NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — Some volleyball teams would do anything in their power to put together a season with a 31-9 record. The McAllen Memorial Mustangs were proud of their year, but knew when they walked off the court after their 25-21, 28-26, 27-25 defeat at the hands of San Antonio O’Connor in the regional semifinals they left unfinished business.

The 2017 season marked the Mustangs third consecutive trip to the regional tournament. The third time dreams of an elite eight and even final four were cut short.

Seniors Jocelynn Everage and Valeria Trevino are the only two players who played on each of those varsity teams. Now they have their turn as upperclassmen leaders to try to guide the powder blue to uncharted waters.

Everage has been the kills leader for the last two seasons and even after a preseason scrimmage this week she was talking about high standards, but also the camaraderie with her teammates.

“Going in we still have to uphold a certain standard so we know we have to work hard and push through practices, and really improve,” Everage said. “But it’s so fun seeing the girls and the connection we have getting to play with each other. High school season is probably the best time of the year, just because it has such a great connection and bond and that makes it so fun.”

Trevino, who saw her role and impact increase in her sophomore season, is watching the value of playing with a similar team firsthand. Last season she was second in aces with 47 and second in kills with 285.

“The advantage we get having a young team and growing together as the years go by is that we build courage and get strong as a team,” Trevino said. “With other groups, the years before, we would have a lot of seniors so we would have to recreate the varsity group. We started as young team, we grew up and this became a family to us.”

Head coach Lorena Lopez was watching her team try to hit a towel on the opposite side of the net with their serves to train precision on the second day of practice. The long-time Memorial coach is watching a new group gel together for the 12th time.

“Every group that comes in wants to break through that round,” Lopez said. “They see the team before them and they say ‘we want to be better than that team.’ It’s been a lot of fire coming into this season because I have so many returnees. This is the first time I’ve had a big group returning in the last three years. The last few years I’ve graduated half the team.”

That’s part of what makes this year special for Lopez’s group. It’s also her last season as head coach before she’s promoted to an administrative position.

“It doesn’t change the way I coach or the way I’m approaching this season because I’ve always told the girls ‘no season is identical so you make the best of the one you’re in,’” Lopez said. “Don’t think about the next year and don’t think about the last year.”

For Everage her connection to her teammates and head coach is unique and unbreakable. Her mother was a UTPA teammate of Lopez in 1999 and 2000. The two were friends while she was pregnant with Jocelynn. She’s also coached some of her current teammates.

“My mom was pregnant with me and they were friends so I’ve know her probably since like birth. I’ve always been around volleyball and known coach Lopez,” Everage said. “With some of the girls I actually helped coach some of them, like Macy (Henderson) and them when they were in Sting, club volleyball. I’ve known some of them since they started.”

McAllen Memorial will once again start their season against powerhouse program Mission Veterans on Tuesday. Step one in another hunt for supremacy in the ultra-competitive city of McAllen, district 30-6A and region.

“As a coach we know we can try again next year,” Lopez said. “Even though we coach every team to be the best it can possibly be and go as far as it can go. We know if we don’t get it this year we’re going to get a new group of kids, always a new chance. For me it’s like I’m a senior. This is my last go.”

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RGV Volleyball Preseason Top 10

McAllen Memorial
Mission Veterans
McAllen Rowe
McAllen High
Los Fresnos
Brownsville Rivera
Harlingen High
Sharyland Pioneer
San Benito

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — For the last few years when the NBA season ends RGV basketball fans have been able to look forward to a special visitor from the nearest professional team in the state.

This week, Spurs shooting guard/small forward Danny Green made his return to the area with a “community donation day” on Wednesday before he hosts his annual basketball camp today.

Green paid a surprise visit to youth at the boys and girls club in McAllen and then had a chance to sign autographs and met with the Spurs-dominated locals at The Muscle Team (TMT). He said he’s happy to bring relief and joy to fans and people affected.

“We heard about what happened with the floods, the victims and everything,” Green said. “We wanted to try to take the time out to give back to them. Give them an opportunity to brighten their day, excite them however we can do it, give them some hope and let them know that we’re here to support.”

Green who has already had a busy seven days with his 31st birthday, followed by him reportedly picking up his player option to remain with San Antonio. He’ll also make trips to Laredo, El Paso and Corpus Christi for skills camps.

The 46th pick in the 2009 draft of the Cleveland Cavaliers has spent eight of his nine NBA season with the Spurs.

“They’ve always shown a lot of love since day one, all of South Texas but the Valley especially,” Green said. “(They’re) Big Spurs fans and they don’t get to see us as much. I’ve been coming five or six years now.

He joked about the craze when he gets into town even years after his first trip to the Valley.

“It’s crazy,” Green said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how the camp turns out tomorrow but every time we come here there’s a bunch of kids they get excited, they have a lot of fun. Everywhere we go they follow us and make me feel like the president, I’m really not that important.”

Jerry Leal, who owns TMT and has worked with Green in previous years, says the reason he comes down isn’t just about business or their friendship.

“Bringing somebody who stays clean and demonstrates good character on and off the court, I think that’s what’s important when bringing somebody down — that you want to spread some sort of influence or send a message to the community,” Leal said. “He’s really really involved in anything he gets his hands into. Doing things like this it’s not even a matter of “how,” it’s “when.”

Green will host a fundamental and skills camp at McAllen Rowe High from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today where campers will not just learn skills but be able to compete in contests and even a counselors vs. campers game at the conclusion of the session.

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NATHANIEL MATA, The Monitor

MISSION —Hanna High School graduate Jay Medina was a four-year multisport athlete whose hard work doesn’t end on the football field or baseball diamond.

His dedication to the Golden Eagles and his community extended to his work in the National Honor Society and in the classroom.

“Well the biggest thing is the determination — if you’re determined you can achieve anything — so if you’re determined to do your homework after you have a game or after you have hours of practice Saturday,” Medina said after receiving the award Tuesday evening. “Once you put your mind to it, it becomes easy.”

The road to senior year wasn’t so easy. He suffered a broken leg as a freshman which hurt his capabilities and playing time as a sophomore, but he used the middle two years of high school to come back as a driven, determined senior.

His senior year included honors such as the high school’s principal’s award, District 32-6A co-MVP for baseball and a selection onto the All-Academic State second team in football. Now he can add the 2018 Tom Landry Award of Excellence to his resume when he starts school at the University of Texas-Austin in the fall.

He said the most impact off-the-field work he had done was a charity run/walk for cancer patients.

“When it comes to National Honor Society, the biggest thing was the Mile of Hope for breast cancer patients,” Medina said before elaborating on his top athletic achievement as an Eagle.

“Also winning co-MVP in baseball was huge,” Medina added. “To earn that after I broke my leg. Just working as hard my sophomore year to come back was an accomplishment. It took a lot of positivity. I told myself every single day after I got hurt that I was just going to work hard to get back to where I was — and even better than where I was.”

He finished 19th in his class of 608 at Hanna and will study business at the school he’s always wanted to attend.

The soon-to-be business major will know how to stretch his scholarship award to help further relieve his family.

“I’ve always wanted to go to UT, ever since I was a little kid I have pictures of me wearing UT shirts and caps,” Medina said. “I will study management so I hope to one day get into the sports world.”

His mother Janice Medina said she was happy he is set to attend the “Hook ‘em Horns” school as he called it as a two-year-old, but also happy for the journey and path he took to get there.

“I’m extremely proud, I’m blessed,” she said. “I thank God for everything he accomplished. He has a heart of gold and he strived to do the best that he could. He studied hard, he just had a positive attitude for everything. Even though there were some downfalls during his high school years he still had that positive attitude.”

The Landry Award is named after the former Cowboys coach Tom Landry who was a native of Mission. He went onto coach at Dallas for 29 years, appearing in five Super Bowls, winning two. He embodied the principles of integrity, sportsmanship, character and teamwork.

Distance runners Valery Tobias of Edinburg IDEA Quest and Reyes Rodriguez of La Feria were also nominated for the award and also received a scholarship.

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

Valley View striker Mario De Los Santos has a nose for the net, a connection with the corners and a tendency for the twine.

His skillful footwork, laser accurate shot and ability to create and utilize space helped him become the Valley’s top goal scorer and The Monitor’s All-Area Player of the Year.

Near the net or closer to the midfield line, De Los Santos was a threat to take a quick windup and challenge a goalie from any distance.

On the road in a second-round district game, he received a pass just after the whistle to begin the second half. His shot was a perfect rainbow over the keeper’s head to give the Tigers a tally just moments into the frame.

His dedication to training and being on the field almost has no limits. His last class of the day before soccer practice was study hall, and his coaches had to make sure he actually finished all of his work. Usually, he was stretching and asking for a ball even before the bell.

“Since the beginning of the year, I worked really hard,” De Los Santos said through an interpreter. “We knew what the goal was. Sadly, we were just one game away. My teammates helped me out a lot to open the spaces, get those chances in. Some of my goals were individually, but my teammates helped me a lot. Finding the right pass or space, and I helped to finish the play.”

The spectacular became routine for the junior. At times, even multiple-goal performances felt like a walk in the park. He had seven regular-season hat tricks and 59 goals before the playoffs started.

“My teammates and I worked really well throughout the whole season,” De Los Santos said. “We knew the system, what the coach wanted from us. We would help each other out during the games.”

Assistant coach and 2012 Valley View graduate Israel Lince said De Los Santos’s intense work outside of games and practices allows him to play with style and finesse.

“Mario works a lot,” Lince said. “Now that I’ve been working with him for two years. He’s the first one to come in. Everybody leaves, and we’re still doing finishing drills. It’s his work ethic that he’s had since he was young that has helped him so much.”

His physical and technical skills are one aspect of his game, but head coach Damian Magallan noted De Los Santos’s knowledge of opposing defenses. The striker can manufacture chances and space by drawing markers away from a play.

“He’s really intelligent on the pitch,” Magallan said in Spanish through Lince. “He likes to move around, move the defenders around also, because sometimes they have two players on him. He will (move) those defenders with him, creating those spaces for (Jorge) Amaya, for Roy (Saldivar), who are sophomores. They’ve been working with us in the same system since eighth grade.”

In the playoffs, the goals continued coming from De Los Santos and the Tigers supporting cast. He booted three more postseason hat tricks, including in the regional final game against Brownsville Veterans in Corpus Christi.

When the dust settled and Valley View was eliminated by back-to-back state champions Frisco Wakeland, De Los Santos clearly wasn’t just happy with a 70-goal season and a trip to state.

“We knew that in playoffs it’s a different story, since there’s a lot of scouting and people talking to each other,” De Los Santos said. “Again, sadly, we were one game away. For sure, we will (work) harder for the next year. A lot of us didn’t know what it was to reach all the way to state. Now, we have that experience, and we will work the double for next year.”

Valley View and De Los Santos’s hard work will begin earlier this season, as they move into the “district of doom,” District 32-5A, due to UIL realignment, joining Lower Valley powerhouses like Brownsville Veterans, Lopez, Pace, Porter and Donna High.

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2018 All-Area Boys Soccer Team

Player of the Year: Mario De Los Santos, Valley View

Defensive Player of the Year: Leo Pruneda, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln

Newcomer of the Year: Edson Fonseca, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln

Coach of the Year: Damian Magallan, Valley View

First Team

Goalkeeper: Elian Chavez, Valley View

Defender: Irvin Cortez, Mission High

Defender: Esteban Lopez, Edinburg North

Defender: Alejandro Castello, Sharyland High

Midfielder: Fabrizzio Gonzalez, Progreso

Midfielder: Manuel Castrejon, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln

Midfielder: Jonathan Segundo, Edinburg Economedes

Midfielder: Christopher Flores, Valley View

Forward: Allen Palafox, Mission High

Forward: Daniel Salinas, PSJA Southwest

Forward: Gerardo Reyes, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln

Second team

Goalkeeper: Gabriel Castillo, Mission High

Defender: Jose Acosta, PSJA Memorial

Defender: Elian Ramirez, Sharyland Pioneer

Defender: Adrian Rodriguez, Valley View

Midfielder: Jesus Carmona, La Joya Palmview

Midfielder: Jorge Amaya, Valley View

Midfielder: Alberto Martinez, Sharyland High

Midfielder: Rigoberto Escobar, Donna North

Forward: Matthew Perez, Progreso

Forward: Erwin Vonacher, Sharyland High

Forward: Victor Urena, Valley View

Final Top 10, Prv. Rank, District Record

1. Valley View 1, 16-0

2. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 2, 11-1
3. Progreso NR, 9-1

4. Brownsville Rivera 6, 13-2

5. Brownsville Lopez 3, 13-1

6. Brownsville Veterans 5, 13-1

7. PSJA Southwest 10, 10-2

8. Brownsville Hanna 7, 12-2

9. Hidalgo NR, 10-2

10. Edinburg Economedes 9, 12-2

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

This spring brought a familiar feeling for the La Joya Juarez-Lincoln Huskies boys soccer team. They were a force yet again.

A season ago, the Huskies were a powerful squad — a team with a lot of talent, skill and offense. Enough talent to take Juarez-Lincoln to its first state tournament.

The juniors from the run to state in 2017 became a veteran senior leadership group. But a talented freshman, Edson Fonseca, was the addition that the Juarez-Lincoln Huskies didn’t even know they needed for the 2018 season.

His future high school teammates were introduced to him in the summer soccer league, and he continued to be a presence in December and through the season.

Once the 2018 playoffs started, Fonseca found another gear, doing enough to earn The Monitor’s All-Area Newcomer of the Year honors.

Leading up to the regional tournament, the powerhouse program played solid all over the field and was tough to beat not only within the Valley, but across Texas.

“I would be lying if I said I was expecting that in the playoffs. He’s a freshman,” Juarez-Lincoln coach Victor Ramos said. “You know that whenever we go to the next level, some of the freshman are not up to the competition, but he did really well.”

“Really well” is the short version of Fonseca’s four games in the playoffs. He set the tone with four goals in Juarez-Lincoln’s 7-0 bi-district win against Del Rio. In the area round, a 3-2 win against Edinburg Economedes, he scored twice, including a clutch goal on a rebound from a Gerardo Reyes free kick with 5:11 to play.

He added another postseason goal in an 8-2 win against Brownsville Hanna to help the Huskies to the regional tournament, where they fell 2-0 to state finalists San Antonio Reagan.

Ramos, whose program has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to talent, said the combination of the veterans like Reyes and the rookie Fonseca worked well.

“The kids play in the summer league, so he joined before the summer, so he played with the kids throughout the summer,” Ramos said. “That was very important for him. He’s a good player, so having the players the caliber around him, that helped him a lot.”

Next year, with the 2018 seniors out of high school, Fonseca figures to be a key cog in making sure the Huskies continue to set the standard for 6A boys soccer.

“Edson was a good asset for us,” Ramos said. “He complemented really well with Gerry. We still need to work with him, because he’s a freshman, but we have time to improve on those things.”

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

On a team chock-full of offensive threats, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln coach Victor Ramos knows the importance of a shutdown defenseman.

While his forwards and midfielders often put their mark on the game with goals and assists, he says defender Leo Pruneda was the Huskies’ best player last season. At 6-foot-3-inches, Pruneda towers over most of the players he marks. But what he does with his height advantage makes him special.

His size, skill and clinical responsibility helped Pruneda become The Monitor’s Defensive Player of the Year.

“It seems like we don’t care about defense. We do,” Ramos said. “We started from defense, and we work a lot of defense. We know that since we’re an offensive team, the three or four times they’re going to attack us, they are going to have an opportunity to score.”

In the last two seasons, Juarez-Lincoln went 23-3 in District 30-6A play, winning championships both years. The Huskies advanced to the state semifinals in 2017 and earned a trip to the regional semis in 2018.

During his senior season, Pruneda was an anchor for the squad. When the Huskies were on offense, he typically situated himself at midfield and did his part to make sure the ball remained in the opponent’s half.

“I would be the one that would win all the balls in the air,” Pruneda said. “I would distribute the ball to my teammates, steal the ball, and give it back to my teammates.”
Even as the team’s top defender, being the tallest player on the pitch also meant he was called on for headers on target. On corner kicks and free kicks, he was a threat to put the ball in the net.

He tallied 15 goals in 2018, either converting headers or launching powerful shots from long range.

“It was hard, because everyone wanted to play us with their best,” Pruneda said. “They tried with their best soccer. They wanted to beat us, because they knew we had the best team in the Valley.”

The defender said his decision-making wasn’t too complex and downplayed the work he did on the pitch.

“All I would do is get the ball and give it to Mosso (midfielder Manuel Castrejon), and he already knew what to do. That was everything I would do,” Pruneda said. “And give it to Gerry (forward Gerardo Reyes). That’s it.”

Even after hearing that his coach had called him the best player on the team, and maybe the most difficult to replace next season, Pruneda just smiled and maintained that he was simply a conduit to Castrejon and Reyes on offense.

“No, really. That’s all I would do,” he said, laughing.

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

PHARR — For the team that plays on the blue field, expectations are sky high. Even in arguably the toughest area to qualify for the Class 5A state soccer tournament, the Valley View Tigers enter with a “state or bust” mentality.

Coach Damian Magallan’s ability to lead a consistently dangerous group and secure a berth in the state tournament this season earned him The Monitor’s All-Area Coach of the Year honors.

Magallan has been successful in his eight-year tenure at Valley View, but that hasn’t stopped him from learning and developing as a tactician.

He embraces those lofty goals and expectations, but his days of relying on a singular star player and just sending him long balls are over.

“In other years, we’ve been dependent on Torito, Jose Angel Soto, but now our style is a little bit different,” Magallan said in Spanish through assistant coach Israel Lince. “We have Mario De Los Santos, but we have other young players that can actually contribute to the team. When they are defending two against him and he couldn’t score, we have Roy (Rogelio Saldivar) coming up in big games, Carlos Medina coming up in big games.”

A perfect example was Valley View’s third-round showdown against fellow powerhouse and state regular Brownsville Lopez. De Los Santos got his looks early, but Saldivar scored first before the main striker found his touch.

As the game went on and Lopez’s inevitable surge came, Valley View’s composure faltered and two players received red cards. The nine players with tired legs stayed strong to force overtime and eventually penalty kicks, where senior goalie Elian Chavez made two stops and youngster Medina kicked home the winning PK.

“That was really helpful for us, since before we were just depending on one player,” Magallan said. “When he didn’t have a good night, the team would struggle. We think that helped to go much further in the playoffs (this year).”

Lince played his final two years under Magallan alongside Soto on state tournament teams before playing on scholarship at Our Lady of the LakeUniversity.

He says playing under Magallan as a junior and a senior was a unique experience. Now, as a young coach himself, he can learn Magallan’s technique and see a new perspective.

“He would always push me to fight for more, want more,” Lince said. “He built ambition in me. Now, I see why he would make some movements, why he would get after me. As a coach, you see differently on the outside than the inside.”

Lince’s growth under Magallan earned him a role as the junior varsity light head coach — a position that allows him to help build the youth pipeline to the varsity program.

“Since Magallan got here, we knew the expectations,” Lince said. “That way, when we were working, if we would slack off, he would remind us, ‘Hey, remember what we are trying to reach.’ Setting such high expectation, it just builds a culture. Now, the young kids come out and watch the playoff games. They know we’re traveling all the way to Georgetown.”

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2018 All-Area Girls Soccer Team

Player of the Year: Westyn Henderson, McAllen High

Defensive Player of the Year: Lexi Gonzalez, McAllen High

Newcomer of the Year: Xochitl Nguma, Sharyland High

Coach of the Year: Pat Arney, McAllen High

First Team

Goalkeeper: Kristi Gomez, PSJA Memorial

Defender: Veronica Dougherty, McAllen Rowe

Defender: Elise Townsend, Sharyland High

Defender: Jackelyn Lemus, McAllen High

Midfielder: Yozary Gonzalez, PSJA Memorial

Midfielder: Ava Alaniz, McAllen High

Midfielder: Emily Morin, McAllen Rowe

Midfielder: Zoe Flores, McAllen High

Forward: Elizabeth Reyes, Donna North

Forward: Kaitie Watson, Sharyland High

Forward: Andrea Santana, McAllen Memorial

Second Team

Goalkeeper: Victoria Tanguma, McAllen Memorial

Defender: Nataly Becerra, Edinburg North

Defender: Hannah Kelly, McAllen High

Defender: Brianna De Leon, Edinburg Vela

Midfielder: Alexa Garza, McAllen Rowe

Midfielder: Elvira Torres, Edinburg North

Midfielder: Amanda Tyrrell, Sharyland Pioneer

Forward: Andrea Reyes, Sharyland Pioneer

Forward: Sofia Soto, McAllen High

Forward: Taylor Campbell, Edinburg Vela

Forward: Gabby Aviles, Donna North

Final Top 10, Previous Rank, District Record

1. McAllen High, 1, 12-0

2. Brownsville Rivera, 10, 14-0

3. McAllen Rowe, NR, 8-4

4. Harlingen South, NR, 10-4

5. Sharyland High, 4, 12-1

6. Sharyland Pioneer, 9, 11-2

7. Edinburg Vela, 8, 9-3

8. McAllen Memorial, 2, 8-2

9. Harlingen High, 5, 9-3

10. Donna North, NR, 11-3

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

When the going got tough for the McAllen High girls soccer team on its run to the UIL state tournament, Westyn Henderson got going and lifted her team, carrying girls soccer in the Valley to new heights.

A promising group of young Bulldogs grew into a hungry beast that wouldn’t be stopped by any Valley competition.

From the midfield, Henderson led via possession and dribbling as McHi reached the regional tournament against stiff, organized defenses. She stayed responsible defensively and her fingerprints were all over wins versus San Antonio and Austin competition.

In the regional semifinal, McHi’s coaching staff asked her to utilize her skills on top as an attacking forward, and she excelled.

The speedy sophomore said that a year of refinement landed the Bulldogs in the state semifinal match, marking the first time a girls team from the RGV reached that stage.

“Toward the end of the season, I think that we were the best that we could have possibly been,” Henderson said. “I think that we reached our potential, and now we have a new set of goals. Not having a solid knowing of where we were going to be as a team helped us grow, because we were all willing to work hard to reach something we didn’t know was going to happen.”

Her 18 goals and 26 assists during the 2018 campaign, including her stunning goal in the regional semifinal and assist on Ava Alaniz’s game-winner in the regional championship, secured her spot as The Monitor’s All-Area Player of the Year.
She was also named to the UIL State All-Tournament Team.

In any given game, Henderson might take the ball from a deep defensive midfield position and dribble until she finds a better option. She’s a threat to unleash a deep shot, but not before she’s looked over all the passing options. She attributes the freedom of motion to the solid safety net behind her.

“Everything that I do personally, I’m always relying on the rest of my team,” Henderson said. “If I’m able to push up, I know that the defenders are accountable for the space that I’ve left open. Knowing that I had a solid set of players behind me… that helps me have confidence going forward.”

Against San Antonio Johnson, Henderson made her case for play of the year with a determined run through the Jaguars defense. With the score tied, Henderson took the ball at midfield and ran hard left. Once inside the penalty box with a defender closely marking her, she cut left to freeze the defender, then spun left for more space before unleashing a short-side snipe to lift McHi to the regional final.

In the championship against Lake Travis, she was marked even closer and limited in her chances. But with the game still scoreless, she saw fellow midfielder Alaniz one-on-one with a defender and delivered a pass that sent her in alone on a breakaway for the victory.

Her coach, Minnesota native Patrick Arney, compares Henderson’s play to Wayne Gretzky or Michael Jor-dan due to her ability to not just be outstanding, but also make her teammates great.

“I think that the characteristic of a great player is that they make everyone else around them better,” Arney said. “Westyn certainly has that quality, and we have others that also have that quality. When the going gets tough, they’re not going to hide. They’re going to come out and make everyone around them better.”

Her play on elite club teams, plus her leadership on the area’s best high school girls team in history, helped Henderson earn an offer from Texas A&M, where she is now verbally committed.

“She’s so smart as a player,” goalkeeper Lexi Gonzalez said. “Her technique — it’s crazy, because she’s so good at what she does and how she practices. It’s amazing how hard she trains, and now she’s going to A&M, which is amazing. And she deserves it.”

Henderson knows that 2018 is a year that will live on for not only McHi, but the city and entire Valley soccer community. She said that realization pushes her to make the next two years of high school even better than the first two.

“Obviously, those memories are awesome to dwell in, but that just makes us want it even more for next year,” Henderson said. “Those were such amazing memories that we brought to McAllen, and we brought the community out. Seeing that makes us have that drive and instills that will for next year.”

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