NATHANIEL MATA AND SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITERS

Edinburg Vela senior offensive tackle Jayden Borjas has had a tremendous week.

Wednesday, the senior signed to play football for the University of Incarnate Word. Thursday, he was named to the Class 6A APSE All-State first team. The honor signifies that Borjas was one of the top six linemen in the state of Texas, according to the voters.

“Being recognized first team all-state is a tremendous honor,” Vela coach John Campbell said. “We are excited for him, and our school and our program as well.

“What I don’t think people realize is the signing is a little snapshot of a 3-5 year process in a young man’s life to get to that point. It’s not just what they do on the practice field or on the game field or in the weight room, but also what they do academically in the classroom. I think Jayden is one of those student-athletes that represents the body of the work. He’s had his eyes set on being able to achieve these goals throughout his varsity career, and now, fortunately, he is getting these opportunities and honors.”

Borjas was not the only Valley athlete recognized Thursday, in fact, the Valley had a substantial presence throughout the three teams selected by the APSE voters.

PSJA North’s defense was prolific in 30-6A. The Raiders’ resurgent season was spearheaded by an improved defense that altered many games. By Week 11 they had taken over the top spot in the district with the fewest yards allowed. On Thursday, the rest of the state took notice.

The ‘Blackshirt’ defense recorded seven interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries. The team’s leading tackler and interception leader, Seven Sanchez, was named to the Class 6A first-team All-State roster.

Sanchez had 184 tackles and three picks, plus an eye-popping eight sacks from the safety position.
North coach Marcus Kaufmann said the junior defensive back gets his namesake from the seemingly undersized former LSU standout and current Houston Texan Tryann Mathieu.

“He’s the heart and soul and the energy of the team, not just the defense,” Kaufmann said. “He wants to do everything, all the kids know he wants to do everything. Everybody kind of feeds off of him. He’s really a swiss army knife, we can line him up anywhere.”

North defensive lineman Aaron Alvarez was named to the All-State second-team.

“A lot of those sacks were in crucial situations when we were trying to close people out late in the year,” Kaufmann said. “Aaron was able to come through and do that.”

McAllen Memorial had an up-and-down season, but one thing that remained the same was the commitment to moving the football on the ground. Standout running back Campbell Speights was named one of the three second-team all-state running backs. Speights had 1,607 yards in the regular season and 26 touchdowns. He added 225 in the bi-district playoff game and three more scores in the Mustangs’ loss to Laredo Alexander.

Daniel Domian helped anchor a line that kept opening holes for Speights. Domian was named honorable mention on the offensive line.

“Those two young men, Daniel Domian and Campbell Speights, both had outstanding years for us. They were captains of our football team,” said McAllen Memorial coach Bill Littleton. “They were leaders for us on the field and off the field. They did a good job leading this team in the good times and in the bad times. That’s when you have a true leader, your leadership steps up through the hard times.”

When the year was all said and done Speights had his most productive high school season to date. He surpassed two consecutive 22 touchdown years in his first two years for Memorial.

“Campbell had an outstanding year and he’ll be the first one to tell you he’s not going anywhere without his offensive line. The line did a good job all year for us. That’s a tribute to coach (Robbie) Jasso, our offensive line coach in what they bring to the table.”

The Mustangs also continued the trend of getting a defensive player awarded in the AP end of season teams. Last season seniors Nathan Sanchez and Kelechi Nwachuku were honored and this season the young defense found a new corp of standouts.

Junior linebacker Michael Morales and junior defensive back Diego Villarreal were named all-state honorable mention.

PSJA High’s offense was given recognition on the AP Honorable mention team. 3,000-yard passer Trey Guajardo and his top target Miguel Flores who had 1,116 yards, 14 TDs in the teams’ 11 games appeared on the honorable mention unit.

La Joya High’s workhorse running back Eddie Villarreal had 1,623 yards on 252 carries for 22 touchdowns and earned running back honorable mention.

Weslaco East was represented on the honorable mention team with offensive lineman Alexis Gil, defensive lineman Jacob Banda and linebacker Freddy Cardenas. The Strong Side’s defense was an unstoppable force all year, leading District 31-6A from wire-to-wire in yards allowed. Banda and Cardenas have both been selected before, which is a harbinger of their consistency throughout their standout East careers.

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — For the first few minutes of its District 31-5A season, Mission Veterans was hindered by missed opportunities, shots off target and a slow start. The beginning almost cost the Patriots in their district opener against Rio Grande City. Strong defense kept them afloat.

Junior Kaylee Flores and her supporting cast put up enough offense for the Patriots to hold off the Rattlers for a 53-42 win.

Mission Veterans improves to 14-9 overall and 1-0 in the district, consequently, Rio drops to 0-1 with a 16-7 overall record.

Vets was unable to pull away after taking a five-point lead early. Instead, RGC responded and kept the score close through one quarter.

Rio was aided early by a sweet stroke from Roxy Morales who kept her team in the game. The sharpshooting guard had five first-half 3-pointers. She had 21 points at the break. The Patriots’ defense was able to limit the visitors in transition and accumulate a handful of steals.

Veterans’ defense was too much for the Rattlers to have enough opportunity to set up their half-court offense. Countless Rio possessions were cut short in transition by steals that sparked the Patriots.

After RGC took a 14-11 lead in the first quarter, the Patriots woke up.

Flores was the offensive beneficiary during a 16-0 run that put Vets up 27-14. Flores made catch-and-shoot jumpers as well as skilled fast-break moves and three-point plays to get the fans into the action during an impressive first half.

“We started communicating more, we started playing good defense,” Flores said. “We started working more as a team, that pretty much put everything together.”

The home Patriots were a defensive machine by committee. Jackie Howell and Lily Gonzalez were both valuable low-post presences, while Kelly Garcia was able to maintain the interior advantage off the bench. Vets was lifted not just by rebounds, but also multiple blocks from Howell and Gonzalez.

Point guard Ronnie Cantu was a ball hawk for Veterans, jumping high to pick off stray, lackadaisical outlet passes.

Following the Vets run, Rio responded with a 10-0 run of their own. Three more 3-pointers from Morales contributed to her 16-point second frame.

The bench boss for Veterans still noticed areas his team could improve in.

“You have to play with intensity, you have to play with that hop in your step,” Mission Veterans coach Rafael Cantu said.” Especially a team like us that’s small, you have to be moving, you have to be active. We did that in spurts tonight. We need to work on being a little bit more consistent. I told the girls when we go on a run like that, we need to keep our foot on the pedal as much as we can.”

Flores, who had four points in the second half, explained why her team needs to play the same way all game.

“That determines how we’re going to finish, and we have to be consistent in it,” Flores said. “If not, we’ll just slack off and fall behind. That’s when we lose our momentum. We can’t allow a lot of runs like that.”

Veterans was able to defend its way to a strong win, first by turning turnovers into offense, then by quietly holding Rio Grande City off late. Morales didn’t have a field goal or point in the second half.

“When they’re inside, the shots are a little easier and when you’re outside they’re harder,” Patriots forward Lily Gonzalez said. “If we (make them) shoot from the outside we’ll get more rebounds and quick passes and layups.”

Rio also tripped over its own feet and hurt its chances at a comeback. On numerous occasions, passes over the head of an intended target in the half-court offense resulted in wasted possessions for the guests.

Howell had 11 points, including put-backs on her own shots and Cantu had eight to help the team stay away from their challengers.

Gonzalez also said the 1-0 district start helps send a message to the rest of the district.

“A strong start intimidates teams,” Gonzalez said.

[email protected]

Jocelynn Everage, McAllen Memorial — Jocelynn Everage was exceptional in her senior season for the Mustangs. She had 533 kills, 291 digs and 29 solo blocks to help the Mustangs go 14-0 in district 30-6A for her first outright championship.

Sydney Marburger, McAllen Memorial — With 1,101 assists during the Mustangs 40-1 season, Sydney Marburger isn’t a newcomer anymore, she’s a force. The Monitor’s 2017 All-area newcomer of the year took the Mustangs back into the sweet 16 after securing a 14-0 district record and outright 30-6A championship.

Lexi Gonzalez, McAllen High — Lexi Gonzalez’s transition into the team’s primary hitter was strong, and it got better with time. She finished the season with 662 kills and reached 1,000 in her career. She had 23 kills in their bi-district round victory over Laredo LBJ and 27 in McHi’s win over Harlingen South. In their season-ending match against Laredo United she hit home a season-high 39 kills.

Natalie Rodriguez, Edinburg North — In her senior year, Rodriguez had 375 kills with a .225 hitting percentage. She added 350 digs and the Cougars earned a share of the District 31-6A crown.

Paloma Ybarra, Edcouch-Elsa — Ybarra made the move to setter and the Edcouch-Elsa Yellow Jackets never looked back as they wrapped up their first district crown since the 2015 season. Ybarra did it all for her team recording 398 kills, 346 assists, 339 digs and 49 aces.

Jackie Howell, Mission Veterans — Jackie Howell was honored for her play by MaxPreps/American Volleyball Coaches Associations with a Texas Player of the Week (Oct. 1-7). Howell was special in her senior season, hitting home 745 kills as the Patriots won their fourth straight undefeated district championship.

The Monitor’s All-Area Second Team

Victoria Fuentes, Edinburg High — The Bobcats junior hitter was valuable as she led her young team through a competitive district and a share of the 31-6A title. Fuentes had 384 kills, 101 blocks, 81 digs along with 34 aces.

Demy Banks, McAllen Memorial — In 128 sets played, Banks recorded 101 blocks to help the Mustangs finish in first place in 30-6A and surge to the fourth round of the playoffs. Her presence in the middle was key to Memorial’s success as the last team standing in the postseason.

Celina Saenz, McAllen High — Saenz joined the Bulldogs ranks midway through the season. The freshman was ready for the bright lights, giving her team a boost

Kassy Lerma, Mission Veterans — Kassy Lerma gave opponents a third person to worry about when going up against the Patriots. The middle blocker sent back 151 total blocks, 81 were solo blocks. Lerma also hit home 380 kills.

Nicole Rodriguez, Donna High — Rodriguez put home 411 kills, 33 aces and 76 solo blocks as Donna finished third in 32-5A and won a bi-district contest against

Julia Cordon, Edinburg Vela — Cordon had 1,209 digs (31 per match) on her way to 31-6A libero of the year honors. She helped her team to a share of the 31-6A championship.

RGVSports.com final top 10, overall record, district, previous rank

McAllen Memorial 40-4, 14-0, No. 2
Mission Veterans 29-5, 14-0, No. 1
McAllen High 41-6, 11-3, No. 3
McAllen Rowe 32-13, 11-3, No. 4
Brownsville Hanna 11-13, 6-2, No. 6
Edcouch-Elsa 30-11, 13-11, No. 5
Donna High 30-12, 11-3, UR
Los Fresnos 35-9, 9-1, No 7
Brownsville Rivera 24-14, 4-6, UR
Brownsville Veterans 31-15, 11-2, No. 8

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McAllen High will be the stage to a final match for many talented local volleyball players Sunday.

Top RGV senior volleyball players will have one more chance to show their stuff on the high school stage Sunday during the 17th annual Rio Grande Valley Volleyball Showcase. This year’s game will be put on by the Texas Association of Sports Officials Tip of Texas Chapter

Fans in place at noon can enjoy almost six hours of volleyball action with all classifications and corners of the Valley represented.

Sub 5A starts at noon, 5A is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start, and the afternoon ends with 6A, which is slated for a 4 p.m. start.

Each contest will be the best three-of-five, but if a team completes a sweep, a courtesy fourth set will be played.

The West 6A team will be highlighted by Jocelynn Everage, Dylann Guerra and Valeria Trevino from the 30-6A and Sweet-16 qualifying McAllen Memorial Mustangs. Jackie Alanis from McAllen Rowe and Damaris Llanas from the host McHi Bulldogs will also compete in a familiar gym.

District 31-6A, which had tri-champions will have plenty of Edinburg representation. Miranda Negrete and Julia Cordon will play from Edinburg Vela, while Bobcats setter Renee Ponce will represent EHS. McHi’s Paula Dodge will coach the squad.

Ariana Arceneaux and Tabitha Fernandez will represent Brownsville Hanna, Los Fresnos will send Sarah Villarreal. District 32-6A swept 31-6A in the Class 6A Bi-District round. Weslaco High’s Illiyah Cantu and Katelyn Rodriguez of Weslaco East will play from 31-6A teams. Anissa Lucio from Harlingen South will coach the 6A East.

At the Class 5A level, the West will sport a powerhouse roster. Makenize Gerlach, Valerie De La Fuente and Jackie Howell will bring some Mission Veterans flare to the court. District rivals Daizy Coronado and Abigail Castillo will represent Sharyland Pioneer and Sharyland High respectively.

Mission Veterans’ Diana Lerma will coach the West and will face off against her sister, Edcouch-Elsa coach Gloria Trevino who leads the 5A east team. Paloma Ybarra and Neida Ybarra will compete from the 32-5A champs, E-E. Donna High’s twin sisters Bianca and Brianna Quesada are also both set to play.

Sub-5A stars will take the court at noon. On the East roster, Felicity Watson and Karina Diaz will represent La Feria, the 32-4A district champions. They will be coached by Santa Rosa coach Carmen De Leon.

Elva Smith from San Isidro and Kerry Villarreal of Monte Alto will coach the West. Hidalgo’s Barbie Gutierrez will bring a lot of talent along with Bianca Aleman of Santa Maria to highlight the cast.

Sub 5A East All-Stars:

Emily Gonzalez, Santa Rosa

Victoria Henrnadez, Raymondville

Amber Gonzalez, Rio Hondo

Gabriela Torres, Port Isabel

Felicity Watson, La Feria

Sophia Villarreal, Lasara

Rachel Muinz, Raymondville

Taylor Gomez, Rio Hondo

Celeste Carrea, Lasara

Karina Diaz, La Feria

Rebecca Ramos, Port Isabel

Kelly Guerra, Santa Rosa

Sarah Martinez, Lyford

Taylor Vento, Raymondville

Natalie Gonzalez, La Feria

Coach: Carmen De Leon, Santa Rosa

Sub 5A West All-Stars:

Kymbery Lozano, Monte Alto

Jennifer Garcia, San Isidro

Dominique Rodriguez, Monte Alto

Isabel Gonzalez, Santa Maria

Samantha Cantu, La Villa

Geraldine Villagordoa, Juan Diego

Stephanie Trevino, Monte Alto

Zenaida Florido, La Villa

Bryanna Perez, Grulla

Barbie Gutierrez, Hidalgo

Savannah Rubalcaba, La Villa

Bianca Aleman, Santa Maria

Shelsy Pompa, Grulla

Samantha Colunga, Monte Alto

Coach: Elva Smith, San Isidro; Kerry Villarreal, Monte Alto

5A East All-Stars

Frida Rangel, Brownsville Veterans

Abbigail Rodriguez, Brownsville Pace

Jennifer Cisneros, Brownsville Lopez

Pamela Sanchez, Brownsville Veterans

Atianna Jones, Brownsville Pace

Brianna Quesada, Donna High

Bianca Quesada, Donna High

Ileane Gallegos, Donna High

Amanda Parra, Brownsville Lopez

Nicole Rodriguez, Donna High

Stephanie Saenz, Brownsville Pace

Ana Meza, Brownsville Porter

Paloma Ybarra, Edcouch-Elsa

Brigitte Oritz, Brownsville Porter

Neida Ybarra, Edcouch-Elsa

Coach: Gloria Trevino, Edcouch-Elsa

5A West All-Stars:

Makenzie Gerlach, Mission Veterans

Alissa L. Gonzalez, Roma

Jackie Howell, Mission Veterans

Lizbeth Melendez, PSJA Southwest

Daizy Coronado, Sharyland Pioneer

Lori Esqueda, La Joya Palmview

Abigail Castillo, Sharyland High

Alba Gonzalez, Roma

Jazmine Pena, La Joya Palmview

Ashley Martinez, PSJA Memorial

Valerie Dela Fuente, Mission Veterans

Michelle Navarro, Valley View

Roxy Morales, Rio Grande City

Victoria Maldonado, PSJA Memorial

Coach: Diana Lerma, Mission Veterans

6A East All-Stars:

Ariana Arceneaux, Brownsville Hanna

Sarah Ann Garcia, San Benito

Taegan Dickey, Harlingen High

Dolores Mendoza, Harlingen South

Karina Garduno, PSJA High

Sarah Villarreal, Los Fresnos

Alysa N. Naranjo, San Benito

Ariel Garcia, San Benito

Katelyn Rodriguez, Weslaco East

Kourtney Shears, Brownsville Rivera

Illiyah Cantu, Weslaco High

Sandra Salazar, Los Fresnos

Tabitha A. Fernandez, Brownsville Hanna

Isis Delgado, Los Fresnos

Madelaine Blanco, Brownsville Rivera

Coach: Ruby Medina, San Benito; Anissa Lucio, Harlingen South

6A West All-Stars

Ericka Hernandez, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln

Damaris Llanes, McAllen High

Jazmine Sustaita, Mission High

Jackelyn Alanis, McAllen Rowe

Julia Cordon, Edinburg Vela

Dylann Guerra, McAllen Memorial

Gerrie Ortiz, Edinburg Economedes

Valeria Trevino, McAllen Memorial

Ariel Sanchez, Mission High

Jocelynn Everage, McAllen Memorial

Renee Ponce, Edinburg High

Natalie Rodriguez, Edinburg North

Mirana Negrete, Edinburg Vela

Anyssa Peralez, La Joya High

Coach: Paula Dodge

[email protected]

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

PSJA Memorial’s Cruz Gomez may have finished his high school cross country season at the UIL level when he finished fourth in the Class 5A State meet back on Nov. 3 but his year didn’t end there.

Gomez’s postseason continued with runs at the prestigious Nike Cross Regionals (NXR) Nike Cross Nationals Nationals (NXN) and finally wrapped up this Saturday with a run at the 40th annual Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships in San Diego.

He finished 34th with a time of 16 minutes, 23.8 seconds in a tough as nails field with top runners from all over the nation, he finished eighth among qualifiers in the South region.

The Wolverines senior committed to the University of Texas in the fall and said he’s enjoying the California trip, which is turning top-tier competitors into acquaintances.

“It’s been very fun so far, just getting to meet a lot of new guys and recognizing a lot of faces that I’ve seen on social media and stuff,” Gomez said. “It’s just unreal.”

Gomez, who had been a frequent podium finisher at UIL State for both cross country and distance track events was humbled by the experience.

“I feel very blessed that God gave me this talent to run,” Gomez said. “The ability to respect the RGV at these two prestigious races is just amazing.”

He said the terrain inside of Balboa Park Morley Field was a challenge for the Alamo native.

Gomez said learning a course and competing in such a short period of time is a huge challenge.

“It’s very tough, very difficult, nothing like home,” Gomez said. “It was a monstrous hill, I’ve never run in something like that. This course really made me super tired, probably the hardest course I’ve ran. Definitely harder than NXN (which took place in Portland, Oregon) but a lot more fun.”

The 2019 UIL track season is his last step before he takes his talent to Austin and the burnt orange track team.

“It is preparing me for the next level,” Gomez said. “I think once I start training a little bit harder, putting a little bit more mileage I’ll be up there.”

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Harlingen High shoots and steals past Donna High.

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

DONNA — Harlingen High and Donna High were tied at four minutes into the game.

That’s when the Cardinals put on the pressure on both sides of the ball to take over the game for a 62-45 road victory.

“Lately, we’ve been getting in a slump where we start off really slow and it takes us a while to adjust and see what our opponent does,” Harlingen senior Taegan Dickey said. “Then from then on, that’s when we start to turn it up.”

Maybe it was a slow start, maybe it was the constant direction from Harlingen coach Ashley Moncivaiz, who wasn’t happy with her team’s first half…even as they built their lead.

Harlingen went on a 10-0 run after the early draw to take a 14-4 lead. Bianca Rodriguez and Ariel Leal drilled 3-pointers to help build the cushion.

The Cardinals hit five first-half threes to Donna’s two.

Harlingen’s full-court press worked wonders to stifle Donna’s offense. The Cards came up with 18 steals, which resulted in plenty of quick layups.

“The way we go into our seasons is we always want to push ourselves to give effort 100 percent,” Moncivaiz said. “When we go into different situations we’ll know if the kids are ready when it comes down to district and playoffs. Now after today, we only have 11 games and we have two and a half months left of basketball.”

Harlingen improves to 19-5 on the season and has shown plenty of evidence to be in the conversation as the RGV’s top girls team.

“I would definitely say that our team has it all this year,” Dickey said. “We have a lot of players that are offensive players, that are defensive players, that are both. And I think that’s what really helps us.”

Dickey led her team with 16 points. The senior knows road victories will be a crucial part of reaching late-season goals.

“It’s very important for us to win at home and away,” Dickey said. “Because in the playoffs you’re not always going to be at your home court. You’re going to be playing at all sorts of different areas and different crowds.”

The home team found value in the contest, despite the loss.

“Nobody we play is going to play that hard, nobody we play is going to be that quick or that fast,” Donna coach Kevin Kromer said after the game. “Close, but not exactly the same. I thought we did a pretty good job of breaking it at times and of course other times we made our mistakes. I like the fact that we could hang in there.”

The teams met last season and Kromer said that playing the class 6A powerhouse close for most of the game was an improvement. The coach explained the value of playing a strong non-district schedule before starting the 32-5A campaign.

“It puts us through a lot of stress and a lot of strain,” Kromer said. “It gets us battle-tested so we know what our team will do when they get pressured, in tight games or whatever against tougher competition. So that when we face our district it’s maybe not as good but at least we’ve been through tougher competition than what we might face in district.”

Seniors Miranda Sandoval and Brianna Quesada had 17 and 16-points, respectively, to keep Donna in the hunt. Depth hurt Donna because no other player made more than one field goal.

“They have to learn to lead by example first and then they show the kids how to practice hard and take it seriously. That comes with time because they’re usually not natural born leaders, they have to learn. They’re the example to the younger ones of how to play.”

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

WESLACO — Senior year has been a roller-coaster ride of emotions, injuries and rehabilitation for Weslaco High linebacker Marco Noriega.

The senior was hurt early, but beat projections to return to the field in time for the Nov. 2 showdown against Weslaco East.

He was healthy and cleared after surgery to install a plate to make sure the broken bone in his leg would stabilize. Noriega came back and made an impact with two tackles. Before the night was done, however, disaster struck.

His leg was injured in the Panthers 23-21 win over the Wildcats in the Tinaco Bowl.

The victory could have been Noriega’s last snaps as a Weslaco player, but he wouldn’t allow his year to end like that.

“It was tough, but I knew my team could get it done,” Noriega said. “They came together and have been executing all year long. It was an exciting year to watch them and now I’m glad to be back.”

Second-year head coach Michael Salinas knew he had a gutsy player on his hands when Noriega chose to rehab again, knowing that his return was dependent on the Panthers advancing in the playoffs.

“I think it was really tough for him, especially being in his senior year,” Salinas said. “He stuck to the plan and made his mind up that he wanted to get back and recover. We had a plan in place to get him postseason play and hopefully he’d be able to get back and play a couple of ball games.”

Weslaco executed that plan and is preparing for its regional semifinal matchup against state powerhouse Austin Lake Travis 4 p.m. Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

They couldn’t have gotten there without a strong team-first mentality on defense.

Fellow senior linebacker Jacob Balli had to play through his friend’s injury and serve as an emotional leader.

“I saw Marco go down, he’s always been there with me through everything and we’ve always been playing together,” Balli said. “I just knew once he was out I kind of had to step up and rally everybody together, make sure we still focus the team. Because it was a big hit for everyone, not just to me.”

Noriega led the team in tackles as a junior with 79 and it was Balli who had the team lead as a senior with 62. Jaythan Gonzalez, who stepped up as the starter in Noriega’s absence is the Panthers second top tackler with 53 (36 solo tackles).

Balli picked up a fumble and returned it for a touchdown in Weslaco’s 30-14 area round win over Laredo United.

Salinas said the depth on his team’s defense and senior-heavy leadership made getting the Panthers some extra games past the regular season possible.

“The team did what we were supposed to do to give him an opportunity to play in the postseason,” Salinas said. “Some guys just stepped up. Our philosophy is ‘next man up’ and fortunately for us, guys were prepared and in place with Jacob Balli and Jaythan Gonzalez who picked up the slack.”

The Panthers defense ranked second behind Weslaco East in the 31-6A season standings. Weslaco High allowed an average of 197 yards per game in the regular season and gave up and average of 10.2 points per game.

The chemistry on the field has been sky-high with many 2019 future graduates playing together.

On offense, the juniors run the show with quarterback Jacob Cavazos and Peyton Knaub in their 11th-grade year, but on defense the top 12 tacklers are seniors.

“We’ve been together since freaking Little League,” Balli said. “We work so hard together and we flow together. It’s easy honestly; I couldn’t do it with anybody else.”

One change for the Panthers defense was coaching. Ernie Alonzo is serving his first year as Weslaco’s coordinator.

“We had set some goals at the beginning of the year,” Noriega said. “We’ve tried to eliminate the big plays all year long and this whole senior year has just been amazing. We’re glad to be at the point we are now, but we’re not satisfied.”

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McAllen High coach Kevin Brewer stepped down as head coach of the Bulldogs on Tuesday. His time at the program comes to an end after replacing Tony Harris as bench boss in 2013.

“I just felt the time was right for me and my family personally to move on and start a new chapter in our lives and professionally,” Brewer said. “McHi has been such a good place to me and my family the past six years. In the past couple of seasons, we haven’t gotten the win totals that we need to get. I have high expectations for myself. I wasn’t meeting those expectations that I’ve set for myself and my program.”

In Brewer’s first year at the helm, the Bulldogs went 9-1 in the regular season, which was their best record during his tenure. That season marked the first year McHi won an outright district championship since 1989; the team was then upset in the first round against Brownsville Rivera.

In 2014, McHi went 8-4 overall and won a bi-district game against Laredo Alexander before falling to playoff pest Rivera again in the area round.

Brewer went 31-34 overall at McHi, but the struggles increased with time. In the past four seasons, McHi made the playoffs twice and missed twice while going 16-28 overall.

“I felt like it was time for me to move and allow McHi football a different opportunity to grow and get better,” Brewer said.

McHi was 2-8 overall in 2018 and 1-6 in 30-6A play.

The school district released an official statement Tuesday morning.

“We appreciate Coach Brewer for his leadership and contributions to McAllen High School athletics,” McAllen ISD Superintendent J.A. Gonzalez said. “We wish coach Brewer and his family all the best and thank him for his years of service at McAllen High.”

The coach, a former TCU student-athlete, was at McHi during a time of success across many sports at the storied program. Division I athletes graduated from his football team, statewide accolades came to Bulldogs swimmers and soccer teams.

“When you’re at McHi, you really feel part of a family there,” Brewer said. “From the faculty to the student body, to the administration, the parents, the fans, everybody – it’s all Bulldog Nation. It’s been so much fun and I’ve been so fortunate and blessed.

“I can’t speak highly enough of the kids, the athletes that I’ve been fortunate to coach the last six years. The hundreds of football players that have come through McHi, just outstanding young men. I feel really lucky.”

Brewer had the chance to coach his son, Mason, who played defensive line for the Bulldogs.

“I wouldn’t trade that for anything,” Brewer said. I was able to coach my oldest son years back and able to coach my youngest son the last four years. Those are memories that you cherish.”

McAllen High Assistant Athletic Coordinator Ruth Garcia will oversee McAllen High athletics until a new Head Football Coach/Athletic Coordinator is hired, according to the MISD press release.

[email protected]

VALLEY HS FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

CLASS 6A DI AREA ROUND

Weslaco High 30, Laredo United 14

San Benito 43, PSJA North 35, 3OT

CLASS 6A DII AREA ROUND

Edinburg Vela 56, Laredo Alexander 0

Brownsville Hanna 28, Eagle Pass 13

CLASS 5A DI AREA ROUND

Mission Veterans 48, San Antonio Veterans 23

CLASS 5A DII AREA ROUND

Brenham 42, Sharyland High 35

CLASS 4A DI AREA ROUND

La Feria 49, Needville 34

CLASS 4A DII AREA ROUND

Cuero 56, Rio Hondo 0

Geronimo Navarro 35, Raymondville 0

CLASS 2A DII AREA ROUND

Granger 40, La Villa 36

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

PHARR — Through 24 minutes PSJA North and San Benito split 14 points, seven apiece. The defenses owned the key moments early in Friday’s Class 6A DI Area Round game at PSJA Stadium in Pharr. Forced fumbles that were recovered in the red zone gave both teams their first-half points.

Once offensive output arrived, it came fast and furious as four quarters wasn’t enough to decide a winner. The Greyhounds finally pull through on the road, 43-35 in three overtimes.

San Benito won its second straight area round matchup in three straight trips to round two. Greyhounds coach Dan Gomez led a group with a very different roster than the 2017 season.

“The excitement kind of gets to you mentally but the kids focused up in the second half, came out and played some good ball,” Gomez said. “It’s a test of character from both our squad and their squad. Their squad had some really good character.”

San Benito’s resiliency shined on multiple occasions. Senior Jacob Cavazos had a ball stripped to set up Arturo Beltran for his 25th touchdown of the season.

That turnover came after Cavazos looked to be injured on an Aaron Alvarez sack. The Raiders pressure was a factor again, collecting four sacks.

Despite a clear injury and the costly turnover, Cavazos threw for 183 yards, including an overtime touchdown pass, and two rushing scores in regulation. The Hounds quarterback ran for 85 more yards.

San Benito turned up the tempo in the second half, but their win also was aided by a few Raiders mistakes.

“If you’ve been following, you can tell we’ve improved week, every single week,” PSJA North coach Marcus Kaufmann said. “We just didn’t improve enough tonight. We had a couple of little penalties, like the touchdown that was called back in the third overtime for an illegal shift. Little things that we still have to clean up to be as good as we want to be. It’s good to grow from, good to talk to them about because this ball game was ours if we don’t have a couple of little bitty things as the game progressed.”

The play he was referring to was a pass from Iziaah Rangel to Beltran that was caught but didn’t stand due to the infraction before the snap. Rangel had 98 yards and a touchdown pass in overtime. In regulation, however, Rangel missed a couple of passes to the speedy receiver Beltran that might have gone for six.

Freshman running back Isaac Gonzalez was a force for the home side. He had 111 yards, including a 52-yard run to break the 7-7 stalemate in the third quarter.

On the opposing offense, sophomore running back, Kyler Castilleja matched his quarterback with two touchdown runs.

Gonzalez’s second score allowed North to knot up the game with 1:29 to play to force the extra action.

In overtime, both teams scored and held serve. In the first overtime San Benito scored on two plays then North scored on a less smooth drive, converting a fourth down to keep the season going for two more series.

North set the tone in OT 2 when Rangel hit Olivarez for his lone touchdown pass, but San Benito responded with Frankie Garcia on the ground.

The Hounds scored first in triple overtime and Cavazos hit defensive end Nathaniel Garcia for the mandatory two-point conversion. The Raiders couldn’t keep pace on their final drive.

“We knew that this year was going to be very special, coming off my sophomore year we were 7-0 and the last three games we lost with heartbreaking endings,” Beltran said. “Last year we had a 2-8 season, it was not us. This year we made a goal to focus and regroup as a team. It made us have a bond, that’s why we had a good season, we stuck to the process.”

PSJA North will look to use the strong season as a launch pad for the program. Beltran and Rangel highlight key offensive pieces that graduate, along with the likes of Ryan Reyna and Noah Gonzalez on defense. Many of the Raiders will return for another year under Kaufmann in District 30-6A.

“Next year this group of kids is going to be very good, probably even better than us,” Beltran said. “Most of the team are returners. The coaches are going to have more experience from this season. It’s going to be a good season for them and I’m going to be here supporting them because they’re my family.”

The Greyhounds will host Converse Judson next Friday. Judson smashed San Antonio Reagan 63-21 in the area round.

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