BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER

PHARR — During Charlize De La Garza’s signing ceremony, her father, Romeo, told the audience inside PSJA North’s library that he didn’t envision his daughter would grow up to be an athlete.

“When she was younger, she didn’t want to sweat,” PSJA North boys basketball assistant coach Romeo De La Garza said.

“That is accurate,” Charlize De La Garza said. “I thought I was a princess, so I thought I wasn’t doing sports.”

Everything changed when Charlize competed in an elementary school track meet. She ran in the 200-meter dash.

“She was a fourth grader at the time and she just glided in the 200,” Romeo De La Garza said. “Her elementary school coach came up to us and said, ‘I’m telling you, she’s going to be an athlete.’ Track and field captured her heart. She took it and ran with it.”

De La Garza spent her first three years as a track athlete with Mission Veterans. She qualified for the Class 5A Region IV meet in each of her first three seasons.

When Romeo was named as an assistant boys basketball coach at PSJA North last year, Charlize made the decision to join her father in Pharr.

“It was very difficult for me at the beginning, but my coaches and teammates welcomed me,” Charlize De La Garza said. “They helped me out a lot. If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know what I would have done.”

Like Charlize, Madeline Kaufmann was stepping into new yet familiar territory as a first-year head track coach. Kaufmann’s father, Marcus, is PSJA North’s head football coach, but Madeline knows a thing or two about track and field.

After wrapping up her career at McAllen Memorial, Kaufmann earned a track scholarship to Stephen F. Austin State University. During her junior year in Nacogdoches, Kaufmann was the Southland Conference outdoor champion in the heptathlon. The heptathlon is comprised of seven events: the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter dash, long jump, javelin and 800-meter run.

“She was fantastic from the jump,” Kaufmann said. “She was brand new, but she took the underclassmen under her wing. We were both new to the school, so her Day 1 was my Day 1. We both grew up together here, her as a leader and I as a coach.”

De La Garza qualified for the 2019 Class 6A Region IV meet in the 200-meter dash and the triple jump.

“She helped me out the most,” Charlize De La Garza said of Kaufmann. “When I visited the (PSJA North) campus, she just happened to be here. We found everything together. We walked around the campus together. I look up to her. She’s like my older sister.”

De La Garza officially put pen to paper Tuesday, signing a letter of intent to continue her track career at UTRGV.

“I wanted to stay closer to home, but most of the schools recruiting me were hours away,” Charlize De La Garza said. “I thought that I’d just focus on school, and then UTRGV came along. I’ve been keeping up with their program, and they’ve been really good. I know a lot of athletes there, which was great. I visited the campus and I fell in love with it. The coaches are amazing and the facilities are really nice.”

De La Garza will follow in Kaufmann’s footsteps as a heptathlete for UTRGV.

“When she was done with her high school track career, the first thing she told me is, ‘Alright, Coach. Let’s get back in the weight room,’” Kaufmann said. “It was the best feeling in the world knowing that she has the work ethic to be better. The heptathlon is very difficult, but I think she’s going to do very well at it.”

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VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCHEDULE

Wednesday’s Games

Area Round

Class 6A

Weslaco High at PSJA North, Game 1, 7:30 p.m.

Class 5A

PSJA Memorial vs. Port Lavaca Calhoun at Alice High, Game 1, 7 p.m.

Thursday’s Games

Area Round

Class 6A

Edinburg Vela at PSJA High, Game 1, 7 p.m.

PSJA North at Weslaco High, Game 2, 7:30 p.m.

Class 5A

Corpus Christi Calallen at Brownsville Veterans, Game 1, 6 p.m.

Corpus Christi Flour Bluff at Mercedes, Game 1, 6:30 p.m.

PSJA Memorial vs. Port Lavaca Calhoun at Alice High, Game 2, 7 p.m.

Sharyland Pioneer vs. Corpus Christi Carroll at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi, Game 1, 7 p.m.

Class 4A

Zapata vs. Cuero at Kingsville King, Game 1, 7 p.m.

Friday’s Games

Area Round

Class 6A

San Benito vs. Laredo United at Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, One-game series, 6 p.m.

PSJA High at Edinburg Vela, Game 2, 7 p.m.

Harlingen South vs. Eagle Pass at Sinton High, Game 1, 7 p.m.

Weslaco High at PSJA North, Game 3 (if necessary), 7:30 p.m.

Class 5A

Brownsville Veterans at Corpus Christi Calallen, Game 2, 4:30 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans at Corpus Christi Calallen, Game 3 (if necessary), approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2

PSJA Memorial vs. Port Lavaca Calhoun at Alice High, Game 3 (if necessary), 5:30 p.m.

Mercedes at Corpus Christi Flour Bluff, Game 2, 7 p.m.

Corpus Christi Carroll at Sharyland Pioneer, Game 2, 7 p.m.

Class 4A

Zapata vs. Cuero at Kingsville King, Game 2, 7 p.m.

Rio Hondo vs. Pearsall at Alice High, Game 1, 8 p.m.

Saturday’s Games

Area Round

Class 6A

PSJA High at Edinburg Vela, Game 3 (if necessary), 1 p.m.

Harlingen South vs. Eagle Pass at Sinton High, Game 2, 3 p.m.

Harlingen South vs. Eagle Pass at Sinton High, Game 3 (if necessary), approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2)

Class 5A

Sharyland Pioneer vs. Corpus Christi Carroll at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi, Game 3 (if necessary), 1 p.m.

Mercedes at Corpus Christi Flour Bluff, Game 3 (if necessary), Time TBA

Class 4A

Zapata vs. Cuero at Kingsville King, Game 3 (if necessary), 1 p.m.

Rio Hondo vs. Pearsall at Alice High, Game 2, 5 p.m.

Rio Hondo vs. Pearsall at Alice High, Game 3 (if necessary), approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2

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BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER

SAN ANTONIO — Weslaco High girls track coach Pablo Almaguer described runner Amity Ebarb as a special athlete that only comes around once in awhile. That’s quite the statement considering the type of runners that have come through the program in recent years.

When Ebarb was an eighth grader, however, he saw her as a work in progress.

“During her eighth-grade year, I was at her district track meet,” Almaguer said. “I was standing next to my assistant coach and the first thing I told him was, ‘That little girl has something we can work with.’ She wasn’t winning races, believe it or not, but she runs so smooth. She did things with such ease. That bounce on her toes was awesome to see. We knew we had a diamond in the rough.”

The Panthers’ sophomore diamond shone brightest on Day 2 at the 2019 UIL Region IV track meet in San Antonio. Ebarb competed in three races — the 400-meter dash, 800-meter dash, 4×400-meter relay — and she won or was a part of all three gold medal-winning races for Weslaco High.

“It takes a lot of rest,” Ebarb said. “After each event, you have to, not just physically regroup, but mentally regroup yourself as well. You have to start thinking about each event one at a time.”

“She hasn’t stopped since the end of cross country season,” Almaguer said. “We were going to ease her into the 800-meter run this year. Right from her first meet, she was able to crack 2 minutes, 20 seconds. We talked about it and she decided that she could do it.”

Ebarb won the 800-meter run (2:11.74) by shaving more than a second from her previous personal best of 2:13.1 seconds. She went on to take the 400-meter dash title in dominating fashion with a time of 55.44 seconds.

Ebarb’s 400-meter time also set a Valley record. The old record belonged to Kathy Treviño of Rio Grande City, who finished third at the 2008 UIL Class 4A state meet in 55.90 seconds.

“I feel great and accomplished, but I still feel determined to do better at state, next year and the year after,” Ebarb said. “I still have two more years.”

Ebarb ended her Saturday as the anchor of Weslaco High’s 4×400-meter relay team. The combination of Ebarb, sophomore Emma Arndt, junior Jenna Martinez and senior Lisamarie Sanchez won the relay in 3:54.12 seconds.

“I was very confident with our group, even though we haven’t run Lisamarie (Sanchez) since the Meet of Champions three weeks ago,” Almaguer said. “We knew once we would put her back on, we’d get back to running to what we were capable of running. I told the girls that they were ready to run at 3:56 because we usually run it at under 3:55.”

FLOR-ED

The odds weren’t completely against Miguel Flores, but the PSJA High junior had an outside chance to break into the state meet in the 400-meter dash.

Flores entered Thursday with the fourth-fastest seed time in the 400 at 50.36 seconds. His time was behind McAllen High’s Alejandro Rodriguez (50.21), New Braunfels’ Bryson Dyer (50.03) and Converse Judson’s Richard Kuykendoll (49.09).

Flores improved his standing in the prelims with the third-best time (49.40), but he still trailed Kuykendoll (48.60) and Rodriguez (49.03) coming into Saturday’s final race.

“We had been chasing Alejandro Rodriguez from McHi all year,” PSJA High boys track coach Mike Fernandez said. “And Mike (Flores) is relatively new at running the 400. He was in lane three and we had Judson (Kuykendoll) and McHi (Rodriguez) in front of us. We knew we’d be in position coming through the back stretch. We wanted a chance to fight and kick for that second spot. That’s what we were thinking.”

The best thing for Flores and Fernandez is that everything did not all go according to plan. Flores did have a late kick, but he pulled ahead and crossed the finish line first with a time of 48.18.

“I took advantage of the last 300 meters,” Flores said. “When Kuykendoll (of Converse Judson) pulled, I thought to myself, ‘I can do this.’ So I kicked it, went all out and got first place. I was able to find that extra juice.”

After Flores crossed the finish line, he dropped to the track. His emotions seemed to be hitting him all at once.

“I’m still in shock. I’m not going to sleep tonight,” Flores said. “Starting Monday, I’ll start training again and see what I can do at state.”

DOUBLE DUTY

Rio Grande City junior Daniella Muniz was already a state qualifier entering Day 2 at Heroes Stadium.

Muniz placed second in the long jump with a jump of 18 feet, 3 inches on Friday, but she still had two other events to compete in Saturday: the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash.

“It just pushes me harder to qualify in another event,” Muniz said.

Muniz took fifth in the 200, but she earned second place in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.36 seconds.

“My plan was to get off the blocks faster and push because it’s the finals,” Muniz said. “This (making state) has been one of my goals for the longest time.”

“During her freshman year, you could tell she was nervous. Even last year, she was a little bit nervous also,” Rio Grande City girls track coach Andy Lopez said. “She was prepared this year.

She knew what she was stepping into. Her times have improved a lot over the past three years. She was excited more than anything. Her attitude was all about doing what she had been doing.”

POTPOURRI

Edcouch-Elsa’s Vanessa Cerda earned second place in the Class 5A 800-meter run (2:16.11). … Sharyland Pioneer’s Michael Landavazo needed a late surge to slide into second and last state qualifying spot in the Class 5A 110-meter hurdles (14.74). … PSJA Memorial senior Cruz Gomez (4:19.05) edged out Austin Johnson’s Charles Albach (4:19.76) to win the Class 5A 1600-meter run. … McAllen Memorial’s Evan Williams held on to second to qualify for the Class 6A 1600-meter run with a time of 4:21.10. … Brownsville Rivera’s Julian Tavares won the Class 6A 800-meter run (1:54.42). … McAllen Memorial’s Susana Swanson took home the gold in the wheelchair division’s 100-meter dash (22.00) and 400-yard dash (1:35.71). … Harlingen High’s Jose Garcia set the regional meet record when he won the Class 6A 100-meter dash in 10.43 seconds.

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VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCHEDULE

Saturday’s Games

Bi-District

Class 6A

PSJA High 13, Del Rio 3, 6 innings

PSJA High 5, Del Rio 4; PSJA High wins series 2-1

Eagle Pass 10, La Joya High 5; Eagle Pass wins series 2-0

Class 5A

Brownsville Veterans 15, Sharyland High 0, 5 innings; Brownsville Veterans advances to area round

Sharyland Pioneer 12, Edcouch-Elsa 7; Sharyland Pioneer wins series 2-1

Class 4A

Rio Hondo 9, Orange Grove 2; Rio Hondo wins series 2-1

Wednesday, May 1

Area Round

Class 6A

Weslaco High at PSJA North, Game 1, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 2

Area Round

Class 6A

Edinburg Vela at PSJA High, Game 1, 7 p.m.

PSJA North at Weslaco High, Game 2, 7:30 p.m.

Class 5A

Mercedes vs. Corpus Christi Flour Bluff at Falfurrias High, Game 1, 7 p.m.

Friday, May 3

Area Round

Class 6A

PSJA High at Edinburg Vela, Game 2, 7 p.m.

Weslaco High at PSJA North, Game 3 (if necessary), 7:30 p.m.

Class 5A

Mercedes vs. Corpus Christi Flour Bluff at Falfurrias High, Game 2, 7 p.m.

Class 4A

Rio Hondo vs. Pearsall at Alice High, Game 1, 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 4

Area Round

Class 6A

PSJA High at Edinburg Vela, Game 3 (if necessary), Time TBA

Class 5A

Mercedes vs. Corpus Christi Flour Bluff at Falfurrias High, Game 3 (if necessary), 6 p.m.

Class 4A

Rio Hondo vs. Pearsall at Alice High, Game 2, 5 p.m.

Rio Hondo vs. Pearsall at Alice High, Game 3 (if necessary), approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2

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BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER

SAN ANTONIO — The 2019 UIL Region IV meet is the singular focus of any program with talented athletes like Edinburg Vela.

Regardless of a singular event, the preseason goals were to find a way to qualify for regionals in San Antonio and find another way to qualify for the state meet in Austin.

The SaberCats’ focus changed Wednesday. Nick Larsen, a senior who would have competed Friday in San Antonio after becoming a District 31-6A and 31/32-6A area champion pole vaulter, suffered a head injury that rocked the local track and field community.

Larsen fell on his head during a vaulting attempt. The skull injury required emergency surgery on Wednesday night. Larsen is currently sedated and is expected to be taken out of sedation within the next 48 hours.

“I was there when it all happened,” Edinburg Vela senior Noah Treviño said. “It really affected me, but I had to stay positive because I know that he’s in good hands. We’ve been praying for him. Nick’s a fighter and I know he’ll make it through this.”

The SaberCats made the trip north to San Antonio on Thursday, but their hearts and minds were with their injured friend and teammate back in the Valley.

Treviño, a high jumper, earned his spot in San Antonio when he won the area championship with a personal-record tying jump of 6 feet, 4 inches. Despite the stiff competition of Region IV and understandable double-mindedness, Treviño qualified for the state meet with a second-place finish Friday afternoon.

He set two personal records in the process when he cleared separate jumps 6-6 and 6-8.

“I’m still trying to process it,” Treviño said. “I’m happy I PR’d twice and I’m happy I qualified for state. I’m trying to catch my brother right now (former Edinburg Vela jumper Brendon Rivera). He has the Valley record at 7 feet, 3 inches, but all of this is for Nick Larsen. All of it is for him.”

“I was concerned about Noah because he witnessed it (Larsen’s injury),” Edinburg Vela boys track coach Hernan Figueroa said. “We kept on praying to pull through it. I applaud his character. He stayed calm. As he cleared the 6-6, we were so happy for that. But when he cleared 6-8 on the first attempt, I knew that God had opened a door for us. The track community came together for Nick. That has been huge. Noah came out like a samurai today.”

A VALLEY SWEEP

The best Class 5A throwers from the Austin, San Antonio, Laredo and Coastal Bend all fell short of Valley throwers in the discus and shot put finals.

PSJA Southwest senior Diego Treviño won the discus (155 feet, 4 inches) and shot put (60 feet, 4.25 inches) competitions while two athletes from Mission split gold medals. Sharyland Pioneer sophomore Daizy Monie won the discus (133-8) and Mission Veterans junior Charlee Salinas earned a gold medal in the shot put (41-10.5).

“Sometimes I get into my own head and focus on what other people throw. I just said, ‘God, help me to do my best,’” Salinas said.

Treviño now owns the gold medals in the discus and shot put at this year’s district, area and regional track meets.

“This is what we’ve expected since the start of the season,” Treviño said. “(Throwing) Coach (Eloy Garza) and I had high expectations. That’s what we were aiming for. I want to go first in the shot (put) and first in the discus again at state, so we can sweep them all.”

Garza believes Friday’s performances from Treviño, Salinas and Monie reinforce what he already knew about Valley athletes.

“If you talk to any coaches at big schools across the country, they know who we are,” Garza said. “They come down here and recruit in the Valley. At the root of our amazing throwing tree in the Valley is Coach (Larry) Howell. He coached all the great throwers and coached all the great coaches. The coach I had in high school was a former athlete of Coach Howell’s. We’re taking what he built seriously. It’s a source of pride for me and many of us in the throwing community.”

FUTURE LONGHORNS SET FOR ANOTHER RUN IN AUSTIN

PSJA Memorial runner Cruz Gomez, along with McAllen Memorial twins Trevor and Evan Williams, qualified for the state meet in separate 3,200-meter runs on Friday morning. All three will be running at the University of Texas next year.

Gomez won the Class 5A race when he heard the final lap bell and left the competition in the dust. He recorded a personal-best 9 minutes, 13.36 seconds Friday, which is nearly half a second faster than his previous personal record he set at the 2018 state meet (9:13.83).

“Around three-quarters into the season, we start what we call ‘tagging’ the last lap,” PSJA Memorial boys track coach Lee Roy Perez said. “Whether it’s the last 200 meters or 400 meters, we try and simulate the end of the race when you’re fatigued and have to go all out. Today, we had him (Gomez) at a 59.9 (seconds) in the last lap, so it looks like he’s ready to run with almost anybody.”

Trevor Williams (9:24.97) and Evan Williams (9:25.26) took first and second place in the Class 6A race. The state meet will be Trevor’s first in track and field.

“This means the world to me,” Trevor Williams said. “All four years have been leading up to this point. The fact that Austin’s going to be my home next year and run at my soon-to-be home track is pretty phenomenal.”

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VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCHEDULE

Friday’s Games

Bi-District

Class 6A

Edinburg Vela 8, Brownsville Hanna 4; Edinburg Vela wins series 2-0

Laredo United 17, McAllen Memorial 1; Laredo United wins series 2-0

Weslaco High 4, Los Fresnos 1; Weslaco High advances to area round

San Benito 16, Edinburg High 8; San Benito advances to area round

Eagle Pass 11, La Joya High 1; Eagle Pass leads series 1-0

Del Rio 10, PSJA High 9, 8 innings; Del Rio leads series 1-0

PSJA North 10, Laredo Alexander 0; PSJA North wins series 2-0

Class 5A

Sharyland Pioneer 9, Edcouch-Elsa 7; Series tied 1-1

Class 4A

Sinton 8, Raymondville 5; Sinton wins series 2-0

Zapata 1, Rockport-Fulton 0; Zapata advances to area round

Saturday’s Games

Bi-District

Class 6A

PSJA High vs. Del Rio at Medina Valley High, Game 2, 2 p.m.

PSJA High vs. Del Rio at Medina Valley High, Game 3 (if necessary), 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2

La Joya High at Eagle Pass, Game 2, 3 p.m.

La Joya High at Eagle Pass, Game 3 (if necessary), 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2

Class 5A

Sharyland High at Brownsville Veterans, One-game playoff, 4 p.m.

Sharyland Pioneer at Edcouch-Elsa, Game 3, 7 p.m.

Class 4A

Rio Hondo vs. Orange Grove at Kingsville King, Game 3, 11 a.m.

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VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCHEDULE

Thursday’s Games

Bi-District

Class 6A

Harlingen South 7, Edinburg North 4; Harlingen South wins series 2-0

Edinburg Vela 3, Brownsville Hanna 1; Edinburg Vela leads series 1-0

Laredo United 10, McAllen Memorial 2; Laredo United leads series 1-0

PSJA North 10, Laredo Alexander 4; PSJA North leads series 1-0

Class 5A

PSJA Memorial 11, Donna High 3; PSJA Memorial advances to area round

Mercedes 8, Rio Grande City 4; Mercedes wins series 2-0

Edcouch-Elsa 5, Sharyland Pioneer 3; Edcouch-Elsa leads series 1-0

Class 4A

Beeville Jones 9, Port Isabel 0; Beeville Jones advances to area round

Sinton 18, Raymondville 9; Sinton leads series 1-0

Orange Grove 4, Rio Hondo 0; Series tied 1-1

Friday’s Games

Bi-District

Class 6A

Harlingen South at Edinburg North, Game 3 (if necessary), 7 p.m.

Brownsville Hanna at Edinburg Vela, Game 2, 7 p.m.

McAllen Memorial vs. Laredo United at Laredo Student Activity Complex, Game 2, 7 p.m.

Los Fresnos at Weslaco High, One-game playoff, 7 p.m.

San Benito at Edinburg High, One-game playoff, 7 p.m.

Eagle Pass at La Joya High, Game 1, 7 p.m.

PSJA High vs. Del Rio at Medina Valley High, Game 1, 7 p.m.

Laredo Alexander at PSJA North, Game 2, 7:30 p.m.

Class 5A

Mercedes at Rio Grande City, Game 3 (if necessary), 7 p.m.

Edcouch-Elsa at Sharyland Pioneer, Game 2, 7 p.m.

Class 4A

Raymondville vs. Sinton at Alice High, Game 2, 7:30 p.m.

Zapata vs. Rockport-Fulton at San Diego High, One-game playoff, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday’s Games

Bi-District

Class 6A

PSJA High vs. Del Rio at Medina Valley High, Game 2, 2 p.m.

PSJA High vs. Del Rio at Medina Valley High, Game 3 (if necessary), 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2

La Joya High at Eagle Pass, Game 2, 3 p.m.

La Joya High at Eagle Pass, Game 3 (if necessary), 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2

PSJA North vs. Laredo Alexander at Laredo Student Activity Complex, Game 3 (if necessary), 5 p.m.

Brownsville Hanna at Edinburg Vela, Game 3 (if necessary), 6 p.m.

Laredo United at McAllen Memorial, Game 3 (if necessary), 7 p.m.

Class 5A

Sharyland High at Brownsville Veterans, One-game playoff, 4 p.m.

Sharyland Pioneer at Edcouch-Elsa, Game 3 (if necessary), 7 p.m.

Class 4A

Rio Hondo vs. Orange Grove at Kingsville King, Game 3 (if necessary), 11 a.m.

Raymondville vs. Sinton at Alice High, Game 3 (if necessary), 7:30 p.m.

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BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — Coming into the 2019 season, Harlingen South was widely considered one of the top softball teams in Valley.

The Hawks brought a sizable contingent of players who were a heartbeat away from playing in the Sweet Sixteen a season ago. The new District 32-6A shrunk by two teams, which appeared to open the door for South to run away with the district.

But that door closed earlier this month. San Benito and Los Fresnos beat South in back-to-back games, dropping the Hawks to a second-place finish they held on to entering the postseason.

“It’s a long season and you’re allowed to have a couple bad games,” Harlingen South coach Elias Martinez said. “Unfortunately, they were against quality teams, but that’s our district. Those losses helped prepare us for the playoffs.”

The Hawks walked into an environment full of Edinburg North supporters and non-ENHS softball fans alike to enjoy the only Upper Valley playoff game Wednesday. Harlingen South prevailed in an 11-1, five-inning victory over ENHS in Game 1 of their best-of-three first-round series.

“Our girls are what I like to call blue-collar workers,” Martinez said. “They get up and they come to work. Nobody’s going to give us anything. We have to go out there and earn it, but we have to earn it in practice. If you practice well, you’re going to play well.”

Harlingen South’s scoring started and ended with freshman Iliana Saucedo. Her two-run single put the Hawks up 2-0 in the first inning. Later in the fifth, Saucedo’s two-run double gave South its final margin of victory.

“We believe in ourselves,” Saucedo said. “It’s more of a mindset that we have had from the beginning. Our lineup is a beast’s lineup, so we feel pretty confident going against any team with our lineup and our pitchers.”

Harlingen South (28-6) starter Kylie Ruiz allowed just two hits and one run over five innings. Both hits belong to Edinburg North second baseman Annabel Segoviano, who singled in the first and later hit a solo home run in the fourth for the Cougars’ lone run.

But Iliana Saucedo wasn’t the only Saucedo to leave her mark in Wednesday’s win. Iliana’s older sister, third baseman Alexa Saucedo, stepped into the batter’s box at a critical moment in the third inning.

With two runners aboard, Alexa Saucedo launched an offering from ENHS pitcher Natalie Rodriguez over the center field wall for a three-run blast that upped the Hawks advantage to 6-0.

“I was really happy for her because usually I’m the one who’s hitting a home run,” Iliana Saucedo joked.

“We had some holes to fill from last year’s team and they’ve filled in great,” Martinez said of the Saucedo sisters. “I can’t say enough good things about those girls and it comes back to our team’s mentality: they all come to work. We don’t mind getting down and dirty.”

The Hawks built their lead, in part, due to several Edinburg North (22-9) errors in the infield.

“We worked hard the last three practices,” Edinburg North coach Richard Tressler said. “It’s like (ENHS assistant) coach (Adrian) Cavazos has said: ‘We can’t translate it from practice into the games.’ I’m a little embarrassed because I know we’re a better team than that. It might be hard for someone on the outside looking in to believe me when I say that, but I know I have a better team than what was displayed here tonight.”

Harlingen South can close out the series when it hosts Edinburg North for Game 2 at 7 p.m. today in Harlingen.

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VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCHEDULE

Wednesday’s Games

Bi-District

Class 6A

Harlingen South 11, Edinburg North 1, 5 innings; Harlingen South leads series 1-0

Class 5A

Mercedes 6, Rio Grande City 1; Mercedes leads series 1-0

Class 4A

Rio Hondo 5, Orange Grove 4; Rio Hondo leads series 1-0

Thursday’s Games

Bi-District

Class 6A

Edinburg North at Harlingen South, Game 2, 7 p.m.

Edinburg Vela at Brownsville Hanna, Game 1, 7 p.m.

Laredo United at McAllen Memorial, Game 1, 7 p.m.

PSJA North vs. Laredo Alexander at Laredo Student Activity Complex, Game 1, 7:30 p.m.

Class 5A

Donna High at PSJA Memorial, One-game playoff, 7 p.m.

Mercedes at Rio Grande City, Game 2, 7 p.m.

Sharyland Pioneer at Edcouch-Elsa, Game 1, 7 p.m.

Class 4A

Port Isabel vs. Beeville Jones at Kingsville King, One-game playoff, 7 p.m.

Sinton at Raymondville, Game 1, 7 p.m.

Rio Hondo at Orange Grove, Game 2, 7:30 p.m.

Friday’s Games

Bi-District

Class 6A

Harlingen South at Edinburg North, Game 3 (if necessary), 7 p.m.

Brownsville Hanna at Edinburg Vela, Game 2, 7 p.m.

McAllen Memorial vs. Laredo United at Laredo Student Activity Complex, Game 2, 7 p.m.

Los Fresnos at Weslaco High, One-game playoff, 7 p.m.

San Benito at Edinburg High, One-game playoff, 7 p.m.

Eagle Pass at La Joya High, Game 1, 7 p.m.

PSJA High vs. Del Rio at Medina Valley High, Game 1, 7 p.m.

Laredo Alexander at PSJA North, Game 2, 7:30 p.m.

Class 5A

Mercedes at Rio Grande City, Game 3 (if necessary), 7 p.m.

Edcouch-Elsa at Sharyland Pioneer, Game 2, 7 p.m.

Class 4A

Raymondville vs. Sinton at Alice High, Game 2, 7:30 p.m.

Zapata vs. Rockport-Fulton at San Diego High, One-game playoff, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday’s Games

Bi-District

Class 6A

PSJA High vs. Del Rio at Medina Valley High, Game 2, 2 p.m.

PSJA High vs. Del Rio at Medina Valley High, Game 3 (if necessary), 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2

La Joya High at Eagle Pass, Game 2, 3 p.m.

La Joya High at Eagle Pass, Game 3 (if necessary), 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2

PSJA North vs. Laredo Alexander at Laredo Student Activity Complex, Game 3 (if necessary), 5 p.m.

Brownsville Hanna at Edinburg Vela, Game 3 (if necessary), 6 p.m.

Laredo United at McAllen Memorial, Game 3 (if necessary), 7 p.m.

Class 5A

Sharyland High at Brownsville Veterans, One-game playoff, 4 p.m.

Sharyland Pioneer at Edcouch-Elsa, Game 3 (if necessary), 7 p.m.

Class 4A

Rio Hondo vs. Orange Grove at Kingsville King, Game 3 (if necessary), 11 a.m.

Raymondville vs. Sinton at Alice High, Game 3 (if necessary), 7:30 p.m.

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL BOX SCORE

Wednesday’s Game

Bi-District

Game 1

Class 6A

HARLINGEN SOUTH 11, EDINBURG NORTH 1, 5 INNINGS

Harlingen South 204 05 — 11

Edinburg North 000 10 — 1

WP: Kylie Ruiz 5 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts.

HARLINGEN SOUTH (11): Latasha Canales 0 for 2, run, walk; Kayla Rogers 1 for 4, run, 2 RBI; Krystal Gonzales 1 for 3, 2 runs; Kytana Muniz 2 for 3, run, 2 doubles, walk; Iliana Saucedo 3 for 3, run, 4 RBI; Alyssa Ledesma 0 for 3, run, walk; Alexa Saucedo 1 for 3, home run, 3 RBI; Christina Arellano 1 for 3; Kelsey Rivera 0 for 2, run, stolen base; Kayla Flores: run.

EDINBURG NORTH (1): Annabel Segoviano 2 for 2, home run, RBI; Hope Rodriguez 0 for 1, walk.

RECORDS: Harlingen South 28-6; Edinburg North 22-9.

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BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — It’s hard enough being freshmen on McAllen High’s track team, but Sabrina Garza and Charlotte Beck have handled their business like they were seasoned upperclassmen.

Garza and Beck came into the Bulldogs program in different ways, but their newness to varsity competition is part of what brought them together.

“This year, we have gotten really close,” Beck said. “We’re both really inexperienced with racing. Before races, we’ll talk about what we’re going to do and how we want to finish together.”

During last week’s 29/30-6A area track meet in Laredo, Beck (2:26.68) and Garza (2:26.71) earned the two fastest times in the 800-meter run. Beck and Garza will go up against the top 800-meter runners in Class 6A Region IV during the two-day regional meet Friday and Saturday at Heroes Stadium in San Antonio.

“I think the both us are really competitive. We really don’t like to lose,” Garza said. “We also push each other a lot. That really helps and has been a big part of our success.”

“Charlotte and Sabrina going one and two (at the area meet) was a plan that we put together,” McAllen High girls track coach Luis Cantu said. “Charlotte will always ask me, ‘What should my strategy be going into a race?’ and Sabrina’s asking me the same question. Coming into the area meet, there was a 24 mile per hour wind hollering. I told them that it was going to come down to a kicker’s race and they have kicks like no other. It happened to be a slow race where they went about 73 (seconds) after the first lap and I knew we were in a good position to outkick them. It worked out good for us.”

Most runners compete in cross country during the fall and transition into track in the spring, but that wasn’t the case for Garza. She was in the volleyball program during the fall.

“I originally planned on track being an offseason sport after volleyball, but I fell in love with it,” Garza said. “I used to do triathlons when I was little. I’d have to run mile and two-mile races. Those helped me realize that track was something I wanted to do. From then, I just pushed myself. That’s how I got to where I am now.”

Garza is also a part of the 4×400-meter relay that won the District 30-6A meet (4:10.45), as well as last week’s 29/30-6A area meet in Laredo (4:05.37).

“Once volleyball is over, she (Garza) showed up and said, ‘Hey, Coach. I want to run,’” Cantu recalled. “When I saw her run, it took me by surprise. I could see that she was a special talent. As the season has gone on, her confidence has skyrocketed. In this sport, confidence is huge. She’s looking forward to doing great things in the 800 and in the 4×400.”

Beck is no stranger to first-place finishes. Back in October, Beck earned a trip to the UIL Region IV cross country championship after finishing first at the District 30-6A meet.

“Cross country really gave me a good base with distance and strengthened my mind for track and field,” Beck said. “Cross country takes a lot longer and you have to battle with your mind a lot longer. Instead of doing long distances, I’ve worked on a lot more work with my speed.”

The Bulldogs will make the trip north for this week’s regional meet with more weapons than Garza and Beck. McHi’s arsenal also includes Aniah Chaleff-Reyna and Hannah Kelly, two seniors who have signed to compete at Baylor and Duke, respectively.

“All those girls are good role models for us,” Beck said. “If we get nerves, they help calm us down. One time, I had a bad race and they were all there for me. They gave me advice and made me feel a lot better. It’s kind of a lot of pressure to be on the team, because they’ve been great for so long, but it’s also great knowing that we have them on our team if we ever need anything.”

“We just need to go out and perform,” Cantu said. “God willing, we make it to the finals in the 4×400, Hannah (Kelly) gets ahead in the high jump and Aniah (Chaleff-Reyna) gets ahead in the hurdles. Those expectations come with them being seniors, but then you look at our freshman class with Sabrina and Charlotte, you hope they can learn quickly and put everything together all in one race. We can put it all together.”

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