NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

SAN ANTONIO — Track fans are coming to expect the Valley to be well represented on the regional podium in distance events. Competing for state titles in the shot put and discus has also become normal for the RGV.

That trend continued as Valley runners in Class 5A and 6A won three of four 3,200-meter runs at the regional track meet Friday at Alamo Stadium and claimed four of the eight automatic state qualifying spots.

In the throwing events, local athletes took seven of the sixteen available state berths.

Mercedes’s Dominic Cavazos was the first winner on Friday and will return to state in the 3200-meter run after finishing in 9 minutes, 20.89 seconds — just a second slower than his personal best.

“The competition was really good this year — way better than we did last year. I think 13 seconds faster,” Cavazos said. “It was kind of freaking me out, because I’m not used to that many guys in the front pack.”

For most of the race, he stuck with the group as different runners alternated taking the lead. Cavazos made his move in the later stages.

He navigated the lead group to get past Austin Johnson’s Cameron Kleiman and Rio Grande City’s Brandon Gracia for a gold medal.

La Joya Palmview’s Brianna Robles ran most of her 3,200-meter race from an unusual position at a big meet — in the lead. Normally, she said she’d like to stay near the leader rather than ahead. But this race, she was the runner setting the pace and ultimately holding on for gold with her time of 10:51.99

“I usually wait on the second person, but I felt I wanted to pick up the pace a bit, because it felt too comfortable. So I knew that wasn’t good. I had to feel uncomfortable,” Robles said. “My mindset since freshman year has always been to win state. I see each race as an opportunity to prepare myself for state. If it was state, I wasn’t going to just cruise it, so I had to run every race, especially in my senior year, like it’s my last.”

In the boys 6A race, a familiar battle unfolded as PSJA Memorial’s Cruz Gomez and Edinburg North’s Tristan Peña finished first and second, respectively.

Gomez led for most of the race and put distance between himself and the competition late to finish in 9:15.12.

“Throughout the race, I felt real strong, real confident,” Gomez said. “Because my coach, my parents, everyone’s supporting me. I knew it was the last lap, 600 meters to go. The last lap, we’ve been practicing that a lot in the workouts. If I can do it in workouts, I can do it here.”

The PSJA Memorial junior has been trading first- and second-place finishes with Peña all postseason but said the regional meet was his time to shine.

“The goal was to peak here at regionals. Not at district, not at area, but regional. Because this is the important one,” Gomez said. “If you lose here, you know your season is over.”

Peña needed a late push to clinch the last qualifying spot.

“On the last lap, I didn’t think I could take off that fast. I was just thinking in my head, ‘This is the last race. I’m never going to feel this good,’” Pena said. “I prayed last night. I prayed this morning. And I just felt something, an extra energy, so I just took off.”

Even after taking off, he was caught again, but a final push was enough to earn the state berth.

NEW HEIGHTS

The Valley’s best pole vaulter, Edcouch-Elsa’s Bianca Cardenas, got even better, setting a new personal best to help her advance to state. The junior’s previous best jump was 13 feet, but when three girls were knotted at 13, she needed a new personal record to keep her season alive.

She hit a new best mark, 13-03, that also broke the meet record. She was topped by Riley Floerke of Gregory-Portland, who jumped a 13-09, and is looking forward to raising her level again at the state meet in two weeks time.

“It was really amazing, because I had really tight competition,” Cardenas said. “In order to pull through, I just had to clear my mind and jump what I can. It’s so surreal knowing that other people from the valley know you and support you. It makes me really proud to see where I’m from.”

In the boys’ vault, Marcus Ramirez of Harlingen South advanced with a silver finish (15-06).

LONG TOSS

In the shot put circle, PSJA Southwest’s Diego Treviño needed a strong throw to keep his season alive. Nothing short of his personal best would move him on to the state meet. After a pair of scratches in the last round, he delivered with a final hurl of 60 feet, 3.5 inches.

He leaped over Harlingen South’s Andrew Ott and La Joya High’s Alex Rodriguez to earn silver and qualify for his second state meet. He will be competing at state for the first time since Southwest moved to Class 6A.

“I just felt it before the throw. I knew I had it in me the whole time,” Treviño, a junior, said. “I’d been hitting sixty feet constantly in practice so I knew it was going to come.”

Also qualifying for state in 6A was McAllen Rowe’s Lorena Rios with a second-place finish of 133-01.

Brownsville Veterans’ Andres Bodden had a big day, qualifying for both discus and shot put. He earned discus gold with a throw of 169-10.

In the 5A boys shot put, Johnny Howell threw 57-09 to secure a gold medal and return to state.

“You have to be humble about it. It’s a good meet, but I’m always looking to get better,” Howell said. “My second throw was a good one. I just couldn’t recreate it. But I’m looking for the big one at the state meet.”

Moments after Howell’s victory, the girl’s discus competition featured a dramatic finish. Pioneer freshman Daizy Monie qualified on her final throw, overtaking Donna North’s Natalie Soto with a toss of 121-04. She follows in the footsteps of her older sister Nora Monie, a former state qualifier who is throwing at the University of Houston.

BACK TO THE CAPITAL

Sharyland High’s Blake Klein hit a personal record at a crucial moment in the triple jump to become the Rattlers first state track qualifier since the Sharyland ISD split that formed Sharyland Pioneer. His jump of 46-04.25 was the gold standard as he leapfrogged Richmond Foster’s Amryn Williams.

“Going in, I was in fifth place. And going into finals, I was in fifth place, and I knew I had a 45 in me, and I jumped it. But I didn’t know I had a 46 in me,” Klein said. “It was a really exciting moment.”

Eleanor Arndt of Weslaco High secured her wish in advance of her birthday next Friday and earned a return to the state meet after her long jump of 18-07.5 was good for a gold medal.

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — This race weekend feels like a long time coming for McAllen Memorial junior Sean Skaugen.

During practice at Boxer Hernandez Stadium, Skaugen is an imposing figure. He’s almost reached 6-foot-3, and his upper-body strength is visible. According to Skaugen, that’s why his season has been so successful. Being healthy in the postseason helps, too.

He’ll line up at the Region IV-6A meet today and Saturday at San Antonio’s Alamo Stadium hoping to leave as a state qualifier.

During his first varsity track season, as a sophomore, Skaugen was coming into his own as an elite hurdler. He won gold in the 110-meter hurdles at the Meet of Champions and set his personal record of 14.55 seconds in his second-place finish at the District 30-6A meet.

However, a late-season injury — a pull of the sciatic nerve in his lower back — gave him fits and factored into his fourth-place finish at the 29/30-6A area meet, where he ran his only time slower than 16 seconds. Any of his previous times as a sophomore would have qualified him for regionals, but instead he finished behind three seniors.

This season, even as Skaugen has gotten stronger, he is cautious to make sure he avoids injury. Hurdles coach Cynthia Oyervides has been managing his specialized workouts.

“(Oyervides) is doing a very good job on the workouts, making sure we don’t peak early and making sure we don’t strain our body, either,” Skaugen said. “That’s what hurt me last year. I got hurt at the end of the season. We had to engineer our workouts to keep my body healthy and also improve.”

As a three-sport athlete, Skaugen rarely has a down period, but he said he benefits from the constant competition and training. He starred on the football field, using his size, speed and strength to add another layer of running offense to a prolific ground attack. He scrambled and rushed for 1,108 yards and 14 touchdowns last season.

He also played on the basketball team, helping the Mustangs qualify for the second round of the postseason.

“I honestly feel like in one year I got a little taller, that helped, and I got a little stronger,” Skaugen said. “And when you get a little stronger, the speed carries over, too. We lift a lot here at McAllen Memorial. Everybody knows that. Especially in the hurdles, it’s all about strength and getting off and getting back down. I think as I get stronger, my times will get better.”

He’s stayed constant with sub-15 second times, running the top time of his junior year (14.67) twice. He hopes to set a new mark this weekend.

One of his teammates on the gridiron and the track, Johnny Larson, also qualified in the 110 hurdles, even though he’s dealing with a calf injury. Larson said he is glad to be competing with Skaugen and pushing him forward. Larson is also running the 400 relay.

“This year, I haven’t been able to go as far as I could, because of my leg. I’ve been hurt pretty much all season,” Larson said. “For me, at least to push Sean to see how far he can go, because he’s probably the best hurdler in the Valley. I just want to help him.”

Kathia Nitsch has also shown perseverance and the ability to push through injury. In just her third meet since a knee operation, she ran her season-best time of 15.68 in the 100 hurdles to advance to the regional meet.

“We had to ease her back into it slowly,” Oyervides said. “Every week, she’s getting better and better. I just wish she would have been able to start earlier in the season. Right now, she’s where we were back in February. She’s a great athlete. Her heart is in it 100 percent. Every time she’s out here or at a meet, she gives it her all, and it shows.”

McAllen Memorial will compete along with many other Class 6A and 5A track and field athletes at the Region IV meet today and Saturday in San Antonio. The top two finishers in each event advance to the UIL state meet in two weeks at the University of Texas in Austin.

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — McAllen High senior Alanah Moreno has been swimming since third grade, but her decision to try out for cross country and track during her final year of high school paid off. She signed a national letter of intent Wednesday to run at The University of Texas at Arlington with her tuition and books paid.

She started running a couple summers ago to stay in shape during the swimming offseason. Her neighbor and McHi track coach Luis Cantu noticed her running around the block and tried to get her to come out for track.

In June, she finally built up the nerve to go to an early cross country practice. She said on the way to practice she tried to get her mom to turn the car around because she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to keep up. Instead, she set the pace.

“It was so instant, and it was so different than swimming, because I was on my feet a lot of the time, but the transition was all new to me,” Moreno said. “The training is different.

The competition is different. I actually get more tired than I do with swimming. It was a really cool experience.”

She seemed happy to face the challenge of adding another strenuous, endurance-focused sport to her schedule.

“I’m very big on nutrition. That’s what I’m studying in college, so that was a big part,” Moreno said. “I knew I was going to have to eat a lot to manage. Some days, I would have to get up extra early to run two miles and then go to the weight room for swimming, then swim after school. It was a lot, but my food was important. My sleep was important. My grades were very important.”

Moreno’s mother, Melissa Mendoza, said her daughter’s talent lifting a big financial burden was great for the small family.

“I’m a single mom. I’ve raised her all my life, and a year ago I was sitting thinking, ‘I need to send her to college. How am I going to do this?’” Mendoza said. “Just all of a sudden, this opportunity came up, and she did that on her own, and I couldn’t be prouder. This is an amazing feeling.”

Moreno had only been running for a few months when she met with UT-Arlington’s coach at the RGVCCCA Meet of Champions, where he was already scouting other Valley athletes. She’ll join Sharyland High’s Valeria Diaz and Mercedes’s Dominic Cavazos as RGV runners turned UT-Arlington Mavericks.

In her first cross country season, Moreno placed fourth in the District 30-6A meet and 19th at regionals — just one spot away from a trip to state.

“She did it all on her own,” Mendoza said. “She didn’t do anything else but work out and work at it. She was really determined and did great.

Veteran McHi track coach Robert Martinez said Moreno has the personality that makes hard work seem easy. With her background in endurance workouts and light running, the coaches just had to turn up the pace.

“She’s always running on her own,” Martinez said. “It was not a bad transition for her. It was just more intensity that was applied to her workouts. She still has a lot of mileage. Her best will be in college. She’s not run down, like some athletes who are run down and they get to college and they’re all spent.”

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Valley’s Best and Mythical Standings for April 25, 2018
Team Standings
Boys – 1, PSJA High, 60; 2, Weslaco High, 57; 3, Harlingen High, 50.5; 4, McAllen Memorial, 45.75; 5, Mission High, 42.33; 6, Harlingen South, 42; 7, Edinburg Economedes, 38; 8, Brownsville Veterans, 36; 9, Sharyland Pioneer, 32.75; 10, Brownsville Rivera, 32
Girls – 1, La Joya Palmview, 98; 2, Weslaco High, 84; 3, McAllen High, 57; 4, Los Fresnos, 48; 5, Brownsville Hanna, 41; 6, Harlingen High, 38; 7, Mission Veterans, 29; 8, Edcouch-Elsa, 28; 9, Edinburg Economedes, 22; 10, Mercedes, 20

Boys
Individual Standings
All Times Fully Automatic
100-meter dash – 1, Jose Garcia, Harlingen High, 10.69; 2, Pedro Luna, Harlingen High, 10.86; 3, Gunnar Henderson, McAllen High, 10.87; 4, Alex Cordova, Mission High, 10.94; 5, Nico Valencia, Los Fresnos, 10.99; 6, Isaac Ambriz, Los Fresnos, 11.02
200-meter dash – 1, Alex Cordova, Mission High, 21.94; 2, Ethan Padilla, La Feria, 22.04; 3, Miguel Flores, 22.24; 4, Alex Garza, Weslaco High, 22.26; 5, Crestony Martinez, Harlingen South, 22.34; 6, Matt De Santiago, Weslaco High, 22.46
400-meter dash – 1, Alex Cordova, Mission High, 48.89; 2, Jose Andrade, PSJA High, 49.48; 3, Cosme Ibarra, Donna High, 49.72; 4, Andrew Casas, PSJA High, 49.94; 5, Alejandro Rodriguez, McAllen High, 49.96; 6, Elias Gutierrez, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 50.28
800-meter run – 1, Reyes Rodriguez, La Feria 1:56.94; 2, Max Carmona, Brownsville Veterans, 1:57.51; 3, Paco Rodriguez, McAllen High, 1:57.57; 4, Art Benavidez, Harlingen High, 1:57.65; 5, Cosme Ibarra, Donna High, 1:57.80; 6, Harley Vargas, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 1:57.88
1600-meter run – 1, Cruz Gomez, PSJA Memorial, 4:16.26; 2, Dominic Cavazos, Mercedes, 4:18.71; 3, Trevor Williams, McAllen Memorial, 4:18.99; 4, Evan Williams, McAllen Memorial, 4:22.23; 5, Tristan Peña, Edinburg North, 4:23.65; 6, Everardo Esparza, Progreso, 4:26.19
3200-meter run – 1, Dominic Cavazos, Mercedes, 9:19.61; 2, Tristan Pena, Edinburg North, 9:23.99; 3, Cruz Gomez, PSJA Memorial, 9:24.12; 4, Brandon Gracia, Rio Grande City, 9:34.73; 5, Lupe Reyes, Mercedes, 9:36.66; 6, Trevor Williams, McAllen Memorial, 9:38.14
110-meter hurdles – 1, Sean Skaugen, McAllen Memorial, 14.67; 2, Michael Landovazo, Sharyland Pioneer, 14.72; 3, Kyle Marroquin, Edinburg Economedes, 14.74; 4, Jonathan Larson, McAllen Memorial, 15.13; 5, Nitia Duran, Harlingen South, 15.14; 6, Nathan Sanchez, PSJA High, 15.31
300-meter hurdles – 1, Roel Renterria, Harlingen High, 38.37; 2, Gunnar Henderson, McAllen High, 38.62; 3, Alex Ayala, Santa Rosa, 39.73; 4, Sean Skaugen, McAllen Memorial, 39.75; 5, Michael Landovazo, Sharyland Pioneer, 39.84; 6, Nathan Sanchez, PSJA High, 39.94
400-meter relay – 1, Brownsville Veterans, 42.97; 2, McAllen Memorial, 43.05; 3, Weslaco High, 43.07; 4, Roma, 43.08; 5, Edinburg Economedes, 43.16; 6, Harlingen High, 43.18
800-meter relay – 1, PSJA High, 1:29.24; 2, Weslaco High, 1:29.35; 3, Brownsville Rivera, 1:29.36; 4, Mission High, 1:29.94; 5, San Benito, 1:30.00; 6, La Joya High, 1:30.13
1600-meter relay – 1, Brownsville Rivera, 3:23.70; 2, PSJA High, 3:23.97; 3, Sharyland Pioneer, 3:24.02; 4, Mission High, 3:24.13; 5, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 3:24.22; 6, La Joya High, 3:24.40
Wheelchair Division:
100-meter dash: Joe Solis, Weslaco High, 19.70
400-meter dash: Joe Solis, 1:08.08
Field Events
Shot put – 1, Diego Trevino, PSJA Southwest, 59-03.5; 2, Andrew Ott, Harlingen South, 58-05.5; 3, Johnny Howell, Sharyland Pioneer, 57-08; 4, Alex Rodriguez, La Joya High, 57-05.25; 5, Chase Harrell, Harlingen High, 56-08; 6, Raul Cantu, McAllen High, 53-08
Discus – 1, Sky Tatum, Harlingen South, 184-05; 2, Andres Bodden, Brownsville Veterans, 170-04; 3, Benjamin Ruiz, Harlingen South, 166-11; 4, Kobe Gibson, PSJA High, 164-11; 5, Johnny Howell, Sharyland Pioneer, 164-08; 6, Jorge Ayala, Edinburg High, 164-01
Long jump – 1, Jose Garcia, Harlingen High, 22-10; 2, Gustavo Vasquez, Edinburg Economedes, 22-06.5; 3, Sebastian Gonzalez, Mission High, 22-03; 4, Julian Trevino, La Feria, 22-00.75; 5, Kai Money, Brownsville St. Joseph, 22-00; 6, Ricky Cantu, PSJA Southwest, 21-11.5
Triple jump – 1, Gustavo Vasquez, Edinburg Economedes, 46-08; 2, Gabriel Gonzalez, Weslaco High, 44-06.75; 3, Blake Klein, Sharyland High, 44-06.5; 4, Marco Guajardo, PSJA High, 44-05.5; 5, Abelardo Lopez, Rio Grande City, 44-00.5; 6, Victor Segovia, Edinburg Vela, 43-09; 6, Daniel Ramirez, Harlingen High, 43-09
High jump – 1, Pete Segura, Edinburg Economedes, 6-05; 2, Adrian Morales, Harlingen South, 6-04; 2, Daniel Ramirez, Harlingen High, 6-04; 2, Caleb Arthur, Mercedes, 6-04; 5, Jonathan Larson, McAllen Memorial, 6-02; 5, Carlos Mercado, Los Fresnos, 6-02; 5, Parker Barrett, Sharyland Pioneer, 6-02; 5, Noah Treviño, Edinburg Vela, 6-02
Pole Vault – 1, Jon Zapata, Weslaco High, 15-07; 2, Ryland Olguin, Edinburg Vela, 15-03; 3, Marcus Ramirez, Harlingen South, 15-02; 4, Josiah Martinez, McAllen High, 14-06; 6, Miguel Frias, Mission High, 14-06; 6, Carlos Guerrero, Edcouch-Elsa, 14-06

Girls
Individual Standings
All Times Fully Automatic
100-meter dash – 1, Mariana Hernandez, La Joya Palmview, 12.24; 2, Luisa Cruz, Los Fresnos, 12.26; 3, Jazmine Martinez, Harlingen High, 12.29; 4, Daniela Muniz, Rio Grande City, 12.50; 5, Jacquelina Mora, Brownsville Hanna, 12.52; 6, Jasmine Flores, Mercedes, 12.63
200-meter dash – 1, Luisa Cruz, Los Fresnos, 25.29; 2, Mariana Hernandez, La Joya Palmview, 25.49; 3, Jasmine Flores, Mercedes, 25.65; 4, Daniella Muniz, Rio Grande City, 25.69; 5, Jacquline Mora, Brownsville Hanna, 25.69; 6, Merary Garza, Grulla, 25.74
400-meter dash – 1, Jazmine Martinez, Harlingen High, 57.29; 2, Aniel Aguero, Brownsville Hanna, 58.59; 3, Valery Tobias, Edinburg IDEA Quest, 58.61; 4, Eleanor Arndt, Weslaco High, 59.25; 5, Anna Martinez, McAllen High, 59.84; 6, Auden Pineda, Brownsville Hanna, 59,88
800-meter run — 1, Bailey Villalon, La Joya Palmview, 2:18.84; 2, Brianna Robles, La Joya Palmview, 2:18.87; 3, Valery Tobias, Edinburg IDEA Quest, 58.61; 4, Vanessa Cerda, Edcouch-Elsa, 2:21.09; 5, Aaliyah Garza, Weslaco High, 2:21.32; 6, Soledad Cruz, Mercedes, 2:21.40
1600-meter run — 1, Brianna Robles, La Joya Palmview, 5:03.69; 2, Valeria Diaz, Sharyland High, 5:17.30; 3, Bailey Villalon, La Joya Palmview, 5:18.44; 4, Haley Villalpando, Edcouch-Elsa, 5:21.58; 5, Ana Hernandez, Sharyland Pioneer, 5:22.45; 6, Andrea De La Rosa, Brownsville Rivera, 5:25.91
3200-meter run — 1, Brianna Robles, La Joya Palmview, 11:07.60; 2, Valeria Diaz, Sharyland High, 11:17.69; 3, Soledad Cruz, Mercedes, 11:35.56; 4, Andrea De La Rosa, Brownsville Rivera, 11:42.43; 5, Alanah Moreno, McAllen High, 11:42.96; 6, Dariana Vasquez, La Feria, 11:43.14
100-meter hurdles — 1, Brianna Alex, Los Fresnos, 15.20; 2, Aniah Chaleff-Reyna, McAllen High, 15.21; 3, Kathia Nitsch, McAllen Memorial, 15.68; 4, Ana Calderon, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 15.74; 5, Idani Garza, Rio Grande City, 16.00; 6, Zoe Flores, McAllen High, 16.04; 6, Gabriella Solis, Edinburg Vela, 16.04
300-meter hurdles — 1, Jasmyn Tulloch, Harlingen High, 46.38; 2, Lisa Marie, Weslaco High, 46.63; 3, Aniah Chaleff-Reyna, McAllen High, 46.90; 4, Jessica Zarate, Sharyland Pioneer, 47.43; 5, Zoe Flores, McAllen High, 47.65; 6, Brianna Alex, Los Fresnos, 47.78
400-meter relay — 1, La Joya Palmview, 49.20; 2, Brownsville Hanna, 49.28; 3, McAllen High, 49.52; 4, Weslaco High, 49.66; 5, San Benito, 50.34; 6, Edinburg Economedes, 50.44
800-meter relay — 1, Weslaco High, 1:43.23; 2, Los Fresnos, 1:44.00; 3, Brownsville Hanna, 1:44.47; 4, La Joya Palmview, 1:44.75; 5, McAllen High, 1:46.51; 6, Harlingen South, 1:46.90
1600-meter relay — 1, Weslaco High, 4:00.99; 2, Mission Veterans, 4:03.31; 3, Harlingen High, 4:04.19; 4, La Joya Palmview, 4:05.44; 5, McAllen Memorial, 4:06.52; 6, San Benito, 4:07.55
Wheelchair Division:
100-meter dash: Suzannah Swanson, McAllen Memorial, 24.51
400-meter dash: Suzannah Swanson, McAllen Memorial, 1:51.03

Field Events
Shot put — 1, Mackenzie Contreras, Edcouch-Elsa, 38-08.5; 2, Brittany Cantu, Edinburg Economedes, 38-04; 3, Charlee Salinas, Mission Veterans, 38-00; 4, Daizy Monie, Sharyland Pioneer, 37-02.5; 5, Abigail Flores, Grulla, 36-10.5; 6, Jacqueline Mendoza, McAllen Rowe, 36-09.5
Discus — 1, Abigal Flores, Grulla, 148-03; 2, Brittany Cantu, Edinburg Economedes, 137-05; 3, Ciera Gonzalez, Weslaco High, 137-03; 4, Daizy Monie, Sharyland Pioneer, 133-03; Lorena Rios, McAllen Rowe, 130-11; 6, Diana Bustos, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 130-04;
Long Jump — 1, Eleanor Arndt, Weslaco High, 18-05.25; 2, Melody Magee, McAllen High, 17-06; 3, Jazmine Flores, Mercedes, 17-05.25; 4, Bryssa Guzman, Weslaco East, 17-05; 5, Nichole Mora, Los Fresnos, 17-05; 6, Stephanie Trevino, Monte Alto, 17-02.5
Triple Jump — 1, Jovanni Solis, McAllen Rowe, 37-01.5; 2, Caroline Grannum, Harlingen South, 37-00.75; 3, Eleanor Arndt, Weslaco High, 36-08.25; 4, Monique Rodriguez, Edinburg Economedes, 36-06; 5, Daniella Muniz, Rio Grande City, 36-04.75; 6, Charlize De La Garza, Mission Veterans, 36-01.25
High Jump — 1, Hannah Kelly, McAllen High, 5-06; 2, Valery Tobias, Edinburg IDEA Quest, 5-04; 2, Natalie Martinez, Edinburg High, 5-04; 2, Charlize De La Garza, Mission Veterans, 5-04; 5, Six tied at 5-02
Pole Vault — 1, Bianca Cardenas, Edcouch-Elsa, 12-06.75, 2, Victoria Barrios, PSJA Memorial, 10-09; 3, Michelle Aranda, PSJA High, 10-06; 4, Sarah Solis, McAllen High, 10-00; 5, Camryn Gloor, Brownsville St. Jospeh, 10-00; 6, Olivia Tite, McAllen High, 9-07

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

GEORGETOWN — The McAllen High Bulldogs listed a strong start as one of the keys entering their Class 6A state semifinal match against Houston Memorial.

But the Memorial Mustangs were the ones who scored the early goal, which stood as the winner in the 2-0 final Friday morning at Birkelbach Field.

The opening tally came just 38 seconds into the match, on a rising shot from Grace Yochum over the reach of McHi keeper Lexi Gonzalez.

“I think (if) we don’t give up that goal, that’s a whole different ballgame,” Bulldogs coach Pat Arney said. “I think it did solidify us. I think we could have crumbled and given up eight or nine goals, and I think that’s what people thought we were going to do. All credit to the girls. They dug deep. They went hard.”

McAllen fielded an extremely young squad loaded with underclassmen who are set to return next season. The seniors on the team said they were happy to be a part of the group, which became the first Valley girls team in history to advance to the state tournament.

“I had a very good year with my team,” senior defender Jackie Lemus said. “The dedication and ambition to win and get further than last year was great. The unity was the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

Lemus, Victoria Sola, Serena Cervantes, Paola Perez and Priscilla Cantualla will graduate this year.

“That quick goal was mentally really challenging for us, but I think after that, our defense did an amazing job,” Westyn Henderson, one of McHi’s stars at last weekend’s regional tournament, said. “I have to give credit to the defense and Lexi for playing their hearts out.”

Hannah Kelly, Emily Gurwitz, Lemus and Sola were again solid defensively, just as they were on the Bulldogs path to the state tournament.

After the initial strike, the Mustangs didn’t muster many opportunities on net. Instead, they were content to maintain possession and force McAllen to play long passes.

“The intensity they brought was very high. They challenged every ball,” Henderson said. “They went in hard. They were bigger than us, but I think we hung in.”

Sophia Soto was the primary target for McHi’s attack, and she often used her speed to beat the first defender, but Memorial was typically quick to recover and pressure the ball away.

The Bulldogs’ best opportunity came in the 21st minute, when a centering cross reached the head of Mireya Ramirez. The 5-foot sophomore headed the ball just high of the crossbar, and the chance ended on top of the net.

After that play, threats were few and far between for McHi.

“You’ve got to tell the girls, ‘In these big games, you only get two or three chances, maybe, a game. So you gotta put those away,’” Arney said. “We were hopeful, only being down 1-0 with the wind in the second half. Bounces didn’t go our way. We certainly gave it everything we had.”

Memorial was strong on the ball in the second half, rarely surrendering possession and not giving McHi a clean look at the net.

During the final five minutes of the match, Memorial doubled its lead with a shot by Alina Khan, sealing the win and advancing the Mustangs to their first state championship match. Friday’s victory marked their 21st shutout of the season.

After the game, Arney caught up with former players from his 22-year tenure at McAllen High. He met with players from his first team, his first regional qualifying team and his 2007 group that advanced to the regional finals — previously the deepest run by a Bulldogs squad.

“This is the top. This is Mount Everest,” Arney said. “This is where everybody wants to be. The Valley soccer has come so far. I’m so proud of the girls to leave this legacy. There are some teams that aren’t that far behind us. If we can push each other and get better… man who knows what can happen. Take us for granted at your peril.”

Lemus had bittersweet feelings about coming up short on Friday, but she was glad to leave a mark on history.

“We’re the first team that came this far, but we didn’t want this,” Lemus said. “We wanted state. I hope other teams want to break this record, and I hope McHI once in my lifetime wins state.”

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

GEORGETOWN — The Valley View Tigers aren’t used to trailing in a match. So when Frisco Wakeland built a two-goal lead just 1:18 into the second half, the Tigers were in unfamiliar territory.

Even though Adrian Rodriguez scored 32 seconds later to pull Valley View within a goal, the Tigers couldn’t break the Wolverines’ tight defense and fell 3-1 in a Class 5A state semifinal Thursday at Birkelbach Field.

“Wakeland is a very strong team. They are very tough,” Tigers forward Carlos Medina said. “They know how to take the ball and run from you. We just made some mistakes, and they finished us with those three goals.”

The state semifinal produced situations the Tigers hadn’t come across very often in their previously perfect season. Their frustration was evident during the final 10 minutes. The Tigers weren’t prepared to let the year end.

Valley View was assessed three red cards during the final 20 minutes of action, finishing with eight players.

The game-changing disciplinary action began at the 66:28 mark of the match, with Valley View having already picked up three yellow cards to Wakeland’s two. The Wolverines’ Bryson Bezdek was alone on a breakaway to try to extend Wakeland’s one-goal lead when Rodriguez went for a desperation tackle.

After two grabs at Bezdek, Rodriguez hauled him to the ground just before the penalty area. The card was given, and before play could resume with a Wakeland free kick, Valley View’s Emmanuel Acosta was also ejected for arguing the call.

When the free kick was finally taken, Jacob Miller curved his shot to the near post and scored the goal that ended any hopes of a comeback.

With 4:47 to play in the match, Valley View’s Mario De Los Santos lost his composure after a foul and stepped hard on a downed Wakeland player, earning the 70-goal scorer an early exit.

The lone goal marked Valley View’s lowest scoring output in a game since their season opener against Class 6A Houston Aldine, which was a 1-0 victory. The Tigers rattled off 31 consecutive wins before suffering their first loss of the season on Thursday.

Frisco Wakeland took the lead just 7:03 into the game. The Wolverines’ lob pass came to Alex Wing, who headed the ball over Valley View senior keeper Elian Chavez before Marc Borbonus tapped it home.

The opening goal was perhaps out of place in a half that Valley View dominated in shots (6-1) and possession.

The Tigers controlled the ball through the midfield, using their finesse style of play to evade defenders and keep the ball moving. Once the ball reached the attacking third, however, the Wolverines defense swarmed the Tigers forwards and didn’t allow much breathing room.

De Los Santos was Valley View’s prime threat, but also the main focus for the Wakeland defense.

“No. 7 is Todd Fuller — he played outstanding back there,” Wakeland coach Andy Holt said. “So did Matt Mazur, the guy next to him. They did a great job on (De Los Santos), because No. 17 is a very talented player. We knew that we were going to have to somehow shut him down.”

The second half was a battle during which both goalies made saves to keep their team in the game. Chavez made four second-half saves, while Wakeland’s Parker Thomas made two.

The Wolverines’ second goal of the match came after Chavez lost control of the ball and Bezbek made the Tigers pay for the turnover.

Rodriguez had a chance to score his second goal and level the score before his ejection, but his shot after a long throw-in was blocked by a defender in the box.

“On the circumstances for the game, we struggled a lot to try to break the defense down,” Valley View coach Damian Magallan said through an interpreter. “When they scored the second goal, we went up and started to attack. Then, we made a mistake on the foul, then a red card, then another red card. Then a goal, and it’s hard to come back with only nine players.”

Frisco Wakeland advances to Saturday’s title match against Aledo for a chance to repeat as 5A state champions.

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — Last Friday, the McAllen High Bulldogs didn’t play their regional semifinal girls soccer match against San Antonio Johnson until 3 p.m. Defender Emily Gurwitz woke up before most of her team that morning to FaceTime with her classmates in Laurie Mohel’s 11th-grade English class in the International Baccalaureate program at Lamar Academy.

Gurwitz couldn’t miss her interactive oral presentation, and she did what it took to get the grade before pitching in defensively in McHi’s 2-1 win over Johnson. The Bulldogs picked up a victory against Austin Lake Travis in the regional finals the next day, becoming the first team in the history of Valley girls soccer to advance to the state tournament. McHi faces Houston Memorial in the UIL Class 6A state semifinals at 9:30 a.m. Friday at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown.

“Obviously, athletes have to balance a lot in order to excel in both academics and athletics,” Mohel said. “We promote balance a variety of different ways. They have to take class work outside of their area of strength, so they take coursework across the board that’s challenging. Learning from all different disciplines makes more holistic, balanced students.”

IB is an educational organization that has a presence in 150 countries. According to its mission statement, the program aims to “develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.”

While every student-athlete has a lot on their plate, the students who attend IB have an especially daunting workload. IB is comprised of students from each of McAllen’s three high schools, with each student registered through their home McAllen ISD campus — McAllen High, in Gurwitz’s case. The days are split into “A” and “B” schedules to replicate university and college classes.

Gurwitz’s educational obligations made her an early riser, and that night her passion kept her up late as she watched a severe thunderstorm over the San Antonio sky. The junior plans to pursue atmospheric science, hoping to work for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) or the National Weather Service (NWS).

“Our school is really challenging, for sure, and every class is hard,” Gurwitz said. “It’s not just, ‘Oh, our math and science classes are hard.’ Everything is hard. It builds from freshman year.”

The IB classes are similarly challenging to advanced placement (AP) classes but also include the “world thinker” focus, which asks students to apply their classroom knowledge to real-life projects.

Community service, extended research essays and standardized testing accumulate points toward the IB diploma, which is awarded during the summer following high school graduation and is separate from the high school diploma issued by McAllen High.

As sophomores, IB students tackle a “personal project,” which can be anything from a soccer camp for students with disabilities, like Gurwitz did, to a project like Andrea Soto’s, which educated athletes on how to prevent ACL injuries. Soto suffered an ACL injury as a freshman.

According to teachers and students, freshman year is the toughest year at the IB program, because students have to adjust from their middle school. Soto is interested in studying medicine.

“At first, it was hard, but the teachers are really helpful,” Soto said. “They really help us balance out our time. With homework and soccer, it’s hard, but the coaches are also really good with that, giving us time for school.”

Biology and chemistry teacher Laura Nikstad said she’s happy that interests and schoolwork intercept. Her hope is that graduates will someday work in a field they’re passionate about.

“One of our goals is to create lifelong learners, and one way to do that is to help foster students being able to study what they’re interested in,” Nikstad said. “In every subject, they do some kind of independent research at the diploma level, and they make lots of choices about what they study and how they study it.”

In total, nine members of the McHi girls soccer team are students in the IB program at Lamar.

Emily’s younger sister, freshman Katy Gurwitz, is in the program. Chloe Fallek is in the dreaded first year, while Tori Sola is in her final year. Hannah Kelly and younger sister Grace Kelly are also students in the program, along with all three of the Soto triplets — Andrea, Sophia and Giselle.

In March, Gurwitz found out she would be attending the NASA High School Aerospace Scholars Internship Program in Houston.

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — Valley boys soccer programs have totaled six state championships, but a girls team had never advanced to the final week of the season before this year.

With two close victories at the regional tournament, the McAllen High Bulldogs became the first Valley girls team in history to reach the state tournament. They will face Houston Memorial in the Class 6A state semifinals at 9:30 a.m. Friday at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown.

Success in most high school sports hinges the student-athletes’ work outside of the practice times permitted by the UIL. That means either training on their own time or, like many of the players on the Bulldogs roster, playing club soccer on a traveling team that faces top talent around the state or even nation.

“In high school, it’s tough, because if you’re a freshman, you’re playing against seniors if you’re on varsity,” senior defender Victoria Sola said. “Playing club, you experience that level of player where the girls are going to be bigger, stronger, and they might be more technical and just overall better than you. Personally, playing club allowed me to grow as a player. I was very dedicated.”

Sola is part of the Bulldogs core that has played club mainly in the McAllen area. Most advance through the McAllen Youth Soccer Association, then through the Houston Dynamo youth development clubs.

Gary Hamilton’s accent is thick, as is his dedication to growing and teaching the “beautiful game” to young players. The Scotland native, who played professionally with Middlesbrough F.C. in England, has lived in the Valley for more than two decades. Over that time, he’s been able to watch the sport grow for boys and girls. Recently, the girls have been impressing him at the club level.

He directs and coaches the South Texas Houston Dynamo development program, which encompasses many age groups. He says the boys have always meshed with the culture and felt a love for soccer. Now, the girls are using that same obsession with the sport to excel.

“The boys have a ‘live and breathe it’ kind of thing. They watch it on the TV,” Hamilton said. “The girls are now starting to take a big interest. They’re watching it on the TV now, where a decade ago they didn’t bother. With the internet and YouTube available to them, I think it’s just better, because they’re able to watch things and apply them on the field, and that’s what the girls are doing.”

Club soccer isn’t a new revelation, but Hamilton said the number of girls participating has skyrocketed during his time in the Valley. He said the constant training from pre-elementary has allowed even young high schoolers to make an impact.

“Personally, I think that the club aspect of soccer in the U.S. or even worldwide, I think we provide the building blocks,” Hamilton said. “All these girls that are going to represent McAllen and also the RGV have really been playing since they were 4 years old. Like the (regional final) goal between (McHi’s) Ava (Alaniz) and Westyn (Henderson). They’ve been playing like that week in, week out for us.”

Zoe Flores, a midfielder turned defender in the latter stages of the playoffs, said club experience has helped her teammates bond and play without fear of elite competition.

“Knowing that these girls have played with us our whole lives, they’ve learned to knock down those challenges, knock down the girls who are bigger and faster,” Flores said. “If you go in afraid, that’s how they break you down. If you go in hard, and they go in hard, you know it’s going to be a good battle.”

Club participation has grown in the Rio Grande Valley. The Upper Valley has clubs like the Dynamo, United Angels FC, Blue Angels and Sharks. Brownsville has also seen an increase in club activity with the growth of the Brownsville United organization.

A hurdle that remains for many in difficult economic conditions is the price to participate in club play. A Valley soccer coach with daughters who play on club teams estimated that the cost exceeds $1,000 for training and uniforms alone, on top of the travel fees associated with qualifying for regional or national competition.

Flores said the training against more physically imposing players has helped fuel McHi’s run. The Bulldogs hope to shock more opponents and bring home a state championship.

“It’s really not about the size in this game. It’s all about the knowledge you have and the quickness you have,” Flores said. “That’s really the key to this game. It’s the team.”

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

GEORGETOWN — Progreso didn’t look overmatched against undefeated Palestine as the teams clashed at the UIL Class 4A state tournament for the second time in three seasons.

The Red Ants even managed a goal, off the head of midfielder Hugo Hinojosa, against a Wildcats team that had shut them out into penalty kicks during the 2016 state championship match. Still, the tally was too little, too late, as time expired and Palestine ended Progreso’s season by a 2-1 score Wednesday at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown.

“We gave it our best. It wasn’t meant to be tonight,” Progreso coach Margarito Jimenez said. “To be able to come here three years in a row is a hard task. These kids from day one told me, ‘Coach, we’re taking you back.’ They wanted it all this year. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

Jimenez said he was proud of his team’s effort, even through the disappointment of defeat.

The teams went into the halftime break scoreless, tangled in the deadlock the Red Ants expected against the defense-oriented Wildcats.

Progreso’s defenders, led by the senior core of Anthony Vasquez, Hugo Guajardo and Oscar Muñoz, contained most of the speedy wingers Palestine tried to utilize in open space.

The Red Ants even held a 3-2 edge in shots after 40 minutes of play.

Vasquez was one of five or six Red Ants players who paused to gather his thoughts following his final high school game.

“I’m proud, because we never gave up,” Vasquez said. “Even though every time we come back to state, we don’t win. We always lose. Hopefully, the young players can come back next year.”

Jimenez said he knew that the game’s first goal would be the most important. Just more than seven minutes into the second half, Palestine’s speed turned to production.

Javier Leonor made the Red Ants pay with his wheels. The junior forward dashed across the field and at full sprint wired a shot across his body and past the dive of junior goalie Arturo Gallegos.

“I think that if we had scored first, that would have made the difference,” Jimenez said. “That didn’t happen. We scored late, but I think that would have been the difference.”

The first goal changed the outlook of the game and allowed the Wildcats to play the defensive style that they execute so well.

Palestine coach John Absalom was complimentary of more than just Progreso’s game on the field. He recalled a kind gesture from two years ago, even after the Wildcats defeated the Red Ants for the 2016 championship.

“First of all, Progreso, we have nothing but total respect for them. After we were fortunate enough to win that (2016) title, we had a major flood, and they raised a bunch of money and brought the check to us,” Absalom said. “That will always be in my heart.”

Absalom said Wednesday’s second goal for his group was as good as gold because of the Wildcats’ ability to defend. The score came on a header from Daniel Sanchez, a substitute who had just entered the field at the previous stoppage of play.

“Honestly, as a coach, you see 2-0 lead, (and) we haven’t given up a lot of goals this year. I felt like we had this game,” Absalom said. “I was a little nervous the last seven or eight minutes, so that insurance goal was huge.”

Progreso’s lone score came in the game’s final five minutes, as the Red Ants were sending most of their players forward. Omar Anguiano centered the ball to a wide-open Hinojosa, who scored easily and ran to scoop the ball out of the net in hopes of restarting play for an equalizer.

Progreso is the only Valley soccer program to make three consecutive trips to the state tournament.

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — Victoria Sola knew that either game in the regional tournament could have been her last. The senior defender woke up with fear that her high school soccer career would end soon, but her play as part of consecutive defensive gems kept her team’s run alive.

The McAllen High Bulldogs girls soccer team recorded eight clean sheets in District 30-6A play, allowing only four goals during league games. In the playoffs, McHi outscored its first three opponents 15-4, albeit without a shutout. But facing the strongest competition of the season at last weekend’s regional tournament, McAllen allowed only a single goal, including a 1-0 shutout of Austin Lake Travis in the regional final. The Cavaliers had averaged 3.5 goals per playoff game heading into the match.

The regional wins propelled McHi to the state tournament, as the Bulldogs became the first girls team in Valley soccer history to advance to the Final Four. McAllen High faces Houston Memorial in the state semifinals at 9:30 a.m. Friday.

“I think for us, what worked best (against Lake Travis) was getting a little bit physical with the girls. They didn’t really like when you contacted them,” Sola said. “We’re not usually dirty players or really physical, but you had to be a little physical with these girls, and I think that helped us. It threw them off their game. They weren’t used to that.”

Lake Travis, which had scored five goals against Brownsville Rivera in the regional semifinals, was frustrated against McHi. Standouts Trinity Clark and Haley Shaw each scored twice against the Raiders but were held scoreless against the Bulldogs.

“I know personally that I do get pretty physical when I’m playing,” Sola said. “That’s part of the game, and we’ve all learned how to do it cleanly and the right way.”

“These two past games were very intense, and the pressure was immense,” McHi’s Jackie Lemus said. “As defenders, all of us we had a goal. We were just tightening ourselves to always try hard and never give up. We cannot let a ball past us.”

Sola said the key is not overreacting against great attackers with skilled dribbling and shifty moves.

“Just being calm,” Sola said. “We had to just wait until they made a mistake. Then we could attack and stab at the ball and make sure we got it.”

Even if a ball did get by one defender, the Bulldogs swarmed as a group. And when Johnson or Lake Travis got shots at the frame of the net, sophomore goalie Lexi Gonzalez was near perfect. After the game, Gonzalez was lifted onto her team’s shoulders to a chorus of “Lexi.”

Gonzalez played all five middle school sports. But with school responsibilities plus traveling for club volleyball and soccer, the talented athlete had to narrow down the sports she could devote her time to in high school.

As a sophomore, she was named The Monitor’s All-Area Newcomer of the Year for her play for McHi’s volleyball team. Normally an outsider hitter, she made the shift to middle blocker for her high school team. Those drills and repetition paid off on the soccer field, as Gonzalez jumped to tap multiple balls over the crossbar and even punched a few centering feeds out of harm’s way.

“My job is to keep everything from going in the goal. My mentality was to stick with that,” Gonzalez said. “The jumping helps a lot, especially for blocking with volleyball. I’m able to bring that here to soccer. It was the same process. It ended up being fine.”

McHi coach Pat Arney made some adjustments over the course of the weekend. One move that paid off was shifting Zoe Flores from a more central position to the back line with her sister Rylie to add more physicality and speed against wingers.

“Whatever’s easier to help my team, because that’s just what it’s about — being a team player,” Zoe Flores said. “And to be a great soccer player, you have to know how to play every position, and I have growing up. Being able to help out my defense and my team really felt good. When I did my job and did it well, it just felt great.”

Along with defensive staples like Emily Gurwitz, McHi’s rotation on the back line proved effective, even against teams used to securing high-scoring wins.

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