BY JON R. LAFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — In a match which could decide the District 31-5A volleyball title, Mission Veterans Memorial staved off a competitive Sharyland Pioneer team on the road in four sets, winning 25-19, 25-27, 25-18, 25-21.

Gabby Lerma led the Lady Patriots (30-7, 8-1) with 19 kills, five of which came in the final set.

“We kept saying we had to swing away at everything,” Mission Vets coach Diana Lerma said. “We said, ‘Put the ball away before they do.’”

Gabby Lerma, who also contributed with 25 digs and 11 aces, was consistently fed the ball in the game’s waning moments. Her teammates set her up with pristine passing, and Gabby Lerma drove a pair of forceful spikes into the ground to score the final two points.

Earlier in the fourth set, however, the scoreboard favored Pioneer by a margin of 8-2. The Lady Patriots looked uncharacteristically lost and committed several errors leading to free points for the other side.

After a score by D.D. Ibarra (17 kills, 16 assists, 29 digs), Mission Vets regained its focus and went on a 14-8 run to tie the game at 16.

“We had to change our lineup,” Diana Lerma said. “The key thing for them, however, was that everyone had to do their part.
Pioneer felt the sting of the close loss.

“We made too many errors,” Pioneer coach Laura Cavazos said. “And when you play a team like (the Lady Patriots), you can’t make mistakes.”

Though they came up short, that’s not to say Pioneer (28-12, 9-4) made it easy. Aside from the opening set, the Lady Diamondbacks were resilient for much of the afternoon, winning the second set in pugnacious fashion.

None were more pugnacious for Pioneer than senior Nora Monie. The team captain led the Lady Diamondbacks with 10 kills in addition to 16 digs and two aces.

“She does a great job controlling the court and making sure that everybody knows what they’re doing,” Cavazos said.

Monie displayed her leadership skills all afternoon, barking orders to her teammates, calling plays and pleading her case to the refs, who remained unmoved by her arguments.

Only a half-game separated the teams before Saturday’s contest. The win distances the Lady Patriots from their district peers as the postseason draws closer.

“We needed this win because (Pioneer) is an aggressive hitting and blocking and scoring team,” Duaba Lerma said. “In order for us to advance in the playoffs, we have to stay aggressive.”

Saturday’s contest marked the second time the two teams have faced each other this season. Mission Vets swept Pioneer in a Sept. 24 match and won convincingly, 25-7, 25-11, 25-9.

[email protected]

BY JON R. LAFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

LA JOYA – Eli Rodriguez thought of one thing, and one thing only, as he crossed the finish line at the District 30-6A cross country meet at La Joya Palmview.

He wasn’t thinking about his first win, however. Nor was he focused on the burning pain in his legs caused by running three miles in 16 minutes, 22.18 seconds. He wasn’t even thinking about Palmview’s chances of advancing to regional competition in San Antonio.

He was thinking about his family.

“I ran this race for my grandma, who is fighting cancer,” Rodriguez said.

While others may celebrate such an occasion with a raised fist or an exhausted expression of relief, Rodriguez, a sophomore for Palmview, quietly made a Sign of The Cross and hugged his father.

Rodriguez won in convincing fashion, outrunning Juarez-Lincoln’s Florentino Castillo by 18 seconds. Rodriguez began to pull away at the race’s halfway mark, not once looking back.

“Two days prior to this race, I was making the game plan in my head,” Rodriguez said. “My dad and I made a game plan for me to win this race.”

The win marks the culmination of a year’s worth of progress.

“He’s had some good meets in the past, but we didn’t know which Eli we were going to get today,” Palmview coach Claudia Bazan said. “We just needed him to run smart, and that’s what he did.”

Eli’s personal success served as a microcosm for Palmview’s day. The Lobos claimed first place in the girls competition (scoring 33 points) and second in the boys (44 points). Both units will move on to the regional meet in two weeks.

The Palmview girls swept the podium, with Natali Gonzalez coming in first with a time of 19:27.59. Naila Flores (19:46.28) finished second, and Briana Robles (19:51.75) took third.

“For the girls, we went in focusing on the district championship,” Bazan said. “We hadn’t won it in a couple years, and we performed well.”

The boys, however, had been counted out before the season began after having lost four seniors from a year ago. Though the Lobos boys move on, Bazan sees room for improvement.

“We knew we were the underdog,” she said. “There were a bunch of really good runners there and we didn’t know who (was) going to step up.”

[email protected]

=====================================

District 30-6A Cross Country Meet Meet
At La Joya Palmview High School
Saturday’s Results
Boys
Team Results — 1. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 31 points; 2. La Joya Palmview, 44; 3. Mission High, 105; 4. McAllen Rowe, 105; 5. La Joya High, 105; 6. McAllen High, 134.
Individual Results — 1. Eliseo Rodriguez, La Joya Palmview, 16:22.18; 2. Florentino Castillo, 16:40.46; 3. Mischel Lara, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 16:51.03; 4. Victor Bocanegra, La Joya Palmview, 16:55.67; 5. Martin Baez, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 16:57.76; 6. Jesus Jaime, La Joya Palmview, 17:00.23; 7. Tristen Robles, La Joya Palmview, 17:07.70; 8. Jorge Santoyo, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 17:13.55; 9. Jorge Perez, Mission High, 17:16.27; 10. Joey Martinez, La Joya High, 17:17.76; 11. Humberto Silva, McAllen High, 17:19.41; 12. Vincente Franco, McAllen Rowe, 17:28.74; 13. Ricardo Mendoza, La Joya High, 17:37.49; 14. Cesar Reyna, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 17:39.69; 15. Esequiel Ramirez, McAllen Memorial, 17:41.15; 16. Oscar Torres, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 17:42.71; 17. Luis Sanchez, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 17:42.71; 18. Cesar Lozano, McAllen Rowe, 17:49.36; 19. Arsenio Alfaro, McAllen Rowe, 17:55.73; 20. Brandon Ramirez, McAllen Rowe, 17:59.25.
Girls
Team Results — 1. La Joya Palmview, 33 points; 2. McAllen Rowe, 68; 3. Mission High, 73; 4. McAllen Memorial, 93; 5. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 109; 6. McAllen High, 142.
Individual Results — 1. Natali Gonzalez, La Joya Palmview, 19:27.59; 2. Naila Flores, La Joya Palmview, 19:46.28; 3. Briana Robles, La Joya Palmview, 19:51.75; 4, Aminta Michelle Flores, Mission High, 20:09.76; 5. Veronica Dougherty, McAllen Rowe, 20:17.03; 6. Courtney Macias, McAllen Rowe, 20:22.98; 7. Yareli Tamez, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 20:25.43; 8. Mia Hinojosa, Palmview, 20:30.98; 9. Valerie Flores, Mission High, 20:36.60; 10. Julissa Montoya, La Joya High, 20:43.44; 11. Alessandra Gutierrez, McAllen Rowe, 20:52.17; 12. Alexandria Canchola, McAllen High, 20:55.27; 13. Samantha Perez, McAllen Memorial, 21:08.10; 14. Yasmin Gonzalez, McAllen Memorial, 21:15.85; 15. Jessica Coronado, McAllen Memorial, 21:19.32; 16. Karolyna Acosta, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 21:20.98; 17. Angelica Cano, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 21:23.21; 18. Natalia Nevarez, Mission High, 21:35.26; 19. Ana Maldonado, La Joya Palmview, 21:36.26; 20. Sandy Martinez, Mission High, 21:43.12.

JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

PHARR — PSJA Southwest accomplished a season-first Thursday against Donna North. They won a game in convincing fashion.

Where the team’s previous wins have come in close contests decided by 10 points or less, the Javelinas dominated the Chiefs from start to finish, scoring touchdowns on three of their first four possessions en route to a 52-8 win.

Southwest (5-2, 3-1, District 32-5A) came into the contest sporting the District’s third best offense, but the defensive unit also made their presence known. The defensive line routinely frustrated opposing quarterback Manny Ramirez, sacking him four times and forcing four interceptions.

“We challenged everyone on both sides of the ball to play better,” Javelinas head coach Jesus Reyes said. “And we did.”

The offensive unit was every bit as impressive as the defense. The squad amassed 394 total yards compared to Donna’s 161, and did so by employing a balanced approach. Jesus Acosta, the District’s leading rusher, had a comparatively quite night with 72 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Instead, the team played a revolving door of running backs: including Jorge Cantu (71 yards and a score on seven carries) and Rogelio Salinas (who found his way to the end zone)

For Reyes, the decision was made with thoughts of the post-season in mind.

“This time of the year there are a lot of aches and pains, and we want to stay healthy,” Reyes said. “We’re making a playoff run. We have to stay healthy and get more kids involved.”

Though Javelinas quarterback Carlos Portales attempted just 10 passing attempts, he was impactful and efficient, throwing for 122 yards on five completions and two touchdowns.

“We studied their game plan and were able to execute,” wideout Homero Alanis said. “We got it going.”
Alanis caught two touchdown passes on three receptions for 59 yards.

For all the positives PSJA Southwest can find in their victory, the team committed 10 penalties equaling 97 yards. Coach Reyes was also disappointed with another item, he wanted a shutout.

“I told the guys before the game, ‘Let’s get a goose egg’” Reyes said. “Some guys asked me what a goose egg was.”

CHIEFS STRUGGLES CONTINUE

For Donna North (0-7, 0-3, District 32-5A), the loss means a continued goose egg in the win column.
“At this point, we’re out to play spoilers,” Chiefs head coach Tommy Sauceda said.

The team’s offensive performance was the antithesis of the Javelinas’: sputtering and inconsistent. Coming into the game, Donna North averaged just 12.2 points on 153 yards per game.

Sophomore running back Dominic Ochoa, a budding talent for the Chiefs, sat out the entire second half with what Sauceda says is a “foot injury,” Ochoa finished the night with 47 yards on 10 carries. Mark Ochoa led the team on the ground with 51 yards, holding the ball eight times.

With a big deficit to overcome early, Southwest’s defensive backs dared Donna to throw the ball. Ramirez, a sophomore, couldn’t shake the Javelina’s stingy defense. Ramirez finished with 35 yards, completing 5-of-17 attempts.

WHAT’S NEXT

PSJA Southwest will play district opponent Edoch Elsa (4-2, 3-0) next Friday, and look to continue shaping up for the postseason. The Yellowjackets sport the best offense in District 32-5A, averaging 340 yards per game.

Donna North will look for their first win against Brownsville Pace (2-5, 1-3).

[email protected]