By KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

KINGSVILLE — San Perlita’s turnaround season came to an end.

The Lady Trojans fell to a strong offensive group in Freer 25-17,25-21,25-20 in the class 2A regional quarterfinals Tuesday night at H.M. King High School in Kingsville.

San Perlita’s season ends with a 20-3 record along with a district, bi-district and area title. The last time San Perlita was in the third round was during the 2015-16 season.

Second-year head coach Criselda Rubalcaba saw the progress made from last season, where San Perlita finished in fourth place, to this year’s district title team.

“ At the start of the year, our seniors made a goal,” Rubalcaba said. “That goal was to win district and to reach the third round of the playoffs and our team accomplished those goals. Of course, the lost night is devastating, but this team grew each week and got better and I’m just proud of my girls.”

The senior group is what helped turn the tide this season. Senior outside hitter Karime Rojas took in her senior year along with her first district title.

“ It meant a lot to me on what we did this season,” Rojas said. “All the work paid off, all the running and 6 a.m. practices paid off, even though we hated them. We still pushed though and represented our team. It was a bumpy road but it was all worth it.”

San Perlita battled tough in the first set but didn’t have an answer for Freer’s hitters Kara Carpenter and Carolyn Hinojosa.

“ They did have a lot of fire power and they were a great group of girls,” Rubalcaba said. “I can’t take anything away from them; they have some great hitters. Our girls were a little rattled in the first set but were able to get it together and pulled through.”

In the second set, San Perlita settled down and tied the match at 20 a piece, but could not shut the door. In the third set, the Lady Trojans jumped out to a 4-0 lead and an 11-8 lead, but a 10-3 run from Freer gave them an 18-14 lead that helped make the difference.

“ They caught us on a bad night; this wasn’t our best night,” Rubalcaba said. “After the first set, the girls saw what to expect. We saw that we could compete but it was tough having to come back after that first set.”

STAFF REPORTS

MISSION— The memory of Leo “Najo” Alaniz, one of the first Mexican-American baseball players to play pro ball in the United States in the 1920s, is celebrated annually in Mission.

The 48th annual “Leo Najo Day Oldtimers Reunion” is scheduled to be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at Mission Event Center, located at 200 N. Shary Road. There will be live music with barbecue plates and refreshments for sale.

Every year, Leo Najo Day celebrates the colorful history of baseball in South Texas. Alaniz was inducted into the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.

This year’s inductees to the Leo Najo Hall of Fame are Elias Alvarez of Hebbronville, Julian “Jay” Avila of Weslaco, Pat Escamilla of Mission, Charles La Grange of Rio Grande City, Amadeo “Lew” Lozano of Benavides, Jeronimo Nunez of Alamo, Herbert “Herb” Richmond of McAllen, Ricardo Sandate of Corpus Christi and Humberto “Bert” Taddei of Harlingen.

Also, special recognition will go to Winston Ayala of McAllen, Jaime Garcia of Reynosa, Rick Lozano of Mission, Cruz Rangel of McAllen, Jerry Saenz of Mission and Carlos Pimentel of Mercedes.

The event honors the memory of Mission’s Alaniz (1899-1978). He made it to major league spring training camps but was never able to stick with a major league team for the regular season. Alaniz played Triple-A ball. He was also a longtime manager in South Texas.

The Mission High School baseball field is named for Alaniz, and the street where he lived in Mission also is named for him.

For more information, call Vicente Estevis at (956) 381-4844.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN—On Harlingen High’s opening drive, the Cardinals were pinned at their own 1-yard line.

That didn’t seem to bother them much, as senior quarterback Jaime Galvan hit his brother, Justin Galvan, on 34- and 57-yard pass plays to help set up a touchdown by senior running back Rayden Berry.

The early score helped set the tone for the night. Despite a strong second half from Harlingen South, Harlingen High won its 12th straight Bird Bowl 38-28 and leads the series 23-4.

The win also gives the Cardinals at least a share of the District 32-6A title with one game left on the schedule.

Harlingen High is now 4-0 in district play and will meet Brownsville Rivera next Friday. A win for the Cardinals would seal an outright district title.

“At the start of the season, this is something we have prepared for. We wanted to be a district champion,” Cards coach Manny Gomez said. “Along the way, we knew we had two rivalry games to be labeled a champion. Too many times people dream about being a champion and don’t want to put in the work, but these kids, that is what they have done. They have put in the work.”

Berry was named the game’s most valuable player by the Great American Rivalry Series. Berry scored three rushing touchdowns in the win.

“It feels good, this was a great team win, but we still have work to do,” Berry said. “I continued to run and kept working. I had been in a little slump but I continued to work, and not every game is going to be perfect. Winning the MVP is a great accomplishment, but I give all the credit to my offensive line. They are the ones blocking for me.”

The Hawks trailed 24-7 at the half but put together a much cleaner second half, stringing together 21 points from running back Israel Vasquez. The Hawks cut the lead to 10 during the final minutes.

South’s first touchdown came on a 68-yard pass from David Torres to Alex Esparza with 5:02 left in the first half.

“They made some good plays. They have some athletes,” South coach Brian Ricci said. “We had some missed tackles and they got some big plays, and we fell behind early. I’m proud of the kids for clawing back and competing in the second half.”

Heading into the final week of the regular season, the case is simple for the Hawks. A win against Hanna sends the Hawks to the playoffs, but a loss ends their season.

“The winner goes to the playoffs and the loser packs their stuff up,” Ricci said. “We will fix some things that we didn’t do right tonight, but, yes, we are going to dive right into Hanna this weekend, and the kids know what is at stake.”

The Cardinals’ offense was fueled by the Galvan brothers, who hooked up for a 5-yard touchdown pass that gave the team a 17-0 lead. Berry followed with a score that made it 24-7 at the half.

During the third quarter, the big plays came. Berry sprinted for a 43-yard TD run, but the biggest play came on a trick play. Jaime Galvan hit Ryan Elizondo on a swing pass, and Elizondo hit a wide-open Hector Perez for a 48-yard score.

“We knew we had a great game plan offensively, and we got put in a hole early,” Gomez said. “But we got a little stirred up, but we weren’t shaken and we were able to do our thing. Our offense is second to none, they are playing lights out right now. And defensively we are still growing up but it was a collective effort from everyone, and it is a great time to be in Cardinal Land.”

By KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — Friday night will mark the 27th annual Bird Bowl.

Junior Hayden Mann will hit the field for his second Bird Bowl, but the rivalry is something the offensive tackle has grown up knowing.

“I’ve been around the Bird Bowl for a while,” Mann said. “It is not really what this game means to me, but to the team. This is the time to come together, and we are a family. We are stuck like glue.”

Mann’s first Bird Bowl came when he was in first grade, the year he began his football career.

“It means everything to me to be a Cardinal. This is something I have waited for my whole life,” Mann said. “Ever since I was in first grade, that was when I saw my first Bird Bowl. I didn’t think of it much back then, and I didn’t know any of the players’ names. Seeing that game is what really got me connected to football.”

Mann’s older brother, Dalton, who played for Harlingen High, graduated last spring. Dalton is attending Texas A&M University in College Station but still keeps in contact with his younger brother.

“I have some big shoes to fill, and they expect a lot out of me,” Mann said. “I still talk to my brother, of course, and he’ll give me some advice on the game. I know some people over at South, but I’m not talking to them this week. But it is a fun week.”

Mann has filled in well at the right tackle position and has flourished on a seasoned offensive line.

“This is the most fun I have had,” Mann said. “I feel connected with everyone, the coaches are like a father figure to me. Protecting the blind side is tough. It is a bit stressful because our guys scramble, but we get it done.”

Harlingen High will look to make it 11 straight wins against Harlingen South come Friday night. The last Hawks win was in 2007, when South won its second straight Bird Bowl.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN— Friday night’s matchup between Harlingen South and Brownsville Rivera held playoff implications, with a calendar swap to November looming.

Harlingen South needed a win and got one to keep its playoff hopes alive, leaning on the defense and the legs of sophomore running back Marcos Gonzales, who scored three times to help lead the Hawks past the Raiders 36-15.

“We talked about it last week that we need three wins in a row,” South coach Brian Ricci said. “There is one down. We will enjoy this one tonight, but we will get ready to work and get ready for Harlingen (High).”

After swapping touchdowns early, South trailed 15-14 late in the first half. The Hawks recovered a fumble, giving the offense one more shot for the lead.

After converting on fourth-and-8, Hawks QB David Torres ran for a 11-yard score and converted the two-point conversion attempt, giving the Hawks a 22-15 lead.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Raiders fumbled the ball back to the Hawks. South’s field goal attempt before the half was blocked, but the damage was done.

“Right before the half we got the touchdown and the turnover, and although we didn’t make the field goal we had the momentum,” Ricci said. “I think this is (as) close to a complete game (as) we have had. We had a few mistakes penalty-wise, but overall our defense played very well and I’m proud of them, and on offense we scored points when we needed to and we moved the ball different ways. It is a good start moving forward.”

During the second half, the Hawks’ defense put the clamps on the Raiders and pitched the shutout, forcing four turnovers on the night.

“We went into halftime and the kids felt good, but South did a good job on shutting down our offense,” Rivera coach Beto Leal said. “We did some adjustments, but they just took it to us. What can I say?”

During the third quarter, Torres hit Jacob Carreon on a pass. Carreon fumbled, but teammate Jonadam Bustamante picked up the loose ball and ran it in for the score, giving the Hawks a 29-15 lead late in the third quarter.

The knockout blow came from Gonzales, who dashed for a 37-yard touchdown, giving him five in his past two outings.

“Right now I feel tired, but throughout the week it was just a lot of work with our quarterback and just getting the mesh right,” Gonzales said. “All the credit goes to the offensive line. The team revolves around them, and they are the heart and soul of the team.”

The Hawks snapped a four-game losing streak and are now back in the mix for a playoff berth. South, Los Fresnos, Rivera and Hanna are at 1-2 in 32-6A and looking up at second-place San Benito, which is 2-1, and district leader Harlingen High, which is 3-0.

Harlingen South now shifts its focus to crosstown rival Harlingen High and the 27th Bird Bowl.

Rivera is still alive for the postseason but has the tough slate of Harlingen High and San Benito during the final two weeks of the regular season.

“It is going to be chaos these last few weeks, and it may come down to points and stuff like that,” Leal said. “We have the two-headed monsters up next in Harlingen (High) and San Benito. It is David and Goliath. I’m hoping the kids can go home and read that story, and if they still believe they will be at practice on Monday.”

MARK MOLINA | STAFF WRITER

Just one week after squandering their chances at a 2-0 start to District 32-6A play following two misses at potential game-winning field goals in a 21-20 loss at Rivera, the Los Fresnos Falcons will try to rebound when they host first-place Harlingen High tonight.

The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium in Los Fresnos.

Despite the loss, the Falcons (2-5, 1-1) and coach Patrick Brown feel like their young team is starting to come around.

“We dropped that game last week in what was a very, very tough loss for us,” Brown said. “We really feel good about where we’re headed as a program and we realize as a staff that we’re very young…we’re still growing up and we’ve had growing pains. I like where we’re at and our kids are battling and believing in what we’re doing. For me, there is a lot more positive than there are negatives.”

The Cardinals (6-1, 2-0) have now strung together four straight wins after dismissing Hanna last week 42-8 and are continuing to peak as they have become matchup nightmares for opponents on offense and have flexed their muscles on defense.

It’s something Harlingen High head coach Manny Gomez and the rest of the program envisioned from the start of the season’s process.

“Every coach in America wants to see their team rise up and take in everything that can make (their team goals) all come to fruition,” Gomez said. “That’s something that requires a lot of grit and perseverance. The kids start becoming believers and then you have a full team doing great things. We’ve take steps back in years past, but we’re starting to see things coming to fruition from this new process. It’s starting to show and we’re not a team that’s there yet, but we’ve definitely go the ball rolling and rolling hard. There are definitely a lot of great things happening here in Cardinal Land.”

The 32-6A race for the playoffs below the Cardinals is a tight one with Los Fresnos, San Benito, Hanna and Rivera all sitting at 1-1.

With three games left and the stakes rising each week, the Cardinals have kept their minds off the standings and on the task at hand, which happens to be the Falcons’ flexbone offense this week.

“We don’t pay attention to the district race; we know we want to become an undefeated district champion,” Gomez said. “Right now, the road to that is through Los Fresnos. We’re just focused on them and taking it a game. It happens to be Los Fresnos this week, which runs a unique offense and we know it’ll be a challenge to not get drawn off sides. That’s a unique challenge for our defense. Our defense has grown and every week it’s a new guy who steps in and makes things happen.”

Harlingen’s defense is allowing 246.4 yards to opponents this season, including 124.1 yards on the ground, where Los Fresnos focuses its attack.

The Falcons are last in the district when it comes to total offense (278.4 ypg), but has come on strong in the last two games, due in large part to Chris Resendiz (109-681, 6 TDs), who has rushed for 249 yards and four touchdowns.

Still, the Falcons have been without starting sophomore quarterback Mathew Padilla since he was hurt in Week 5 at Odessa Permian, giving way to backup Adrian Longoria.

Padilla is expected back this week, giving Los Fresnos some more options.

“When you lose your quarterback right before district, that ends up being tough,” Brown said. “I think the reason we went to this offense is so we wouldn’t miss a beat. I think Adrian Longoria has done a great job and we just got Matthew Padilla back. So I’m excited to have both those guys back there to run the offense.”

The Falcons’ defense, which is second in the district (323.7 ypg) will have its handful against a red-hot Cardinal squad, posting more than 400 yards per game — a district best.

Harlingen’s quarterback-receiver and brother duo of Jaime and Justin Galvan are coming off one of their best games of the season.

Jaime Galvan (1,114 yards passing, 801 rushing, 22 total TDs) passed for three touchdowns, rushing for one more and caught another on a throwback pass from brother Justin (35-415, 4 TDs), who also caught two touchdown passes himself.

Add in the running threat of Rayden Berry (139-681, 6 TDs) and that creates what Brown said is the Falcons’ tallest task all season.

“I think Harlingen is the best team we’ve faced this year and it’s not even close,” Brown said. “I think they’re better than Permian and I think they’re better than LBJ. They probably have the single best player in our district. Their quarterback is such a tough, competitive, field general type kid. We definitely have our hands full and without question, they’re the favorite to win our district.”

By KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

BROWNSVILLE — Rio Grande City scored early and often, as senior quarterback Mario Garza was sharp and directed the Rattlers to a 40-15 win over Brownsville Porter on Saturday night at Sams Memorial Stadium.

The Rattlers scored on four of their six possessions during the first half.

Rio Grande City’s offense, which has averaged 43 points per game through their first six games, showed why it is one of the Rio Grande Valley’s top offenses.

With the victory, the Rattlers are one win from clinching a playoff berth. The Rattlers play host to Donna High next week.

“We talked about it during our bye week, and we are getting close to making the playoffs,” Rio Grande City coach Leonel Mireles III said. “We have been talking about raising the bar, so it is important for us to be sharp and taking care of business.”

The home run-play came on a 70-yard touchdown run from Angel Galvan that made it 13-0. On the next drive, it took two plays for RGC to sniff paydirt, as Aaron Marroquin hauled in a TD pass from Garza that made it 20-0 Rattlers.

“We work on our offense, and I emphasize it in practice,” Mireles III said. “God-willing, if everything goes right, we will be able to clinch a playoff spot next week, and we need to be sharp in the playoffs.”

Porter’s first score came on a Gabriel Gonzalez rushing touchdown from 3 yards out. During the third quarter, Porter QB Kevin Garcia called his own number on a 17-yard score.

“When you play a well-coached team like Rio Grande City, obviously, they are one of the better teams in the Valley and you can’t start slow against them,” Porter coach Carlos Uresti said. “Unfortunately for us, that is what happened. They came out rolling, and we had to play catchup early on, and that is one thing you don’t want to do against an explosive offense like that.”

With Saturday’s loss, the Cowboys are 1-4 in district play and mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

“We have a lot coming back, which is good, but we are not looking at that yet,” Uresti said. “Right now we want to finish the year strong for the seniors and continue to build for next year.”

Next week, Porter will take on PSJA Memorial, which is winless in district play.

Garza threw two more touchdowns during the second half. Garza hit Artemio Alvarez for a 36-yard score, and later found Marroquin for their second TD of the night.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

Something will have to give tonight at Bobby Morrow Stadium.

Both Harlingen South and San Benito will meet and one team will earn their first district win, while the loser will fall to 0-2 in district play with three weeks to go in the regular season.

The Greyhounds will host Harlingen South tonight at 7:30 p.m.

Both South and San Benito enter Week 8 in a bit of a funk, with both squads dropping three straight contests.

In a six team district, each game is critical and whichever team’s falls to 0-2 will be in a deep hole and could possibly put their playoff hopes in jeopardy.

“I still question if this is a must-win, but the winner of this game will definitely put themselves in a position when it comes to the playoffs,” said South coach Brian Ricci. “Both teams are in the same situation right now.”

South will look to get their offense back on track after posting just three points and 110 total yards of offense last week against Los Fresnos.

“We have been putting points up on the board we just had a bad outing the other night,” Ricci said. “We talked about it and one thing we talked about was starting fast. We can’t wait; we need to start fast and be ready to go.”

The Hawks will lean on senior QB David Torres to rekindle their offense against a stingy Greyhound defense led by three-year letterman John Daniel Gonzales.

South will take on another mobile QB in Smiley Silva. The Hawks have squared off Weslaco’s Jacob Cavazos and PSJA North’s Izaiaah Rangel.

“There are always some tweaks, but as far as the scheme, we are still running a base defense; we just have new personnel out there,” Ricci said. “We are just looking for a little bit of more consistency. We played well at times and we have played really well. In the past, we have had a hard time of getting off the field on third and long. We need to finish playing and when you get a team in that situation, you need to be able to get off the field.”

For the Greyhounds, it will home sweet home as San Bentio hasn’t played a home game since Week 1 of the season against Corpus Christi Calallen.

“District wins are important no matter what part of the season. A win is important,” said San Benito coach Dan Gomez.”

Despite the skid, the Greyhounds remain upbeat and have shown resiliency throughout the week.

“The kids do what they have to do in order to improve,” Gomez said. “Their minds have been right and they have been getting after it. This has been a good week for us, business as usual; they have put in some extra work to get themselves better.”

Look for San Benito to get back to their bread and butter with Silva under center along with running back Kyler Castilleja. Against Harlingen, the ’Hounds posted 13 points and put together 154 total yards of offense.

By KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

BROWNSVILLE — The Brownsville Jubilee Lady Titans took one more step toward the first UIL district title in program history, making quick work of Santa Rosa with a convincing 25-12, 25-12, 25-14 sweep Tuesday night.

The Lady Titans were led by Valentina Tijerina, who paced the offense with 10 kills, five aces and three digs. Along with Tijerina, Fernanda Bannak turned in five aces and 19 assists. Jazmin Gracia finished with seven kills.

Tuesday night’s win keeps the Lady Titans in the driver’s seat in District 32-3A. Jubilee is 14-0 in district with four matches left in the regular season. Santa Rosa remains in good shape for a playoff bid but is on the outside looking in for the district crown with a 12-2 32-3A record.

“Should we win out, we will win the district,” Lady Titans coach Rebekah Perez said. “Every game is tough and we want to win all of our games, but Santa Rosa has been our toughest challenge. They are a really good team, and we knew we had to beat them to get to a district title.”

The most intriguing part of this Lady Titans squad is the fact that it is in its first year in the UIL and is on the cusp of dethroning the Lady Warriors, who have dominated the district during the past few seasons.

“This is our first year in (the) UIL, and the girls are getting used to winning and the rules,” Perez said. “I’m proud of the girls. We only have 11 girls but they keep practices intense, and we scrimmage well in practice and they compete well against each other. The girls are making a statement with this being their first year.”

Junior Alexis Robinson was upbeat postgame and realizes where her team is and what a district title would mean to the program.

“Since this is our first year under (the) UIL, we are going to be the first team to make the playoffs (in the UIL),” Robinson said. “That means a lot to us, and we are ready to get that win. I still have one more year, but we have two seniors on the team and we want to make this year special for them.”

During each of the three games, Jubilee got out to a big lead and took advantage of the Lady Warriors errors, and leaned on strong offensive nights from Tijerina and Gracia.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — Big players make big plays in big games.

When Harlingen High senior quarterback Jaime Galvan took the field, it was evident he would not be stopped.

On the second play of the game, Galvan hit Rayden Berry on a screen pass that went 87 yards for the score and helped set the tone for the night.

Galvan directed Big Red’s offense with his legs, rushing for three scores and 157 yards as Harlingen High dismantled rival San Benito 35-13 in the 89th edition of the Battle of the Arroyo and in the Valley Morning Star’s Game of the Week.

“They went Cover 0 on us and we were able to sneak Rayden out, and that is one of those things that our coaches do a good job of and Jaime saw it,” Cards coach Manny Gomez said. “They were able to execute that play. We did what we had to do, thank god.”

Galvan accounted for five touchdowns on the night, but the Greyhounds took advantage of an early interception during the first quarter. On fourth-and-4, Kyler Castilleja scored a 15-yard touchdown that gave San Benito a 7-6 lead, the only lead the Greyhounds held.

On the next drive, Galvan answered with a passing touchdown to Donny Serna that gave Harlingen High a 13-7 lead.

After that, Galvan dazzled the home crowd with a 27-yard QB keeper that pushed the lead to 20-7, and he followed that with an 84-yard score that made it 28-7 Cardinals late in the third quarter. Galvan capped off his night with a 2-yard score late in the fourth quarter.

“Mr. Galvan is a competitor,” Gomez said. “His energy and juice spreads like wildfire with this team, and not just tonight but weeks prior.”

Through the air, Galvan went 5-for-13 for 139 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

“I think I felt a little bit of everything when I took the field tonight,” an emotional Galvan said. “I was mad, motivated, there was just a lot of emotion. This is great, it feels great. This is what we work for every day, and week by week. We had two weeks to prepare for this game, and we came out tonight and did what we were supposed to do.”

Galvan was named the Great American Rivalry’s most valuable player in the win.

“The only way I got this MVP was because of my team,” Galvan said. “They was no way I could have gotten this without my brothers out there. They helped me out. Right now I feel great, and we are not done yet and the season isn’t done yet.”

The Cardinals are 1-0 in district play and meet Hanna next week at home. San Benito will play host to Harlingen South next week. The Greyhounds and Hawks will be in search of their first district win of the season.