BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

LA JOYA — After a night of grinding out tough yardage carry after carry, Roma’s Ramon Espinoza finally found the open field on his final rush.

The Gladiators had already put the game away, but the Valley’s second-leading rusher entering Week 4 was desperate to crack 1,000 yards for the season. Taking the handoff from his own 1-yard line, Espinoza burst into the secondary for a 61-yard gain.

“It was amazing,” Espinoza said. “I’ve been wanting to gain more yards for my personal goal, so it felt good. Hopefully I accomplished what I wanted to.”

Little did he know, he had gotten there long before his scamper as time expired. Largely behind Espinoza’s 38 carries for 260 yards and three touchdowns, Roma dominated time of possession, suffocating La Joya Palmview en route to a 44-27 win Friday at La Joya ISD Stadium.

On the season, Espinoza has 1,069 yards and 14 touchdowns.

“We had to do some different things, but eventually it opened up for him,” Roma coach Max Habecker Jr. said. “As you can see there at the end, the kid has great endurance, and he runs for four quarters.”

Even at 5-foot-6 and 150 pounds, Espinoza has proved himself a reliable workhorse for the Gladiators. After rushing 40 times for 343 yards and four touchdowns last week against Uvalde, Espinoza said all he needed was a week of ice baths to start feeling fresh again.

It showed on Friday, as Espinoza repeatedly slogged his way for first downs, pounding into the line again and again.

“I’m tired,” Espinoza said. “Forty carries is a lot. But I can’t stop. I keep on going.”

That persistence was Roma’s mantra against Palmview. The Gladiators ran 64 offensive plays for 430 yards and picked up 20 first downs. The Lobos, meanwhile, ran just 37 plays for 264 yards and a measly six first downs.

“That was the plan coming in,” Habecker said. “We knew they had a very explosive offense, and we needed to keep them off the field.”

Roma also had some uncharacteristic success through the air, as quarterback Andy Marroquin completed 6 of 10 passes for 95 yards and a score. He also ran 12 times for 50 yards and a touchdown.

Elias Martinez was the standout among receivers with six catches for 75 yards and the touchdown. Martinez, Damian Villarreal and Rene Ramirez all consistently put Palmview’s defensive backs on the ground to spring big runs.

“We got it going with the receivers and passing a lot more,” Marroquin said. “I’ve been waiting for that for five games. I feel we can do a lot more with the passing.”

Palmview coach Margarito Requenez said the loss came down to miscues. Joel Piña ran for 133 yards and two touchdowns, and receiver Damian Quintanilla had four catches for 117 yards and two scores. But the Lobos fumbled the ball six times and lost three of them.

“We killed ourselves,” Requenez said. “They’re nobody special. We killed ourselves by turning over the ball.”

Roma has certainly looked special through four games, moving to 4-0 for the first time in program history. The Gladiators open District 31-5A play next week against Rio Grande City.

“It’s awesome to have that momentum,” Habecker said. “But we know that now is when it all comes together and when it counts the most.”

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GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — Before Trevor Speights had been through his first practice at McAllen Memorial, he told coach Bill Littleton he would someday break all of Bradley Stephens’ rushing records.

Four years later, Speights finally toppled the loftiest of those marks: the Valley’s all-time career rushing record.

Speights ran for 336 yards on Thursday to push his career total to 7,856 — more than any other player in the history of Valley high school football. The record-setting carry was a 59-yard touchdown with 7:45 remaining in the third quarter of McAllen Memorial’s 55-20 win against Edinburg North at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

“I feel extremely blessed,” Speights said. “This whole offseason I was working for this moment, so I’m glad the moment is finally here.”

Speights entered halftime with 245 yards and needed just one carry in the second half to seal the record.

After bursting through a hole on the right side of the line and cruising for the easy score, Speights jogged to the sideline and heard the news from offensive coordinator Marcus Kaufmann, who had been keeping in touch with the team’s official stats keeper. Speights knew he was closing in on the record coming into the night, but never asked for an update on his yardage total at halftime.

“I know he wanted it really bad, but he didn’t act like it after,” Kaufmann said. “He just ran, got there, and came to the sideline. When everybody came out, he started getting excited. Other than that, he was still business, just being Trevor.”

Speights shook hands with Stephens, the former record holder who ran for 7,803 yards with Memorial from 2003-06.

Stephens recalled seeing Speights and his family in the stands when he was in a Mustangs uniform and said he relished the opportunity to reverse roles on Thursday.

“It’s cool to see him now down here breaking records and having all the success that he’s having,” Stephens said. “He’s a great kid. I couldn’t think of a better person to do it.”

Speights’ mother, Alandra, and father, John, had been tracking Trevor’s total on pencil and paper in the stands before being invited down to the field.

After his handshake with Stephens, Trevor embraced his parents and younger brother Campbell as Alandra cried tears of joy.

John told Trevor congratulations and that he loved him.

“It was awesome. It was nice to see that spark in his eyes,” John said. “To me, it’s just an indication of how hard Trevor has worked over the years. Since Pop Warner football, he’s put a lot of time and dedication into getting stronger, better, faster and competing.”

Littleton and Kaufmann recalled how Trevor had his eyes on the goal from the moment he set foot on campus, and how a 73-yard touchdown on his first career carry got them to believe.

Trevor ran for 1,751 yards during his freshman season, setting the wheels in motion for what was to come. He ran for 2,267 yards as a sophomore and 2,655 as a junior, in the process breaking Stephens’ single-season school record of 2,633.

Through four games as a senior, Trevor has 1,183 yards, an average of 295.8 yards per game. If he can maintain that pace and win a playoff game, Speights could make a run at Mishak Rivas’ single-season Valley record of 3,306 yards, set with Weslaco High in 2007.

Speights also projects to finish his career as one of the most prolific rushers in Texas history, needing exactly 1,000 more yards to move into fourth place on the all-time list with 8,856. The Texas career record is 11,232 yards, set by Kenneth Hall of Sugar Land from 1950-53.

While such a lofty goal is likely beyond reach, Speights has firmly entrenched himself as one of the Valley’s all-time greats.

“He has to be considered one of the best,” Stephens said.

Added Littleton, Memorial’s coach since 2003: “No doubt about it. Since I’ve been down here, he has to be one of the greatest ones.”

Trevor, however, wasn’t ready to discuss his place in history. Standing on the field after the game with the record-setting football in his right hand — a memento likely to be put on display in his trophy room, he said — Trevor expressed pride in his accomplishment but kept an eye on the road ahead.

“I haven’t really looked into it,” Speights said. “I just want to win football games and win playoff games.”

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BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

When Stephanie Crispin stepped into PSJA North’s varsity lineup as a sophomore last season, she was too much of a sweetheart.

She had the height and the athleticism to be a dominant attacker in the front row, but her mentality was keeping her from her full potential, PSJA North coach Alicia Jaime said.

“Our goal was to make her a little bit tougher, where we want to get that anger out of her,” Jaime said. “Go out there and slam that ball. Get that power out. She was holding back a little bit on her hitting. Doing some things through the summer has helped her gain her confidence and use her power now.”

Now one of the Lady Raiders’ leaders in kills as junior, Crispin is a major reason PSJA North has playoff aspirations after falling just short last season.

Crispin spent her summer playing with a club team and has been working to build strength both in the weight room and through CrossFit exercises.

As a result, the 5-foot-11 middle has grown into a powerful and accurate hitter and blocker for the Lady Raiders.

“She just takes over the net when she’s on that front-row rotation,” Jaime said.

Setter Samantha Enriquez has also become a crucial piece for the Lady Raiders. Little more than a reserve last season, Enriquez was thrown into the starting role when North’s senior setter was lost due to grades.

Although she had never played the position and doesn’t boast ideal height, Enriquez quickly adjusted to the new role. Jaime said Enriquez is quick to the ball and has soft hands.

“Samantha has a good attitude, good character, very coachable,” Jaime said. “We started working with her on her sets, and she came through.”

STEPPING FORWARD

Weslaco East graduated nine seniors at the end of last season, so coach Corina Nava was left looking for new leaders.

She found one of them in an unexpected player: junior Rachelle Cardoza, a first-timer both at the varsity level and at the libero position.

“Rachelle is the one that stepped forward and surprised us,” Nava said. “She is always the positive vibe of the group. The loudest one on the team. The first one in practice, the last one to leave. That type of great kid that every coach looks for.”

Cardoza was an all-around player on JV but projected as a libero on varsity because of her short stature. She quickly emerged in the competition for the starting spot due to her speed, quickness and ability to read the opposing attack.

Nava said Cardoza is always asking questions in an effort to better learn how to handle each situation she might encounter. Cardoza has also excelled at analyzing and remembering the other team’s tendencies.

“When she’s off the court, you can tell,” Nava said. “You don’t have that communication. You don’t have control of the defense when she’s not back there. “

Valerie Castaneda and Olivia Espinoza have also been key for East. The team is attempting to make back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time in program history but is off to a slow start, losing its first two matches to PSJA Memorial and Edinburg North.

HOT STARTS

As district play gets underway for Class 5A and 6A teams across the Valley, some familiar faces have already started to assert themselves as favorites.

McAllen High and McAllen Memorial are both 2-0 in District 30-6A, while defending District 31-6A co-champs Edinburg North and Edinburg High are also yet to lose.

In Class 5A, Mission Veterans, Sharyland Pioneer, Donna High and Edcouch-Elsa are all 2-0. Each team finished in the top two of the 2014 district standings.

The biggest early surprise has been PSJA Memorial, which is 2-0 in District 31-6A after finishing fifth a year ago.

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RGV Volleyball Top 10

1. McAllen High
2. Mission Veterans
3. Los Fresnos
4. McAllen Memorial
5. McAllen Rowe
6. Donna High
7. Edinburg North
8. Sharyland Pioneer
9. Brownsville Hanna
10. Brownsville Veterans

BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

After beginning the season as relative unknowns, La Joya Palmview’s Joel Piña and Roma’s Ramon Espinoza have established themselves as two of the Valley’s best and most productive backs.

Entering Week 4, Piña and Espinoza are the only two rushers in the Valley with 11 touchdowns. The two will have the chance to go head to head as Roma and Palmview square off at 7:30 tonight at La Joya ISD Stadium.

“You can’t go wrong with either one,” Roma coach Max Habecker Jr. said.

Espinoza, the smaller and quicker of the two, has racked up more yardage to this point, rushing 94 times for 809 yards.

Piña, a bigger and more powerful runner, has 697 yards on 57 carries.

“They’re both spectacular backs,” Habecker said. “They’re both spectacular in their own way.”

The one major commonality Habecker noticed between the two is vision. Piña and Espinoza both excel at seeing the holes in the defense and knowing when to attack with a cutback or when to bounce the run to the outside.

Requenez echoed the sentiment.

“(Espinoza) is just like our running back in that he has real good vision,” Requenez said. “It’s all about his vision. Their blocking style is perfect for him. He finds the hole, and he attacks it.”

The two teams followed a similar path last season, riding strong defenses and rushing attacks to the first playoff appearances in either program’s history.

The new season has brought more of the same, with Palmview picking up 80.7 percent of its total offense on the ground and Roma rushing for 94 percent of its total yardage.

As a result, both coaches said the game would come down to whichever team was more physical and handled its assignments on defense.

“They’re like us. They’re a ground-and-pound team,” Requenez said. “They want to wear you down, just like we do. That’s what really stands out.”

For Palmview, tonight’s game is a chance to bounce back after being upset 35-34 in overtime against Rio Grande City last week. Although Palmview quarterback Andrew Puente threw for 196 yards, the Lobos struggled to overcome some key injuries on both sides of the ball. Rio Grande City picked up 357 yards of total offense.

“I was happy with my defense, it was just a couple of miscues here and there,” Requenez said. “I blame us as coaches. We lost the game for the kids. It wasn’t the other way around. … We had some key components missing, which kind of showed in that game.”

For Roma, Habecker said the matchup is another chance to test his group against a bigger team and to continue to build momentum heading toward District 31-5A play next week.

The Gladiators also have a chance to go 4-0 for the first time in program history, but Habecker isn’t paying much attention to that milestone.

“Maybe at the end of the season,” Habecker said. “Right now, we’re just focused on going 1-0 this week.”

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GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — Entering tonight’s game against Edinburg North, McAllen Memorial senior running back Trevor Speights needs just 283 yards to tie the Valley’s all-time career rushing record, a mark set by Memorial’s Bradley Stephens from 2003-06.

Although Speights and coach Bill Littleton are aware of the milestone, it won’t impact how the Mustangs approach their game against the Cougars at 7 p.m. in McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

“It’s something we’re not harping about,” Littleton said. “If it happens (tonight), it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. We’re not going into the ball game saying we’re going to give it to him, give it to him, give it to him.”

That seemed to be the game plan during Saturday’s 63-44 win against San Benito, a game during which Speights ran 34 times for a career-high 373 yards and five touchdowns. The outburst pushed Speights’ season total to 847 yards and his career mark to 7,520. Stephens finished his career with 7,803 yards.

With only four days between games, Littleton said the Mustangs have cut back on the normal practice schedule, working a lot in half shell rather than a full uniform. Memorial also heads into the game with a smaller game plan on both offense and defense.

“The main thing is trying to take care of the kids and get us back on track,” Littleton said.

Speights has had no issue getting on track this season, averaging 282.3 yards per game — just 0.7 shy of the total he needs to tie the record.

He’ll square off against an Edinburg North defense that shows multiple fronts and has been serviceable against the run, allowing 133.7 yards per game on the ground.

If tonight’s game turns into a blowout — Edinburg North has been outscored 76-49 this season, while Memorial has dominated opponents 161-83 — then Littleton said he may track Speights’ progress toward the record.

“Sometimes, I’ll make a call up and see how many yards he has,” Littleton said. “Sometimes we don’t worry about it, because of the closeness of the ball game.”

Also following closely tonight will be Stephens, who decided to attend his first game of the season after Littleton informed him of Trevor’s proximity to the record early in the week.

If Speights doesn’t hit the threshold this week, Stephens said he’ll be back for Memorial’s District 30-6A opener against La Joya High on Sept. 25 in McAllen.

“I would assume he’ll probably get it this week, just with the way he’s been playing,” Stephens said.

Speights grew up watching Stephens play, and the two have become acquainted by way of going to the same church. Stephens said he’s never really talked with Speights about the milestone, outside of occasionally joking to “save me a record.”

“I’ve known him for many years since he was little, so it’s fun to see him grow up now, do his thing and be able to make the record,” Stephens said. “I think we all kind of knew it was going to happen. It’s just a matter of when.”

After McAllen Memorial’s Wednesday afternoon practice was canceled due to weather, attempts to reach Speights by phone were unsuccessful.

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GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

With starting quarterback John Cadena sidelined due to a hip injury, La Joya High coach George Espinoza discovered some of what junior Tito Delgado is capable of during last week’s 37-7 loss to Edinburg Vela.

Delgado ran 12 times for 61 yards and completed all three pass attempts for 30 yards, stating his case to be a piece of the offense not just next year, but during the 2015 district season.

“Tito did show us he’s not afraid to tuck the ball and run,” Espinoza said. “He got some great yardage.”

But Delgado’s game also had downsides, namely three lost fumbles.

Sophomore quarterback Irving Garcia split time with Delgado during the loss and had a difficult day, completing 5-of-15 passes for 23 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
“Both of them showed they were poised compared to the first two scrimmages and the first two ball games,” Espinoza said. “I guess they had a little bit of experience in them.”

Espinoza expects that Cadena will be back by the district season. After suffering the injury against Donna North on Sept. 3, Cadena is questionable for tonight’s game against Weslaco East.

“If we needed to, we could play him,” Espinoza said. “I’ll go ahead and wait to make a decision. We’ll probably suit him out, and if we need to, we’ll stick him in. But what we’re looking at is district play.”

TWO-WAY PLAYER

For Mission High coach Mario Peña, the biggest challenge with senior Juan Salazar is figuring out when to rest him.

Through three games, Salazar has been both the Eagles’ leading rusher at running back and one of the team’s two leaders in tackles at linebacker.

“Juan, he has experience,” Peña said. “Plus, he has good vision. That’s what makes Juan a good running back. We’ve seen him where he can find the opening and really get the offense going.”

Offensively, Salazar has run 29 times for a team-leading 183 yards. At 185 pounds, Salazar is the bruising back in a tandem with the quicker Robert Martinez, who weights in at about 140 pounds. Martinez has 36 rushes for 174 yards and two scores so far this season.

The running game has been Mission’s strength in 2015 behind an experienced offensive line. Given the Eagles’ switch to an up-tempo attack, Peña has opted to rotate four players at running back, giving Salazar time for a much-needed breather.

“When we rest him,” Peña said, “we’ll rest him on offense.”

BACKFIELD STRENGTH

As different players have rotated carries through the non-district season, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln coach Tommy Garcia is finding he has more options at running back than he originally anticipated.

With sophomore starter Adonis Barillas limited by a high-ankle sprain, Livan Pequeño and Carlos Gonzalez have both proven themselves worthy of continued playing time.

While Barillas is the smaller, quicker back, Pequeño offers power. His biggest challenge so far has been staying low and leveraging his size, Garcia said.

Pequeño entered the season listed as a tight end, but Garcia knew from the start that one of Juarez-Lincoln’s goals would be to get him the ball in space. Pequeño scored a 76-yard touchdown last week against Mission Veterans after reaching the end zone from 15 yards out during Week 2.

“He’s surprised us a little bit,” Garcia said. “We’ve been able to put him more in the backfield than we expected.”

Pequeño joins Gonzalez to give the Huskies depth at running back. Although Gonzalez has been a constant presence at the position, Garcia was caught off-guard by the extent of his early production. Last week, Gonzalez had eight carries for 43 yards.

“He’s not very big, but he’s a tough runner,” Garcia said. “Carlos was actually one of the positive signs that we saw in the game. … He was a pleasant surprise.”

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BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — During practices leading up to her team’s match against McAllen Rowe, McAllen Memorial’s Allie Nitsch repeatedly drilled the ball to certain spots on the floor. After looking at the Lady Warriors’ defense on film, Lady Mustangs coach Lorena Lopez knew where the openings would be.

Come match time Tuesday at Rowe, Nitsch pounded those soft spots again and again and again, racking up 24 kills as Memorial won the season’s first District 30-6A match between two McAllen schools, taking down Rowe 27-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-23.

“We worked in practice on hitting specific shots, and I just hit it in the game,” Nitsch said. “That’s what worked.”

Nitsch proved to be Memorial’s hot hand all night. She looked nearly unstoppable for certain stretches, once racking up five kills in a span of seven points during the first set.

Seeing the kind of match Nitsch was having, setter Taylor Marburger said she made special effort to work the ball to her.

“Allie was just on fire,” Marburger said. “I always try to look for the person who’s on. Tonight, she was my go-to, for sure.”

Stuffing the stat sheet is nothing new for Nitsch, who has regularly ranked among the Mustangs kill leaders this season. On Tuesday, she also notched two aces and 12 digs.

Now in her fourth year on varsity, Nitsch said she’s played four different positions with Memorial, giving her confidence and comfort adapting to any type of scenario. That’s one of the reasons Lopez named her a team captain.

“This year, nothing is going to stop her,” Lopez said. “That’s what you saw tonight: No-fear volleyball.”

Other major contributors for the Mustangs included Draik Banks (14 kills), Lanie Nitsch (9 kills, 2 blocks) and Marburger (49 assists, 16 digs).

Lopez said the biggest key to the team’s success was sticking to the game plan.

“We geared our game to beat them. We did everything possible this week,” Lopez said. “The girls executed perfectly. That’s what makes a huge difference in the match: When the kids come out, and they have a game plan, and they stick to the game plan.”

Rowe’s loss negated a dominant effort from reigning All-Valley Player of the Year Mayda Garcia, who had 34 kills, 2 aces, 52 digs and 13 blocks for the Lady Warriors.

Vanessa Lopez (44 assists, 10 digs), Sophia Luna (14 kills, 1 ace), Ryela Rodriguez (5 kills, 9 blocks) and Amanda Martinez (9 kills, 13 digs) also chipped in for Rowe.

Tuesday’s match was the first of six this season that will pit two of McAllen High, Memorial and Rowe against each other.
“These are honestly the best matches,” Allie Nitsch said. “We live for these, and I know all three schools do. They’re so intense, and the teams are so competitive, and they’re just great.”

Memorial jumped ahead 19-13 in Tuesday’s first game before Rowe climbed back to tie the set at 22. At 25-all, Memorial sealed it with a dump shot by Nitsch and an attack error by Rowe.

After Rowe bounced back in Game 2, Memorial once again edged ahead. In a game that neither team led by more than three points, Memorial won three straight after a 22-all tie.

Down 17-14 in Game 4, Memorial ripped off seven consecutive points to take a 21-17 advantage. Rowe pulled back to within one point at 24-23, but the Lady Warriors hit the ball into the net to close the match.

After finishing third in district last year behind second place Rowe and champ McHi, Nitsch knows better than to become overconfident, even after getting a key win on the road.

“Last year, we did win the first game against Rowe, but we didn’t manage to come out on top,” Nitsch said. “It is a big hurdle that we jumped over, and it’s a great accomplishment. But we really have to work the rest of the season to take care of the rest of the games.”

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Tuesday, Sept. 15

Non-District

Valley View def. Monte Alto 25-19, 25-15, 20-25, 21-25, 15-12

Juan Diego Academy def. Faith Christian Academy 25-12, 25-18, 20-25, 25-15

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial def. McAllen Rowe 27-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-23

McAllen High def. La Joya 25-11, 25-12, 25-13

Mission High at La Joya Palmview 25-11, 25-8, 25-14

District 31-6A

PSJA Memorial def. Weslaco East 25-14, 25-15, 25-12

Edinburg High def. Weslaco High 25-19, 25-17, 25-21

Edinburg North def. PSJA North 25-13, 25-10, 25-8

District 31-5A

Edinburg Vela def. Roma 25-14, 25-14, 25-15

Mission Veterans def. Sharyland High 27-29, 25-13, 25-14, 25-9

Sharyland Pioneer def. Rio Grande City 25-9, 25-12, 25-7

District 32-5A

Mercedes def. Donna North 25-15, 25-20, 16-25, 25-16

Donna High def. Brownsville Pace 25-21, 25-12, 25-19

PSJA High def. PSJA Southwest 25-13, 25-13, 25-22

Edcouch-Elsa def. Brownsville Porter 25-22, 25-18, 25-19

District 32-6A

Brownsville Veterans def. Brownsville Rivera 25-20, 25-16, 25-20

Brownsville Hanna def. Harlingen High 25-17, 25-18, 25-17

Harlingen South def. Brownsville Lopez 25-10, 25-11, 25-9

Los Fresnos def. San Benito 25-9, 25-17, 25-9

District 32-4A

La Feria def. Grulla 20-25, 25-15, 25-13, 25-17

Progreso def. Hidalgo 25-22, 22-25, 25-23, 26-28, 18-13

Zapata at Raymondville, not reported

Port Isabel def. Rio Hondo 25-16, 25-17, 20-25, 25-15

Saturday, Sept. 19

Non-District

La Villa at Med Tech, noon

Sharyland High at Laredo Alexander, 1 p.m.

Santa Maria at Monte Alto, 11 a.m.

District 30-6A

McAllen Rowe at McAllen High, noon

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at McAllen Memorial, noon

La Joya High at La Joya Palmview, noon

District 31-6A

Edinburg North at Edinburg High, noon

PSJA Memorial at PSJA North, 3 p.m.

Edinburg Economedes at Weslaco East, 3 p.m.

District 32-6A

Brownsville Hanna at Brownsville Veterans Memorial, noon

Brownsville Rivera at Brownsville Lopez, noon

Harlingen South at Los Fresnos, noon

Harlingen High vs. San Benito, noon

District 31-5A

Roma at Mission Veterans, noon

Sharyland Pioneer at Edinburg Vela, noon

Valley View at Rio Grande City, noon

District 32-5A

Donna North at Edcouch-Elsa, 2 p.m.

Brownsville Porter at PSJA Southwest, 2 p.m.

Donna High at Mercedes, 3 p.m.

PSJA High at Brownsville Pace, 3 p.m.

District 32-4A

La Feria at Hidago, 1 p.m.

Progreso at Rio Hondo, 1 p.m.

Grulla at Zapata, 2 p.m.

Raymondville at Port Isabel, 2 p.m.

Non-District

IDEA Donna at San Perlita, 11 a.m.

Tuesday’s Matches

District 30-6A

MISSION HIGH DEF. LA JOYA PALMVIEW

25-11, 25-8, 25-14

LA JOYA PALMVIEW — Jazmine Campos 13 assists, Alex Alaniz 4 kills; Michelle Duggan 4 kills; Brenda Martinez 4 kills, 2 aces; Cyndar Magallon 3 kills.

MISSION HIGH — Alyssa Olivarez 7 kills, 8 serving points; Nicole Reyes 5 kills, 1 block; Lissete Vela 5 kills, 2 blocks; Emily Alvarado 4 kills, 12 serving points, 16 assists; Kazzy Rodriguez 11 points, 9 digs; Michelle Madden 2 kills, 5 assists.

RECORDS — Mission High 12-14, 1-1; La Joya Palmview not reported.

McALLEN HIGH DEF. LA JOYA HIGH

25-11, 25-12, 25-13

McALLEN HIGH — Carter Helmcamp 6 kills, 10 assists, 1 block, 3 digs, 2 aces; Lexi Giusti 2 kills, 15 assists, 4 digs, 4 aces; Julia Monday 8 kills, 5 digs, 3 aces; Syndey Pemelton 10 kill, 6 aces; Allison Amaya 4 digs, 6 aces.

LA JOYA HIGH — Not reported.

RECORDS — Not reported.

District 31-6A

EDINBURG HIGH DEF. WESLACO HIGH

25-19, 25-17, 25-21

EDINBURG HIGH — Dezi Marmolejo 4 kills, 2 blocks, 5 aces, 25 assists, 9 digs; Marissa Arce 8 kills, 1 ace, 15 digs; Amber Reyes 4 kills, 1 block, 1 ace, 13 digs; Tianna Howard 11 kills, 8 blocks, 4 digs; Yessi Molina 4 kills, 4 assists, 13 digs; Elizabeth Olivarez 21 digs; Bree Pena 5 kills, 17 digs.

WESLACO HIGH — Not reported.

RECORDS — Edinburg High 21-5, 1-0; Weslaco High not reported.

EDINBURG NORTH DEF. PSJA NORTH

25-13, 25-10, 25-8

EDINBURG NORTH — Victoria Rogers 14 kills, 6 digs, 2 aces, 1 solo block; Ayissa Maldonado 26 assists, 4 digs; Abri Saenz 29 digs, 1 ace; Lizeth Cavazos 7 kills, 3 digs.

PSJA NORTH — Not reported.

RECORDS — Edinburg North 21-9, 2-0; PSJA North not reported.

PSJA MEMORIAL DEF. WESLACO EAST

25-14, 25-15, 25-12

PSJA MEMORIAL — Kristi Gomez 12 kills; Stephanie Flores 4 kills; Amanda Aguilera 15 assits; Carla De Leon 10 assists, 7 digs.

WESLACO HIGH — Not reported.

RECORDS — PSJA Memorial not reported; Weslaco East not reported.

District 31-5A

MISSION VETERANS DEF. SHARYLAND HIGH

27-29, 25-13, 25-14, 25-9

MISSION VETERANS — Gabby Lerma 22 kills, 1 ace, 21 digs; Daisy Reyna 16 kills; D.D. Ibarra 7 kills, 29 assists, 3 aces, 19 digs; Mariah Gonzalez 27 digs; Karina Garcia 13 assists, 15 digs; Alex Jimenez 8 kills, 3 aces, 4 solo blocks, 5 block assists.

SHARYLAND HIGH — Paige Jones 9 kills, 15 assists; Caleigh Hausenfluck 26 digs; Maddie Garza 3 blocks.

RECORDS — Mission Veterans 25-3, 2-0; Sharyland High not reported.

SHARYLAND PIONEER DEF. RIO GRANDE CITY

25-9, 25-12, 25-7

SHARYLAND PIONEER — Elise Lopez 12 digs; Maddie Hatzold 5 aces, 5 kills, 1 block; Audrey Smith 9 assits, 2 aces, 2 kills; Brooke Garza 5 kills; Bianca Garza 10 digs.

RIO GRANDE CITY — Not reported.

RECORDS — Sharyland Pioneer 20-8, 2-0; Rio Grande City not reported.

EDINBURG VELA DEF. ROMA

25-14, 25-14, 25-15

EDINBURG VELA — Jaida Muhammad 8 kills, 9 points, 8 digs; Nicole Avelar 8 kills, 5 points, 6 digs, 3 blocks; Mariely Rebollar 7 assists; Julissa Cuellar 8 assists, 6 digs; Dylann Guerra 9 digs, 7 points; Chery Chavez 10 digs.

ROMA — Krissynthia Rocha 14 digs; Clarissa Guerra 5 kills, 5 blocks; Mariana Canalu 5 kills, 11 digs.

RECORDS — Edinburg Vela 26-9, 1-1; Roma 1-1.

District 32-5A

MERCEDES DEF. DONNA NORTH

25-15, 25-20, 16-25, 25-16

MERCEDES — Roslynn Rodriguez 7 blocks, 4 kills; Caitlyn Gutierrez 14 kills, 27 digs; Erinn Ramirez 15 assists, 2 kills, 20 points; Alexa Peña 33 digs, Felicia Garza 4 kills, 10 points; Kristen Gutierrez 15 assists, 23 digs.

DONNA NORTH — Not reported.

RECORDS — Mercedes not reported; Donna North not reported.

PSJA HIGH DEF. PSJA SOUTHWEST

25-13, 25-13, 25-22

PSJA HIGH — Mariah West 5 kills, 5 aces; Jackie Alanis 11 kills, 5 aces, 18 digs; Myranda Garza 9 kills,12 aces, 12 digs; Valeria Gonzalez 7 kills, 3 aces; Gabie Fonseca 29 digs.

PSJA SOUTHWEST — Not reported.

RECORDS — Not reported.

DONNA HIGH DEF. BROWNSVILLE PACE

25-21, 25-12, 25-19

DONNA HIGH — Yvette Tamez 13 kills, 3 aces, 7 digs; Adrianna martinez 35 assits, 6 digs; Kara Yanez 33 digs; Sarah Gonzalez 9 kills, 4 blocks; Megan Garcia 15 digs.

BROWNSVILLE PACE — Not reported.

RECORDS — Donna High 15-4; Brownsville Pace not reported.

EDCOUCH-ELSA DEF. BROWNSVILLE PORTER

25-22, 25-18, 25-19

EDCOUCH-ELSA — Maddie Acevedo 4 kills, 2 assists, 2 aces, 9 digs; Samantha Martinez 7 kills, 11 assists, 6 aces, 8 digs; Jackie Alvarado 1 ace, 14 digs; Odessa Mata 1 ace, 11 digs; Ale Martinez 4 kills, 1 assist, 3 aces, 2 blocks.

BROWNSVILLE PORTER — Not reported.

RECORDS — Edcouch-Elsa 19-9, 2-0; Brownsville Porter not reported.

District 32-4A

LA FERIA DEF. GRULLA

20-25, 25-15, 25-13, 25-17

GRULLA — Caitlyn Rodriguez 1 kill, 30 digs; Danielle Lopez 6 assists, 18 digs; Evelyn Zarate 3 kills, 4 assists, 22 digs; Shelsie Hernandez 5 kills, 35 digs; Victoria Gonzalez 39 digs.

LA FERIA — Belisa Vela 15 kills, 1 assist, 3 digs, 2 blocks; Isis Bernal 10 assists; Anette Ruiz 4 kills, 34 assists, 1 block; Camryn Lopez 10 kills, 4 blocks; Myan Salas 5 kills; Sara Alvarado 8 kills, 3 blocks; Laura Torres 11 digs; Anelli rodriguez 4 kills, 4 blocks, 2 aces; Syerra Montalvo 3 aces, 3 digs; Audrey Garza 4 kills.

RECORDS — Grulla 6-2, 2-0; La Feria not reported.

BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — When Paige Jones was a sophomore at Sharyland High in 2013, life was easier than it is now. For a second straight year, the Rattlers were a playoff lock and one of the best teams in the Valley.

Then, seniors graduated, and Sharyland Pioneer siphoned off most of the Rattlers’ coaches and players. After a year of looking up to senior leaders Chelsea Saenz and Lauren Treviño, Jones had to step into a headlining role.

“I’m used to older girls doing that,” Jones said. “Now, I have to do it. It’s a lot different, but I think it’s good.”

Sharyland High finished last season fifth place in District 31-5A, a shortcoming they hope to write off as a rebuilding year.

The 2015 team returned five starters, endured a grueling non-district schedule and then opened play in 31-5A with a win against Edinburg Vela on Saturday. The Rattlers hope that’s the first step in a return to the playoffs.

“I think we’ll be having good vibes — I’m just really excited,” senior Maddie Garza said. “We have so much potential.”

Garza is one of only three players on the 2015 roster who was on varsity before the split, along with Jones and Tehya Rassman.

She said she entered last season with no idea what to expect. Pioneer not only took the majority of the returning varsity players, but also coach Laura Cavazos and most of her assistants.

“Going through the split last year, it was different,” Garza said. “We had gone through two years of the same thing, and then we got something completely new. We get that question a lot. ‘What did the split do to you guys?’”

Jones said the effect ended up being greater than she anticipated. Under new coach Raul Castillo, the Rattlers went 5-7 in district play and 20-23 overall. But Jones and Garza said taking a step back never dampened the team’s spirits.

“I took it as a challenge,” Garza said. “’Coach Cavazos left? Well, OK, I’m going to beat you.’ I don’t think it was super discouraging. If anything, it motivated a lot of us.”

On the court, Jones and Garza were pressed into switching positions and becoming the team’s setters.

Although Jones said she prefers hitting and thinks of it as her more natural role, she knew the move would be best for the Rattlers as a whole. Castillo saw how well she handled the position during summer play, highlighting her great hands.

Garza has seen Jones become a more confident player, making smart, reliable decisions as the quarterback of the offense. Jones leads Sharyland in assists and ranks second in kills.

“It can be a bad game for her or a bad game for the team, and if she’s excited, she’s excited,” Castillo said. “It has nothing to do with the way she’s playing. If she feels like being excited that day, she’ll be excited. And you’ll be like, ‘This girl is on.’ And if she’s on, she’s very unstoppable.”

While Jones remained at setter, Garza switched back to middle blocker for her senior season. She described her individual performance so far this year as a “bit bumpy” and with plenty of room for improvement — an overly modest critique for the Rattlers’ leader in kills and blocks.

She said her biggest goal for development through the years has been versatility. In open gym, she usually volunteers to step in at unfamiliar positions.

As she’s matured, she’s also tried to help some of the younger players, providing words of encouragement to whoever makes a mistake.

“She does everything you want a captain to do,” Castillo said. “She’s very emotional, she’s very talkative, and she’s very motivational.”

With Jones and Garza leading the way, Sharyland High is looking to use a smart, sneaky, up-tempo attack to return to its former status.

The group is aiming for a district title, even if that means having to go through Valley powerhouse Mission Veterans and new rival Sharyland Pioneer.

“We have to defend our school,” Garza said. “We are the original Sharyland, and we want to come out on top. We just keep working hard to try to do that.”

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BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — During his 33rd carry of the night, after sprinting 25 yards down the right sideline, Trevor Speights slowed up and began looking for someone to hit. Instead of simply stepping out of bounds, Speights lowered his shoulder and plowed a San Benito defender to the turf, for a moment looking more like a linebacker than a back.

“Whenever I play with a purpose, I get kind of mad,” Speights said. “So I take all of my anger out on the defense, and that’s what I did today.”

Speights repeatedly punished San Benito on Saturday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, racking up a career-high 373 yards and five touchdowns as McAllen Memorial claimed a 63-44 win.

Despite toting the ball 34 times, Speights said he felt fresh after an evening of battering would-be tacklers with his 205-pound frame.

“I feel great,” Speights said. “I did most of the hitting. I didn’t really get hit.”

Knowing San Benito’s defense liked to flow to the ball, Speights racked up chunks of yardage on cutbacks, using his speed to beat the defense to the perimeter.

In doing so, he continued his charge toward the Valley’s all-time career rushing record. With 284 more yards, Speights will match the mark of 7,803 set by McAllen Memorial’s Bradley Stephens from 2003-06.

“Just a phenomenal night,” coach Bill Littleton said of Speights. “He ran with a lot of authority. Ran real smart. … Probably the best game of his career, really and truly.”

Speights wasn’t alone in his success on the ground, as McAllen Memorial racked up 586 rushing yards. Quarterback Jonathan Sanchez ran 13 times for 107 yards and a score, and Emilio Mendez carried seven times for 44 yards.

Eric Guerrero exploited San Benito’s fast-flowing defense, scoring on reverses of 9 and 42 yards.

“We noticed the first drive that we were stronger than them, and they couldn’t really stop us,” Speights said. “So all we did was pound them the whole game.”

Memorial needed all the offense it could muster to keep pace with San Benito’s potent ground game. Quarterback JR Gaitan ran 22 times for 257 yards and four touchdowns, while running back Edward Alvarez had 16 carries for 166 yards and two scores.

“We knew they were going to be tough, but they really caught us good with misalignments and so many missed tackles,” linebacker Sam Hinojosa said. “We didn’t play a good ball game on defense. Luckily, we have the best offense in the Valley.”

Behind a potent option running game, San Benito built a 10-point lead when Gaitan scored from 6 yards out with 10:25 to play in the third quarter.

But Memorial answered with a touchdown pass from Sanchez to DJ Johnson and then quickly retook the lead, converting an interception on a halfback pass into a scoring run for Speights.

After the teams exchanged touchdowns, Memorial picked up a turnover on a fumbled handoff. The Mustangs then capitalized when Speights scored from 41 yards out to build a 49-38 lead with 53 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

San Benito was forced into only its second punt of the game on the ensuing drive, and Guerrero punched it in for Memorial to stretch the lead to a comfortable 56-38 with 8:55 to play.

“We just knew that if we could get a turnover and get a stop, we’d get ourselves back in the ball game,” Littleton said. “We kept our composure, we came back, and all the credit goes to these kids. They did a great job in all three phases of the ball game.”

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