at Marine Military Academy, 6 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 22

Tournaments

Laredo Tournament

Non-District

McAllen Memorial at Brownsville Lopez, 6 p.m.

Harlingen South at Weslaco East, 6 p.m.

San Benito at Edinburg North, 6 p.m.

Port Isabel at Grulla, 6 p.m.

La Feria at Kingsville, 6 p.m.

PSJA Memorial at Rio Grande City, 7 p.m.

Hidalgo at PSJA Southwest, 7 p.m.

Donna North at Valley View, 7 p.m.

Sharyland High at La Joya High, 7 p.m.

McAllen High at Brownsville Pace, 7:30 p.m.

La Joya Palmview at Edinburg Vela, 7:30 p.m.

Mission Veterans at Edinburg High, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 23

Tournaments

Laredo Tournament

TAPPS

St. Joseph at San Antonio St. Anthony’s, 3 p.m.

VALLEY-BOYS SOCCER BOX SCORES

Tuesday’s Games

Non-District

LA JOYA HIGH 3, DONNA HIGH 1

Donna High # # — 1

La Joya High # # — 3

LA JOYA (3): Luis Alvarado, Adrian Cortina, Noe Mata

DONNA (1): Not reported

McALLEN MEMORIAL 1, EDINBURG NORTH 1

McAllen Memorial 0 1 — 1

Edinburg North 1 0 — 1

McALLEN MEMORIAL (1): Armando Perez

EDINBURG NORTH (1): Not reported

McALLEN HIGH 4, EDINBURG VELA 1

Edinburg Vela 0 1 — 1

McAllen High 2 2 — 4

EDINBURG VELA (1): not reported

McALLEN HIGH (4): Oscar Davila, Oscar Huerta, Beto Silva, Victor Aramberri

MISSION VETERANS 2, HIDALGO 2

Mission Veterans 0 2 — 2

Hidalgo 2 0 — 2

MISSION VETERANS (2): Heriberto Ochoa 2

HIDALGO (2): Fernando Ramirez, Alek Macias

VALLEY-GIRLS SOCCER SCHEDULE

Monday, Jan. 18

Non-District

Edinburg Vela 2, PSJA North 1

Mission Veterans 0, La Joya Palmview 0

Santa Rosa at IDEA Frontier, not reported

Weslaco East at Mercedes, not reported

Tuesday, Jan. 19

Non-District

Roma 1, Grulla 0

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 2, Brownsville Veterans 1

Raymondville at Lyford, not reported

La Feria at Mission High, not reported

McAllen Rowe 2, Laredo Alexander 0

Rio Hondo at La Joya High, not reported

Hidalgo at Harlingen South, not reported

Brownsville Hanna 1, McAllen Memorial 0

Edcouch-Elsa 2, Weslaco High 1

Edinburg High 1, PSJA High 1

Edinburg Economedes 3, San Benito 1

Sharyland High 4, Donna North 1

Friday, Jan. 22

Tournaments

McAllen High Round Robin

Progreso Tournament

Non-district

Brownsville Rivera at McAllen Rowe, 6 p.m.

PSJA North at San Benito, 6 p.m.

Brownsville Pace at Rio Grande City, 6 p.m.

Donna North at La Feria, 6:30 p.m.

La Joya Palmview at Brownsville Hanna, 6:30 p.m.

Edinburg Vela at Edinburg Economedes, 7 p.m.

Weslaco High at Mercedes, 7 p.m.

Mission Veterans at Hidalgo, 7:30 p.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at Edinburg North, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 23

Tournaments

McAllen High Round Robin

Non-District

McAllen Memorial at Laredo Alexander, 2 p.m.

VALLEY-GIRLS SOCCER BOX SCORES

Tuesday’s Games

Non-district

McALLEN ROWE 2, LAREDO ALEXANDER 0

McAllen Rowe 1 1 — 2

Laredo Alexander 0 0 — 0

McALLEN ROWE (2): Veronica Doughtery, Emily Morin

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 3, SAN BENITO 1

Edinburg Economedes 2 1 — 3

San Benito 1 0 — 1

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES (3): Krysta Armstrong 2, Priscilla Vela

SAN BENITO (1): Not reported

LA JOYA HIGH 6, RIO HONDO 0

Rio Hondo 0 0 — 0

La Joya High 2 4 — 6

LA JOYA HIGH (6): Valeria Salinas 2, Alondra Palomares 2, Kayla Aguilar, Lidia Medina

SHARYLAND HIGH 4, DONNA NORTH 1

Sharyland High 2 2 — 4

Donna North 1 0 — 1

SHARYLAND HIGH (4): Kaitie Watson, Nallely Garza, Alyssa Ochoa, Marcela Jarvis

DONNA NORTH (1): Not reported

GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

McAllen Memorial boys soccer hasn’t had a winning season since 2004, but a run to the semifinals of the Mission Tournament has coach Eduardo Calderon even more confident this could be the year the team breaks that streak.

The Mustangs went an undefeated 6-0 in group play, knocking off RGVSports.com’s No. 7 team Brownsville Lopez along the way. Memorial got by Laredo United in PKs in the quarterfinals before falling 3-1 to Sharyland High in the semis.

“That’s the main focus: to turn it around this year,” Calderon said. “Out of 42 teams, we were one of the last four standing. Now they believe it, they know they can do it, and hopefully we will do it this year.

In his third year at the helm of the Mustangs, Calderon brings back an experienced group with 10 returning starters, including five seniors. The communication between the players is stronger than he’s ever seen it, a product of not just three high school seasons together but also an increased emphasis on playing together in summer leagues.

“The main thing is they know the system,” Calderon said. “They’ve been with me three years. I haven’t done anything really new, but they got bigger, and they got faster.”

The Mustangs are led by three seniors captains: Ricky Hernandez, Julian Espinosa and Armando Perez.

Perez is the team’s leading scorer, a player Calderon said has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Espinoza is the standout on the defensive side and represents an imposing presence in the middle at 6 feet tall.

“Honestly, I think he’s one of the best defenders in the Valley,” Calderon said. “His standouts are his strength, his ability to win balls in the air, and his ability to time the ball. It’s really hard to beat him one on one.”

EARLY RESULTS

With nine returning starters from a team that advanced to the regional semifinals last year, Sharyland Pioneer coach J.J. Lopez has a group that is mostly already jelled together.

The familiarity is paying early dividends for the Lady Diamondbacks, who last weekend won the Border Olympics tournament in Laredo.

“Usually at the beginning of the season, you struggle trying to get different lineups,” Lopez said. “It just seems right now we’re at a good point where we can bring some people off the bench, and they’re able to contribute. We’re really working good as a group.”

Lopez said the “usual suspects” have been standing out early. Among the strong core of returners are Julie Alanis, Taylor Marquez, Stephanie Barrientos and Andrea Reyes, who scored nine goals during the tournament.

“It just seems that she’s understanding the system a lot better,” Lopez said. “She’s a go-getter up in the front as a striker, and she’s making a lot of things happen for us.”

The returners have been key to integrating Pioneer’s newcomers, a group highlighted by freshman Olivia Vasquez.

Lopez said the Lady Diamondbacks have been unselfish and have expanded their attacking styles compared to last season.

“We’re certainly going to add more,” Lopez said. “Last year, we had a very young group, and it was one of those things where if we handed them too much, too soon, it would just confuse them.”

McHI MILESTONE

The McAllen High girls team is in search of a major milestone this week, heading to the Brownsville Tournament just one win shy of 400 in the program’s history.

Coach Pat Arney, who has coached the team since its inception in 1997, believes McHi will be the first in the Valley to reach 400.

“It’s a great milestone,” Arney said. “I really don’t know if anybody else has done it, so it’s kind of a first for us. It’s a pretty cool thing.”

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VALLEY-BOYS SOCCER SCORES

Monday, Jan. 11

Non-district

La Joya High 5, Mission Veterans 0

Sharyland Pioneer 4, PSJA North 0

Tuesday, Jan. 12

Non-district

Edinburg Vela 2, PSJA Memorial 2

Sharyland High 7, Los Fresnos 3

La Joya Palmview 1, Hidalgo 0

Weslaco High at Rio Grande City, not reported

Thursday, Jan. 14

Tournaments

Brownsville Tournament

Corpus Christi Tournament

Brenham Select Cup

Akins Tournament

Select Cup

Gulf Coast Tournament

Friday, Jan. 15

Non-District

McAllen Memorial at Weslaco High, 8 p.m.

VALLEY-GIRLS SOCCER SCORES

Monday, Jan. 11

Non-District

Brownsville Lopez 2, PSJA North 0

PSJA Southwest 2, Valley View 0

Tuesday, Jan. 12

Non-District

Sharyland High 2, McAllen Memorial 0

Donna High 1, Hidalgo 0

San Benito 3, Weslaco High 2

Edinburg Economedes 4, Donna North 0

McAllen Rowe 3, PSJA Memorial 1

Mission Veterans 2, Mission High 0

Laredo United South 6, Roma 0

Harlingen High at Edinburg North, canceled

Thursday, Jan. 14

Tournaments

Brownsville Tournament

Corpus Christi Tournament

Edcouch-Elsa Invitational

I-10 Shootout Tournament

Non-District

Valley View at Brownsville Pace, TBA

Friday, Jan. 15

Tournaments

Brownsville Tournament

VALLEY-GIRLS SOCCER BOX SCORES

Tuesday’s Games

Non-district

MISSION VETERANS 2, MISSION HIGH 0

Mission Veterans 0 2 — 2

Mission High 0 0 — 0

MISSION VETERANS (2): Roxy Garcia 2

McALLEN MEMORIAL 3, PSJA MEMORIAL 1

McAllen Rowe 2 1 — 3

PSJA Memorial 0 1 — 1

McALLEN ROWE (3): Ashley Carlos, Veronia Dougherty, Nyssa Davila

PSJA MEMORIAL (1): Not reported