MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

It stands at 20.

On more than one occasion during the final 4:28, the Rivera Raiders looked like they were on the verge of snapping a 19-game losing streak, but it was not meant to be as the hosting Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers snatched the game late.

Down by one, Chargers quarterback Liam Longoria rolled to his left and hit a wide open Mauricio Garza down the sideline for a 70-yard touchdown to secure a 26-21 victory and push Rivera’s losing streak to 20 on Friday night at Veterans Memorial.

Garza getting more reps at receiver was a big topic around camp, but the winning play showed why the team made the move as his speed got him past the Rivera defense.

“I got the corner, and on any play like that I feel I can outrun any corner,” he said. “Liam put the ball perfectly. it was the perfect play played perfect by Liam and perfectly executed. Rivera put it on us in the first half, but we knew we couldn’t let them beat us in our house and we would do anything to beat them.”

Longoria was 12 for 22 for 248 yards and two total scores, and Garza also scored on an 8-yard run during the second quarter.

The game saw three lead changes, but among the late fireworks, Chargers coach David Cantu saw a rejuvenated Raiders team.

“It felt like one of those Rocky I and Rocky II movies, just back and forth there at the end,” Cantu said. “Most importantly, we have to say how impressed the community is with Beto Leal and what he’s doing at Rivera. It’s fantastic. But this is what a high school football game is supposed to be about, lots of drama, excitement and kids making big-time plays.”

The Raiders led 15-14 with less than five minutes to play and drove deep into Chargers territory before quarterback Chito Perez was picked off by BVM’s Jose Moreno at the 17.

BVM took its first lead six plays later on a Longoria 16-yard run, making it 20-15 with 2:29 to play.

Rivera answered with a 2-yard sneak by Perez five plays later, set up by a 70-yard run by Ramiro Vega to make it 21-20 with 52 seconds to play before Longoria hit Garza on the ensuing drive to seal the game.

“I’m real proud of these kids. They’ve been busting butt,” Leal said. “They’ve been busting butt in the spring, during the summer and this week. The loss is a disappointment for the kids. We know what Veterans is, that’s a darn good football team that is well-coached. Our coaches do a good job, and we’re going to keep working. Like we tell the kids, it’s adversity.”

Vega rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns, with one fumble.

The Raiders had big plays all night long from a stingy defense and special teams. The Raiders’ defense allowed just one score through three quarters and forced a pair of turnovers.

On special teams, the Raiders converted two fake punts and recovered a Veterans fumble late in the game that almost proved costly with just more than six minutes to play.

The Chargers kept the game close to open the second half when Thomas Pena returned a blocked punt 59 yards for a score to make it 15-14 before the offensive put up two touchdowns in the fourth.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

SAN BENITO — For a second straight year, San Benito went toe-to-toe with perennial state power Corpus Christi Calallen.

The Wildcats shook off a slow start offensively in the first half and leaned on their rushing attack, led by quarterback Jarrett Garza, to prevail 28-20 on the road to open the season.

Much like Calallen, it took the Greyhounds some time to find their grove on offense. The Greyhounds’ defense held the ’Cats offense in check for most of the night and limited the big plays.

The turning point came on a Kyler Castelleja fumble at the Calallen 3-yard line when the game was tied at 14 with four minutes left in the third quarter. One play prior to that, Smiley Silva hit Juan Constante for a 40-yard strike to set up the ’Hounds’ at the goal line. Constante came down with the catch, but tiptoed out of bounds at the 3-yard line.

“That was a big stop for us, and it was a turning point for us,” Calallen coach Phil Danaher said. “They had a first down there at the 3-yard line and we were able to hold them. That was just determination as much as heart, and our kids did a great job.”

On the next drive, Garza broke away for a 60-yard, go-ahead touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter, giving Calallen a 21-14 lead it did not surrender.

“We had to change some personnel and it cost us a couple of delay of games, but we got it together at halftime,” Danaher said. “We are usually a second-half team anyways but San Benito did a great job. Their defense had a 10-man front, and we had to figure it out and made the adjustments.”

San Benito refused to go away. After a defensive stop, the offense got the ball back at its own 20 with 3:35 to play, trailing 21-14, but failed to convert on a fourth down, giving the ball back to the Wildcats.

One play later, Riggs Barrett scored a 26-yard touchdown to put Calallen ahead 28-14 with 2:27 left. On the next drive, Silva scored on a 21-yard touchdown to trim the lead to 28-20 with less than one minute to play. A missed onsides kick sealed the win for Calallen.

“The coaches did a great job and the kids did a great job on executing the game plan,” San Benito coach Dan Gomez said. “I just need to do a better job on making sure we are prepared. We put a game plan together, and the kids did a great job. I just need to do a better job on getting my team ready.”

The Greyhounds’ Zac Galvan sacked Garza on the final play of the first half, and San Benito went into the locker room tied at 7.

On the first drive of the second half, San Benito marched down the field and took its first lead, 14-7, on a 26-yard dime to Constante. Silva ran for two scores on the night and threw for one. Down 7-0, Silva showed off his moves with a 69-yard score that tied the game late in the first half.

“San Benito did a great job, they are a great team,” Danaher said. “When we played them last year I knew they were a tough team then, and it was about the same score this year as it was last year. They went three deep last year in the playoffs. They are a good team.”

San Benito will now hit the road for the next four games. Up next is a date with Victoria West at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6. Last season, the ’Hounds won a shootout with Warriors, 43-41.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

SAN BENITO—The rigorous non-district schedule kicks off tonight for the San Benito Greyhounds as they host the Calallen Wildcats at Bobby Morrow Stadium with the kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m.

Bobby Morrow has hosted quite a few state powers in the past. Last year, the Greyhounds welcomed Midland Lee during the non-district portion of the season and eventually hosted Converse Judson in the third round of the postseason.

“The community is just excited that football season is back,” San Benito coach Dan Gomez said. “It doesn’t matter who it is, the fans come out and support their kids and support the team. We are just excited to play football and to play at home. The challenge has been put in front of us and the kids are going to get out there and give it everything they have.”

This year, the ‘Hounds will host the Wildcats in what will be their only home game of the non-district schedule.

“We are going to wait and see how it goes,” Gomez said. “We are going to treat these roads trips like we would any other road trips that we have had in the past. That is all you can do and just make sure the kids stay focused.”

Last year, San Benito went toe-to-toe with the ‘Cats and fell 28-21 at Calallen. Despite the loss, the ‘Hounds regrouped and wound up second in 32-6A and reached the third round of the playoffs. Calallen, who was pegged as a young team last year, ended up in the Class 5A state semifinals before bowing out to Fort Bend Marshall 19-17.

“They have kids that have signed letters of intents to play at the Division I level and they have been around for a long time,” Gomez said. “They bring a challenge to us and a lot of teams, but to us it is no different. They are not afraid to play us and we are not afraid to play them.”

The Wildcats bring back a wealth of experience with eight returners on both sides of the ball. Calallen will look to quarterback Jarrett Garza, while the defensive side will be the key cog for the ‘Cats, led by defensive tackle Marcus Wiser and linebacker Riggs Barrett.

Longtime Calallen head coach Phil Danaher enters the 2019 season with a 458-111-4 record. Along with the Wildcats coming to town, San Benito will welcome Danaher to Bobby Morrow for the first time.

“He (Danaher) is somebody that is very well respected in the coaching profession,” Gomez said. “He has earned every bit of that, he is the winningest Texas high school football coach and anytime we have a time to pick his brain, we do that. So the relationship we have with him is a good one.”

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

SAN BENITO—The road that led senior quarterback Smiley Silva to wear the purple and gold wasn’t a difficult one but one he knew he was destined to do. Born and raised in San Benito all Silva has ever known is Greyhound football.

In fact his first game he ever attended was the Battle of the Arroyo when he was just 13 years old. Since then Silva has been determined to be a part of the Greyhound program.

“This sport is my first love, ever since I was five or six years old ever since I could grip a football,” Silva said. “I played flag football when I was a kid and my first contact football was when I was in seventh grade. Me seeing the San Benito helmet, I’ve always wanted to wear it, I always wanted to be a Greyhound.”

Silva will have some big shoes to fill under center for the Greyhounds. Silva has seen in his time Erick Retta and Jacob Cavazos both lead the Hounds to the third round of the playoffs and have left behind a strong legacy.

Most folks don’t know who Silva is, the senior who is a humble quiet individual is looking to have a strong senior year and build a name for himself, while Silva who not only resembles Cavazos with his looks but also his style of play on the field.

“A lot of people really don’t know me,” Silva said. “I played last year but at wide receiver but I’m a humble guy and I’m a little nervous but I’m ready for this opportunity.”

“People get me confused with Jacob, we look alike and we both wore number seven and played quarterback,” Silva said. “I learned a lot from both of them. They taught me well on how to read defenses but I will be ready. When the season ended last year Jacob just told me this is my time and to keep working hard.”

Over the summer Silva used the 7on7 league as a time to sharpen his skills and build a chemistry with his wide outs. One of the things Silva worked on and improved on was his passing ability along with getting a grasp of the offense and his wide receivers.

“I worked on my passing and foot work drills, I also worked on my strength and I feel I reached those goals this summer,” Silva said. “I’m just excited to get on that field and play with my brothers and us playing together as a team.”

Silva and the Greyhounds will kick off their season at home against Corpus Christi Calallen Friday at 7:30 p.m.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

The time has finally come, the 2019 football season is here and area teams are gearing up for another season.

Here are a few area games to keep tabs on. Lyford will travel to Santa Rosa, Harlingen South will host Edinburg High, San Benito will be home to Corpus Christi Calallen, Rio Hondo welcomes in La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, La Feria will travel to Raymondville and Harlingen will play at Sharyland Pioneer.

Cards and Hawks have strong camps

Harlingen South enters their regular season opener with some swagger and confidence. After a strong camp the Hawks will meet Edinburg High Friday night at Boggus Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

Both Edinburg High and Harlingen South both made the playoffs last season. Last year Edinburg High 34-21. Edinburg High finished 7-4 last year and went 3-3 in district play.

Keep tabs on senior QB David Torres as he makes his return from an elbow injury he suffered last season, Torres is fully healthy and a three-year starter. Along with Torres will be their speedy defense.

“We had a great week of practice,” said South coach Brian Ricci. “This first week are concentrating on special teams but this week has been great and I love the way the kids attitudes have been, they are running around and we are excited. Edinburg High is a good team and they are well-coached. They have some size up front, their defensive line is good and I know they graduated some kids but so did we.”

Across town, the Cardinals also checked in a fine camp. Big Red will kick off their season at Sharyland Pioneer Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Richard Thompson Stadium.

The Diamondbacks are a young squad looking to have a true breakout season under second year coach Thomas Lee and are in their sixth season as a program. Last season, Harlingen thumped Pioneer 64-17 to kick off the season.

One thing fans can keep an eye on will be the quarterback play. Harlingen’s signal caller Jaime Galvan had his strongest camp to date and will meet junior QB Eddie Lee Marburger. The Cards will look to running back Rayden Berry and wide receiver Justin Galvan to help generate the Cardinal offense.

“The guys you are talking about, Rayden and Jaime literally lived in the weight room and got in a lot of running when everyone else is watching. They have gone above and beyond and it shows. We have had other kids work hard busted their butts and it all shows. We have had a lot of young kids get in work with the upper classmen and they see the work ethic and seeing it translate to the field.”

Rio Hondo and Lyford look to open season on a winning note

Lyford will travel to Santa Rosa Friday at 7:30 p.m. to kick off their season. The Bulldogs edged the Warriors last year 13-6 in Lyford.

This season the Dogs’ enter the season with experience and a little chip on their shoulder. The 2019 pack will be led by junior QB Cayleb Klostermann along with Abel Mendoza who will lead the aerial attack and on the ground Devon Mendoza will lead the rushing attack.

The Warriors will counter with wide out Mike Bermea and running back Jose Diaz-Mendez will look to make plays for Santa Rosa.

“We are feeling good, the kids are excited to get out and play under the Friday night lights,” said Lyford coach Israel Gonzalez. The kids have been flying around all week and at the same time we are making sure the kids take care of their bodies. We wanted to make sure we were on point on Monday and Tuesday. Those are our work and teaching days and Wednesdays are our polishing days but we have had a great week of practice with a lot of intensity and the kids flying around.”

Meanwhile in Rio Hondo, the Bobcats just might have found that confidence they were looking for. The Bobcats will host the Huskies Friday night at 7:30 p.m.

Despite Rio Hondo being a 4A school and Juarez-Lincoln being a 6A school, the two have a familiarity with each other. Last year the Bobcats took down the Huskies on the road 41-21 and managed to pitch a second half shutout.

This year Rio Hondo’s question mark was at the quarterback position. On Friday sophomore QB Zachariah Rios will be the starting quarterback. Along with Rios, Ethan Reyna, Smiley Rodriguez and Jonah Ortega all have found their form over the last few weeks.

“We played a really good team in Lyford and I thought the kids played great on both sides of the ball,” said Rio Hondo coach Rocky James. “We had some big plays on offense and we saw some more urgency and that was one thing I was excited to see.”

ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The Pace Vikings completed their scrimmage schedule with a victory at home against Edinburg Economedes on Friday at Pace.

The Vikings scored twice and shut out the Jaguars during the first-half controlled portion of the scrimmage for a 2-0 tally. During two quarters of live action in the second half, Pace won 7-6.

“Usually you want to come out clean in these scrimmages, and we had one injury tonight,” Pace coach Danny Pardo said. “But as far as what we wanted to see from our guys, we saw it. Economedes is pretty physical and we’re not very big, and more of a team with speed, so we wanted to see how we would do.

“I think our guys did a great job, they really did,” Pardo added, “We had our backups in there almost the whole second quarter because we didn’t want any (more) of our starters to get hurt. Even those backups played hard, which is really what I like to see. It was getting to a point where we didn’t want any more starters to get hurt.

“Our backups did a very good job of responding to the challenge (of playing). They did well. We turned the ball over late. That’s how Economedes’ score was set up. The bottom line is we just have to get better.”

Dylan Barron went up the middle and scored from 1 yard out to give Pace a 1-0 edge in the controlled portion to start the game. The score came on the eighth play of the Vikings’ first possession.

Later during the same possession, Jose Banda threw a 40-yard scoring pass to Jaylun Garcia to make it 2-0 during the controlled portion.

With 42 seconds remaining during the first of two quarters in the second half, the Vikings went up 7-0 in the game situations part of the contest when Garcia caught a 20-yard scoring pass from Marcos Cuevas. The extra point made it 7-0.

After a Pace fumble at midfield, the Jaguars drove down and scored their lone TD on a run off the right side from 1 yard out by a running back.

Economedes threw a pass on the two-point conversion attempt but it fell incomplete, leaving the score 7-6 in favor of the Vikings.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN—Harlingen South ended their camp on a strong note and there is plenty of optimism that the Hawks can be right in the mix for a postseason berth and even a district title.

On Friday, the Hawks hosted McAllen Memorial, which has been one of the Rio Grande Valley’s perennial powers over the past decade. The Hawks defense made a strong case with their first group and limited the Mustang offense for most of the night.

South’s defense, which is in their second year of a new defensive scheme, looked more comfortable and flew to the ball and made tackles all evening.

“This is one thing we talked about when we came in to tonight, that this was our last practice before it all starts to count,” said Hawks coach Brian Ricci. “To me, scrimmages are practices, this is what gets us ready for our first contest and that’s Friday night. The defense did really well; this is the second scrimmage in a row were they did well. McAllen Memorial always does a good job and always has a lot of speed, more speed than we will see anywhere else. We were able to limit them to no big plays.”

Despite losing Isaac Moreno and Caleb Solis to graduation, the secondary will be led by hard-hitting junior David Cortez and senior corner Kike Alvarado. The Hawks will rely on their speed and is something the Hawks haven’t had in the past.

“Right now, we feel great, I love the way our defense is playing,” Cortez said. “We are firing on all cylinders We are playing with an intensity that I haven’t seen before.”

Both the offense and defense went one drive each in the live portion of the scrimmage. The Hawks defense forced a three-and-out and wrapped up the night for the starters.

“We are communicating on the field and our bond that we created over the summer has helped us,” Cortez said. “We were able to carry that over into the season. This is the fastest defense I have been a part of and I love it. Everyone, all 11 guys, are flying around to the ball.”

On offense, senior quarterback David Torres returns under center and is fully healthy after an elbow injury he suffered last season. Torres took the off season to recover and is right where he needs to be with running the Hawks offense.

“During the offseason it was about me heeling and taking it slow and preparing for my senior year,” Torres said. “The team worked hard all off season, I was there watching them bust their butts and now once I got healed I was able to catch up with the guys.”

During the live portion, Torres hooked up with his trusty target Brady Bennett, who is also a senior and had a strong off season and camp, to cap off an 11-play scoring drive by hitting Bennett for a touchdown.

“That was a good drive,” Ricci said. “During the controlled part, we really don’t get any momentum. It’s more of us wanting to get certain plays in to where we can correct them on film. That live quarter is how we like to play. We went fast, got a good tempo and we controlled the speed of the game. We executed, got some good throws and had some good runs overall — it was a good drive.”

The Hawks will open the regular season at home on August 30 at 7:30 p.m. against Edinburg High.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

SANTA ROSA—Both Port Isabel and Santa Rosa used their final scrimmage as a dress rehearsal with the regular season just one week away. The Tarpons, who are under second-year head coach Jason Strunk, showed growth and a more familiar grasp of the system.

The Tarpons will open the season next Friday against the Porter Cowboys at Sams Memorial Stadium.

“We don’t come out and get ready to win a scrimmage, we want to come out here and get ready to run some stuff we run and get better,” Strunk said. “We ran some things tonight that we felt we needed to get better at with certain situations. This was all just preparing for next week; that was basically it.”

Heading into the season, the Tarpons will roll with junior quarterback Joey Krieghbaum. The junior started all three drives in the live portion of the scrimmage and directed the offense to a pair of touchdowns.

“Joey is our guy at quarterback,” Strunk said. “Our backup QB is our starting inside linebacker and he does a great job for us. Joey is the guy we are going with.”

The Tarpon running backs showed plenty of promise and could be a strong unit for the Tarpon offense with Joey Alvarado, Adrian Nino and Jordan Camacho.

“We are going to be running the ball and our running backs looked really good tonight,” Strunk said. “We are going to be running a lot of no huddle stuff and RPOs; we haven’t run any of that yet. We are saving that for the season, but our backs are a big deal for us.”

One concern for the Tarpons was the slow start on offense. In the live portion, the Tarpons fumbled their first possession but were able to regroup and score on their final two drives.

WARRIORS SHOW PROMISE ON OFFENSE

Heading into camp, there were a few questions for Santa Rosa head coach Hector Ayala and his club. The elephant in the room was who will replace last year’s star running back Ryan Mesa?

Well, the Warriors seem to have put that question away with Jose Diaz-Mendez, who displayed his speed and smooth running Thursday night, helping move the chains on more than one occasion.

“He is a good runner and he can make some cuts,” Ayala said of Diaz-Mendez. “He doesn’t make as many cuts but he is just a strong runner.”

Along with Diaz-Mendez was wide out Mike Bermea, who made multiple plays down field, showing the ability to make the 50/50 ball along with his speed that allows him to beat one on one matchups.

While the skill positions are set, the looming question of who will be the starting quarterback remains in 2019. Both Resse Lara and Jose Ruiz split the live portion with two drives each. On Ruiz’s first drive, the Warriors marched inside the Tarpon 5 yard line, but eventually stalled. On his second drive, Ruiz directed a nine-play drive and hit Bermea for a touchdown.

Lara got some help from Diaz-Mendez, who broke off a big run that helped set up a TD pass to Bermea, capping of Lara’s first drive. On his second drive, Reese and the offense went three-and-out.

“It is still a battle for the QB position,” Ayala said. “Tonight, we saw it lean on way, then it would lean the other, but we will have to decide on someone. Both guys stepped up tonight and did their best and they are each others biggest supporters. They help each other out and are not negative, that is the good thing about it.”

The Warriors will kickoff their regular season next week at home against Lyford at 7:30 p.m.

MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

The Santa Maria Cougars are fresh off back-to-back playoff seasons and are eyeing another heading into the 2019 campaign.

Working in Santa Maria’s favor is a group of 14 returning players and a bevy of seniors, but if that group is going to get where it wants to be, it is going to have to do it under the leadership of first-year coach Israel Gracia.

Gracia, who spent time as an offensive coordinator at Rio Hondo and Hidalgo before landing with the Cougars, said it’s been a change of pace at Santa Maria but that he has seen growth as the season draws near.

“It’s been a change for the team and a change for me, but the town seems excited about its football, so its fun,” Gracia said. “The progress is getting better, and we’re getting more and more consistency. In the beginning we had a little group showing up, now we have more and more coming out. They’re starting to get used to our system and our practices, and they know what to expect from them.”

Santa Maria returns 14 players, including eight on the defensive side of the ball, which is expected to be the team’s strong point this season.

One of those players is defensive tackle/offensive lineman Joaquin Sosa, who said the team is used to change and has prepared for the swap in coaching by staying ready and being familiar with the new faces.

“The switch hasn’t been too hard, because we’ve had different coaches for a good while, and every year we get a new coaching staff,” he said. “It’s nothing new, but with our previous coaches we went into offseason right off the bat and conditioning wasn’t too hard. It’s been good, and a lot of us have grown up together and we all pretty much know each other.”

One of the younger players looking to break out this season will be junior defensive end Rudy Flores, who said the old and new players are meshing nicely during the past couple of weeks and that having a senior presence has helped.

“Learning from them, whether it’s plays, the workouts, everything is just like having a big brother,” he said. “They teach you everything and everything that is going on, and just going out there and playing the game is different.”

With morale high for the Cougars, who went 4-7 one year ago, the goal now is to take another step.

The Cougars finished fourth in District 16-2A Division I last season and third in 2017, but their playoff runs were short-lived, running into Shiner in the bi-district round both seasons. They lost by a combined score of 137-0.

Gracia and company know that making the playoffs won’t be enough as they aim for a top-two finish in order to avoid the top teams in Region IV early on.

That is a tall task considering state powerhouse Refugio leads a tough district slate that includes Three Rivers and Freer, both of which picked up wins over the Santa Maria one year ago, but Gracia said his team is ready.

“In order for us to move on, we need to get past the first round of the playoffs,” Gracia said. “In order to do that, we either have to win or finish second in the district. We can’t let up one bit, and those are realistic expectations.”

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN— The freight train that is Harlingen South continues to roll in 2019.

The Lady Hawks continued their winning ways Tuesday with a thumping of PSJA Memorial, 25-13, 25-20, 25-17, in front of their home crowd.

South held its parents night and returned home for the first time in nearly two weeks, but the night belonged to South coach Anissa Lucio. With Tuesday’s win, Lucio — who began her head coaching career at Weslaco High — notched career win 125 against the Lady Wolverines.

In her third year at the helm and sixth year overall, Lucio has revived the South volleyball program and has the Lady Hawks clicking and brimming with confidence.

Ironically enough, career win No. 100 also came against PSJA Memorial, almost one year to date on Aug. 21, 2018.

“This is big, and I really had no idea where I was when it came to wins,” Lucio said. “This is an accomplishment for myself as a coach but really this is all about my girls and them getting all the work done, and I’m proud of them and what they have done. This is a big deal for us, and as soon as the match ended is when I found out. I literally had not counted my wins, so I had no idea.”

The Lady Hawks’ trio of senior Mikela Mireles, Mya Pearl Aguirre and Allyah Guevara all had a hand in Tuesday night’s win. They have helped South get off to a hot 15-1 start.

“It is amazing for us to be able to give her those wins,” Mireles said. “It was a great moment for all of us, that is for sure. She told us in the locker room that it isn’t about her, that this is about all of us, and she is thankful for us getting to this point.”

Mireles paced the offense with a team high 19-kill performance along with four digs. Aguirre backed up Mireles’ play with an 11-kill, 18-assist night.

“Our chemistry and sisterhood is what really helps us,” Mireles said. “We also have a lot of girls returning, so that is an advantage for us. We are more than a team, we are a family when we get on the court. Right now I feel I haven’t played my best game yet, but I’m going to keep pushing until I get there. It is my senior year, and I want to finish strong.”

The Lady Hawks finished with 20 wins last year and now are at 15 wins with the season still in mid-August. Up next is the Laredo Tournament.

“It is a very competitive tournament from the teams that we have seen that are there,” Lucio said. “I’m excited to get going, and we are still a month away from district. From here until then we just need to fix the little things, and right now we are in a good spot but we need to improve on those little things.”