Valley HS Girls Soccer Schedule 2018
Friday, Feb. 22
District 30-6A
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 2, PSJA North 1 (PKs)
McAllen High 3, McAllen Rowe 0
McAllen Memorial 6, Mission High 0
PSJA High 3, La Joya High 2 (PKs)
District 31-6A
Donna North 4, Weslaco East 0
Edinburg Vela 2, Edinburg North 1 (PKs)
Weslaco High 2, Edinburg Economedes 1
District 31-5A
Sharyland High 3, La Joya Palmview 1
Sharyland Pioneer 2, PSJA Southwest 1
Roma 1, PSJA Memorial 0
District 32-5A
Brownsville Porter 2, Donna High 1 (PKs)
Brownsville Pace 1, Brownsville Veterans 0
Brownsville Lopez 2, Edcouch-Elsa 1
Mercedes 4 , Valley View 0

VALLEY HS GIRLS SOCCER BOX SCORES
Friday’s Game
District 30-6A
McALLEN HIGH 3, McALLEN ROWE 0
McAllen High 0 3 — 3
McAllen Rowe 0 0 — 0
McALLEN HIGH (3): Bri Claudio (2), Miranda Munoz

McALLEN MEMORIAL 6, MISSION HIGH 0
Mission High 0 0 — 0
McAllen Memorial 3 3 — 6
McALLEN MEMORIAl (6): Viviana Cruz, Geo Hernandez, Mia Perez, Valeria Silva, Emmelyn Cardenas, Bailey Sullivan
RECORD: McAllen Memorial 17-2 overall, 6-2 district

District 31-5A
SHARYLAND PIONEER 2,
PSJA SOUTHWEST 1
Sharyland Pioneer 1 1 — 2
PSJA Southwest 0 1 — 1
SHARYLAND PIONEER (2): Abby Martinez, Jocelyn Boyle

SHARYLAND HIGH 3, LA JOYA PALMVIEW 0

Sharyland 3 0 3

Palmview 0 0 0

Chloe Ribera, Aneli Pena Caeli Sullivan

BY NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

RIO GRANDE CITY — Laredo United South throttled Edinburg Vela at home by 26 points Dec. 4, but the early December meeting had very few similarities to Friday’s area round playoff game between the SaberCats and Panthers.

Vela took command for a 64-53 win over United South at Rio Grande City High School.

Noah Sekinger, who missed his team’s first game against the Panthers with an ankle injury, was a force in the low post, scoring 19 points.

“There was a lot of motivation because we’ve played a lot of ball games since that time. We played close to 20 since we’ve played them,” Sekinger said. “We’ve just grown a lot defensively, offensively and gelled so much more as a team. We didn’t want to go home tonight. We knew that if we played together and played the way that we’ve been playing we were going to beat this team.”

Vela started strong but was not dominant enough to put away the Panthers in the early going. Sekinger had nine first-quarter points and Kaleb Coronado had five to give the SaberCats a boost.

United South used a pair of 3s and four points from their shifty point guard, Chuy Trevino to stay within arm’s length of Vela.

A resilient Panthers tear, however, took a 28-27 halftime lead into the locker room.

That didn’t discourage the District 31-6A co-champion SaberCats.

“That’s a well-coached ball club,” SaberCats coach Lucio Rodriguez said. “We knew they were going to be a tough team. It took some adjustment, it took some growing pains, but we’re here now.”

Vela sputtered with turnovers and picked up fouls out of the third-quarter gate, but, United South was not crisp out of the break either.

The SaberCats, however, were able to find their footing again.

Sekinger had two fouls in the first half and was called for his third early in the third quarter. Thanks to the deployment of Kobe Gibson in his absence, and a smart game from Sekinger to avoid more whistles, he remained effective.

“Over the years I’ve learned when you pick up some fouls, you have to know how the refs are calling the game…what fouls they called before and try not to put yourself in the same situations,” Sekinger said. “When you do get put in a tough defensive spot, you need to put yourself in position to make the right play: hands up, chest out and more often than not you won’t pick up another foul.”

Part of the frustration for United South, who knocked off McAllen Rowe in the bi-district round, was not being able to move the ball around at will to center Miguel Martinez or allow Trevino to dominate as a slasher.

Trevino finished with 25 points but his lowest scoring quarters were the first with two and the third with three. He scored 14 in the final frame, but most came when the game was out of reach.

“Kaleb (Coronado) really stepped up on defense on their best player, their senior (point guard Trevino) and Austin (Garza) did a great job,” Vela junior Bobby Espericueta said. “We knew defense was going to get us to the third round. Coach keeps pressuring it at practice and they really stepped up big tonight.”

The third quarter is where Vela imposed its will and did a lot to secure the win, outscoring United South 15-9 in the period.

Espericueta nailed two second-half 3s to bring the Vela fans to their feet. Vela was money at the line to score 22 points and squash any comeback efforts.

Coronado finished with 15 points, Espericueta had 10.

Up next for Vela is a third-round matchup against Laredo United, another team the SaberCats are familiar with. The Longhorns have topped the SaberCats twice in two meetings: once in the November season opener and again Dec. 29.
United defeated Weslaco High 31-27 in the area round.

“I think we’ve learned to just come out tougher on defense,” Sekinger said. “The want and the desire is just there. I know none of us want to go home on Tuesday, that’s going to be the bottom line difference. The past two times they were more ready and fired up. This time we’re going to come out ready to play.”

Details of the game are yet to be determined.

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VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL POSTSEASON SCHEDULE

Friday’s Games

Class 6A

Laredo United 31, Weslaco High 27

Edinburg Vela 64, Laredo United South 53

Laredo Alexander 61, Edinburg Economedes 43

Laredo Nixon 86, Los Fresnos 65

Class 5A

Corpus Christi Ray 66, Edcouch-Elsa 43

Laredo Martin 47, Mercedes 32

Brownsville Veterans 74, Corpus Christi Flour Bluff 53

Class 3A

Santa Rosa 58, Jourdanton 52

Class 2A

San Perlita 99, Yorktown 58

Port Aransas 78, Santa Maria 54

Saturday’s Game

Class 5A

Corpus Christi Miller 53, Sharyland Pioneer 35

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Valley HS Boys Soccer Schedule 2018

Tuesday, Feb. 19

District 30-6A

Mission High 6, La Joya High 2

PSJA High 2, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 2

PSJA North 3, McAllen High 2 (PKs)

McAllen Memorial 3, McAllen Rowe 0

District 31-6A

Donna North 1, Edinburg High 0 (PKs)

Edinburg North 5, Weslaco High 1

Weslaco East 2, Edinburg Vela 1 (PKs)

District 31-5A

Sharyland High 3, PSJA Memorial 2

Sharyland Pioneer 5, Rio Grande City 2

PSJA Southwest 4, La Joya Palmview 3

Roma 4, Mission Veterans 1

VALLEY HS BOYS SOCCER BOX SCORES

Tuesday’s Games

District 30-6A

McALLEN MEMORIAL 3, McALLEN ROWE 0

McAllen Memorial 1 2 — 3

McAllen Rowe 0 0 — 0

McALLEN MEMORIAL (3): Jorge Rico, Jorge Torres, Jesus Rodriguez.

PSJA NORTH 3, McALLEN HIGH 2 (PKs)

PSJA North 1 2 — 3

McAllen Rowe 1 1 — 0

McALLEN HIGH (2): Isaac Jiminez, Dylan Martinez

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

CORPUS CHRISTI — A strong season, complete with an undefeated district championship, came to a disappointing thud Tuesday night as the McAllen Rowe Warriors were bounced from the playoffs by Laredo United South.

The Panthers weathered an early deficit and knocked off the Warriors 59-49 at Corpus Christi Carroll High School.

Veteran Rowe bench boss Luis Yebra pointed to a plethora of factors that combined to create the loss.

“They (United South) started with a zone and then it started off with Darrin (Everage) in foul trouble and not having him out there to move the ball around. We were standing around against the zone and we didn’t do a good job of getting open to shoot the ball or to penetrate. We were timid the whole game, I don’t know; nerves or whatever it was. We weren’t able to play the way we usually play.”

Rowe took a 6-2 lead but after that point, the storyline flipped. United South limited the dual threat of Everage and sophomore Louie Yebra for most of the night.

Panthers center and rim protector Miguel Martinez was a force all night. He didn’t shut down his counterpart John Galan, who had 20 points, but Martinez had several blocks on drive attempts by Rowe guards.

Martinez led all scorers with 22 points.

“Quite honestly these boys have been preparing for these type of moments and these games throughout the season,” United South coach Carmelo Gonzalez said. “Basketball in Laredo is top notch, even in the 5A ranks. Our district prepares us well for these games. Every game in district is a battle so when we get to these moments we’re prepared to play our best.”

Outside of Galan, the Warriors didn’t have a go-to scorer. Yebra and senior Mark Medrano both had six points, along with freshman Alejandro Garcia who made two deep 3-pointers in the final minute when the game was decided.

Along with poor shooting, the Warriors looked out of sync all over the court. Turnovers fueled United South’s momentum and soon the Panthers crowd was a vocal factor. Missed defensive assignments by Rowe players allowed easy buckets.

Coach Yebra addressed his team’s first-round struggles. The Warriors have failed to advance past the bi-district game the past three seasons.

“I think it’s strong Laredo basketball and maybe our district is not as strong,” Yebra said. “And I don’t want to say anything bad about our district and our teams. We just need to find a way to play a little bit better and pull these games out.”

United South was aided by strong shooting all night, while the Warriors struggled especially from beyond the arc.

Rowe had an anemic 13 points at the halftime break and didn’t convert on a 3-point field goal until Medrano hit a three in the fourth during their final surge.

Coming into the fourth quarter, the Warriors seemed down and out trailing by 22 points with only 22 points scored. That’s when Rowe played its best stretch of the game, forcing turnovers and capitalizing.

“I was trying to get them to relax and just play and we weren’t able to do it early in the game,” Yebra said.

The Warriors cut the advantage to 47-38, but with only 1:46 to play the comeback needed missed free-throws and the Panthers were clinical at the line.
“Hats off to United South,” Yebra said. “They played very good defense and it really frustrated us and we didn’t get the job done.”

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

SAN JUAN — Edcouch-Elsa’s Christian Lira wasn’t the first choice to put up the shot that would either force overtime or end the Yellow Jackets’ season, but he was the right choice.

Lira’s 3-pointer, in the final tenth of a second, knotted the game in regulation and allowed E-E to defeat Rio Grande City 52-51 in the Class 5A Bi-District round Monday night at PSJA High in San Juan.

“I was shocked when I hit it, but I was excited at the same time,” Lira said after cutting his piece of twine from the net. “I just did it with confidence. It’s a dream come true, I always wanted to hit a shot like that.”

In the moments leading up to the sophomore’s electrifying 3-pointer, RGC had nailed free-throws and had E-E on the ropes.

Needing a three on the play before, Yellow Jackets junior Aaron Aguinaga missed a layup that would have only brought his team to within a point as time nearly ran out. The clock read 0.1 before the inbound.

Aguinaga was the team’s first target on the inbound, but the Rattlers defense was stout to deny him the ball.

“We have confidence in our plays and that was kind of one of those spur of the moment plays because of the fact we didn’t have enough time,” Edcouch-Elsa coach Lalo Rios said. “We had two options on it. They did a good job taking option one away, we found option two. I’m just so grateful he was able to get it and shoot it as quickly as he could.”

In overtime, the two squads had to put an emotional regulation behind them and fight to keep their season alive for four more minutes.

Only six points were scored as the Rattlers had the ball with time running down before it was knocked loose. A mad scramble ensued and Aguinaga, wearing a bandage wrap around his head to stop the bleeding from a third-quarter gash that caused him to miss significant time, came up with the ball.

On his way upcourt he was fouled with 0.6 remaining on the clock. With the score tied at 51, he made his first free-throw; it was all they needed.

“This is a great feeling,” Aguinaga said with tears in his eyes after the win. “I’ve been working for this. I’m trying to get my seniors to where they’re trying to go. I’m trying to do this for them, I’m not doing this for me. It’s all about teammates and love.”

E-E put on a strong defensive effort in the first half of the bi-district tilt. Rio Grande City only had 14 points at the break to the Jacket’s 25.

At that juncture, Rio captain Jaime Covarrubias was held scoreless and the Rattlers only had five made field goals. The defensive hightlight of the night was a monsterous block by Aguinaga after he was able to chase the Rio guard down on a would-be layup.

“We prepared very well for this game, that’s one of our strengths,” Rio said. “First half we executed it to the ‘T’ and we did a good job of limiting Covarrubias) to get those shots. But second half we told them (Covarrubias) is not just going to go away, he’s going to fight.”

In the second half, specifically, when Aguinaga went out with an elbow to the face on a rebound, the Rattlers surged and got their huge crowd back into the mix.

RGC made up a 13-point deficit to take its first lead late in the third since the early moments of the ballgame.

Covarrubias was right in the middle of the action with 13 second-half points, including two of four threes in the half to send the Rattler faithful into a frenzy.

E-E finally broke a long drought and took a 35-33 advantage into the fourth, but the damage was done and a new game was born for the final quarter.

RGC cashed in at the line late to give what it believed was enough to hold off the Jackets. Covarrubias and Aaron Marroquin combined to make 9 of 15 free throws in the second half and overtime.

Marroquin had 18 points to lead all scorers.

Yellow Jackets senior point guard Bryan Guerra had 10 points and did not see much of the bench in the extended game.
“I wasn’t nervous as I thought I would be,” Guerra said. “It was just fun to be here. I can’t really explain how I was feeling throughout the game, but I’m just happy we came out with the W at the end of the game.”

He admitted before the shot that demanded overtime, that he thought his high school career was ending after the whistle.

“I thought we had a little bit of a chance but I didn’t think we had much of a chance but you never know,” Guerra said.

Even though regulation was a pressure cooker of stress for the Jackets, Lira said that when Aguinaga was at the line with two shots and less than a second his group was golden.

“I was already celebrating honestly with Bryan my point guard,” Lira said.

Edcouch-Elsa will face the winner of today’s Corpus Christi Ray and Gregory Portland matchup.

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Valley HS Girls Soccer Schedule 2018

Friday, Feb. 15

District 30-6A

McAllen High 3, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 0

PSJA High at Mission High, 6 p.m.

McAllen Rowe 3, La Joya High 0

PSJA North at McAllen Memorial, not reported

District 31-6A

Edinburg High 2, Vela 1 (PKs)

Weslaco High 2, Weslaco East 1

Edinburg North 10, Edinburg Economedes 0

District 32-6A

Harlingen South 1, Brownsville Hanna 0

Harlingen High 1, Brownsville Rivera 0

Los Fresnos 4, San Benito 1

District 31-5A

Sharyland Pioneer 5, Roma 0

Sharyland High 6, PSJA Southwest 2

La Joya Palmview, Rio Grande City 0

PSJA Memorial 2, Mission Veterans 1 (PKs)

District 32-5A

Donna High 3, Valley View 0

Brownsville Lopez 1, Mercedes 0

Brownsville Pace 2, Brownsville Porter 1

Brownsville Veterans 2, Edcouch-Elsa 0

VALLEY HS GIRLS SOCCER BOX SCORES

Friday’s Games

District 30-6A

McALLEN HIGH 3

LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN 0

LJ Juarez-Lincoln 0 0 — 0

McAllen High 1 2 — 3

MCALLEN HGH (3): Sophia Soto 2, Westyn Henderson.

District 31-5A

SHARYLAND HIGH 6, PSJA SOUTHWEST 2

Sharyland High 3 3 — 6

PSJA Southwest 2 0 — 2

SHARYLAND HIGH (6): Xochitl Nguma 3, Aneli Pena 2, Fernanda Guerra 1

SHARYLAND PIONEER 5, ROMA 0

Sharyland Pioneer 3 2 — 5

Mission Vets 0 0 — 0

SHARYLAND PIONEER (5): Bella Austin 4, Jocelyn Boyle

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN– Hundreds of coaches from the RGV and beyond converged on McAllen High School to receive UIL-mandated instruction on tackling technique and player safety.

531 coaches registered for the training, which took place inside McHi’s auditorium Wednesday afternoon and more were allowed to walk-in with association membership.

The focus was to ensure coaches knew the proper techniques to pass along to their athletes to avoid injury from concussions and other injuries. The meeting also served as a chance to ensure the sport’s longevity in the wake of increased public scrutiny.

“We’re changing the tackling technique and we’ve hired Atavus, which is a company out of Seattle, to come in and train our coaches,” Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA) Executive Director Joe Martin said. “It’s a proactive measure trying to make the game safer. It’s the CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and the negative information coming out of the NFL and the media about all the concerns about playing the game. This is our attempt in trying to be very proactive and trying to change the safety narrative of the game.”

Former PSJA Memorial coach Mike Uribe was in attendance and explained the importance of a day dedicated to safety.

“For us, it’s important to be on top of all the teaching techniques and we have to be responsible to make sure we do everything we can to protect our student-athletes,” Uribe said. “As I was listening to Joe Martin and Glen West talk earlier ‘right now, statistically speaking, the game is safer than it’s ever been before’ but it’s our responsibility to be educated so we can communicate what’s really going on out there.”

Uribe went on to say that football has evolved since his time playing in the 1980s, but he says not all changes are negative, citing better padding and equipment in today’s game.

“There’s a lot of things that are still the same, there are a lot of things that are different,” Uribe said. “Obviously, with the types of offenses that there are and the levels of training that athletes are getting right now, the game has changed. It’s faster, it’s a lot more exciting and wide open. We’re using the field from sideline to sideline, opposed to the old days when it was three yards and a cloud of dust.”

Sharyland High coach Ron Adame was also a speaker at the clinic to speak on Xs and Os of the game.

“There’s no doubt about it, when a student-athlete comes into their program you care about their welfare and their safety,” McAllen Rowe offensive coordinator Shaun Tarantola said. “These are effective techniques, but they also promote safety, keeping the head out of the tackle. One thing that people should understand about football is: It’s safer today than it’s ever been. All the people that are involved in coaching and advancing the sport, that played it 20 years ago, 10 years ago, 30 years ago, it’s a whole different ball game. It is a great game and you want to keep it going, you want to keep advancing it.”

Tarantola went on to say he’s glad parents have the ultimate say in their kid’s participation, especially when properly informed.

Other speakers involved medical sponsors on the surgery and rehabilitation side.

“A lot of times I don’t think people realize how hard coaches work to perfect their craft,” Uribe said. “Just like any other profession. These guys work hard during the season, after the season. Here we are in February getting ready for football. We’re here to do all the right things and learn as much as we possibly can.”

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Valley HS Girls Soccer Schedule 2018

Tuesday, Feb. 12

District 30-6A

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 3, McAllen Memorial 1

McAllen Rowe 3, Mission High 1

PSJA North 3, La Joya High 1

McAllen High 6, PSJA High 0

District 31-6A

Edinburg Vela 4, Donna North 2

Edinburg High 2, Weslaco High 0

Weslaco East 3, Edinburg Economedes 2

District 32-6A

Harlingen High 2, Harlingen South 1

Los Fresnos 2, Brownsville Hanna 0

Brownsville Rivera 8, San Benito 1

District 31-5A

Sharyland High 2, Mission Veterans 0

PSJA Memorial 2, Sharyland Pioneer 1 (PKs)

Roma 3, La Joya Palmview 0

PSJA Southwest 9, Rio Grande City 1

District 32-5A

Brownsville Veterans 2, Brownsville Lopez 1

Brownsville Pace 12, Valley View 0

Donna High 4, Mercedes 1

VALLEY HS GIRLS SOCCER BOX SCORES

Tuesday’s Games

District 30-6A

McALLEN HIGH 6, MISSION HIGH 0

Mission High 0 0 — 0

McAllen High 4 2 — 6

McALLEN HIGH (6): Sophia Soto 3, Bri Claudio 2, Katy Gurwitz

McALLEN ROWE 3, MISSION HIGH 1

Mission High – – — 1

McAllen Rowe – – — 3

McALLEN ROWE (3) Ilse Zecca, Sabina Sanchez, Melissa Elizondo

LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN 3,

McALLEN MEMORIAL 1

McAllen Memorial – – — 1

LJ Juarez-Lincoln – – — 3

LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN (3): Caitlin Hernandez, Diasy Reyes, Melanie Olivarez

District 31-6A

EDINBURG HIGH 2, WESLACO HIGH 0

Edinburg High 1 0 — 2

Weslaco High 0 0 — 0

EDINBURG HIGH (2): Leah Sanchez 2

RECORDS: 13-2-1, 3-1

District 31-5A

SHARYLAND HIGH 2, MISSION VETERANS 0

Sharyland High 1 1 — 2

Mission Vets 0 0 — 0

SHARYLAND HIGH (2): Xochitl Nguma 2

PSJA MEMORIAL 2,

SHARYLAND PIONEER 1 (PKs)

Sharyland Pioneer 1 0 — 1

PSJA Memorial 1 0 — 2

PSJA MEMORIAL (2): Ester Martinez

RECORDS: PSJA Memorial 4-1

Friday, Feb. 15

District 30-6A

PSJA High at Mission High, 6 p.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at McAllen High, 6 p.m.

McAllen Rowe at La Joya High 6 p.m.

PSJA Norrth at McAllen Memorial, 6 p.m.

District 31-6A

Edinburg Economedes at Edinburg North, 8 p.m.

Edinburg Vela at Edinburg High, 8 p.m.

Weslaco High at Weslaco East, 8 p.m.

District 31-5A

Roma at Sharyland Pioneer, 6 p.m.

PSJA Southwest at Sharyland High, 6 p.m.

Rio Grande City at La Joya Palmview, 6 p.m.

Mission Veterans vs. PSJA Memorial, 6 p.m.

District 32-5A

Donna High at Valley View, 7:30 p.m.

Brownsville Lopez at Mercedes, 7:30 p.m.

Edcouch-Elsa at Brownsville Veterans, 7:30 p.m.

District 31-4A

Hidalgo at IDEA Quest, 7:30 p.m.

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

WESLACO — Weslaco High’s coaching vacancy didn’t last long as the Weslaco ISD school board suggested and approved long-time assistant coach Roy Stroman’s promotion to the position Monday night at a board meeting.

Stroman has been a part of the Panthers coaching staff since the 2008 season and will replace Michael Salinas who resigned Jan. 8.

Stroman will be the 27th coach in the program’s history.

“I’ve been a part of Weslaco for 10 years, two different types of regimes,” Stroman said. “What people don’t know is our senior group was second-graders when I got here. They’ve come through our football camps.”

Last season’s playoff appearance was the first since 2015, but the sixth time in 10 seasons the Panthers reached the postseason. The trip to the third round of the postseason against Lake Travis was the longest playoff run since 2007.

Stroman explained that his team is still in position to win but his team must handle the transition as well. Former Panthers offensive coordinator Patrick Shelby won’t return due to taking the McAllen High head coach position.

“We had success last year and we’re going to try to keep things as normal as possible,” Stroman said. “It takes several coaches and several coordinators to build what we’ve built, it’s not just one guy or two guys. It’s next man up, that’s our philosophy. We did lose 11 guys on defense and it’s just like we told them ‘We can’t get those guys back so now it’s next man up.’”

The Panthers will return one of the Valley’s most talented signal-callers in junior Jayden Cavazos. The quarterback had 1,263 yards passing and 940 rushing for one of the top offenses in the RGV.

Some members of Weslaco’s returning team attended the meeting to shake hands and congratulate Stroman.

“Coach Salinas did leave the blueprint,” Stroman said. “We just have to trust the process, follow it, get 1 percent better,” Stroman said. “Unity is the secret. Not only with the players, but with the coaches.”

In his acceptance speech, following the board’s closed session and approval of his hire, Stroman mentioned a close call with his health two years ago. He had quadruple bypass surgery.

“The man upstairs said ‘You know what? You’re not ready’ With my faith and the support of my family I know why I’m still here. It’s too make a difference in these kids’ lives and make sure they do something positive for society.”

Weslaco ISD athletic director Oscar Riojas said he was relieved.

“Obviously it’s a very important and very nerve-wracking process,” Riojas said. “It’s such an important position for our schools and students at Weslaco ISD. I’m very thankful for the committee for having put in the time. It takes a lot of time to do this. We had some great applicants but we felt the committee recommended whom they felt was a good fit to our culture.”

Riojas said that losing Salinas in January created a scramble, but his team was committed to moving forward in a timely manner.

“I don’t know whether to argue if it was late in the process or not,” Riojos said. “What we knew we needed to do was work quickly, efficiently and try to find our coach as soon as possible. So that can assure the kids that we aren’t going to miss a beat. We’re going to move forward and we’re going to continue the winning tradition at Weslaco.”

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