BY NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — The energy is high, the linemen are going full blast and McAllen Memorial coach Bill Littleton is periodically stopping the drills to give one-on-one instruction to his big men up front.

It must be September, maybe October. Nope, it’s spring and the 20-year veteran coach (16 with the Mustangs) is showing no signs of slowing down or losing his enthusiasm.

During his 17th spring ball, Littleton still enjoys getting his squad prepared for another campaign.

“It’s always a fun time. Spring ball is always one of my favorite times,” Littleton said. “You’re trying to make good football players. You’re trying to teach them your scheme and what you’re trying to do. You’re also looking at some new stuff you might want to implement for next year. We’re evaluating players from top to bottom.”

Class of 2020 safety Diego Villarreal was one of those players going through evaluation last spring. Since then, he’s become a big part of the Mustangs’ secondary. He recorded 43 tackles and one interception. He was a strong one-two punch with fellow 2020 safety-turned-linebacker Michael Morales.

“Last year we didn’t have that many returning starters, but we all came together and since not a lot of us had experience, we kind of all worked together,” Villarreal said. “Now we’re ready to go into the season.”

Morales had four picks and 71 tackles to highlight a new era of defense on campus.

“Me and Michael have been friends since eighth grade,” Villarreal said. “I’ve always loved playing with him. When I got to play with him again last year — we understand each other. We know how to do combos and stuff so it helps us out.”

The coach elaborated on his defensive continuity. More impact players will come back for another varsity season.

“It’s not like last year where we replaced nine starters,” Littleton said. “We’re not doing that this year, so we’re a lot better than what we were last year.”

The former dominator of District 30-6A will enter 2019 determined to bounce back after falling short of a fifth straight district championship. PSJA High claimed that while the next three teams finished 5-2. The Mustangs finished second but needed to win their last game of the season against McAllen Rowe to earn a postseason berth.

“After last season, we were left with a little bit of a bitter taste in our mouth after we finished second, which is no slouch. We felt like we had an opportunity to win, it but we didn’t get it done,” Littleton said. “I think it was a little bit of a wake-up call and a little bit of a humbling experience for them. Hopefully, it made them a little bit hungrier coming into the fall.”

The Mustangs still have one of the most electric backs in the region in Campbell Speights, who is just 27 yards away from 5,000 in his career. Speights will be a senior.

“Just like I say at the start of every spring: he’s bigger, he’s stronger and he’s just as fast and that’s a true statement,” Littleton said. “He hasn’t lost any speed, his weight room numbers have gone up tremendously. We’re really excited. He’s just a great kid. He’s going to have a great season if he can stay healthy and does everything he needs to do.”

Even though last year’s opening week starter, Sean Skaugen, will graduate, the Mustangs are in fine shape at quarterback. Joseph Lara was called into action last season and led Memorial into a playoff spot down the stretch.

“The first game was a little nerve-wracking, but as it went on it became a little easier on my part. Overall as a team, we did great,” Lara said.

Lara, Littleton and offensive line coach Robbie Jasso know as the line goes, the Mustangs will follow.

“We have a big line. We have the size and everything. They’re just helpful when we ground and pound, just pushing back the defense,” Lara said.

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Valley HS softball schedule

Thursday’s Games

Regional Semifinals

Class 6A

Edinburg Vela vs. Austin High at Cabaniss Complex, Corpus Christi, Game 1, 6 p.m.

Friday’s Games

Regional Semifinals

Class 6A

Edinburg Vela vs. Austin High at Cabaniss Complex, Corpus Christi, Game 2, 6 p.m. (Game 3, if necessary, to follow)

Harlingen South vs. New Braunfels Canyon, Game 1, 7 p.m.

Class 4A

Rio Hondo vs. Fredricksburg at Three Rivers, Game 1, 7 p.m.

Saturday’s Games

Regional Semifinals

Class 6A

Harlingen South vs. New Braunfels Canyon at Tuloso-Midway, Game 2, 5 p.m. (Game 3, if necessary, to follow)

Class 4A

Rio Hondo vs. Fredricksburg at Beeville Jones, Game 2, 3 p.m. (Game 3, if necessary, to follow)

Valley HS softball schedule

Friday’s Games

Regional Quarterfinals

Class 6A

Edinburg Vela 11, Laredo United 0. Vela advances

Harlingen South 13, PSJA North 1

Class 5A

Corpus Christi Calallen 6, PSJA Memorial 2

Class 4A

Rio Hondo 6, Sinton 4

Class 3A

Santa Gertrudis 6, Lyford 3

Saturday’s Games

Regional Quarterfinals

Class 6A

Harlingen South 5, PSJA North 2

Class 5A

Corpus Christi Calallen 5, PSJA Memorial 1

Class 4A

Rio Hondo 8, Sinton 6, 9 innings

Class 3A

Santa Gertrudis 8, Lyford 4

BY NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — The fates of McAllen High powerlifters Daniela Echavarria and Sabrina Espinoza are intertwined. When they entered high school as freshmen, they didn’t join the powerlifting team right away. By their senior season, however, they were wearing gold and silver at the state meet.

On Friday, they both signed to in-state colleges to continue lifting and to expand their education.

Espinoza signed with UTSA in the morning, while Echavarria inked her letter to the University of Texas in the afternoon.

Even though both ended their high school careers and prepared for the next step on the same day, both paths were vastly different.

Espinoza grew up around the sport that is now sweeping the state and RGV, filling gyms on Saturday mornings with hundreds of determined lifters.

She was driven, trained and pushed thanks to her father. For her, the sport was a chance to bond and share time together.

“My dad has been powerlifting since he was younger, so basically I grew up in the gym with him. I wouldn’t work out, of course. I just figured I should give it a try and apparently I wasn’t bad at it,” Espinoza said. “It was something me and my dad had in common, something we could both do together. I don’t like basketball; I don’t like anything else he watches except powerlifting.”

Echavarria, on the other hand, went through middle school and early high school determined to be a runner, a track standout.

She continued to run, earning district championships even as a senior, but the weight room became a passion.

“I was really hesitant to join powerlifting just because I felt like there was this belief that you had to be bulky or super strong to join and I didn’t feel I was that way,” Echavarria said. “I love track, but I found my true passion in powerlifting.”

Since the competition is divided by weight class, being tall or wide isn’t a requirement. One just needs to be better than the field. Echavarria stood tall at season’s end as the 105-pound THSWPA state champion.

“I never expected to be here, but I guess this past year is when I realized I had a chance to compete at the state level. So that pushed me to want to compete even further,” Echavarria said. “When I won state, it really made me realize that I really had an opportunity to continue in college.”

Since the sport isn’t governed by the UIL in high school or the NCAA in college, recruitment is interesting. Echavarria said the Longhorns were in attendance at state, and that’s when she made contact. Espinoza knew someone who was already on the team who helped make the connection.

“Powerlifting has always been a strong suit down here in the Valley. We’re actually one of the strongest regions in the state,” McAllen High coach Dan Rodriguez said. “These girls really get in the weight room and push some weight around and they enjoy doing it. They’re leaving a long-lasting legacy.”

The deadlifting duo will attend school just an hour and a half away from each other, and compete in the same sport at the same weight class. So, chances are the state high school meet won’t be the last time they share the competition floor.

“I think it is really exciting. She’s a really strong competitor, and having her there pushes me all the time,” Echavarria said. “She’s also one of my really close friends, so to be able to do this on the same day is really, really exciting.

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By MARK MAY | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR

PHARR — Harlingen South took advantage of some PSJA North miscues to engineer a 13-1 victory over the Raiders in Game 1 of their best-of-three Region IV-6A quarterfinal playoff game Friday night.

The game was called after five innings due to the 10-run rule. Game 2 will begin at 5 p.m. today at Harlingen South. Game 3, if needed, would follow 30 minutes after Game 2.

The Raiders committed four errors which led to eight Hawk runs. Harlingen South scored twice in the first inning and then added four runs in the third, six runs in the fourth and one run in the fifth.

“The girls beat themselves,” PSJA North coach Stephanie Lugo said. “I told them a good athlete has short-term memory. You’ve got to move forward and do better.”

PSJA North went 13-1 en route to winning the District 30-6A title. They have since gone 4-2 in the playoffs. Harlingen South won its sixth straight game to improve to 31-6, including 4-0 in playoff games. The Hawks came into Friday’s matchup ranked 54th in the state by Max Preps.

“We’ve been playing well lately,” South coach Elias Martinez said. “We’re just continuing that same mental toughness. Tomorrow’s going to be another battle.”

Hawks sophomore pitcher Kylie Ruiz pitched five innings, giving up just five hits and one run while striking out one and walking two.

“She’s been steady all season long,” Martinez said. “She spoils us by how cool and collected she is.”

Harlingen South’s Kayla Rogers batted 3 for 4 with two runs scored. Teammate Natasha Canales went 2 for 4 and scored two runs. Krystal Gonzales (1 for 3) slugged a triple in the fifth inning and later came home on a wild pitch for her fourth run of the evening. She narrowly missed a triple back in the fourth when a deep ball to left field was ruled an error after the left fielder got a glove on the ball. Two runs scored on the play.

The Hawks generated 13 runs on 13 hits, including five hits in the third inning and six hits in the fourth when the team sent 11 batters to the plate. PSJA North had one run on five hits.

The Hawks took advantage of two throwing errors in the first inning to jump ahead 2-0. The Raiders scored their lone run in the second when Mary Casillas’ single to right field scored Angel Lozano from second base after Lozano had singled and stolen second.

Both Casillas and Lozano batted 2 for 2, collecting four of their team’s five hits.

Heaven Lozano started on the mound for the Lady Raiders. Down 9-1, Andrea Salazar relived her with nobody out in the fourth. Salazar gave up five hits and four runs in two innings of work.

Everything that could go wrong for PSJA North did go wrong. The Hawks even scored runs off of a passed ball and a wild pitch. Another player, Alexa Saucedo, reached first base on a dropped third strike in the fourth inning and eventually scored on a base hit by Christina Arellano (2 for 4, RBI, run scored).

Canales, a Hawks outfielder, said her team will need an all-around effort once again to clinch the series.

“We need to keep our bats going,” the senior said. “No errors. Teamwork and relying on each other to do our part.”

BY TJ GARCIA | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR

EDINBURG — The rain held out, Vela’s early runs held up and Edinburg Vela pitcher Nico Rodriguez out-dueled McHi’s Aaron Nixon to provide the SaberCats a 3-0 area-round victory Friday night in front of a large crowd at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.

Rodriguez struck out 13 McHi batters — including eight of the last 14 he faced — and surrendered just four hits to shutout the Bulldogs and hand Vela a 1-0 best-of-3 games series lead with Game 2 set for1 p.m. today at UTRGV. A third game, if necessary, would be played at 4 p.m.

Vela scored three runs in the first inning by tagging Nixon with two hits and leveraging another off a walk. It wasn’t much, but it was all they needed as Rodriguez, and Nixon, got into zones the rest of way and shut down each other’s offense.

“I just try and throw strikes no matter who I’m facing. Just go up there, throw strikes and give us the win,” Rodriguez said. “I felt like I had a good changeup, to go along with my fast ball just to mix it up and it was going great.”

Even though he stonewalled McHi most of the game, Rodriguez also relied on his defense to bail him out. Twice early in the game, McHi loaded the bases and came away empty-handed after Vela executed double plays to end the first and third innings.

In the fourth, McHi put a runner on third, but couldn’t get him home. It was a hard-luck loss for Nixon, who outside the first inning held Vela in check and got into a late-game groove where he struck out five of Vela’s last six batters.

On the night, Nixon hurled a three-hitter, fanned eight SaberCats and walked five. Vela coach Jaime Perez said Nixon pitched great and “got into a groove,” and that the SaberCats had to get to him early otherwise they would have been in for a long night.

“I thought we hit some good pitches. I thought we made some big plays. Those two double plays at the end of the innings kind of took the wind out of them a little bit,” Perez said. “Our number-one objective every time we go out and play is we try to drive pitch count up. Pitch count has changed the game of baseball.”

Nixon threw an unofficial 95 pitches Friday night but showed no ill effects. Rodriguez was over 100. But it was that first inning where both pitchers were knocked around that was the difference in the game. It just so happened that Vela was able to take advantage of loading the bases and McHi didn’t.

Leadoff batter Ivan Mendoza drew a walk. Rodriguez struck out, then Eric Martinez singled to left to move Mendoza up. Mendoza took third on a wild pitch and then clean-up batter Ramsey Amador walked to fill the bases.

Next, Nixon sat DH Marc Esquivel, but Jaime Perez got a base hit to left and drove in two runs and Amador later scored. That was it. That was the offense as Nixon fanned Isaac Lopez to end the inning but the damage had been done.

Vela made it stick and with the stellar pitching, that was the ballgame.

BY NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

ALAMO — PSJA Memorial has stared in the face of elimination once before in the UIL playoffs and survived. That was just last week when the Wolverines came from behind against Port Lavaca Calhoun.

The 31-5A district champions will need to dig deep and find two wins today in hostile territory after Corpus Christi Calallen held on for a 6-2 win Friday night.

“Against Port Lavaca, this is how we started. The score was similar (in Game 1),” Wolverines coach Rachel Barbosa-Gutierrez said. “I feel like these girls came out nervous a little against a team that we’ve never seen and who are just as aggressive as we are.”

Calallen scored during the first inning: a run scoring off an outfield error.

Hits, near hits and errors were the story of the night in a game of inches against one of the Coastal Bend’s best teams.

Memorial scored its first run after Elyssa Elizondo beat out a throw from right field to reach on a single. Starting pitcher Chelsea Salinas helped her own cause with an RBI single to knot the game at 1.

Capable defense from the Wildcats quickly showed that the Wolverines would need to capitalize on every chance. During the third inning, Memorial loaded the bases with no outs, but the damage was minimal.

Cassandra Cepeda singled to put the Wolverines ahead 2-1, but a base-running mistake on the play resulted in the first out. Calallen pitcher Lizette Del Angel helped her team navigate the jam.

“Yes, we had the lead at one point. I just feel like the errors — and I told the girls our errors are what’s going to lose games,” Barbosa-Gutierrez said. “Whoever makes the least errors that’s who’s going to win and in this case, that’s what happened.”

Calallen’s Del Angel started the fourth inning on base, and soon her pinch runner was rounding the bases to tie the game. The go-ahead run was a product of head’s up running. Elise Fuentes jolted home and the Wildcats had a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Elizondo, a senior, said she might have expected more from the Wildcats, but her team couldn’t stay out of its own way in the opening game.

“The other team isn’t as spectacular as I would expected in the third round but we had quite a few errors and that’s what killed us on the field,” Elizondo said.

The second baseman said the loss threw a wrench in the plans. She said the bats need to come alive to support their workhorse, Salinas, in the circle.

“Our goal for this round was to win our first game, but unfortunately that didn’t happen, just because we have a doubleheader tomorrow. It’s going to be super hard for her (Salinas) but that’s where our team needs to step up and start hitting.”

Del Angel had eight strikeouts, most coming after grabbing the 3-2 lead. Calallen’s outfielders became a factor late as well. The left fielder made up a lot of ground in the bottom of the fifth to take a potential leadoff extra-base hit from Elizondo.

The Cats right fielder also brought the visiting crowd to its feet when she tossed Kristy Alanis out at first on a hit that became an out thanks to a quick arm.

“The girls have worked really, really hard all year and we’re very fortunate to have a lot of athletic girls right now,” Calallen coach Teresa Lentz said. “They do everything that they can and they give it everything they have in practice and then it shows in the game.”

Calallen will need one win to advance while PSJA Memorial will need to repeat the dramatics of the area round if they want to reach the regional tournament.

Game 2 is set for 5 p.m. at Cabaniss Complex in Corpus Christi with a third game taking place after if the Wolverines prevail.

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BY NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

SAN JUAN — Life without Trey Guajardo as quarterback and dynamic leader for the Bears has begun at PSJA High school, when they put their pads back on for spring practice.

A senior, Guajardo hasn’t gone anywhere. In fact, he made a huge impact on the PSJA baseball team that took another district title during its first year in District 30-6A this season.

But once fall swings back around, Guajardo will be sporting the orange of UTRGV baseball, and the Bears football team will move forward in the huddle.

Rising senior Justin Morales has been tabbed the starting quarterback and his time under Lupe Rodriguez’s wing started when PSJA High had its spring ball, which ended last week.

“As a little kid growing up, I always wanted to be quarterback here at PSJA High,” Morales said. “Like Coach said, he doesn’t want me to be better than anybody else. He wants me to be the best Justin Morales can be. That’s what I’m trying to do: come out here everyday and be the best player that I can be.”

Rodriguez has faith in his quarterback, especially with his key targets back for senior campaigns.

“It’s been a little different this year,” PSJA High coach Lupe Rodriguez said. “We graduated some key players this past year with Trey obviously on the offense. Justin’s taking over and I have no doubt that he’s able to take over where Trey left off. He has a good core of receivers coming back, with Marco (Guajardo) Miguel Flores, Ethan Castillo.”

That trio of receivers combined for 2,602 yards and 27 touchdowns receiving.

From the slot, Morales had 44 receptions and four touchdowns. He accounted for 414 reception yards in Guajardo’s senior season in which he threw for 3,371 yards.

“Even back in my (Mission) Veterans days, our backup quarterback was always a starting receiver,” Rodriguez said. “Landry (Gilpin) was one. Nothing different here with Justin, the fact that he got a lot of playing time as one of our slot receivers. He knows the offense, learned it by any means necessary with all the other receivers.”

Replacing the 3,371 yards Guajardo passed for won’t be easy, but the defense is up to the task of making sure the Bears outpace and outscore the opposition.

“We know that our offense will score this year and we need to give them the ball as soon as possible,” senior Jacob Sanchez said. “We need to get hyped and go hard every practice.”

It won’t be difficult to get these Bears motivated for the 2019 season. They have a gold ball to defend for winning district and seven teams set on wrestling it away.

“It was a great experience because the last time we won district champs was more than 10 years ago,” Sanchez said. “We know other school schools don’t really like us winning, so that will make a big target on our back.”

On the last day of spring ball, the bench boss was in good spirits about the prospect of another successful season.

“Overall, I feel the confidence is still there from this past year’s district championship,” Rodriguez said. “And I told the guys it’s a next-man-up concept. I expect you guys to fill in the holes and we’re looking forward to another great season this year.”

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BY NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

Upper Valley state track & field qualifiers hope to run, jump and throw onto the podium this weekend. Last season, two local athletes returned from Austin with gold medals. The chance for more hardware is within reach again.

IN THE RING

PSJA Southwest coach Eloy Garza is getting ready to accompany senior thrower Diego Treviño to state for the third time in four seasons.

This time, the Javelinas senior thrower will enter the ring as a future Oklahoma Sooner and hopes to leave as a first-time UIL state champion.

“The idea was to really get him to be in a relaxed state so he can focus on trying to reach new personal records,” Garza said about Treviño signing early to OU. “He started off kind of concerned that he wanted to well. It really helped in the end because at the end of the day he knows where he’s going next year. It’s going to be a great future for him.”

Last year, Treviño threw in Class 6A, which meant facing some of the RGV’s best throwers all the way to state. This year, in his new division, he has yet to face the same challenges but will be tested again at state.

“He thrives on competition and for him we always used competition,” Garza said. “He doesn’t really like it when he doesn’t have other throwers that are hitting the same marks. 5A is looking very competitive in the discus; nothing’s given. In the shot put, he does have some competition and we’ll see how they perform at the state meet.”

One thrower from the RGV is already a state champion. Grulla’s Abigail Flores earned a gold medal as a junior with a championship throw of 142 feet, 9 inches. She will have a chance to double up as a state winner this weekend.

As a senior, her throws are in a new range. She won the 4A regional meet with a personal record of 160-6. She’ll have tough competition from Canyon senior Audrey Hughes.

Treviño and Flores will joined by a big group of throwers, many in the 5A ranks.

Sharyland Pioneer’s Daisy Monie will toss the discus with one of the top seed throws from regionals. The Diamondback sophomore will be joined by district foe Charlee Salinas of Mission Veterans.

While Monie won discus, Salinas earned regional gold in the shot put with a throw of 41-10 1/2.

SUPER LEAPERS

Abelardo Lopez of Rio Grande City is a team-player first. As a junior he ran two relays, the 100-meter dash and competed in both the long and triple jump. He accumulated plenty of points for the Rattlers, but when his season ended in seventh place in the long jump and 12th place in the triple jump, his coach changed the game plan.

“He was ecstatic. He really was. It’s something we had talked about since last year,” RGC coach Eladio Bermudez said. “We felt last year if we pulled him from a lot of the races and just let him jump he had a chance to qualify and move on.”

Getting him to dial back on events wasn’t easy, especially because as he saw his team’s needs in other events.

“Him being such a team player it was so hard to talk him into doing it,” Bermudez said. “That’s again what made it so validating.

The senior expected to advance in the triple jump, but when that didn’t work, Lopez saved his best jump for the right time as he won the Class 5A long jump with a personal record of 22-9.

“Unfortunately, things didn’t go as great as we hoped in triple jump, so it was disappointing,” Bermudez said. “As the long jump came, it was challenging. But he stepped up to the plate and he let it all hang out.”

Duke commit and McAllen High senior Hannah Kelly will compete at the state level for the first time. After missing the chance to jump beyond area due to a soccer conflict as a junior, Kelly won the area meet with a jump of 5-4. At the Class 6A Region 4 meet, she earned silver with a jump of 5-6.

FAST DASH

Miguel Flores surprised the 400-meter field at regionals last week, when he overtook McAllen High’s Alex Rodriguez, who had owned the event for most of the season.

Weslaco High’s Amity Ebarb highlights the girls running events. The sophomore had a breakout regional meet and will be the lone Upper Valley runner competing in three events (400 meter, 800 meter, 1,600-meter relay). She won gold in all three events in San Antonio, including a 1 minute, 22.74 seconds personal record in the 800. Her 400-meter time of 55.44 set the Valley record that stood for 11 years.

RGC’s Daniella Muniz qualified in not just her 100-meter dash but also in the long jump. The junior is competing at state for the first time after advancing to regionals every season in high school.

At the intersection between speed and endurance is the 800-meter dash. Two times around the track, at full pace.

La Villa’s Robbie Sue Espericueta is back to Austin as a senior. Last year, she took silver in Class 2A in the same event.

Edcouch-Elsa’s Vanessa Cerda will make her debut at state in the 5A division as a sophomore after finishing in second at regionals with a PR time of 2:16.11.

ENDURANCE RUNNERS

If the Valley has a specialty in track, it would be a yearly battle between the throwing events and a group of standout distance runners. Like clockwork, that is the case again this year as the RGV sends four runners in the 1,600-meter run and 3,200-meter runs.

PSJA Memorial senior Cruz Gomez headlines the Valley field once again. Last year, in Class 6A, Gomez earned double silver medals in the same races. At the regional meet, he ran his season record in the 1,600 at 4:19.

Trevor and Evan Williams of McAllen Memorial will both run the 3,200 meter race, while Evan also qualified for the 1,600-meter run.

Brownsville Rivera’s Andrea de la Rosa will also run the 3,200 during her senior season.

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Valley HS softball schedule

Friday’s Games

Regional Quarterfinals

Class 6A

Edinburg Vela vs. Laredo United, at Hebbronville, 7 p.m. (one-game playoff)

Harlingen South at PSJA North, Game 1, 7:30 p.m.

Class 5A

Corpus Christi Calallen at PSJA Memorial, Game 1, 7 p.m.

Class 4A

Sinton at Rio Hondo, Game 1, 7 p.m.

Class 3A

Lyford vs Santa Gertrudis, at Edcouch-Elsa, Game 1, 7 p.m.

Saturday’s Games

Regional Quarterfinals

Class 6A

PSJA North at Harlingen South, Game 2, 5 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, to follow.

Class 5A

PSJA Memorial at Christi Calallen, Game 2, 5 p.m., Game 3, if necessary, to follow.

Class 4A

Rio Hondo at Sinton, Game 2, 5 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, to follow.

Class 3A

Lyford vs Santa Gertrudis, at Freer, Game 2, 1 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, to follow.