LORI VERMAAS | Special to the Star

On Friday afternoon, the Harlingen South Hawks found themselves relying on what so far this season has been a bit of a weakness — their defense. And Coach Brian Molina couldn’t be happier with the result.

Supplemented by its top scorers in Grant Lowery and Joe Cortez, who dropped 11 points each, Harlingen South held off Mission Veterans Memorial 38-33.

“We’ve been struggling defensively,” Molina said. “But the kids locked down, especially after the first quarter. We limited them to one shot. We finished possessions on defense.”

After falling behind 11-5 during the first quarter, the Patriots, led by standout Noe Cantu, pulled within two with nearly 2 minutes before halftime.

But they were unable to get any closer. A minute and a half and a couple of baskets later, sparked by a crucial Alex Rodriguez 3, the Hawks lengthened their lead right before halftime at 24-17.

Despite ending the game with 17 points, which led all scorers, Cantu never really found his rhythm.

“We doubled him as much as we could to get the ball out of his hands and rotate accordingly,” Molina said, noting that “the kids did a pretty good job of maintaining that.”

After the break, both teams amped up their defensive efforts. Although the Patriots’ defense stymied Lowery, limiting him to 1-of-3 shooting, his scooped layup at 2:53 in the third helped the Hawks lengthen their lead to 8, at 31-23.

By the fourth, the Hawks’ defense stiffened even more. The Patriots didn’t score until halfway through the quarter — two free throws by Cantu — but a timely steal and then layup by Brady Bennett snuffed out the prospect of a comeback.

With the season entering its halfway point and nearing district play, Molina feels good about where his team is.

“Today’s performance shows that even if we aren’t scoring a lot of points, we can defend the right way to get the best result,” he said.

KEVN NARRO | Staff Writer

LA FERIA—Senior Wide out Darius Hernandez got one more shot to take the football field as a La Feria Lion. Hernandez, who had a strong senior year, received an invitation to play in the annual Blue-Grey All-American Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington this past weekend.

“I received a letter in the mail and I got selected to play in the game,” Hernandez said. “It was just a matter of me signing up and securing my spot. I was excited to get another opportunity to play.”

Hernandez finished his senior season with 491 receiving yards and 44 catches with four touchdowns. The senior was also a apart of a district, bi-district and area round titles, as La Feria marched their way to the third round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2008 season.

Hernandez went through two different combines. The first was the invitational combine, where they evaluate players’ 40-yard dash, shuttle, broad jump, bench press and stats. The players are also evaluated by their position coaches and go through 7 on 7 and individual drills.

After the invitational combine, came the Super Combine where the rosters are selected.

“The super combine is about the same thing as the first one, the competition is picked up a notch,” Hernandez said. “It was amazing meeting new people and to see their talent and just being there. I was one of the smaller guys, but that doesn’t bother me at all. Just being around those guys was a great learning experience.”

Hernandez was not the only Valley representative at the Blue-Grey game. Brownsville Hanna’s defensive back Andres Sustaeta, Sharyland High’s offensive lineman Joshua Williams and PSJA High linebacker Marcos Pedraza all represented the West team.

“Out of all the players, they picked up four to represent the Valley,” said Hernandez. “That is what we did, we went out there and represented the Valley. It didn’t matter the speed or size we went out there and played Rio Grande Valley football.”

While Hernandez is not a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, the idea of playing in an NFL stadium was something Hernandez will cherish.

“When I got on the field, I was blown away on how beautiful the stadium was,” Hernandez said. “I thought about it, guys like Ezekiel Elliot and Dak Prescott play on this field that is something special.”

Hernandez isn’t the first Lion to take part in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl. Last year, senior Julian Trevino took the field along with Rio Hondo’s Erik Pizarro.

“Julian reached out to me and just told me to not hold anything back, to just go out there and have fun and enjoy the moment.” Hernandez said.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

With the holidays around the corner, high school basketball is in full swing. After a slow start, Harlingen South is starting to find their form.

After a strong showing at this past weekend’s Tri-City tournament, which saw the Hawks go 3-2 in tournament play, South continued to improve with a 60-51 win over Edinburg North Tuesday night in Edinburg.

Against the Cougars, three Hawks scored in double-figures. Grant Lowery hit four three-point shots and led the offense with 16 points. Joe Cortez netted 13 points, and Teyo Turrubiates finished with 14 points.

Up next for the Hawks is a home matchup against Mission Veterans Friday at 3:30 p.m.

Brownsville Hanna picked up a 59-50 win over PSJA Southwest Tuesday night. Hanna, like South, is starting to find their mojo.

Hanna’s Fernie Camacho netted a game-high 19 points, Cris Torres finished with 14 points and Gabriel Gracia scored eight points in the win.

Up next is a road test at Mission High Thursday at 7:30.

Brownsville Pace earned a 64-59 win over San Benito Tuesday night. For the Hounds, Jeremy Saucedo scored a game-high 22 points in the loss.

Up next for the Vikings is a date with their cross-town rival Brownsville Lopez. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Pace.

While the 5 and 6A districts are still in non-district, District 32-4A is underway.

Rio Hondo saw their five-game win streak snapped against Hidalgo 78-69 in their district opener Tuesday night in Rio Hondo.

The Bobcats got a strong performance from Jabez Villarreal, who scored a game high 28 points. Villarreal went off for a 14-point fourth quarter. Both Daniel Garcia and CJ Leal scored 12 points each.

Gus Sanchez led Hidalgo with 18 points; Andy Flores finished with 16 points; Luis Taledono netted 11 points and Saul Argona wound up with 10 points.

Rio Hondo will look to bounce back with a road game at Zapata, while Hidalgo will host Progreso. Both games are slated for 8 p.m. Friday.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN—Not all super hero’s wear capes.

For three quarters, McAllen High outran, outshot and outplayed Harlingen High. That was until the fourth quarter that will have Cardinal fans buzzing for quite some time.

Senior Michael Arellano flipped the switch along with sophomore Eric Quilantan, who provided the fourth-quarter heroics that helped fuel a furious Harlingen High comeback to stun McAllen High 52-49 Tuesday night in Harlingen.

“Coach wanted us to stay aggressive against a very athletic team,” Arellano said. “We needed to rebound and box out and we did. This is a big win for us. This will build our confidence moving forward.”

Harlingen trailed 47-35 entering the fourth quarter, but one look at the scoreboard was all it took Arellano to realize the switch needed to be turned.

“I looked up at the scoreboard and I know I haven’t been playing well, and I needed to step up.” Arellano said. “I can always make one shot and miss the rest, but when I’m on I’m on.”

Arellano answered the bell with 10 fourth-quarter points and finished with a game-high 21 points that fueled a 17-2 Cardinal run in the fourth quarter.

The Cards also turned to fellow senior Kameryn Gonzalez, who tied the game at 47-47 with four minutes left. After a quick bucket from the Bulldogs, Arellano fired back with a three-pointer that gave the Cards a 50-49 lead with 1:20 left. Gonzalez later provided the knockout punch that gave the Cards a two-possession lead in the final seconds.

Gonzalez finished with eight points, and John Ortega also finished with eight points in the win. The last time Harlingen held a led was early in the first quarter. Harlingen trailed by 10 at the end of the first period and trailed 32-24 at the half.

Along with Arellano’s clutch shooting came the fiery bench play of Quilantan, who provided a key spark defensively. Arellano and Quilantan fed off each other and it translated on the court when it mattered most.

“Quilantan came off the bench and gave us a ton of energy,” said Harlingen coach Greg Yates. “He caused a lot of havoc and he naturally has a lot of speed that caused McAllen to pick up the pace and that is the type of ball we like to play. Mike did his thing on offense and Kam made some big shots and played well inside.”

Harlingen will now coast into their winter break, with their next game coming on December 27th as they host Donna North at 5:30.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

SAN BENITO—Senior AJ Jasso secured her college future, by signing her letter of intent to play softball at Temple College. Jasso signed her name on the dotted line Tuesday afternoon in the San Benito gym.

Softball has always been a part of Jasso’s life and something that she held close to her heart was being around the San Benito softball program as she watched her older sister Amber Jasso guide the Lady ’Hounds to the state tournament in 2013.

“This day means so much to me,” Jasso said. “My parents always believed in me, they always knew I could play at the college level, but time went on and I got to my senior year and time became an issue. I knew I was going to sign somewhere it was just a matter of (where).”

Jasso becomes the second Valley athlete to join the Leopards after Weslaco senior catcher Audrey Escamilla signed her LOI to play softball at Temple on Monday.

“I’m excited to play for coach Kristen Zaleski and I’m excited to play at Temple,” Jasso said. “This day will have a lot of meaning to me as I go forward and when I look back I will always remember this day. Coach Z and I have a good connection. As soon as I met her I knew I was going to fit in and when I met the team it really felt like family.”

Jasso has provided the Lady ’Hounds with a quick bat and the ability to play different positions on the field. Jasso, who began her high school career in right field, made the transition this past year to play the middle infield.

“Once I get there, I know there will be girls better than me and some of them, we will be at the same level, but either way I know I have to work for my spot and earn it.”

Despite Jasso securing her future, there is still pressure and expectation to represent now Temple, herself and San Benito.

“I still think there is pressure, I have to represent myself and this is just the beginning and everything will be just as hard,” Jasso said. “But I’m ready and I’m ready to fill in where ever coach needs me once I get up there.”

Lady ’Hounds coach Denise Lira was excited to see Jasso take her talents to the college level and praised Jasso’s work ethic.

“AJ works extremely hard, whether that is in the offseason or during the season,” Lira said. “I can’t tell you how much I see her working after school and over the weekends with her dad. They are always working and trying to get better. She just has that competitive nature in her and she has a great mindset and is a great person to have on our team.”

By KEVIN NARRO | STAFF WRITER

The 2018 Brownsville Hanna Golden Eagles had a season that fans will be talking about for a long time.

Now, the Eagles made another splash this week with the release of the 32-6A All-District list as several players took home top superlatives.

Third-year head coach Mark Guess was named Coach of the Year after a district, bi-district and area title, along with a 10-2 overall record and a perfect 5-0 district record.

Senior running back Cesar Mancias was named district 32-6A Most Valuable Player.

Mancias was as hard a runner and helped the Eagles post big numbers see.

Hanna offense that averaged 33 points per game led by Mancias, who ran for 1,457 yards on 205 carries, 15 touchdowns and averaged 7.1 yards per carry.

The Eagles saw their junior QB Victor Campos bring home the offensive player of the year award. The junior gunslinger caused problems for opposing defenses all season long. Campos ran for 472 yards on 17 carries and nine touchdowns. Through the air, Campos threw for 1,539 yards with 17 touchdowns to just five interceptions.

Senior guard Sebastian Garcia was named Offensive Lineman of the Year.

Offensive Newcomer of the Year was a highly debated award as Harlingen’s sophomore wide out Justin Galvan, Los Fresnos freshman QB Matthew Padilla and San Benito’s sophomore running back Kyler Castilleja all shared the distinction.

Galvan had a strong sophomore season and had one of his bigger games against Harlingen South with three touchdowns. Padilla stepped in the starting role Week 7 against Harlingen South and started for the Falcons under center for the remainder of the season. Castilleja had a breakout year for the Greyhounds.

The San Benito underclassmen ran for 852 yards on 131 carries and 12 touchdowns.

One award not up for debate was Defensive Player of the Year as Eagles linebacker Jose Cruz was the unanimous pick for the distinction. Cruz led the defense in tackles with 79 solo tackles and 129 total tackles. Cruz also finished with 19 tackles for loss.

Teammate Junior Brandon Esteves received Defensive Lineman of the Year. Esteves ended the year with a team-high 31 tackles for loss.

There was a tie for Defensive newcomer of the Year. Harlingen’s sophomore linebacker Ezvyn Zuniga and Los Fresnos freshman cornerback Hector Muniz shared the award after big seasons for their respective teams.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

RIO HONDO—Anytime Rio Hondo and La Feria meet, the emotions are high and the intensity level gets turned up a notch. What had the feel of a playoff game in December; the rivalry lived up to the hype and wrote another chapter in the rivalry.

After Rio Hondo surrendered a 12-point lead with 3:30 left in the fourth quarter, La Feria leaned on a suffocating press defense, and Maggie Cavazos who hit a 3-pointer, followed by a game-tying layup 16 seconds left to force overtime.

Rio Hondo’s Ayisha Andrews would miss a potential game-winning bucket in the final seconds, but redeemed herself in the extra period with a go-ahead layup as the Lady Bobcats held on for a 37-31 win in overtime over the Lionettes Friday night in Rio Hondo.

“I was a little nervous at first, coming into tonight,” said Rio Hondo senior Taylor Gomez. “This is a big rivalry. We were a little shaky in the first half, but we got stronger as the game went on. Anytime we play the emotions are going to be high and tonight was a tough grind it out game, but I’m glad we were able to pull through together.”

“This is a big win for us, I was able to make my shots,” she added. “Getting to 2-0 is huge, tonight was tough for sure and as a senior getting this win means so much to me.”

The win puts Rio Hondo atop the district with a 2-0 record and will now meet Hidalgo at home next week. La Feria meanwhile falls to 1-1 and will travel to Progreso on Tuesday.

“This is my first year here in Rio Hondo and I’m new to this rivalry,” said Rio Hondo coach Lori Garcia. “The emotions were high, there were so many mixed emotions tonight, and it was loud and intense. Getting this win is huge, now we will play Hidalgo and we will start preparing for them tomorrow.”

Overcoming the adversity was one thing Garcia was pleased in seeing with her team.

“We pulled together in overtime,” Garcia said. “We got flustered with that press break; we had been doing well before that. They started with a zone and then went to the press and we were a little shocked at first but we made some adjustments. Down the stretch we got smarter with the ball and made the plays when we needed too.”

Gomez was the catalyst to the Rio Hondo offense, as the senior scored a team-high 16 points including a pair of key free throws in overtime that helped put the game out of reach 33-29 with 1:58 remaining in OT.

“Taylor was amazing tonight,” Garcia said. “She was able to find a good rhythm and knocked down her jumpers. She was able to get open, she did a good job of that tonight and my guards do a great job on finding her.”

La Feria never held a lead throughout the night. After a sluggish start to the first half, the Lionettes heated up when it counted. La Feria managed to outscore Rio Hondo 15-6 in the fourth quarter and erased the 12 point deflect.

Cavazos finished with 12 points, while Karina Diaz and Jeno Ochoa scored four points each. Aahiyah Stewart scored six points.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

The Tri City Classic will tip off today at PSJA North, PSJA Memorial and PSJA High with 24 teams hitting the court.

The tournament will run from today through Saturday with the championship game scheduled for 11 a.m. at PSJA North and the third-place game at the same time at PSJA Southwest.

Harlingen High will be in Pool H and will play McAllen Memorial at 1 p.m. and follow up with a matchup against Sharyland Pioneer at 4 p.m. Both games will be played at PSJA North.

Meanwhile, Harlingen South is in Pool E. The Hawks’ first test will be at 11:30 a.m. against Brownsville Veterans. Their next game will be at 8:30 p.m. against Hidalgo.

“We are still trying to find our identity,” said Hawks coach Brian Molina. “We are still mixing in some things and trying to find what works and giving the kids some playing time so we can figure things out for district.”

The young Hawks are still looking to find their mojo. Having another tournament against strong opponents will be a plus for South moving forward.

“We have some kids that have been in a tournament like this before, but for some kids, playing in a tournament this is new to them,” Molina said. “This tournament gives us a chance to see other teams and gives us a measuring stick on where they are at and where we are at.”

Also playing in the three-day tourney is Hanna, which will be in Pool C. The Golden Eagles are welcoming back a handful of football players back to the court.
Moving forward, Hanna will look to get the pieces in play and use the tournament as a chance to get the kids acclimated with the system.

“The biggest thing we want to do is improve ourselves,” said Hanna coach Fermin Lucio. “We are getting kids back from football and we have been together for about a week, so this tournament will help us and will let us know where we are at and what we will need to improve on.”

Hanna’s first game will be against South San Antonio at 1:00 p.m at PSJA Memorial. Their second contest will be at PSJA High, where the Eagles take on the PSJA Bears at 4.

Class 2A Santa Maria is new to the tournament. The Cougars are in Pool G and will play Laredo United South at 11:30 a.m. and will finish their day against La Joya at 8:30 p.m. Both games will be at PSJA Memorial.

Porter and St. Joseph will also take flight this weekend.

The Cowboys will be in Pool B and will square off against PSJA Memorial at 2:30 p.m. and at 7 p.m. against Edinburg High with both games played at PSJA Memorial. The Bloodhounds are in Pool A and have dates with PSJA North at 10 a.m. and La Joya Palmview at 2:30 p.m. at PSJA.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

Lyford’s sophomore quarterback Cayleb Klostermann had big shoes to fill heading into the 2018 season. Well, the young gunslinger did not disappoint. The Bulldogs finished with a 7-4 record overall and went 5-2 in league play.

Klostermann directed the Bulldog offense with 1,746 passing yards and threw 14 touchdowns to nine interceptions. On the ground, Klostermann ran for 390 yards on 107 carries and sniffed the end zone seven times.

Klostermann was named District 16-3A DI Offensive Newcomer of the Year, highlighting the area 3A list.

Lyford’s senior linebacker Alfonso Garcia was named Co-Linebacker of the Year along with Aransas Pass linebacker Alvaro Cantu. Senior wide out Joaquin Gonzales received Receiver of the Year. Gonzales hauled in 66 passes for 826 yards and 10 touchdowns.

District 16-4A DII

Raymondville had a banner year in 2018. The Bearkats won a district and bi-district title. Senior QB Jacob Posas was named Co-MVP with Rio Hondo running back Danny Vasquez.

Posas threw for 1,097 yards and threw for six scores. On the ground, he ran for 1,027 yards and scored 15 touchdowns.

Vasquez meanwhile finished the year as the district rushing champion. Vasquez ran for 1,750 yards on 201 carries and 12 touchdowns.

Bearkats sophomore wide out ZaRaivion Armendarez and Rio Hondo’s Sam Villines were tabbed Co-New comers of the Year.

Raymondville’s Frank Cantu was named Coach of the Year in District 16-4A. The Bearkats went 9-2 overall with a 3-0 district record.

Port Isabel’s running back Cesar Aguilera and Bobcats QB Josiah Ortega were named Co-Offensive players of the Year.

On defense, Raymondville’s Cole Cooley and Rio Hondo’s Joey Ortega were each named Defensive player of the Year.

District 16-4A DI

In District 16-4A DI, La Feria rolled to an 11-2 overall record and went 4-0 in district play. Along with the 11 win season came a district, bi-district and area title.

Junior QB Dorian Hernandez was named Most Valuable Player. Hernandez threw for 1,535 yards with 14 touchdowns to six interceptions.

Sophomore Dereck Perez received New Comer of the Year. Senior Darius Hernandez had another strong year for the Lions offensively. Hernandez hauled in a team high 38 balls for 456 yards and three scores. On the ground, Hernandez ran for 232 yards on 49 carries and two scores. Hernandez received co-offensive player of the year. Junior offensive lineman Jose Lugo was named Co-offensive lineman of the year while senior linebacker Jacob Garza was tabbed Defensive Player of the Year.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — Harlingen South Senior thrower Andrew Ott secured his college future by signing his letter of intent to Kansas State University to compete in the shot put Monday afternoon.

“This has always been a goal of mine,” Ott said. “We have such a great tradition here at South; it is a blessing to be able to play at the next level.”

As a sophomore, Ott brought home the district title, finished as a runner-up in the 31/31-6A area meet and finished fifth at the Region IV-6A meet.
As a junior, Ott finished as a runner up at the district meet and was able to bring home an area crown.

Ott also set a shot put record for Harlingen South as a sophomore, throwing 54-feet even.

“It is very special time in the Valley for those specific events and the way the fans go out and support the athletes,” South coach Ralph De La Rosa said. “Andrew has had a huge impact on that, and now he gets to do it at Kansas State.”

Ott was able to set an area-meet record previously held by San Benito’s John Belmantes. Ott capped off his junior year by placing third at the regional meet.

“I feel more pressure than anything,” Ott said. “I’m throwing for my livelihood, because I’m away from home. This was a more costly decision than some other schools. I have to hit a big mark to make this school a permanent option. So I really am throwing for my livelihood so it really depends on me doing everything I can to get to where I need to be.”

Ott joins the list of recent South track athletes to sign on at a division I program. Earlier in the year, Chase Herrell inked his name at the University of Houston and last year, Sky Tatum took his talents to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

“Andrew has been a prime example of hard work and dedication can do for an athlete,” De La Rosa said. “He and his teammates have brought the throwing events to the forefront.”

Ott plans to major in Civil Engineering.

“The facility’s at Kansas State are phenomenal, they are optimal and can grow and have great athletes,” Ott said. “I will have big shoes to fill when I get there, I think that will be the toughest challenge. It will be tough and I will have to work twice as hard on the little things and getting more into my diet and the recovery.”