VALLEY HS SOCCER BOYS PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Regional Semifinal
Friday’s Games
Class 6A
Blossom Athletic Center, San Antonio
Brownsville Rivera vs. San Antonio Lee, 5 p.m.
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln vs. San Antonio Reagan, 7 p.m.

Class 5A
Cabaniss Field, Corpus Christi
Valley View vs. Marble Falls, 4:30 p.m.
Brownsville Veterans vs. Austin High, 6:30 p.m.

Class 4A
McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, McAllen
Progreso vs. Taylor, 2 p.m.
Hidalgo vs. Liberty Hill, 4 p.m.

Regional final

Saturday’s Game

Class 6A
Blossom Athletic Center, San Antonio
Brownsville Rivera/San Antonio Lee vs. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln/San Antonio Reagan, 3 p.m.

Class 5A
Cabaniss Field, Corpus Christi
Valley View vs. Marble Falls, 4:30 p.m.

Class 4A
McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, McAllen
Progreso/Taylor vs. Hidalgo/Liberty Hill, noon

VALLEY HS SOCCER GIRLS PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Regional Semifinal
Friday’s Games
Class 6A
Blossom Athletic Center, San Antonio
Brownsville Rivera vs. Austin Lake Travis, 1 p.m.
McAllen High vs. San Antonio Johnson, 3 p.m.

Regional Final
Saturday’s Games

Class 6A
Blossom Athletic Center, San Antonio
Brownsville Rivera/San Antonio Lee vs. McAllen High/San Antonio Johnson, 1 p.m.

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

HIDALGO — Valley View graduate Damian Magallan Jr. is used to taking a different path in his soccer career.

He played the majority of his high school years on a club team in Central Texas before finishing high school playing for his father as the Valley View Tigers’ central midfielder.

After graduation, instead of immediately entertaining his college offers, he moved on to the Houston Dynamo’s U-19 development academy.

“High school was challenging, but DA (development academy) is faster and more aggressive. They’re strong,” Magallan Jr. said. “I had to get used to it, but by now I’ve been scoring more and more goals. It’s going well.”

The Dynamo experience has taken him to Colorado, Kansas and North Texas to face development squads in other Major League Soccer markets.

He’s made 16 appearances with four starts and netted three goals as a midfielder.

“I think it was good to go to Dynamo first to get faster and stronger,” Magallan Jr. said. “I think it’s a good decision to come here to UTRGV, because it’s my hometown.”

Magallan Jr. will be the fourth RGV native to play on the team since the program was reinstated in 2015, and just the third true freshman to be recruited since then.

“It’s good, because there’s a lot of challenging (high) schools here,” Magallan Jr. said. “And the coaches really don’t see the high school players here. They want to go abroad. Now, the high schools are getting better every year, and the coaches are seeing the Valley kids.”

Damian’s father, Damian Magallan Sr., said he was happy his son’s dedication to soccer turned into an opportunity to earn an education while improving.

“I’m proud of him,” the elder Magallan said in Spanish. “I’m always pushing him to give maximum effort. I knew he can be playing Division I, and now he is.”

Through the rich legacy of strong teams and talented athletes at Valley View, Magallan Jr. is the first to sign to an NCAA Division I university. The team’s coach said the milestone can inspire future classes of players.

His current team, which is preparing for the regional semifinals against Marble Falls this Friday in Corpus Christi, filled the room to share in the accomplishment of a former teammate.

“It’s a very special thing for my players to see him sign,” Magallan Sr. said through his son. “It gives them the motivation to go chase what their dreams are, to be scouted also, and that anything is possible.”

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

PHARR — By the second relay of the afternoon, the Edinburg Economedes Jaguars knew they had done enough to leave the field behind for their first district championship in school history.

Senior Kimberly Talamantes ran the lead leg of the 400- and 800-meter relays, which were both gold-medal finishes.

“It’s incredible. We worked so hard for this,” Talamantes said with tears in her eyes. “Our coach pushes us to our limits every time, and it’s worth it. We’ve always been the underdogs. This year, we’re bringing it home. This is for our own, for Edinburg, for Economedes. We’re always underestimated, and this is where we show who we are.”

Economedes comfortably claimed the girls team title, finishing 32 points ahead of second-place Edinburg Vela in the District 31-6A championships on Saturday at PSJA Stadium.

Edinburg Vela’s boys used a strong day of field events Thursday and a plethora of podium finishes on Saturday to win the team title with 139 points. PSJA High finished second with 118.

Talamantes earned a silver medal in the 200 in 27.04 seconds, behind the long legs and quick pace of Edinburg Vela’s Sophia Ramirez (25.88).

The Econ girls nearly completed a relay sweep, but in the 1,600 relay Vela’s Ramirez caught up to Econ’s 300 hurdle champion, Monique Rodriguez.

Econ’s Kyle Marroquin easily won the 110 hurdles with a time of 15.23, but on the final jump his ankle made contact with the hurdle, leaving him limping after the finish. With two races to go, the injury could have jeopardized his ability to perform in the longer hurdles and anchor Econ’s 1,600 relay, but the senior found the strength to continue.

“In the 110s, I rarely clip the hurdles, so it was an amazement to me that I did,” Marroquin said. “At the end of the race, I felt pain in my left ankle, and it was immense. I couldn’t walk on it. But I told myself, ‘If my brothers were here, if my mom were here, they would told me ‘Pull through it, you’ve gone through way worse than this,’’ and that gave me the courage to push on to the 300 hurdles.”

In the 300 hurdles, Marroquin held a lead for most of the race until Nathan Sanchez of PSJA High made up ground heading into the final 100 meters.

“The guy was right next to me, and I told myself, ‘This is now or never. You’re going to have to push it.’ So in the last 50 meters, that’s when I actually kicked it in and pulled off the win,” Marroquin said. “It’s an amazing feeling knowing you swept the hurdle events. I’m just thankful to God.”

In the boys 400 dash, Vela’s Eddie Guzman and PSJA High’s Jose Andrade stayed neck and neck the whole lap around the track.

Andrade stayed in front and held on to win the race in 51.15 seconds, just ahead of Guzman’s silver time of 51.21.

“He’s a great runner. It feels great running against other great runners and great competition. It was a great race,” Andrade said. “It pushes me more, but it feels good to come out on top.”

PEÑA NOT BACKING DOWN
The rivalry between the top boys runners in District 31-6A was back on this week. After alternating district championships during the past two seasons, Tristan Peña and Cruz Gomez went head-to-head in a mile race that didn’t disappoint.

North’s Peña got stronger with time in the 1,600, staying next to Gomez and not letting him pull away in the final turn — the spot where he usually likes to create separation.

Last season, as a sophomore, Gomez took gold in the 1,600 and 3,200 runs, but Peña says he put in the work to keep up with the outstanding Wolverines athlete.

“My plan was just to stay with him, as close as I can to his shoulder,” Peña said. “Normally, he tends to take off on me, and I don’t really have the confidence to go after him. But this time, I’ve been putting in the work, and I’ve been praying every day. I stayed next to him, and I got the win.”

Peña and Gomez both finished inside the top seven at the state track meet last season.

On Saturday, Gomez won 31-6A gold in the 800 run with a time of 1:59.16.

MEMORIAL SPRINTS HARD
PSJA Memorial’s Tavis Sain won the 100 dash with an 11.06. He said he was glad he could take the race as the top seed and keep his season going.

“Honestly, it felt great just to know that you have the experience and the ability to be at the top,” Sain said before turning his focus to advancing out of the area meet in two weeks. “All I have to do is make sure I work harder, get good rest and make sure I’m on top of everything.”

In the same race for the girls, the Wolverines were victorious again behind the 12.76 of Alexis Cruz, who held off Vela sophomore Danya Selber (13.15).

Top four finishers in each event will look to keep their seasons going in two weeks when 32-6A and 31-6A battle for regional qualification.

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

MERCEDES — RGV soccer giants Brownsville Lopez and Valley View met in Mercedes to try to punch their ticket to the Class 5A Region IV Tournament next week in Corpus Christi.

Valley View looked in control with a two-goal halftime lead but eventually needed penalty kicks to hold off the Lopez Lobos 3-2 in a regional quarterfinal instant classic on Friday.

The Tigers didn’t want to be in penalties after watching their lead disappear, but once they got to that point, they were confident their scouting would give goaltender Elian Chavez the opportunity to be a hero.

In the third round of the shootout, with the teams tied at a goal each, Adrian Rodriguez scored for the Tigers and Jafet Morales stepped up to the dot for the Lobos.

Morales went high left, but so did Chavez, who kept the ball out with a firm glove save.

“Since before the game, we talked about it,” Chavez said through assistant coach Israel Lince. “We were trying to stay positive and avoid PKs, but when they came, we talked to each other with the secret book, and we won the game, thank God.”

Inside that book was the direction each Lopez shooter was expected to place the ball. Only one shooter strayed from the scouting report.

Sophomore Carlos Medina was the shooter who sent the Tigers onto the next round with his fourth-round conversion.

The youngster wanted the game on his foot when coach Damian Magallan was deciding the order of shooters. Medina was happy to be the player who sent the Valley View faithful into a frenzy.

“I just went confident,” Medina said. “I told my coach I wanted to kick the fifth one. When I was walking up, I saw all the people just pumping me up. I just faked the goalkeeper and scored.”

During the first minute of the game, the Tigers sent a dangerous attack forward that ended up on the foot of Mario De Los Santos. Most of the Lopez defenders thought the forward would take a shot, but he opted to dish the ball off to Rogelio Saldivar streaking down the right flank. The shot was stopped, but Lopez couldn’t count the bullet dodged yet.

On the ensuing corner kick, Saldivar connected with his head to beat the keeper and give the Tigers an advantage.

De Los Santos had two golden opportunities that went just wide of the net, but with 3:05 to play in the half, he wouldn’t be denied on a shot across his body that beat Lopez keeper Angel De La Garza.

Lopez’s best chance followed shortly after the opening goal, and the Lobos also earned three free kicks in the 30-yard range but couldn’t beat Chavez.

Magallan knew Lopez wouldn’t go quietly.

“We knew beforehand that we had to prepare ourselves, because Lopez went three years in a row to state, so we worked a lot through the week,” Magallan said through an interpreter. “It was really helpful for us to start with the lead, because we knew they were going to come back, and then we made a couple of errors… and then we won the game in the end.”

Medina knew the Lobos weren’t done, even when Lopez lost Sebastian Benavides to a red card just 7:13 into the second half.

“They never stopped running,” Medina said. “They always kept fighting and fighting and fighting until they got the first goal. That’s where we started to lose our minds. With the 2-2 (goal), we started to get a little bit calmed down. We could have won the game easily, but we complicated it ourselves.”

The first goal came after an error by Tigers defender Adrian Rodriguez, who tried to clear the ball into two oncoming Lobos. One of the Lopez attackers stuck out a foot to tap the ball in past Chavez.

Less than 2 1/2 minutes later, still down 10 players to 11, Lopez’s Jose Echavarria squeezed a shot between the legs of a falling Chavez to equalize.

Valley View avoided a complete meltdown even as Victor Ureña and Jorge Amaya earned red cards to flip the advantage to Brownsville, 10 players against nine.

Chavez and the Valley View defense were steady when tested — a rarity for the Tigers, who mowed through District 31-5A play and outscored their first two playoff opponents 11-4.

“It’s always important for me to try to make a good first save. That way I can get my confidence,” Chavez said. “After that, they were still shooting at me, but my confidence was really high. That’s why I had a good game.”

Valley View advances to face Marble Falls, which was a 5-3 winner over Dripping Springs on Friday. The teams clash at 4:30 p.m. next Friday at Corpus Christi’s Cabaniss Field.

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BOYS

Regional Quarterfinal
Friday, April 6
Class 6A
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 8, Brownsville Hanna 2
Brownsville Rivera 2, PSJA Southwest 0
Class 5A
Valley View 3, Brownsville Lopez 2, PKs
Brownsville Veterans 2, Corpus Christi Veterans 0
Class 4A
Progreso 2, Zapata 0

Saturday, April 7
Class 4A
Hidalgo 3, Grulla 2

Regional Semifinal
Friday, April 13
Class 6A

Blossom Athletic Center, San Antonio
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln vs. San Antonio Reagan, 7 p.m.
Brownsville Rivera vs. San Antonio Lee, 5 p.m.

Class 5A

Cabaniss Field, Corpus Christi
Valley View vs. Marble Falls, 4:30
Brownsville Veterans vs. Austin High, 6:30 p.m.

GIRLS

Regional Quarterfinal
Friday, April 6
Class 6A
Brownsville Rivera 1, McAllen Rowe 0
McAllen High 2, Harlingen South 1
Class 5A
Corpus Christi Veterans 5, Brownsville Pace 1

Gregory-Portland 6, Donna North 1

Saturday, April 7
Class 4A
Corpus Christi London 2, La Feria 1

Regional semifinals
Friday, April 13
Class 6A
Brownsville Rivera vs. Austin Lake Travis, 1 p.m.
McAllen High vs. San Antonio Johnson, 3 p.m.

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — With her team trailing heading into the final 200 meters of the 800 relay, McAllen High’s Westyn Henderson had to turn on the jets to catch La Joya Palmview’s Yoko Gomez down the homestretch for the gold, and she did.

The Bulldogs also caught the Lobos girls team in the overall standings, knocking off the perennial favorites on Thursday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

“Our goal is to win district, and that’s just all I was thinking and all my team was thinking,” Henderson said. “They gave me a good start, and I just wanted to finish it for them. It’s a great feeling, because we’ve been working for this all year. All the hard practices and hours we put into it are paying off right now.”

McHi’s Aniah Chaleff-Reyna in the 100 hurdles and Anna Martinez in the 400 dash were individual winners who built on the team’s strong start in field events on Wednesday.

The Bulldogs claimed the win even with a disqualification in the 400 relay. McHi came from behind to win the race but was disqualified when anchor Sofia Soto threw the baton in frustration after the finish, possibly not realizing she had caught the leader.

On the boys side of the competition, McAllen Memorial held onto the lead despite a strong push from Mission.

“It feels amazing,” Sean Skaugen, 110 hurdles champion, said. “We weren’t projected to win this meet. I think we were supposed to come in third. But after the prelims, our coach told us anything could happen. The twins (Evan and Trevor Williams) went one-two in the mile and the two-mile — that’s a lot of points right there. And in the (110) hurdles, we earned like 22 points getting first, second and fourth.”

ROBLES DOES IT AGAIN

In four years, Brianna Robles hasn’t lost a district race. Four 1,600 golds, four 3,200 golds, and this year a win in the 800 run for good measure after a rules change that allows distance runners to compete in three events.

The Adams State University commit said even though her goals are bigger than district, getting the support and respect of her peers is still a special feeling.

“It feels good. I mean, I like being the one to chase, because people behind me push me to go faster,” Robles said. “One big difference from freshman year to now is the experience and the mentality that you build along the way. It’s a beautiful feeling, knowing most of my friends are from different schools. We’re competitors on the track, but off the track, we’re all friends, and that’s what I liked about it — the relationships I was able to build with people.”

Palmview sprinter Mariana Hernandez made it a double in the quickest races of the day with a 12.87-second time in the 100 and a 26.45 in the 200.

“It feels amazing again, just to know I consistently worked hard since last year and came out on top,” Hernandez said. “It just goes to show hard work really does pay off.”

In the 200, Hernandez was pushed by teammate Damaris Pecina, who finished in 26.57.

CORDOVA A GOLD STANDARD

Mission sprinter Alex Cordova was a triple gold medalist on Thursday. He ran the 200 dash in a 22.63, clocked a 49.49 in the 400 and held off the speedy Gunnar Henderson on the anchor lap of the 1,600 relay.

“He’s a super strong runner. He finishes strong every race,” Henderson said of his counterpart. “He’s great every race, and it’s always a fun time racing him, because I know I always get someone to push me. He has a great career ahead of him.”

Last season, Cordova finished fourth in 100 dash and second in 400 dash at the district meet. This season, however, he switched from the 100 to the 200, which tested his endurance as he had less recovery time between races.

“I thank God, I thank my mom, (and) I thank my coaches for helping out every day,” Cordova said. “It means a lot to me — running (and) competing against a lot of great people. I excel, because all my life, it’s been about winning. It’s all I try to do — be the best I can possibly be.”

Henderson, who held off Campbell Speights for 100 dash gold and Skaugen in the 300 hurdles, said his workouts are helping him peak at an important time, even as he runs races relatively close together.

“I was real pleased with my (300 hurdles) time today,” Henderson said of his 39.39 finish. “Workouts are kicking in, and it looks good so far.”

SURPRISE FINISH

McAllen Rowe’s boys pulled off an upset in the sprint relay. They ran in lane one, seeded without a time because they had to replace a leg of the race due to injury. Still, the Warriors used quick legs from Noe Ramirez, Jonas Ortiz, Angel Rodriguez and Adrian Salinas to beat the competitive field.

“It is a struggle, but it’s a mindset,” Salinas said after the win. “We knew we had it in us. We knew we could advance. Everyone has good runners, but we have confidence in ourselves and in our runners.”

Ortiz, the replacement who filled it for an injured runner, didn’t have much time to train with the track team because he plays baseball. Still, he finished third in the 100 dash and fifth in the discus throw.

The sophomore said his team wasn’t surprised with the win thanks to the work the group put in.

“I knew we were capable of doing it,” Ortiz said. “Being overlooked in this relay motivated us more to win this race. I knew (Salinas) had it in them. Everyone was surprised, but our relay team knew we can take it home.”

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITERS

MISSION — The Rio Grande City Rattlers got off to a strong start Thursday, earning (# of golds) in field and distance events on the opening day of the District 31-5A championships at Mission Veterans High School. In the girls competitions, a mixture of familiar winners and new champions earned reason to celebrate.

Future University of Texas Longhorns runner Brandon Gracia missed most of the track season with a back injury but felt healthy again Thursday, winning the 3,200-meter race for Rio Grande City in 9 minutes, 34.73 seconds.

“It feels good, because all season I wanted to race, but I couldn’t, because I was injured. And we were worried. ‘What if there’s not enough time to recover and be back to myself for district?’” Gracia said. “This year, I didn’t do that many speed workouts. If I keep qualifying, I get more time, and that’s more time to get stronger and faster for the races.”

Laredo Nixon’s Juan Salinas took silver, but RGC earned the next two area-qualifying finishes. Freshman Alex Canales was composed in his first district 3,200 race, finishing in 9:48.68, ahead of Alejandro Lopez’s 9:54.20.

Canales said he was confident about this meet and showed it with a personal record time almost 20 seconds quicker than his previous best.

“I just played it cool. It just felt like a regular race to me. Until regionals — that’s like a real race,” Canales said. “My teammates help me to prepare every single race, especially good races. They told me to stay with them as much as they can, so I try to stay with them.”

Lopez, a junior, was happy that his distance group will advance as a unit and contributed points to the district team standings.

“It’s an honor, because we all work through this track season as a team,” Lopez said. “For all of us to go to area, it’s a dream, because we train really hard together and push each other. When all of us qualify with 20 points, it helps the rest of the team — the long jumpers, the relays. Little by little, they get more positive and think, ‘We can do it,’ for a district title, which is very exciting.”

In the boys discus throw, RGC’s Jaime Gomez pulled an upset for the district championship. His throw of 154 feet, 4.5 inches was ahead of Sharyland Pioneer’s Johnny Howell at 149-06.

Gomez’s championship toss came in his final throw. As soon as he let the discus fly, he knew it was a special attempt, yelling, “Go, baby” at the 1.6-kilogram projectile. He said he was humbled by the win and his ability to knock off a familiar competitor.

“This is my first time (winning district), and it was a long process,” Gomez said. “It was a lot of hard work. It took so much effort throughout all four years of my high school career. Johnny’s a very great thrower. He’s been throwing since he was a little kid. He’s a hard worker. Me and him were training partners since we were in seventh grade. To edge him here, it’s a great accomplishment. I’m not taking anything away from Johnny, but it feels very good to defeat him.”

Mission Veterans’ Charlize De La Garza won her third high jump championship in three years.

“I really was nervous, but I’ve been doing well this whole season. I just needed to keep it up,” De La Garza said. “I’m focusing on myself, but it’s good that there’s competition, so it makes me push myself to do better and, of course, reach higher jumps.”

After clearing 5 feet, De La Garza set the bar to 5-03 to get close to her personal record, but the back of her ponytail knocked the jump bar. She joked that she’ll have to wear her hair in a bun at the area meet.

“I have cleared 5-04 and 5-05 one time in practice, and yeah, it was just my hair that hit it,” she said.

Sharyland High sophomore Izzy Garza won gold and led a group of three teammates qualifying for area in the pole vault. Garza cleared 9-00, Andrea Marcos cleared 8-06 and Paola Chapa tied for third at 8-00.

Garza said she was nervous to start but remembered the improvements she’s made, jumping 2 feet better than during her freshman season.

“I jumped my first height, and that kind of calmed my nerves,” Garza said. “Because of the way I cleared it, I cleared it by a lot, so I knew that I could perform better. It’s awesome to share this experience with (my teammates). It’s awesome, because I didn’t want this season to end.

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NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — The track and field season kicked into high gear as the calendar flipped to April to mark the start of district meets. The first medals of the week were handed out in McAllen at the District 30-6A competition.

Mission High’s boys, who enter the meet as major contenders for the team championship, quickly started racking up medals in field events.

Sebastian Gonzalez had a breakout performance Wednesday for the Eagles, earning gold medals in the triple and long jumps. He said that he previously had trouble sticking with his landings, but his performance improved when he cleaned that part of his jumps.

The junior picked a good day to earn his first win in either event, taking both with personal record leaps.

“I feel humbled, honestly,” Gonzalez said. “This is my first time ever doing this, placing first, so it’s a big accomplishment for me, and I’m just striving for more. I don’t want to get off track. I need to work on the little things, as well, because obviously those things matter.”

Mission’s Gonzalez had to fend off tough competition in both events, namely La Joya Palmview jumper Alexis Gonzalez.

In the triple jump, Sebastian won by just an inch to secure 10 points for his Eagles. The gold jump was a personal best 42 feet, 3.25 inches, while Alexis’s best jump measured 42-2.25.

In the long jump, Sebastian held off both Alexis and Juarez-Lincoln freshman Kenneth Gonzalez with his jump of 22-03.

Miguel Farias and Anthony Ramon finished one-two for the Eagles in the pole vault with identical 13-06 jumps. Farias placed first on a judgment.

CLOSE RESULTS IN GIRLS JUMPS

McAllen Rowe’s Jackelyn Alanis took second in the high jump and long jump, but she didn’t take a back seat in triple jump.

Alanis, who jumped 35-03, explained why the 2-inch win over McAllen High’s Aniah Chaleff-Reyna was so satisfying.

“My season has been a little rough, but I always push myself even though some days are bad,” Alanis said. “I do outside sports, so it’s really hard to come out here in track, and my legs are really tired. I overcome it, because I tell myself, ‘This could be the last time I jump.’ I like competing, so if anyone comes to beat me, I’m coming back for you.”

Bulldogs senior Melody Magee (17-06) won the long jump competition, edging the Rowe duo of Alanis (17-02) and Jovanni Solis (17-01) by less than half a foot. She was happy to win her first district title, and a longtime goal is still within reach.

“I’m really proud of it, because I worked really hard the entire season to get the school record, which is 17-07. So I’m a little disappointed, but I’m still really happy,” Magee said before crediting her fellow podium finishers. “I was a little nervous. They’re amazing jumpers, and they’re always great competitors, but I really wanted to PR and reach the school record.”

McAllen High’s Hannah Kelly won gold in the high jump.

A LEG HEALED, A LEG UP

McAllen Memorial’s Kathia Nitsch is five weeks removed from a knee procedure to address a nagging injury that kept her off the volleyball court this season. She was surgical in the shot put circle on Wednesday to earn first with a throw of 35-11.5, ahead of Rowe’s Jacqueline Mendoza (33-03) and Memorial’s Alice Ojeaga (33-02)

She improved on her district throw (34-02) and finish (third) from a year ago. Unable to train while recovering from her operation, Nitsch focused on keeping her strength up, and it paid off Wednesday.

“I really didn’t expect to win it, because I haven’t been here all season,” Nitsch said. “It’s awesome to do it for my team. I wasn’t able to practice, so I was just lifting and doing all the things I can do. I’m almost at 100 percent. It feels 10 times better than before. Getting in shape is the main concern now.”

She also ran relays with her team during the evening preliminaries.

In girls discus, Rowe swept the top two spots, with Lorena Rios gold at 130-11 and Jacqueline Mendoza silver. La Joya High’s Iris Alanis rounded out the podium.

McAllen High’s Raul ‘Tito’ Cantu won the discus toss over Juarez-Lincoln’s Bryan Lira by just 3 inches. Cantu was worried he didn’t have his best stuff after a bumpy beginning, but he turned it on to add a gold next to the silver he earned in shot put.

“It feels great, because I didn’t think I was going to do well. I started off slow, but I finished strong,” Cantu said before explaining why strong competition is important to improvement. “It’s great, because you get yourself ready for the area and regional meet. It only gets better from here.”

PACE SET IN DISTANCE RACES

McAllen Memorial’s Evan and Trevor Williams came in first and second in the 3200-meter run. The twins came in within a second of each other: Evan won in 9 minutes, 48.29 seconds, and Trevor finished with a 9:48.70.

“It’s great to start off good to show what you have and to show that you’re there to compete,” Evan said. “There’s a lot of tough competitors in the postseason, and you have to show them that this is your place. This is your house.”

Palmview’s Brianna Robles won the 3,200 meter run with a time of 11:07.60. The win marked four straight district titles for the senior, who earned eighth in the event at the state meet last season.

Robles also earned eighth in the 1,600 race at state and today will try to record another district four-peat as she competes in the event at the 30-6A running finals.

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VALLEY HS TRACK AND FIELD RESULTS

District 30-6A Championship

April 4-5

At McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium

Girls 3200 Meter Run Varsity

1, Brianna Robles, La Joya Palmview, 11:07.60; 2, Alanah Moreno, McAllen High; 3, Macy Henderson, McAllen Memorial, 12:23.58; 4, Paulina Maldonado, McAllen High, 12:36.45; 5, Janie Delgado, McAllen Rowe, 12:51.49; 6, Jazmine Sustaita, Mission High, 12:53.06; 7, Holly Hu Jenkinson, McAllen Memorial, 13:19.24; 8, Katy Slusher, McAllen Memorial, 13:25.07

Girls High Jump Varsity

1, Kelly, Hannah, McAllen High, 5-02. 2, Jackelyn Alaniz, McAllen Rowe, 5-00; 3, Ana Calderon, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 4-08; 4, Cynder Magallon, La Joya Palmview, 4-08; 5, Valeria Garcia, McAllen Memorial, 4-06; 5, Katarina Moseley, McAllen High, 4-06;; 5, Cynthia Gutierrez, Mission High, 4-06; 8, Lujan Desiree, J4-06

Girls Pole Vault Varsity

1, Sarah Solis, McAllen High, 9-06; 2, Peyton Kuhn, McAllen High, 8-06; 3, Madison Helmcap, McAllen High, 8-00; 4, Vail Cecilia, McAllen Memorial, 7-06; 5, Kysta Ramirez, McAllen Memorial, J7-06

Girls Long Jump Varsity

1, Melody Magee, McAllen High, 17-06; 2, Jackelyn Alaniz, McAllen Rowe, 17-02; 3, Jovannis Solis, McAllen Rowe, 17-01.5; 4, Cynthia Gutierrez, Mission High, 16-08.5; 5, Aniah Chaleff-Reyna, McAllen High, 16-06; 6, Sarah Solis, McAllen High, 16-01; 7, Ximena Zuniga, McAllen Memorial, 15-10; 8, Daisy Rodriguez, La Joya Palmview, 15-02

Girls Triple Jump Varsity

1, Jackelyn Alaniz, McAllen Rowe, 35-03; 2, Aniah Chaleff-Reyna, McAllen High, 35-01; 3, Jovanni Solis, McAllen Rowe, 34-08.25; 4, Daisy Villarreal, La Joya High, 32-08.75; 5, Andrea Munguia, McAllen Memorial, 32-07.5; 6, Melody Magee, McAllen High, 32-06.5; 7, Jennifer Prado, McAllen Memorial, 32-01; 8, Bailey Villalon, La Joya Palmview, 31-10

Girls Shot Put Varsity

1, Kathia Nitsch, McAllen Memorial, 35-11.5; 2, Jacqueline Mendoza, McAllen Rowe, 33-03.5; 3, Alice Ojeaga, McAllen Memorial, 32-02.5; 4, Isela Gaona, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 32-02; 5, Brittney Garza, Mission High, 31-10; 6, Diana Bustos, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 31-09.50; 7, Scarlett Berman, McAllen Rowe, 31-07.5; 8, Lorena Rios, McAllen Rowe, 29-11

Girls Discus Throw Varsity

1, Lorena Rios, McAllen Rowe, 130-11; 2, Jacqueline Mendoza, McAllen Rowe, 108-07; 3, Iris Alanis, La Joya High, 96-03; 4, Audrey Gonzalez, McAllen High, 93-08; 5, Yolanda Hernandez, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 93-08; 6, Valeria Trevino, McAllen Memorial, 91-01; 7, Brianna Campos, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 88-10; 8, Ashley Sanchez, McAllen Memorial, 87-01

Boys 3200 Meter Run Varsity

1, Evan Williams, McAllen Memorial, 9:48.29; 2, Trevor Williams, McAllen Memorial, 9:48.70; 3, Marco Castro, Mission High, 9:57.12; 4, Jose Calvillo, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 10:00.50; 5, Hunter Herrera, McAllen High, 10:08.50; 6, Christian Garza, McAllen Memorial, 10:15.79; 7, Chris Mendoza, McAllen Rowe, 10:15.82; 8, Augustus Martiello, Mission High, 10:15.83

Boys High Jump Varsity

1, Luis Flores, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 6-00; 2, Adan Torres, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, J6-00; 3, Ethan Plummer, McAllen Memorial, 5-10; 4, Elian Reyna, McAllen Memorial, J5-10; 5, Edwardo Torres, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 5-08; 6, Jackson Helmcamp, McAllen High, 5-06; 6, Marco Rosales, McAllen Memorial, 5-06; 6, Leonardo Lerma, McAllen High, 5-06

Boys Pole Vault Varsity

1, Miguel Farias, Mission High, 13-06; 2, Anthony Ramon, Mission High, J13-06; 3, Michael Pequeno, McAllen Memorial, 13-00; 4, Josiah Martinez, McAllen High, J13-00; 5, Gavin Britton, McAllen High, 10-06

Boys Long Jump Varsity

1, Sebastian Gonzalez, Mission High, 22-03; 2, Alexis Gonzalez, La Joya Palmview, 21-04; 3, Kenneth Gonzalez, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 20-10.5; 4, Sean Skaugen, McAllen Memorial, 20-09.50; 5, Alex Cordova, Mission High, 20-06; 6, Elias Gutierrez, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 20-04; 7, Bryan Argil, McAllen High, 19-10; 8, Jose Marquez, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 19-06.5

Boys Triple Jump Varsity

1, Sebastian Gonzalez, Mission High, 42-03.25; 2, Alexis Gonzalez, La Joya Palmview, 42-02.25; 3, Zacary Garcia, McAllen High, 41-06.5; 4, Elias Gutierrez, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 41-06; 5, Luis Rodriguez, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 40-11; 6, Sean Skaugen, McAllen Memorial, 40-05; 7, Campbell Speights, McAllen Memorial, 40-01.75; 8, Jorge Pena, McAllen Rowe, 40-01.25

Boys Shot Put Varsity

1, Alex Rodriguez, La Joya High, 53-04; 2, Raul Cantu, McAllen High, 52-07; 3, Bryan Lira, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 47-00; 4, Zachary Clemons, Mission High, 46-00; 5, Benjamin Arellano, McAllen High, 42-01.5; 6, Axel Hernandez, McAllen Memorial, 41-01.5; 7, Adam Benavidez, La Joya Palmview, 40-09.75; 8, Daniel Domian, McAllen Memorial, 40-07.50

Boys Discus Throw Varsity

1, Raul Cantu, 140-09; 2, Bryan Lira, 140-03; 3, Ricardo Garcia, McAllen Memorial, 139-00; 4, Daniel Domian, McAllen Memorial, 138-06 5, Jonas Ortiz, McAllen Rowe, 131-02; 6, Jose Calderon, McAllen High, 130-10; 7, Adam Benavidez, La Joya Palmview, 129-08; 8, Alex Rodriguez, La Joya High, 125-10

RGV HS SOCCER BOYS PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Area round
Tuesday, April 3
Class 6A
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 3, Edinburg Economedes 2
PSJA Southwest 1, Laredo LBJ 0
Brownsville Rivera 6, San Antonio Southwest 2
Brownsville Hanna 2, Laredo United 1, PKs

Class 5A
Valley View 6, Corpus Christi Calallen 1
Brownsville Lopez 2, Corpus Christi Flour Bluff 1
Corpus Christi Veterans 5, Brownsville Porter 0
Brownsville Veterans 4, Eagle Pass Winn 0

Class 4A
Progreso 3, Somerset 0
Grulla 5, Corpus Christi London 1
Hidalgo 3, La Vernia 0
Zapata 7, Pleasanton 2

VALLEY HS BOYS SOCCER BOX SCORES
Area Round
Class 6A
PSJA SOUTHWEST 1, LAREDO LBJ 0
PSJA Southwest 1 0 — 1
Laredo LBJ 0 0 — 0
PSJA SOUTHWEST (1): Daniel Salinas

Class 5A
VALLEY VIEW 6, CALALLEN 1
Valley View 4 2 — 6
Calallen 0 1 — 1
VALLEY VIEW (6): Mario De Los Santos 3, Jorge Amaya 2, Bryan Obregon

Class 4A
Progreso 3, Somerset 0
Somerest 0 0 — 0
Progreso 1 2 — 3
PROGRESO (3): Hugo Hinojosa, Juan Puentes, Mathew Perez

Regional Quarterfinal
Friday, April 6
Class 6A
Brownsville Hanna vs. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at Donna, 7 p.m. (Bennie LaPrade Stadium)
PSJA Southwest at Brownsville Rivera, 8 p.m. (Sams Memorial Stadium)
Class 5A
Valley View vs. Brownsville Lopez at Mercedes, 6 p.m. (Tiger Stadium)
Brownsville Veterans vs. Corpus Christi Veterans at Mercedes, 8 p.m. (Tiger Stadium)
Class 4A
Progreso vs. Zapata at La Joya ISD Stadium, 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 7
Class 4A
Hidalgo vs. Grulla at Edinburg, 1 p.m. (H-E-B Park)

VALLEY HS GIRLS SOCCER PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Area round
Tuesday, April 3
Class 6A
Harlingen South 1, Laredo United 0
McAllen Rowe 3, PSJA High 0
McAllen High 4, Harlingen High 2
Brownsville Rivera 3, McAllen Memorial 2

Class 5A
Gregory-Portland 3, Sharyland Pioneer 1
Corpus Christi Veterans 3, Sharyland High 1
Donna North 4, San Antonio Harlandale 3, PKs
Brownsville Pace 4, Corpus Christi Flour Bluff 1

Class 4A
Kingsville High 5, Grulla 0
Pleasanton 8, Edinburg IDEA Quest 0
Corpus Christi London 3, Hidalgo 1
La Feria 3, Somerset 0

VALLEY HS GIRLS SOCCER BOX SCORES
Area Round
Class 6A
McALLEN ROWE 3, PSJA HIGH 0
PSJA High 0 0 — 0
McAllen Rowe 2 1 — 3
McALLEN ROWE (3): Leann Noriega, Ilse Zecca, Sabina Sanchez

Class 6A
BROWNSVILLE RIVERA 3, McALLEN MEMORIAL 2
Brownsville Rivera 0 3 — 3
McAllen Memorial 0 2 — 2
BROWNSVILLE RIVERA (3): Ashley Torres, Brigitte Igelsias, Alyssa Ayala
McALLEN MEMORIAL (2): Geo Hernandez, Valeria Silva

Regional Quarterfinal
Friday, April 6
Class 6A
McAllen Rowe at Brownsville Rivera, 6 p.m. (Sams Memorial Stadium)
McAllen High at Harlingen South, 7 p.m. (Boggus Stadium)
Class 5A
Corpus Christi Veterans at Brownsville Pace, 7 p.m. (Brownsville Sports Park)
Donna North vs. Gregory-Portland at Corpus Christi’s Cabaniss Field, 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 7
Class 4A
La Feria at Corpus Christi London, 6 p.m.