KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

The Lyford Lady Bulldogs continued their hot 2019 start Tuesday when they blew past Brownsville Rivera 18-3.

The win was the 20th of the season for the undefeated Lady Bulldogs.

Against Rivera, Lyford racked up 18 runs on 18 hits. Hannah Garza, Hailey Pena, Tiffany Alaniz and Leilani collected three hits each in the win. Lyford’s offense erupted for an eight-run second inning, followed by a six-run third inning.

“Our bats have been a big part of our success early on,” Lyford head coach Joey Rios said. “We will continue to keep doing the little things right and not get ahead of ourselves.”

The Lady Dogs will host Harlingen High on Monday before hitting the road Wednesday at San Diego, which will serve as their toughest test of the season.

Lyford will open up district play on March 22 when they host Monte Alto.

“We are blessed and excited about the direction of our season,” Rios said. “It has been a great preseason for us and we feel confident heading into our district schedule.”

LADY ’CATS PICK UP ROAD WIN

On Tuesday, the youngRio Hondo Lady Bobcats took a step forward with an 8-4 road win at rival Zapata. Rio Hondo is now 2-0 in district play and will host Raymondville on Friday at 7 p.m.

Despite the chilly temperatures Tuesday night, the Lady Bobcats offense came to play. Junior Nayeli Garcia led the offense with a 4-for-5 night at the plate.

Sophomore Domo De Jesus checked in a 3-for-4 night, fellow sophomore Kelsey Pizarro chipped in with a timely two-run double.

In the circle, senior Erika Cortez made her Rio Hondo debut and threw a complete game, striking out 16 Lady Hawks.

LADY CHARGERS SET TO MEET LADY TIGERS

Brownsville Veterans Memorial and Mercedes will lock horns Friday night in the latest chapter in what has become quite the primetime District 32-5A matchup.

The game is slated for 7 p.m. at Mercedes High School and will be for early season supremacy.

The Lady Chargers enter the week feeling confident after a 15-0 win over Donna High and are 2-0 in league play.

“We have had a great tournament run and have played some good teams,” said Brownsville Veterans coach Rayner Cardenas. “We have learned a lot in the games we have played in and the girls are up beat right now. I don’t think we have peaked yet but we are trending upwards, the hitting is there and the pitching and defense is solid.”

Last year, Brownsville Veterans swept Mercedes en route to an unbeaten district run. If the Lady Chargers want to keep that same mojo going, they will have to do it against Kassidie Rodriguez and the Lady Tigers.

Mercedes also comes in hot winning four straight and are also 2-0 in district play. On Tuesday, Mercedes picked up an 11-0 win over Porter.

The Lady Tigers will meet a familiar adversary in senior pitcher Mia Anzaldua. In their last two meetings Anzaldua has stymied the Lady Tigers, tossing a combined 14 innings while scattering nine hits, yielding two earned runs and whiffed 21 batters.

“If anything would favor us, it would be having Mia on our side,” Cardenas said. “She has the most experience. She has been in these games before and has played there in Mercedes before. She knows the expectations and nothing really rattles her. Pitching on both sides will be great but I’ll go with the experience and Mia has the experience.”

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

LOS FRESNOS—While the temperatures dropped, the bats heated up for the San Benito Lady Greyhounds.

San Benito used a bases-loaded walk from Jordan Ramos and a pair of RBI triples from AJ Jasso and Kari Cisneros to fuel a six-run fifth inning en route to a 7-5 win over Los Fresnos Tuesday night.

“The kids stayed within the game,” San Benito head coach Denise Lira said. “Tonight was cold and there were a lot of factors in tonight’s game. The kids fought through their at bats and hitting is contagious. One kid gets a hit and they all start to come around and we came back with that strong inning in the fifth.”

Jasso and Cisneros both finished the night 2 for 4 with a triple, RBI and run scored. The Lady ’Hounds sent 10 batters to the plate in the fifth inning.

Entering the night, Los Fresnos came in as one of the hottest teams at the plate, swatting 24 home runs on the young season.

“We take every game as if it was a district game,” Lira said. “This is what we are preparing for and each game has had that same approach.”

Sophomore hurler Megan Cavazos kept the Lady Falcon offense at bay for four innings, yielding one unearned run, no hits and one walk with five strikeouts.

“I came in with a plan to keep (Los Fresnos) off balanced,” Cavazos said. “It worked for the most part. They hit the ball really well and have power. That was an approach I knew I had to bring.”

The Lady Falcons wouldn’t stay quiet for long. In the fifth inning, Los Fresnos plated three runs on an RBI double from Shivani Garcia, followed by a Reba Reyes two-run homer later in the inning.

After the bumpy fifth, Cavazos would settle down and retire six of the next 10 batters and tossed a complete game giving up four earned runs, five hits, three walks, while fanning eight.

“Megan has done a great job for us this year as a sophomore,” Lira said. “She got some time last year but she is coming into her own and working well with the count and not throwing as many pitches, but she is hitting her spots and keeping the hitters off balanced.”

Up next for the Lady Falcons is a road test at Weslaco High, while San Benito will host Tuloso-Midway at home next Tuesday.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

After their loss Friday night to Hearne in the Region IV-2A tournament, San Perlita’s historic season came to an end.

But at the same time, the standard was set by its senior class.

The Trojan 5 — Noah Olivarez, Julian Herrera, Bryan Herrera, Parker Willis and Frank Rincon — will graduate this spring, but it has left its mark on Trojans basketball.

“We have definitely set the standard for the underclassmen,” Olivarez said. “Next year they are going to do great things.”

The senior group not only got past the third-round hump and made the regional tournament for the first time since the 1996-97 season, but it also set a career high in wins in a season with 28, which also is a career high for fourth-year coach Nataniel Garza.

The main message the seniors gave to the underclassmen was to keep the same work ethic and to keep the winning tradition going.

“As seniors we just told them to keep working and the bar is set for our program and we want to keep that going,” Bryan Herrera said.

While their relationships have been lifelong, the only high school coach this group of seniors has known has been Garza.

During the final minutes of the fourth quarter, Julian Herrera fouled out and shared one final moment on the court with him.

“I just told him I’m going to miss him.” Garza said.

Looking back at his career, Julian Herrera owes to his junior year when the team came together and started working as a family.

“We lost some pieces last year, but this year we added some really good guys and we all worked hard together to get where we are at today.”

Going forward, the future is bright for the Trojans. While the Trojans are in Class 2A, they have proven themselves as one of the top programs in the Rio Grande Valley with fellow small school Santa Rosa, which has paved the way for Valley basketball.

“I told the kids this was an amazing season, we had so much fun doing it, Garza said. “As an entire body of work it was an amazing season, and I’m proud of every single one of them.”

By KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

SAN MARCOS — San Perlita’s historic season came to an end Friday night with a 76-61 loss to Hearne in the Region IV-2A boys basketball tournament.

The Trojans could not overcome the size and play of Javayeron Bailey and Jalen Gonzales, who each netted 16 points in the win.

The Eagles advanced to face the winner of the game between Thorndale and Port Aransas.

“This was the most physical team we have faced this year,” San Perlita coach Nataniel Garza said. “They were physical and had size, and we knew that coming into tonight. They are one of the top teams in the state, but we were confident coming into this ballgame.”

The Trojans fell behind quick, 10-3, during the opening minutes of the first quarter. The Eagles managed to push the ball and established a strong inside game led by Tyquez Tindle, who finished with 11 points.

Throughout the playoffs, the Trojans shot well from the floor, but on Friday night the shots weren’t falling, putting them in a bind early.

“Although our shots did not fall, that doesn’t take away from the season we had. The kids gave it everything they had,” Garza said.

San Perlita managed to cut the lead to three, 21-18, at the end of the first quarter. But the third quarter is where the Eagles pulled away, outscoring the Trojans 28-19. Hearne held a double-digit lead for the rest of the night and led by as many as 15 points.

Tige Johnson led the way for the Trojans with 20 points. Noah Olivarez finished with 10 points, and James Herrera added eight points.

The Trojans end the year with a 28-10 record, a second straight district title, and a bi-district and area titles.

The Trojans return Johnson, James Herrera, Jake Howell and EJ Nieto to next year’s roster. San Perlita will lose five seniors to graduation.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

SAN PERLITA—On Thursday, the San Perlita Trojans hit the road for their class 2A region IV tournament in San Marcos. Behind the Trojans was their passionate fan base, as the community held a sendoff at the high school.

“It is heartwarming and a great thing to see,” said freshman Ely Terry. “When the community supports us, it gets us motivated to go out there and play.”

San Perlita is one of three teams in the Valley that will hit the floor Friday night. In class 3A, Santa Rosa is back at the regional tournament for a fourth straight year and will meet Cole at 6 p.m. at Seguin High School and in class 6A, Edinburg Vela has a date with Cibolo Steele at 8 p.m. at the Northside Sports Gym in San Antonio.

“I would like to thank the community and all of our supporters and fans that have stuck by us since the beginning.” Said San Perlita coach Nataniel Garza.

Junior EJ Nieto realizes just how special it is to be one of three teams remaining in the Valley.

“It is a blessing,” Nieto said. “This group it is special and we want to win especially with this group of seniors, I have played and grown up with them all my life. The last few years hurt us, but now we have an opportunity and we feel we are ready. To see our community rally behind us is amazing, it means so much to us.”

While the Trojans are in uncharted waters, the Trojans were due for a banner year. The last two years the Trojans fell in the third round of the playoffs and now third times the charm for the Trojans.

This season, the Trojans only blemish was a loss to San Isidro in district play. After that, the Trojans ran the table en route to their second straight district title. The road to the regional tournament has been a solid showing with convincing wins against Benavides in the bi-district round followed by a thumping of Yorktown in the area round.

On Tuesday, the Trojans overcame a tough Flatonia team and exercised their third round demons. San Perlita will meet Hearne and the winner will face either Thorndale or Port Aransas in the region final. The Trojans have the pieces in play to reach the coveted state tournament in San Antonio.

“Words can’t express how amazing it was for our community to support these boys,” said Garza. “The boys truly deserve this and more. Not only has this been a special year so far but a very special group of young men I have been privileged to coach, I love every single one of them.”

MARK MOLINA | STAFF WRITER

The Santa Rosa Warriors have qualified for nine Region IV tournaments and won three of them under head coach Johnny Cipriano, so there really is nothing new to experience when it comes to venue, timing, rim type or even opponents.

When the Warriors step on the floor of the Goldie Harris Gym for their 6 p.m. regional semifinal playoff game, it will be against San Antonio Cole, the very team they beat in last year’s regional finals.

“We have a new team and (Cole) has a couple of returners,” Cipriano said. “I don’t think it’s going to be much of a difference; we’re just going to approach this game the way we’ve been approaching every other game. We’ll strategize going into it and go do what we need to do to try and win the game.”

The Cole Cougars (32-5) are one of three teams who were ranked in the in the top 25 of the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches poll at the end of the regular season, finishing at No. 6, joining Universal Randolph at No.5 and Odem at No. 6.

Santa Rosa (23-8) went unranked, making the defending the Region IV-3A champion Warriors somewhat of an underdog to come out of the tournament once again, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anybody talking about outside noise around the locker room or in practice.

Cipriano said he’s tried to keep it business as usual during practice and film study.

“We don’t change much,” the Warriors’ coach said. “Yesterday’s practice was our normal Wednesday practice. I just try and keep them in the same mindset that it’s just another game. Of course, I think they know it is bigger than any other game. We still try to prepare for it as if it was another game just to keep them more relaxed.”

The players have followed suit, even the underclassmen.

Sophomore guard Christian Vela said that he and his teammates have chosen to live in the moment.

“We’ve just been focusing on this round and trying our best to get this done,” he said. “We’re not focusing on the future; we’re just focusing on now. Even though we’re not veterans and we’re newcomers, we still try to go out there, play as a team and do our best.”

The Cougars, who are coming off a regional quarterfinals victory over No. 4 Marion, will present challenges that the Warriors are used to seeing after deep runs in recent years in the form of height and physical play on both ends of the court.

It will be another physical night in the paint for the Warriors against a tall Cougars’ backcourt, highlighted by freshmen center Vince Iwuchukwu, who is listed at 6-foot, 10 inches tall.

Santa Rosa junior guard Mike Bermea, who was on last year’s regional championship team, said the task is daunting, but hopes he and the other veterans can help keep the team focused and on the same page.

“We have young guys on this team, but my job is to help keep them calm and basically have them play their game” he said. “When everybody plays their game, everybody plays their best. Cole is a good team, we’ve seen them on film, but if all of us play our game, execute, and hit our shots, I think we’ll be good.”

The Warriors have shot and defended well enough to advance through the first rounds where they dismissed Falfurrias, Jourdanton and a veteran Goliad squad, but Cipriano says his squad has yet to play their best basketball.

“I just hope we shoot a little better,” he said. “Even though we’ve won the playoff games, I don’t think we played our best basketball. I know we’re still capable of playing a little bit better. In order to get to the next round, we’re really going to have to play better than we have the first three rounds. Hopefully our shooting comes around; I don’t think we’ve shot as well as we can.”

MARK MOLINA | STAFF WRITER

The Los Fresnos track and field teams had good outings at last week’s Port Isabel invitational, with the girls finishing in first and the boys taking second.

Now, they hope they duplicate those performances when they host the 2019 Falcons Relays this afternoon at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium.

Aside from the host team, the field is set to include Port Isabel, Brownsville Veterans Memorial, Pace, Harlingen High, San Benito, the Harlingen South boys team, PSJA Memorial, the PSJA North boys and the Lopez girls.

The field events will start at 2:30 p.m., followed by the 3,200-meter run shortly after. The track events are set to begin after 4:30 p.m.

For girl’s head coach Brent Blackman and boy’s head coach Jose Horner, this year’s relays will be a chance to improve on last year’s event.

“This is the second year since we’ve taken over the programs, Blackman said. “Last year we did do this and we had like a tri meet at our place, so this year we wanted to make it as big as we could make it. We wanted eight to 12 teams and to get good competition in here. We always like Friday meets because it’s get them in, get them out and try to get the kids a little bit of rest during this part of the season.”

Horner is looking forward to the competition as multiple teams that will rival his Falcons at the District 32-6A meet will be in attendance today.

“It’s going to be a pretty tough field,” he said. “We have Harlingen coming and Harlingen South and they both have pretty strong teams. I think it’ll be good for our kids to see that competition; our district is pretty tough. We have great throwers from Harlingen South coming and great sprinters from Harlingen High coming — I’m pretty excited to see that competition.”

Last week, the Lady Falcons ran away from the field at Port Isabel, scoring 145 points and that was without top hurdler Brianna Alex, who missed the meet to compete at a DECA event.

The Lady Falcons found gold in six events, highlighted by Luisa Cruz in the 100-meter dash (13.08 seconds), Julissa Larraga in the triple jump (33 feet, 4.5 inches) and Ashley Muniz in the discus throw (123-8). They also won the 800- and 1,600-meter relays.

The Lady Falcons will be without four seniors due to a powerlifting meet, but Blackman is eager to get his team out there in hopes of improving.

“Each week we’re trying to get better and better,” Blackman said. “We’re going to bring in some freshmen and sophomores to fill those senior spots on the relays and try not to take a step back”

The Falcons scored 91 points last week, just missing the meet title by 5 points to San Benito (96).

Still, they got had multiple gold-medal winners.

Michael Paredes claimed victory in the 400-meter dash (51.89) and the 800-meter run (2:01.15), Isaih Muniz won the 100-meter dash (11.42) and Art Quiroda took gold in the high jump (5-10)

Horner is hoping to continue ironing out the details, especially in the relay events.

“We have a couple of moving parts in our relays,” Horner said. “We’re still shaken on those relays, but we’re comfortable with how the guys are coming together. We’re just trying to better our relays chemistry at a track meet. A couple of guys are still learning how to run the race. We’re moving them around to see what best fits them.”

MARK MOLINA AND KEVIN NARRO | STAFF WRITER

The Santa Rosa Warriors’ basketball team is no stranger to deep playoff runs as they are headed to the Sweet 16 for the fourth year in a row and have qualified for the state tournament the last two.

While those teams had quality veteran experience during those runs, this season’s group has been one of the youngest in recent memory with a roster consisting of four juniors, five sophomores and two freshmen.

While the Warriors were surviving and advancing, the young squad has been forced to grow up on the fly.

“I think (the playoffs) have made them believe in themselves more than anything,” Santa Rosa head coach Johnny Cipriano said. “I know they know they have the ability, but they have to go out there and prove it every night. I think these playoff wins are helping them with that self-confidence.”

That confidence has gone a long way as starting freshmen CJ Olivarez and David Balzadua were pivotal in the Warriors win, leading the team with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Olivarez said there have been others before him that have bought in to the Warriors’ system and he’s trying to do the same, which is why he has been able to come into his own.

“(This run) has been great,” he said. “I know there have been a lot of good players that have come and gone, but coach has just told me that I have to believe in the team and that’s what I’ve been doing.”

Team ball is the core value of the Warriors’ system, but Cipriano says having the right players coming ready to buy in is important every year, though having players observe past teams and go up through the ranks starting in middle school helps a great deal.

“There are different variables and, of course, you have to have the right kids come in and fit the system,” he said. “You can mold them, but they already have to be there. You just kind of tweak things offensively and defensively based on what you see in each and every individual. I think these players playing in middle school and watching the teams above them do what they do gives them an idea of how they have to play.”

Juniors Mike Bermea and Adam Cavazos are the two juniors who got the most court time during last year’s run to the state tournament, while sophomores Rey Davila and Carlo Ochoa played very sparingly as freshmen.

While it’s not much experience, watching the likes of last year’s senior duo of Ryan Perez and AB Lozoya has proven valuable this season.

“I think just them watching Ryan and AB and even Mike and Adam coming off the bench has helped them understand their role,” Cipriano said. “It’s helped them understand where they fit in the system and has helped them learn the system.”

Now, these young Warriors have a chance to carve out their own legacy and it starts tomorrow night in Seguin, when they face San Antonio Cole in the regional semifinals at 6 p.m.

TROJANS FINALLY BREAK THROUGH

After Tuesday night’s 70-65 win against Flatonia, San Perlita is back in the regional tournament. The Trojans’ last appearance in the regional semis last came when they went back-to-back during the 1995-96 and 96-97 seasons.

On the back end of the program’s 22-year absence, was the group of seniors that have endured heartbreak in the regional quarterfinals each of the past two seasons.

This time around, seniors Noah Olivarez, Frank Rincon, Parker Willis, Julian Herrera and Bryan Herrera have chosen to write their own history.

“Last year, having the lead and then letting it slip away, there was a lot of heartbreak that came with (the third round),” said Nataniel Garza. “I told my team, and they bought in, that the only way to get over that was to put ourselves in the exact same position that we were last year and get over that hump, get the win and make things right and we did it. We did it one game at a time and one round at a time. We constantly just stayed focused on our goal and we wanted to be back here to get over that heartbreaking loss because most of these guys were on the team last year.”

The Trojans will take on Hearne in the Region IV-2A tournament tomorrow. On Tuesday, Hearne walked off with a dramatic half-court buzzer beater to shock Snook 70-69 at Bryan High School.

The Eagles come in with a 19-3 overall record and went 11-1 in district play. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at San Marcos High School.

By KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

TAFT — For the first time since the 1996-97 season, the San Perlita Trojans are heading to the regional tournament after a gut-check 70-65 win over Flatonia on Tuesday night.

The Trojans will play Hearne at 6 p.m. Friday in the Class 2A regional tournament in San Marcos.

San Perlita junior Tige Johnson continued his strong play with a team-high 22 points, and senior Noah Olivarez gutted out 16 points.

“There are a lot of mixed emotions,” San Perlita coach Nataniel Garza said.

The Trojans lost the past two years in the area round. Now that they are past that elusive third round, they have etched their names into team basketball history.

“First it’s excitement, then it’s disbelief. We did a lot of reflecting on how last year we lost in the third round, and how much we wanted to win and get past the third round.” Garza said. “I’m so proud of these kids and how hard they work. It’s all about them.”

All night, the Trojans had to fend off a scrappy Bulldogs squad. San Perlita led by as many as 19 points but let the lead slip away.

The Trojans led 46-36 at the half, but Flatonia roared back with a 7-0 run and trailed 46-43.

For every shot Flatonia had, San Perlita had an answer. Olivarez hit back-to-back 3s to start the fourth quarter and help spark a late run.

After Flatonia tied the game at 62, the Trojans answered with a quick four points that helped push them ahead for good.

“This feels great to get over the hump,” Olivarez said. “I’m speechless right now, and to be able to do this with my guys. That was a tough team. Coach wanted us to go out and rebound, and to keep up the intensity. We are all emotional right now. It’s just an amazing feeling.”

Four Trojans finished in double figures. Along with Johnson and Olivarez, Julian Herrera scored 15 points and EJ Nieto added 10.

“This means so much to us,” senior Bryan Herrera said. “This is something that we all wanted after losing in the second round, and being able to do this with my brother and cousin, it’s an amazing thing to be a part of.”

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

LOS FRESNOS — On the final day of the inaugural Los Fresnos-Port Isabel round robin tournament, the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons relied on their bats.

During the first inning, Alyssa Peralez swatted a three-run homer that was followed by a two-run shot from Aileen Avelar to help fuel a seven-run frame, as Los Fresnos beat Rio Hondo 16-3 in three innings Saturday.

The Lady Falcons wrapped up tournament play with a 5-0 record and are feeling good heading into their non-district tilt with Harlingen South on Tuesday.

“From game to game, you just don’t know what can happen,” Los Fresnos skipper Traci Blackmon said. “There are some spots we are still working on and sharpening those skills. We continue to work on our hitting and finding our pitches, and getting our hitters some looks by moving the line up around a little bit.”

Los Fresnos plated eight more runs during the second inning. Vicky Perales got in on the fun with a two-run home run of her own. On the day, Los Fresnos finished with 13 hits.

Perales finished the day 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs, a pair of singles and three RBIs. Val Guevara also went 3-for-3 with two runs and a pair of RBIs.

“We are seeing the ball very well,” Blackmon said. “From top to bottom, but that can change tomorrow with a different pitcher. We have some tough teams coming up and we don’t take anyone lightly, and with these tournaments we are using it to piece everything together.”

Rio Hondo went 2-3 in tournament play and will begin district play Tuesday against Hidalgo at home. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Nayeli Garcia went 2 for 2 with a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run scored, Savanna Gonzalez went 1-for-2 at the plate with an RBI and Abbie Torris also went 1-for-2 with an RBI.

“Something that we are real proud of is that we continue to be competitive,” Rio Hondo coach Brett Esparza said. “We have a young team and here in Rio Hondo we have plenty of athletes, but at the end of the day we are trying to measure up by playing against teams that play year-round and that are a lot older. It is not that we can’t do it, we just need to find a way to close that gap faster.”

Lyford went 5-0 at Port Isabel. The Lady Bulldogs continue to stay hot with wins over Hidalgo, Rio Hondo, San Antonio Veterans Memorial, Port Isabel and, on Saturday, Lyford wrapped up a 9-0 win over Harlingen High.

Against the Lady Cardinals, Mikaela Lopez and Hannah Garza collected two hits each, as the Lyford offense used a five-run second inning to help build an early lead. Jerrica Rojas whiffed eight batters in three innings of work and allowed just one hit, and the offense aided her with nine runs on nine hits.

STRONG EFFORT

Harlingen South went 4-2 at the Border Olympics over the weekend. South picked up wins against Laredo United, Robstown, Alice and, in the bronze title game, South beat Laredo Alexander 16-1 to win the bracket.

The Lady Hawks’ two losses came against Medina Valley and Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial. Senior outfielder Natasha Canales was tabbed most valuable player in the bronze bracket.

Harlingen South next travels to Los Fresnos at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.