VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCHEDULE
Thursday, March 29
District 30-6A
La Joya High 14, La Joya Palmview 6
McAllen Memorial 8, McAllen Rowe 2
McAllen High 11, Mission High 1, 5 innings
District 31-6A
Edinburg North 11, PSJA Memorial 0, 6 innings
Edinburg Vela 3, PSJA High 1
Edinburg High 10, PSJA Southwest 5
PSJA North 12, Edinburg Economedes 7
District 32-6A
Weslaco High 10, Harlingen High 0
Los Fresnos 10, Weslaco East 0, 5 innings
District 31-5A
Sharyland Pioneer 2, Laredo Cigarroa 1
Rio Grande City 3, Valley View 1
Roma 4, Laredo Nixon 2
Laredo Martin 3, Mission Veterans 2
District 32-5A
Brownsville Veterans 10, Donna High 2
Donna North 4, Mercedes 1
Edcouch-Elsa 6, Brownsville Porter 3
District 32-4A
Hidalgo 10, La Feria 8
Grulla 10, Progreso 3
Zapata 3, Raymondville 2
Rio Hondo 8, Port Isabel 3
District 32-3A
Lyford 11, Monte Alto 0, 5 innings

Monday, April 2
District 31-5A
Valley View at Sharyland High, 7 p.m.
Laredo Nixon at Laredo Cigarroa, 7 p.m.
Laredo Martin at Rio Grade City, 7 p.m.
Roma at Mission Veterans, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, April 3
District 30-6A
Mission High at La Joya High, 7 p.m.
La Joya Palmview at McAllen Memorial, 7 p.m.
McAllen Rowe at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 7 p.m.
District 31-6A
PSJA High at Edinburg North, 7 p.m.
Edinburg High at PSJA North, 7 p.m.
Edinburg Economedes at Edinburg Vela, 7 p.m.
PSJA Memorial at PSJA Southwest, 7 p.m.
District 32-6A
Brownsville Rivera at Weslaco High, 6:30 p.m.
Los Fresnos at Brownsville Hanna, 6:30 p.m.
Weslaco East at Harlingen High, 6:30 p.m.
District 32-5A
Donna High at Mercedes, 7 p.m.
Donna North at Edcouch-Elsa, 7 p.m.
Brownsville Veterans at Brownsville Pace, 7 p.m.
District 32-4A
Hidalgo at Grulla, 7:30 p.m.
Zapata at La Feria, 7:30 p.m.

T.J. GARCIA | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR

McALLEN – The San Antonio Southwest Dragons rallied to score three second-half goals in regulation and then shutout La Joya in overtime and in penalty kicks to beat the Coyotes 4-3 (3-0) Thursday night at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Class 6A bi-district defeat ended an otherwise successful season for the 14-12-1 Coyotes, and they played well enough to win in most of the match by dictating pace, controlling possession and making chances for themselves.

La Joya also scored two goals early in the second half on fine efforts by senior Edgar Palomares and junior Joel Garcia at the 35th and 31st minutes. But its defense finally gave way and allowed the Dragons to score a trifecta of goals in the last 20 minutes of the second half including the final one as the regulation buzzer sounded to equalize the game at three.

“We watched video, we knew what to expect . We have a back four that did a decent job,” said La Joya Coach Alexandro Davila. “Their goals came out of our tired legs. Again credit to them, it was their pressure and we couldnt handle it.”

The La Joya defense was mostly impenetrable and did yoeman’s work to shut down Southwest’s freshman phenom Jathan Juarez, who entered the game with 37 goals. He did not score Thursday, but he created several chances and served some great balls into the box late in the contest.

Still, it wasn’t enough as Southwest came back to tie game and force OT and then penalty kicks. And in PKs, the Coyotes had no juice. They either whiffed or were shut down by Dragons goalie Rolando Barco in their first three attempts.

Meanwhile, for Southwest, first man up Juarez was blocked by LJ goalkeeper Andre Ramirez and it was even 0-0 after the first attempts. But after that it was all Southwest as its kickers hit the next three in a row to claim the victory once and for all.

Davila said taking the loss was tough to swallow, but he was very proud of the team’s effort and knows the underclassman will learn from it moving forward to next year.

RGV HS SOCCER BOYS PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Wednesday, March 28
Class 6A Bi-District
Laredo United 2, McAllen Memorial 1
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 7, Del Rio 0

VALLEY HS BOYS SOCCER BOX SCORES
Wednesday’s Games
Bi-district game
LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN 7,
DEL RIO 0
LJ Juarez-Lincoln 2 5 — 7
Del Rio 0 0 — 0
LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN (7): Edon Fonseca 4, Manuel Castrejon, Gerardo Reyes, Sergio Escareño
RECORDS: La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 28-5-1

Thursday, March 29
Class 6A Bi-District
PSJA Southwest at Harlingen High, 6 p.m. (Boggus Stadium)
Brownsville Rivera at Edinburg High, 7 p.m. (Richard R. Flores Stadium)
Edinburg Economedes at Los Fresnos, 7 p.m.
Laredo LBJ at Mission High, 7 p.m.
La Joya High vs. South San Antonio, 8 p.m. (McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium)
Class 5A Bi-District
Brownsville Veterans vs. Sharyland Pioneer at Mercedes, 7:30 p.m.
Brownsville Lopez vs. Laredo Martin at Corpus Christi, 8 p.m. (Cabaniss Field)
Class 4A Bi-District
Port Isabel at Hidalgo, 8 p.m.
Zapata at La Feria, 8 p.m.
Rio Hondo vs. Grulla at Donna High, 8 p.m. (Bennie LaPrade Stadium)

Friday, March 30
Class 5A Bi-District
Brownsville Porter vs. Sharyland High at Weslaco East, 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 31
Class 6A Bi-District
Brownsville Hanna at Edinburg North, noon
Class 5A Bi-District
Valley View vs. Donna North at Sharyland High, 10:30 a.m.
Class 4A Bi-District
Progreso at Raymondville, noon

Valley HS GIRLS SOCCER PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Wednesday, March 28
McAllen Memorial 2, South San Antonio 1, PKs

VALLEY HS GIRLS SOCCER BOX SCORE
Wednesday’s Game
District 30-6A
McALLEN MEMORIAL 2, SOUTH SAN ANTONIO 1
South San Antonio 1 0 — 1
McAllen Memorial 0 1 — 2
McALLEN MEMORIAL (1); Andrea Santana.
PKs 4-2.

Thursday, March 29
Class 6A Bi-District
Harlingen High at Edinburg Vela, 6 p.m.
Laredo United South at McAllen High, 6 p.m.
Harlingen South at PSJA Memorial, 6:30 p.m.
Los Fresnos at PSJA High, 7 p.m.
Edinburg North at Brownsville Rivera, 7 p.m. (Sams Stadium)
Laredo United at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 7 p.m.
McAllen Rowe vs. San Antonio Southwest at Laredo, 7 p.m. (Student Activity Complex)
Class 5A Bi-District
Brownsville Pace vs. Laredo Martin at Corpus Christi, 6 p.m. (Cabaniss Field)
Donna North vs. Roma at Rio Grande City, 7 p.m. (Barrera Middle School)
Brownsville Porter at Sharyland Pioneer, 7:30 p.m.
Class 4A Bi-District
Edinburg IDEA Quest at Port Isabel, 6 p.m.
Lyford at Hidalgo, 6 p.m.
Rio Hondo vs. Grulla at Donna High, 6 p.m. (Bennie LaPrade Stadium)
Progreso at La Feria, 6 p.m.

Friday, March 30
Class 4A Bi-District
Brownsville Veterans at Sharyland High, 7 p.m.

Valley’s Best and Mythical Standings for March 31, 2018
Team Standings
Boys – 1, Harlingen High 55.5; 2, Mission High, 54; 3, Harlingen South, 49; 4, Sharyland Pioneer, 48.5; 5, McAllen Memorial, 46.75; 6, Edinburg Economedes, 46; 7, PSJA High, 40; 8, La Joya High, 28; 9, McAllen High, 26.75; 10, Weslaco High, 24.75
Girls – 1, La Joya Palmview 102, 2, Weslaco High, 90; 3, McAllen High, 86; 4, Los Fresnos, 41; 5, Harlingen High, 40; 6, Edinburg Economedes, 28; 7, Edinburg IDEA Quest, 24; 8, Mission Veterans, 23.5; 9, Edcouch-Elsa, 20; 10, McAllen Rowe, 19.5

Boys
Individual Standings
All Times Fully Automatic
100-meter dash – 1, Jose Garcia, Harlingen High, 10.69; 2, Gunnar Henderson, McAllen High, 10.87; 3, Alex Cordova, 10.94; 4, Nico Valencia, Los Fresnos, 11.01; 5, Isaac Ambriz, Los Fresnos, 11.02; 6, Pedro Luna, Harlingen High, 11.03
200-meter dash – 1, Alex Cordova; Mission High, 21.94; 2, Miguel Flores, PSJA High, 22.24; 3, Crestony Martinez, Harlingen South, 22.34; 4, Gunnar Henderson, McAllen High, 22.64; 4, Diego Perez, Sharyland Pioneer, 22.64; 4, Alex Garza, Weslaco High, 22.64; 4, Alexis Gonzalez, La Joya Palmview, 22.64
400-meter dash – 1, Jose Andrade, PSJA High, 49.64; 2, Cosme Ibarra, Donna High, 50.19; 3, Max Carmona, Brownsville Veterans, 50.46; 4, Daniel Mireles, Sharyland Pioneer, 50.54; 5, Alex Cordova, Mission High, 50.74; 6, Alejandro Rodriguez, McAllen High, 50.78
800-meter run – 1, Art Benavidez, Harlingen High, 1:57.65; 2, Reyes Rodriguez, La Feria, 1;57.82; 3, Max Carmona, Brownsville Veterans, 1:57.88; 4, Felix Perez, Mission High, 1:58.44; 5, Paco Rodriguez, McAllen High, 1:59.07; 6, Antonio Sanchez, Weslaco High, 1:59.14
1600-meter run – 1, Cruz Gomez, PSJA Memorial, 4:16.26; 2, Dominic Cavazos, Mercedes, 4:20.23; 3, Tristan Pena, Edinburg North, 4:24.81; 4, Evan Williams, McAllen Memorial, 4:25.31; 5, Everardo Esparza, Progresso, 4:26.19; 6, Art Benavides, Harlingen High, 4:26.27
3200-meter run – 1, Cruz Gomez, PSJA Memorial, 9:24.80; 2, Dominic Cavazos, Mercedes, 9:36.06; 3, Tristan Pena, Edinburg North, 9:38.48; 4, Trevor Willliams, 9:43.86; 5, Lupe Reyes, Mercedes, 9:45.17; 6, Everardo Esparza, Progresso, 9:45.64
110-meter hurdles – 1, Sean Skaugen, McAllen Memorial, 14.68; 2, Michael Landovazo, Sharyland Pioneer, 14.72; 3, Kyle Marroquin, Edinburg Economedes, 14.74; 4, Nitia Duran, Harlingen South, 15.14; 5, Jonathan Larson, McAllen Memorial, 15.20; 5, Roel Renterria, Harlingen High, 15.33
300-meter hurdles – 1, Roel Renterria, Harlingen High, 38.37; 2, Gunnar Henderson, McAllen High, 38.62; 3, Sean Skaugen, McAllen Memorial, 39.75; 4, Michael Landovazo, Sharyland Pioneer, 39.84; 5, Alex Ayala, Santa Rosa, 40.20; 6, Samuel Mata, Valley View, 40.32
400-meter relay – 1, McAllen Memorial, 43.05; 2, Harlingen High, 43.18; 3, Roma, 43.34; 4, Weslaco East, 43.42; 5, Brownsville Rivera, 43.44; 6, St. Joseph Academy, 43.62
800-meter relay – 1, Mission High, 1:29.94; 2, PSJA High, 1:30.14; 3, Weslaco High, 1:30.32; 4, La Joya High, 1:30.44; 5, Edinburg Economedes, 1:30.95; 6, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 1:31.06
1600-meter relay – 1, Sharyland Pioneer, 3:24.84; 2, La Joya High, 3:25.04; 3, Mission High, 3:26.24; 4, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 3:26.68; 5, PSJA High, 3::27.20; 6, Brownsville Rivera, 3:27.24
Field Events
Shot put – 1, Andrew Ott, Harlingen South, 58-05.5; 2, Diego Trevino, PSJA Southwest, 57-09; 3, Johnny Howell, Sharyland Pioneer, 56-08; 4, Alex Rodriguez, La Joya High, 53-09.5; 5, Raul Cantu, McAllen High, 53-08; 6, Chase Harrell, Harlingen South, 53-07;
Discus – 1, Sky Tatum, Harlingen South, 181-05; 2, Andres Bodden, Brownsville Veterans, 170-04; 3, Benjamin Ruiz, Harlingen South, 166-11; 4, Johnny Howell, Sharyland Pioneer, 164-08; 5, Rey Salazar, Brownsville Veterans, 160-06; 6, Jorge Ayala, Edinburg High, 157-03
Long jump – 1, Gustavo Vasquez, Edinburg Economedes, 22-01; 2, Kai Money, Brownsville St. Joseph, 22-0; 3, Pete Segura, Edinburg Economedes, 21-10; 4, Abelardo Lopez, Rio Grande City, 21-7; 5, Julian Trevino, La Feria, 21-06.5; 6, Pedra Luna, 21-06; 6, Ryland Olguin, Edinburg Vela, 21-06
Triple jump – 1, Gustavo Vasquez, Edinburg Economedes, 46-04.5; 2, Blake Klein, Sharyland High, 44-06.5; 3, Abelardo Lopez, Rio Grande City, 44-00.5; 4, Jose Zaratre, Brownsville Veterans, 43-04.5; 5, Leo Cantu, Mission Veterans, 43-03; 6, Victor Segovia, Edinburg Vela, 43-00.5
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, Parket Barrett, Sharyland Pioneer, 6-02; Noah Trevino, 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, 15-00; 4, Josiah Martinez, McAllen High, 14-06; 5, Derek Barrios, PSJA Memorial, 14-0; 5, Carlos Guerrero, Edcouch-Elsa, 14-0

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 South, 12.29; 4, Jacqueline Mora, Brownsville Hanna, 12.52; 5, Daniela Muniz, Rio Grande City, 12.73; 6, Jasmine Flores, Mercedes, 12.74
200-meter dash – 1, Mariana Hernandez, La Joya Palmview, 25.54; 2, Luisa Cruz, Los Fresnos, 25.55; 3, Merary Garza, Grulla, 25.47; 4, Sophia Ramirez, Edinburg Vela, 25.84; 5, Mallory Grannum, Harlingen South, 26.19; 6, Alyssa Guana, Mission High, 26.24
400-meter dash – 1, Valery Tobias, Edinburg IDEA Quest, 58.61; 2, Yazmine Martinez, Harlingen High, 58.67; 3, Eleanor Arndt, Weslaco High, 59.25; 4, Anna Martinez, McAllen High, 59.84; 5, Aniel Aguero, Brownsville Hanna, 1:00.61; 6, Auden Pineda, Brownsville Hanna, 1:00.64; 6, Karla Chapa, La Joya Palmview, 1:00.64
800-meter run — 1, Bailey Villalon, La Joya Palmview, 2:18.84; 2, Valery Tobias, Edinburg IDEA Quest, 2:21.23; 3, Aaliyah Garza, Weslaco High, 2:21.32; 4, Robbie Sue Espericueta, La Villa, 2:23.68; 5, Vanessa Cerda, Edcouch-Elsa, 2:24.20; 6, Lilliana Perez, Edinbrug Vela, 2:24.65
1600-meter run — 1, Brianna Robles, La Joya Palmview, 5:09.70; 2, Bailey Villalon, La Joya Palmview, 5:18.44; 3, Valeria Diaz, Sharyland High, 5:23.04; 4, Andrea De La Rosa, Brownsville Rivera, 5:25.91; 5, Robbie Sue Espericueta, La Villa, 5:26.39; 6, Dariana Vasquez, La Feria, 5:26.44
3200-meter run — 1, Brianna Robles, La Joya Palmview, 11:10.94; 2, Valeria Diaz, Sharyland High, 11:22.10; 3, Alanah Moreno, McAllen High, 11:42.96; 4, Andrea De La Rosa, 11:46.04; 5, Lizbett Rivera, Progreso, 11:51.64; 6, Tessie Garcia, Weslaco East, 11:51.79
100-meter hurdles — 1, Aniah Chaleff-Reyna, McAllen High, 15.21; 2, Brianna Alex, Los Fresnos, 15.36; 3, Ana Calderon, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 15.74; 4, Gabriella Solis, Edinburg Vela, 16.04; 4, Zoe Flores, McAllen High, 16.04; 6, Andrea Munguia, McAllen Memorial, 16.34
300-meter hurdles — 1, Jasmyn Tulloch, Harlingen High, 46.51; 2, Aniah Chaleff-Reyna, McAllen High, 46.90; 3, Lisamarie Sanchez, Weslaco High, 47.63; 4, Zoe Flores, McAllen High, 47.65; 5, Brianna Alex, Los Fresnos, 47.78; 6, Caleigh Hausenfluck, Sharyland High, 48.04
400-meter relay — 1, McAllen High, 49.52; 2, La Joya Palmview, 49.63; 3, Weslaco High, 50.16; 4, San Benito, 50.34; 5, Brownsville Hanna, 50.45; 6, Edinburg Economedes, 50.84
800-meter relay — 1, Weslaco High, 1:44.28; 2, La Joya Palmview, 1:44.75; 3, McAllen High, 1:46.51; 4, Los Fresnos, 1:47.34; 5, Brownsville Hanna, 1:48.84; 6, McAllen Memorial, 1:48.74
1600-meter relay — 1, Weslaco High, 4:00.99; 2, Harlingen High, 4:05.42; 3, La Joya Palmview, 4:05.42; 4, Mission Veterans, 4:08.24; 5, Edcouch-Elsa, 4:09.04; 6, McAllen Memorial, 4:10.97
Field Events
Shot put — 1, Brittany Cantu, Edinburg Economedes, 38-04; 2, Charlee Salinas, Mission Veterans, 37-01; 3, Jacqueline Mendoza, McAllen Rowe, 36-09.5; 4, Iesha Garcia, Rio Grande City, 36-09; 5, MacKenize Contreras, Edcouch-Elsa, 36-08.5; 6, Abigal Flores, Grulla, 36-08
Discus — 1, Abigal Flores, Grulla, 148-03; 2 Brittany Cantu, Edinburg Economedes, 137-05; 3, Ciera Gonzalez, Weslaco High, 137-03; 4, Diana Bustos, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 130-04; 5, Daizy Monie, Sharyland Pioneer, 128-0; 6, Lorena Rios, McAllen Rowe, 126-10.
Long Jump — 1, Eleanor Arndt, Weslaco High, 18-05.25; 2, Bryssa Guzman, Weslaco East, 17-05; 2, Nichole Mora, Los Fresnos, 17-05; 4, Melody Magee, McAllen High, 17-04; 5, Shana Alvarado, Edcouch-Elsa 17-01.5; 6, Caleign Hausenfluck, Sharyland High, 17-00.5
Triple Jump — 1, Jovanni Solis, McAllen Rowe, 37-01.5; 2, Monique Rodriguez, Edinburg Economedes, 36-06; 3, Bryssa Guzman, Weslaco East, 35-09.75; 4, Elenaor Arndt, Weslaco High, 35-05; 5, Rebekah Schlatter, Brownsville Hanna, 35-03; 6, Charlize De La Garza, Mission Veterans, 35-02
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, 5-04; 5, Six tied at 5-02
Pole Vault — 1, Bianca Cardenas, Edcouch-Elsa, 12-03, 2, Victoria Barrios, PSJA Memorial, 10-06; 3, Sarah Solis, McAllen High, 10-0; 3, Michelle Ariana, PSJA Memorial, 10-0; 5, Kimberly Castro, PSJA North, 9-06; 5, Ashley Gonzalez, PSJA Memorial, 9-03; 5, Emerald Belmarez, Donna High, 9-06

T.J. GARCIA | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR

McALLEN — Like the nearby storms, McAllen Memorial threatened with its own thunder and lightning and dominated the match against visiting Laredo United.

But just like the dark clouds, the Mustangs never let it rain and frustratingly dropped their Class 6A bi-district playoff match to the Longhorns 2-1 on Wednesday night at Boxer Hernandez Stadium.

McAllen Memorial outplayed Laredo United in nearly every facet of the game — possession, set pieces, shots on goal and even defense. Except for the scoreboard, and that’s where it counts in the single elimination playoffs.

Still, first-year coach Amando Bautista was philosophical while acknowledging the Mustangs numerous close calls and inability to score despite controlling much of the game.

“What can I say? It was a tough loss at home. We beat these guys down the field, up-and-down, but unfortunately, the scoreboard doesn’t reflect that. But we’ll take it,” Bautista said. “Most of our guys are coming back. We’ll learn from this, and we’ll have a fighting chance next year, too.”

They definitely had a fighting chance Wednesday night. The game started with several great chances in the first half, including one just six minutes into the game. Memorial played against a strong wind in the first half and still put five shots on goal.

But United one-upped them when Alejandro Guerra scored at the 15:25 mark to put the Longhorns up 1-0. That margin carried into the break despite several close calls on both ends of the pitch. Outstanding play from both goalkeepers kept the scoring down.

In the second half, Memorial came out with a vengeance, slapping chance after chance at Laredo United goalie Dylan Rivas, but to no avail. The more than half dozen tries all went unanswered due to inaccurate services or shots, or saves by Rivas. Finally, with 2:30 left in the game, Memorial senior Javier Acosta tapped in a beauty over Rivas from the deep left side of the field.

But by that time, it was too little, too late. United was already up two goals thanks to the second- half score of senior Martell Martinez. The Longhorns simply ran out the remainder of time and the Mustangs’ season.

“We saw them play. We saw how we could break them, and that’s how we were breaking them easily. We just unfortunately couldn’t score,” junior forward Francisco Guerrero said. “I feel we can be better next year. Now we have playoff experience, and we can do this.”

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

PHARR — After a 12-0 loss in their first scrimmage of the season, the PSJA High Bears were determined to not let another year end like the last nine — outside of the playoff picture.

Fast forward almost four months, and the Bears are still practicing for a bi-district matchup against District 32-6A champion Los Fresnos.

First-year coach Michael Gomez didn’t let the long faces and deep sighs after the first exhibition stick around for too long. He didn’t want the progress in practice to be erased over what he said was a “wake-up call we needed.”
Tournament play was important for the team to pick up steam and take its bumps and bruises. A fourth-place finish in La Feria was the result of 2-1 losses in both the semifinal and third-place games.

The varsity sideline at PSJA has seen frequent turnover of head coaches. Juniors have played for three different coaches in three seasons. Leslie De La Cruz is one of those juniors who appreciates the continuity of the team under Gomez.

“This year, we’ve improved a lot over the last two years,” De La Cruz said. “This coach gave us so many drills. Everyone actually showed up every day to practice. We’ve improved from beginning to end (of the season) the conditioning, communicating with the team and just coming together as a team (on) game days and performing our best.”

By the Brownsville ISD tournament, the team was holding its own against tougher competition. The wins didn’t come against Brownsville Pace, Brownsville Rivera, Edinburg Vela or Edinburg Economedes, but the team shut out Rio Grande City and topped Laredo Alexander in penalty kicks.
The progress reached an important landmark during a 1-1 tie against Harlingen High — the same team that had thumped the Bears 12-0 in the first scrimmage.

By that point, the Bears’ goals had gotten bigger. Now, aims of winning more games and allowing less goals than last season turned into a real target of getting back into the playoffs.

Vannessa Rocha is a part of the senior group that jumped on the chance to reach a longtime goal.

“We had one thing in mind, and that was going to the playoffs and making sure we went,” Rocha said. “We’ve been wanting it since freshman year, so we strived to be better and to become a stronger team together. A successful one, too.”

Rocha has seen both wins and participation increase. With fuller rosters and a strong varsity team, enjoying the time around the game is easy.

“We have more bonding together, more becoming sisters, getting closer and everything,” Rocha said. “We know that we can count on (Gomez). We can bond with him and talk to him like, ‘Oh, sir, we don’t like this or that.’ And he tries to make plans for us so we can do it.”

Adjustments in tactics were evident in District 31-6A play, when the Bears were beating teams they had previously lost to in tournaments. They set the tone with a 5-0 win over PSJA Southwest.

The PSJA girls swept Economedes in district after losing to the Jaguars in the Brownsville tournament, then rebounded from a first-round loss against Edinburg High to earn a crucial win the second time through the schedule.

PSJA didn’t squeak into the playoffs. They were seven points clear of fifth-place EHS and five points behind PSJA Memorial.

Freshman goalie Brianna Baez will be called on in a major way against high-scoring Los Fresnos. Baez started as a defender on the junior varsity team but found her way onto the varsity roster once her coach found out she played keeper in middle school. Before long, she was the starting netminder.

“I’m proud of myself coming this far with the team,” Baez said. “Practicing with the team and playing on the team is a real honor, especially since I’m a freshman. I was really nervous at first, and the speed is much faster than JV dark.”

Maritza Capuchino is a junior participating in her first season of high-school soccer after playing club for two years. The attacking forward was happy to join a team that is reaching unfamiliar heights.

“I like it more, because this team didn’t progress, and I always wanted to help a high-school team progress more,” Capuchino said. “Now, they have an experience and an exciting moment, especially for the seniors that are leaving. I’m really excited, because we made it. We have an opportunity to advance and show everybody we’re a good school.”

Bryana Palomin came from PSJA Southwest along with her father — an assistant coach — and has been a key figure in the offense.

She complimented her fellow attacking teammates for their speed and unselfish play. Even with multiple skilled forwards, Palomin says the Bears never have issues with egos or concerns over who puts the ball in the net.

“We don’t really care who scores,” Palomin said. “At the end of the game, it’s going to be Bears this many, opponent this many.”

One of the few members of the team who does remember a Bears playoff run is junior Sydney Escobar. She watched her sister Abby score in the playoffs for the 2008 team, which reached the regional semifinals. Now, another Escobar in maroon and white paces her team in goals with nine.

“Ten years ago, my sister was the last class that made it to the playoffs,” Escobar said. “I saw that she scored the winning goal to make it to area. It’s really good following my sister’s footsteps. We all worked our butts off. It’s a good experience being here.”

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NATHANIEL MATA | THE MONITOR

McALLEN — La Joya High got to business early in Tuesday’s District 30-6A game against McAllen Rowe, winning 11-5 after scoring five runs during the first two innings.

The first inning was an adventure for both pitchers, but only La Joya High (4-1) made the opposing team pay big, getting to Rowe (2-3) starting pitcher Zach Perez for three runs in the first frame.

Julian Castillo was a key offensive threat for the visiting Coyotes, picking up three RBIs in his first two plate appearances and adding a fourth later in the game.

“Lately, I haven’t been to the best of my game, but today I just came with a different mindset to hit the ball hard,” Castillo said after the win. “It helps out the pitcher. As a pitcher speaking myself, it gives you confidence, and you know it lets you play the best of your ability.”

Castillo, who played first base on Tuesday, knows from experience the importance of giving his starting pitcher an early cushion.

After Castillo hit a two-run double, designated hitter Adan Garcia knocked in Castillo to put three on the board in the top of the first.

La Joya’s Jonathan Martinez allowed six batters to reach the plate in Rowe’s first inning, but only one of them came around to score.

The run was manufactured when Rowe’s C.J. Hernandez followed a walk with a double to the fence. Still, the inning could have cost La Joya more runs, but a strikeout and a fly ball ended the threat.

“At the beginning, I was a little bit, not nervous, but I wasn’t really trusting my defense, but then they started making plays, and I just got comfortable on the mound,” Martinez said. “It was the defense that helped me a lot to throw strikes.”

Castillo and Martinez had back-to-back hits and RBIs in the top of the second as La Joya built a 5-1 lead.

“We practice all week about staying disciplined at the plate, looking for the right pitch we can drive, and the kids did excellent,” La Joya coach Mario Flores said.

La Joya got hitting from up and down its lineup throughout the night, totaling 13 hits against Warriors pitching.

While Rowe showed signs of life again during its half of the third inning, the rally produced only one run. Hernandez again made solid contact with power to put himself at second base. Jonas Ortiz hit him home.

La Joya’s defense was on full display in the bottom of the fourth, when second baseman Ray Alaniz caught a line drive and touched the bag to retire the side.

Castillo added another RBI in Ortiz’s first inning of relief to complete his stellar 3-for-3 night at the plate. He reached base five times, including his two walks.

“Castillo is one of the guys that every time we’re in the cages, he takes everything seriously,” Flores said. “And every swing in the cage, he tries to drive it, and you saw that today.”

Martinez settled down to strike out six Warriors and only allow two of Rowe’s five runs.

Rowe couldn’t mirror La Joya’s sharp play in the field. On separate occasions with two outs, an error extended the inning. One of those errors turned into runs for the Coyotes.

Balanced hitting throughout the lineup is another area Flores preaches to his team.

“If our top of the lineup can’t hit, the bottom lineup has to do their job and pick them up,” Flores said. “Today was one of those games that if one didn’t hit, the next one did. I think we were very selective about our hitting.”

La Joya third basemen Anthony Peña hammered a two-run triple to score Jake Moreno and J.R. Rodriguez, pushing the lead to 8-2. The Coyotes further extended that lead after Rowe’s second pitching change. A ground ball hit by Elias Morales to shortstop Trey Prado turned into another error and two runs scoring.

Rowe put together a late rally but not enough to make a serious dent in the Coyotes lead. Perez, Prado and Richard Polanco drove in runs for the Warriors during the bottom of the seventh.

Even with the one-sided victory, Flores was sure to push his team to not allow late runs.

“Toward the end, we got a little bit too comfortable, and I was trying to get on them, trying to let them finish the game,” Flores said.

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VALLEY HS TRACK AND FIELD RESULTS
Meet of Champions Finals
Saturday, March 24
At Bobby Lackey Stadium, Weslaco

Girls 100 Meter Dash Varsity Finals
1, Cruz, Luisa, Los Fresnos, 12.39. 2, Martinez, Yazmine, Harlingen High, 12.55. 3, Muniz, Daniella, Rio Grande City, 12.73. 4, Flores, Jazmine, Mercedes, 12.74. 5, Mora, Jacqueline, Brownsville Hanna, 12.81. 6, Hartman, Natasha, Harlingen South, 12.96. 7, Alamillo, Carolina, Grulla, 13.46.
Girls 200 Meter Dash Varsity
1, Hernandez, Mariana, La Joya Palmview, 25.49. 2, Cruz, Luisa, Los Fresnos, 25.55. 3, Ramirez, Sophia, Edinburg Vela, 26.15. 4, Grannum, Mellory, Harlingen South, 26.19. 5, De la Garza, Charlize, Mission Veterans, 26.86. 6, Garza, Merary, Grulla, 26.89. 7, Trevino, Nicole, Progreso, 28.77.
Girls 400 Meter Dash Varsity
1, Tobias, Valery, Edinburg IDEA Quest, 58.61. 2, Martinez, Yazmine, Harlingen High, 58.67. 3, Arndt, Eleanor, Weslaco High, 59.88. 4, Martinez, Anna, McAllen High, 1:00.30. 5, Aguero, Aniel, Brownsville Hanna, 1:01.83. 6, Garcia, Julissa, Santa Maria, 1:03.79. 7, Medellin, Estrella, Porter, 1:04.28.
Girls 800 Meter Run Varsity
1, Villalon, Bailey, La Joya Palmview, 2:19.57. 2, Tobia, Valery, Edinburg IDEA Quest, 2:23.89. 3, Perez, Liliana, Edinburg Vela, 2:24.65. 4, Henderson, Macy, McAllen Memorial, 2:24.89. 5, Espericueta, Robbie Sue, La Villa, 2:26.77. 6, Cerda, Vanessa, Edcouch-Elsa, 2:27.30. 7, Diaz, Marielena, Weslaco East, 2:29.41. 8, Ramirez, Yalina, McAllen Rowe, 2:29.72.
Girls 1600 Meter Run Varsity
1, Robles, Brianna, La Joya Palmview, 5:09.70. 2, Diaz, Valeria, Sharyland High, 5:24.27. 3, De La Rosa, Andrea, Brownsville Rivera, 5:28.81. 4, Vasquez, Darianna, La Feria, 5:29.19. 5, Brownsville Rivera, Lizbett, Progreso, 5:32.85. 6, Hernandez, Ana, Sharyland Pioneer, 5:34.37. 7, Garcia, Sabrina, Brownsville IDEA Frontier, 5:34.51. 8, Espericueta, Robbie Sue, La Villa, 5:34.52.
Girls 3200 Meter Run Varsity
1, Robles, Brianna, La Joya Palmview, 11:10.94. 2, Diaz, Valeria, Sharyland High, 11:39.01. 3, Vasquez, Darianna, La Feria, 11:52.65. 4, De La Rosa, Andrea, Brownsville Rivera, 12:03.56. 5, Garcia, Sabrina, Brownsville IDEA Frontier, 12:15.32. 6, Brownsville Rivera, Lizbett, Progreso, 12:16.90. 7, Rangel, Jasmine, Rio Hondo, 12:23.01. 8, Longoria, Destinee, Weslaco High, 12:23.01.
Girls 100 Meter Hurdles Varsity
1, Chaleff-Reyna, Aniah, McAllen High, 15.21. 2, Alex, Brianna, Los Fresnos, 15.40. 3, Calderon, Ana, Juarez-Linc, 16.04. 4, Garza, Idani, Rio Grande City, 16.50. 5, Munguia, Andrea, McAllen Memorial, 16.70. 6, Rodriguez, Cleo, La Feria, 17.38. 7, Garcia, Jacqueline, Hidalgo, 18.12.
Girls 300 Meter Hurdles Varsity
1, Tulloch, Jasmyn, Harlingen High, 46.51. 2, Chaleff-Reyna, Aniah, McAllen High, 46.90. 3, Alex, Brianna, Los Fresnos, 47.78. 4, Sanchez, Lisamarie, Weslaco High, 47.80. 5, Zarate, Jessica, Sharyland Pioneer, 49.57. 6, Gomez, Ava, Port Isabel, 49.96. 7, Hernandez, Miranda, Raymondville, 50.36.
Girls 4×100 Meter Relay Varsity
1, La Joya Palmview ‘A’ (Gomez, Yoko , Hernandez, Mariana , Pecina, Damaris , Cano, Brittany ), 49.63. 2, Weslaco ‘A’ (Martinez, Jenna , Arndt, Eleanor , Barrera, Chantel , Ebarb, Amity ), 50.34. 3, Brownsville Brownsville Hanna ‘A’ (Badiola, Valeria , Garcia, Marina , Aguero, Aniel , Mora, Jacqueline ), 50.50. 4, McAllen High ‘A’ (Chaleff-Reyna, Aniah , Martinez, Anna , Henderson, Westyn , Soto, Sofia ), 50.50. 5, Edcouch-Elsa ‘A’ (Cavazos, Amethyst , Alvarado, Shana , Alvarado, Briana , Cardenas, Bianca ), 51.91. 6, Mission Sharyland High ‘A’ (Espinosa, Andrea , Deandar, Heaven , Pina, Kasandra , Hausenfluck, Caleigh ), 52.30. 7, La Feria ‘A’ (Rekward, Lauren , Rodriguez, Cleo , Lozano, Hailee , De La Fuente, Odalys ), 53.25. 8, Rio Hondo ‘A’ (Martinez, Natalie , Rodriguez, Rabecca , Cruz, Bianca , Alvarado, Abbie ), 54.02.
Girls 4×200 Meter Relay Varsity
1, Weslaco High ‘A’ (Martinez, Jenna , Sanchez, Lisamarie , Barrera, Chantel , Ebarb, Amity ), 1:44.28. 2, La Joya Palmview ‘A’ (Gomez, Yoko , Pecina, Damaris , Lozano, Priscilla , Cano, Brianna ), 1:44.75. 3, Los Fresnos ‘A’ (Gamez, Niomi , Garcia, Kameron , Garcia, Kylie , Cruz, Luisa ), 1:47.34. 4, McAllen High ‘A’ (Soto, Sofia , Kelly, Brownsville Hannah , Magee, Melody , Henderson, Westyn ), 1:48.48. 5, Brownsville Veterans Memorial ‘A’ (Davila, carolina , Leal, Giovana , Tostado, Mariana , Toledo, Alondra ), 1:48.90. 6, Edcouch-Elsa ‘A’ (Cardenas, Bianca , Alvarado, Shana , Segovia, Marisol , Alvarado, Briana ), 1:50.79. 7, Rio Grande City Grulla ‘A’ (Cantu, Karina , De La Rosa, Kaylyn , Garza, Merary , Alamillo, Carolina ), 1:51.99. 8, Edinburg IDEA Quest ‘A’ (Martinez,
Karina , Tobias, Valery , Nunez, Kendra , Salas, Alexia ), 1:54.41.
Girls 4×400 Meter Relay Varsity
1, Weslaco High ‘A’ (Nguyen, Victoria , Arndt, Eleanor , Sanchez, Lisamarie , Ebarb, Amity ), 4:00.99. 2, Harlingen ‘A’ (Sanchez, Desiree , Tulloch, Jasmyn , Kattan, Kirsten , Martinez, Yazmine ), 4:05.42. 3, La Joya Palmview ‘A’ (Gomez, Yoko , Chapa, Karla , Cano, Brittany , Villalon, Bailey ), 4:05.44. 4, Mission Veterans Memorial ‘A’ (Edinburg Vela, Nyla , De la garza, Charlize , Sanchez, Lizeth , Torres, Stephanie ), 4:08.24. 5, McAllen Memorial ‘A’ (Deleon, Katherine , Marburger, Sydney , Henderson, Macy , Prado, Jennifer ), 4:10.97. 6, Edcouch-Elsa ‘A’ (Cerda, Vanessa , Lee, Jayda , Segovia, Marisol , Alvarado, Shana ), 4:16.53. 7, La Feria ‘A’ (Rodriguez, Annabelle , Cortez, Esmeralda , Rodriguez, Analiza , De La Fuente, Odalys ), 4:21.12. 8, Rio Grande City Grulla ‘A’ (De La Rosa, Kaylyn , Gutierrez, Marlynn , Resendez, Stephanie , Guetierrez, Valerie ), 4:25.97.
Girls High Jump Varsity
1, Kelly, Brownsville Hanna, McAllen High, 5-04. 2, Tobias, Valery, Edinburg IDEA Quest, 5-03. 3, De la Garza, Charlize, Mission Veterans, 5-00. 4, Villarreal, Isabella, Edinburg Vela, 4-10. 5, Porter, Tera, PSJA Memorial, J4-10. 6, Rodriguez, Annelle, Harlingen South, J4-10. 7, Ramos, Rebecca, Port Isabel, J4-10. 8, Garcia, Zyra, Mercedes, J4-10.
Girls Pole Vault Varsity
1, Cardenas, Bianca, Edcouch-Elsa, 12-02. 2, Barrios, Victoria, PSJA Memorial, 10-06. 3, Aranda, Michele, PSJA High, 10-00. 4, Solis, Sarah, McAllen High, J10-00. 5, Gonzalez, Ashley, PSJA Memorial, 9-06. 6, Belmarez, Emerald, Donna, J9-06. 7, Gloor, Camryn, Brownsville St Joseph, 9-00. 8, Trevino, Marilyn, Rio Hondo, J9-00.
Girls Long Jump Varsity
1, Arndt, Eleanor, Weslaco High, 18-00. 2, Guzman, Bryssa, Weslaco East, 17-05. 3, Alvarado, Shana, Edcouch-Elsa, 16-06. 4, Alaniz, Jackelyn, McAllen Rowe, 16-02. 5, Hausenfluck, Caleigh, Sharyland High, 16-01. 6, Martinez, Yazmine, Harlingen High, 15-10. 7, Mora, Nichole, Los Fresnos, 15-07. 8, Zamora, Ilanie, Raymondville, 14-05.
Girls Triple Jump Varsity
1, Solis, Jovanni, McAllen Rowe, 36-04.50. 2, Alaniz, Jackelyn, McAllen Rowe, 35-03.50. 3, De la Garza, Charlize, Mission Veterans, 34-09.50. 4, Trevino, Stephanie, Monte Alto, 34-02. 5, Sanchez, Lisamarie, Weslaco High, 34-01. 6, Deandar, Heaven, Sharyland High, 33-10.25. 7, Alamillo, Carolina, Grulla, 31-10.
Girls Shot Put Varsity
1, Salinas, Charlee, Mission Veterans, 37-01. 2, Flores, Abigail, Grulla, 36-08. 3, Cantu, Brittany, Edinburg Economedes, 36-07. 4, Gonzalez, Ciera, Weslaco High, 35-10. 5, Contreras, Mackenzie, Edcouch-Elsa, 35-07. 6, Sanchez, Brianna, Edinburg, 34-05. 7, De La Cruz, Zelyn, La Feria, 32-03.50. 8, Rios, Lorena, McAllen Rowe, 31-08.50.
Girls Discus Throw Varsity
1, Flores, Abigail, Grulla, 148-03. 2, Cantu, Brittany, Edinburg Economedes, 137-02. 3, Gonzalez, Ciera, Weslaco High, 135-07. 4, Rios, Lorena, McAllen Rowe, 124-11. 5, Soto, Natalia, Donna North, 117-02. 6, Lozano, Heaven, Psja North, 115-03. 7, Rangel, Ashley, Lyford, 109-10. 8, Ruiz-Balli, Esmeralda, Pace, 103-04.
Boys 100 Meter Dash Varsity
1, Henderson, Gunnar, McAllen High, 10.90. 2, Valencia, Nico, Los Fresnos, 11.01. 3, Garcia, Jose, Harlingen High, 11.11. 4, Gonzalez, Alexis, La Joya Palmview, 11.13. 5, Sandoval, Matthew, Porter, 11.44. 6, Rosales, Jacob, Sharyland Pioneer, 11.49. 7, Alas-Mesa, Jose, Rio Hondo, 11.62. 8, Aguilera, Cesar, Port Isabel, 11.68.
Boys 200 Meter Dash Varsity
1, Cordova, Alex, Mission High, 22.42. 2, Martinez, Crestony, Harlingen South, 22.80. 3, Padilla, Ethan, La Feria, 22.93. 4, Ledesma, Mathew, Mercedes, 23.13. 5, Perez, Diego, Sharyland Pioneer, 23.17. 6, Ambriz, Isaac, Los Fresnos, 23.28. 7, Moncada, Rodolfo, La Joya High, 23.35. 8, Mendez-Diaz, Jose, Santa Rosa, 23.67.
Boys 400 Meter Dash Varsity
1, Andrade, Jose, PSJA High, 49.48. 2, Ibarra, Cosme, Donna, 50.19. 3, Rodriguez,
Alejandro, McAllen High, 50.78. 4, Mireles, Daniel, Sharyland Pioneer, 51.16. 5, Guzman,
Eddie, Edinburg Vela, 51.23. 6, Martinez, Crestony, Harlingen South, 51.51. 7, Garza, Axel, Grulla, 52.44. 8, Shrewsberry, Shawn, Port Isabel, 52.73.
Boys 800 Meter Run Varsity
1, Benavides, Art, Harlingen High, 1:57.65. 2, Rodriguez, Reyes, La Feria, 1:57.82. 3, Carmona, Max, Brwn Vets, 1:57.88. 4, Rodriguez, Paco, McAllen High, 1:59.07. 5, Chapa, Ruben, Brownsville Rivera, 2:01.08. 6, Morales, Octavio, Sharyland Pioneer, 2:01.45. 7, Botello, Santos, La Feria, 2:01.71. 8, Herrera, Brandon, Donna North, 2:02.97.
Boys 1600 Meter Run Varsity
1, Gomez, Cruz, PSJA Memorial, 4:19.59. 2, Cavazos, Dominic, Mercedes, 4:20.23. 3, Pena, Tristian, Edin North, 4:24.81. 4, Williams, Evan, McAllen Memorial, 4:25.31. 5, Esparza, Everardo, Progreso, 4:26.19. 6, Benavides, Art, Harlingen High, 4:26.27. 7, Rodriguez, Reyes, La Feria, 4:27.77. 8, Fuentes, Julian, Mercedes, 4:35.63.
Boys 3200 Meter Run Varsity
1, Gomez, Cruz, PSJA Memorial, 9:28.70. 2, Pena, Tristian, Edin North, 9:43.65. 3, Williams, Trevor, McAllen Memorial, 9:43.86. 4, Esparza, Everardo, Progreso, 9:45.63. 5, Pena, Leo, Brownsville Hanna, 9:45.97. 6, Nino, Jeremy, Edinburg Vela, 9:47.07. 7, Castro, Marco, Mission High, 9:55.92. 8, Williams, Evan, McAllen Memorial, 10:00.15.
Boys 110 Meter Hurdles Varsity
1, Skaugen, Sean, McAllen Memorial, 14.68. 2, Landovazo, Michael, Sharyland Pioneer, 14.72. 3, Marroquin, Kyle, Edinburg Economedes, 14.90. 4, Renterria, Roel, Harlingen High, 15.33. 5, Silva, Aiden, Lyford, 15.50. 6, Garza, Mauricio, Brwn Vets, 15.94. 7, Martinez, Josiah, McAllen High, 16.06. 8, Solis, Jay, Grulla, 17.11.
Boys 300 Meter Hurdles Varsity
1, Renterria, Roel, Harlingen High, 38.37. 2, Henderson, Gunnar, McAllen High, 38.62. 3, Skaugen, Sean, McAllen Memorial, 39.75. 4, Ayala, Alex, Santa Rosa, 40.20. 5, Landovazo, Michael, Sharyland Pioneer, 40.27. 6, Mata, Samuel, Valley View, 40.89. 7, Conde, Manuel, Harlingen High, 41.13. 8, Hernandez, Darius, La Feria, 44.12.
Boys 4×100 Meter Relay Varsity
1, Brownsville Brownsville Rivera ‘A’ (Smith, Quintae , Lucio, Jesus , Limon, Danny , Tavares, Julian ), 43.79. 2, Weslaco East ‘A’ (Vargas, Juan Carlos , Muniz, Hector , Alvarado, Leo , Banuelos, Jamie ), 43.91. 3, Sharyland Sharyland Pioneer ‘A’ (Rosales, Jacob , Perez, Diego , Chavez, Kevin , Aubin, Jeff ), 44.27. 4, La Feria ‘A’ (Padilla, Ethan , Alegria, Eric , Hernandez, Darius , Trevino, Julian ), 44.51. 5, Santa Rosa ‘A’ (Mesa, Ryan , Bentley, Robert , Mendez-Diaz, Jose , Ayala, Alex ), 44.53. 6, San Benito ‘A’ (Rodriguez, Marco , Morales, Marcelino , Trevino, Isaiah , Benavidez, Imanol ), 44.54. 7, Rio Grande City ‘A’ (Reyna, Adolfo , Lambert, Izrael , Cobos, Elias , Lopez, Abelardo ), 44.67.
Boys 4×200 Meter Relay Varsity
1, Weslaco High ‘A’ (De Santiago, Matt , Sanchez, Luis , Gonzalez, Gabriel , Garza, Alex ), 1:30.32. 2, Mission High’A’ (Cordova, Alex , Lopez, Alex , Flores, Hector , Gonzalez, Sebastian ), 1:30.73. 3, Edinburg Economedes ‘A’ (Marroquin, Kyle , Rios, Domingo , Segura, Pete , Galvan, Ronnie ), 1:30.95. 4, La Joya ‘A’ (Moncada, Rodolfo , Del Bosque, Aaron , Milan, Jerry , Hernandez, Marc ), 1:31.35. 5, Mercedes ‘A’ (Cherisma, Wenslo , Ledesma, Marc , Ledesma, Mathew , Ortiz, Ramiro ), 1:32.39. 6, La Feria ‘A’ (Padilla, Ethan , Alegria, Eric , Hernandez, Darius , Trevino, Julian ), 1:32.86. 7, Brownsville Lopez ‘A’ (Pena, Jesus , Brownsville Rivera, Alejandro , Reyes, Christopher , Ramos, Leo ), 1:34.20. 8, Santa Rosa ‘A’ (Ayala, Alex , Mesa, Ryan , Mendez-Diaz, Jose , Bentley, Robert ), 1:34.59.
Boys 4×400 Meter Relay Varsity
1, Mission High ‘A’ (Samaniego, Jonathan , Cordova, Alex , Perez, Felix , Samaniego, Jason ), 3:25.82. 2, La Joya ‘A’ (Milan, Jerry , Camero, Nelson , Del Bosque, Aaron , Hernandez, Marc ), 3:26.58. 3, Sharyland High Sharyland Pioneer ‘A’ (Mireles, Daniel , Aranda, Franky , Salas, Diego , Morales, Octavio ), 3:26.58. 4, McAllen ‘A’ (Martinez, Robert , Henderson, Gunnar , Juarez, Carlos , Rodriguez, Alejandro ), 3:29.48. 5, Brownsville Brownsville Rivera ‘A’ (Lucio, Jesus , Hernandez, Hector , Limon, Danny , Tavares, Julian ), 3:30.94. 6, Mission Veterans Memorial ‘A’ (Trujillo, Alfredo , Gilpin, Landry , Vasquez, Eddie , Galvan, Alex ), 3:30.99. 7, Raymondville ‘A’ (Posas, Jacob , Castillo, Lester , Kafka, Derrick , Sandoval, Angel ), 3:35.47. 8, Port Isabel ‘A’ (Ramos, Juan , Suarez, Rogelio , Moctezuma, Jesus , Shrewsberry, Shawn ), 3:36.90.
Boys High Jump Varsity
1, Segura, Pete, Edinburg Economedes, 6-05. 2, Ramirez, Daniel, Harlingen High, 6-04. 3, Barrett, Parker, Sharyland Pioneer, 6-02. 4, Morales, Adrian, Harlingen South, J6-02. 5, Trevino, Noah, Edinburg Vela, J6-02. 6, Arthur, Caleb, Mercedes, 5-10. 7, Sanchez, Emanuel, La Feria, 5-08. 8, Edinburg Vela, Cayetano, Lyford, 5-06.
Boys Pole Vault Varsity
1, Zapata, Jon, Weslaco High, 15-07. 2, Ramirez, Marcus, Harlingen South, 14-06. 3, Guerrero, Carlos, Edcouch-Elsa, 14-00. 4, Salinas, Nathan, PSJA North, 13-06. 5, Solis, Adrian, Sharyland High, 13-00. 6, Barrios, Derek, PSJA Memorial, J13-00.
Boys Long Jump Varsity
1, Trevino, Julian, La Feria, 21-09.25. 2, Gonzalez, Sebastian, Mission High, 21-05. 3, Ledesma, Marc, Mercedes, 20-10. 4, Segura, Pete, Edinburg Economedes, 20-06. 5, Echavarria, Jose, Lopez, 20-04.25. 6, Quilantan, Eric, Harlingen High, 20-02. 7, Resendez, Mariano, La Joya High, 18-10.
Boys Triple Jump Varsity
1, Guajardo, Marco, PSJA High, 43-03.25. 2, Gonzalez, Gabriel, Weslaco High, 43-00.25. 3, Cantu, Leo, Mission Veterans, 42-07.75. 4, Segovia, Victor, Edinburg Vela, 42-04.50. 5, Zarate, Joey, Brwn Vets, 41-04.50. 6, Cerda, Samuel, Progreso, 40-11.75. 7, Gutierrez, Daniel, Raymondville, 40-11. 8, Morales, Adrian, Harlingen South, 40-05.50.
Boys Shot Put Varsity
1, Ott, Andrew, Harlingen South, 58-05.50. 2, Trevino, Diego, Psja SW, 57-05.50. 3, Howell, Johnny, Sharyland Pioneer, 56-08. 4, Harrell, Chase, Harlingen South, 52-08. 5, Cantu, Raul (Tito), McAllen High, 52-06.50. 6, Gomez, Jaime, Rio Grande City, 46-05. 7, Flores, Ben, Rio Hondo, 44-01. 8, Gallegos, Latrell, La Feria, 40-04.
Boys Discus Throw Varsity
1, Tatum, Sky, Harlingen South, 179-11. 2, Bodden, Andres, Brwn Vets, 165-11. 3,
Zolezzi, Pablo, St Joseph, 161-04. 4, Ruiz, Benjamin, Harlingen South, 153-08. 5,
Hernandez, Felix, Edinburg Vela, 149-00. 6, Pena, Mario, Rio Grande City, 146-11. 7, Huerta,
Orlando, PSJA High, 139-07. 8, Martinez, Joe, Monte Alto, 134-04.
Mixed 100 Meter Dash Wheelchair
1, Solis, Joe, Weslaco High, 19.31. 2, Swanson, Suzie, McAllen Memorial, 22.77.
Mixed 400 Meter Dash Wheelchair
1, Solis, Joe, Weslaco High, 1:09.64. 2, Swanson, Suzie, McAllen Memorial, 1:45.45.

NATHANIEL MATA | THE MONITOR

WESLACO — The Valley’s top track and field competitors convened Saturday at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco to show off their talents at the 43rd annual Meet of Champions.

Even with a four-decade history, two meet records fell on Saturday — one in the field events and another in the evening on the track.

Edcouch-Elsa pole vaulter Bianca Cardenas set herself apart from the competition and bested her 12-foot, 1-inch jump from a year ago by an inch to 12-02. She also challenged the RGV all-time vault record, setting the bar at 12-06 but failing to reach the mark.

The junior says she always aims higher for her supporters, who know she has a strong potential.

“I feel that people have expectations for me, so I feel like I have to meet their expectations,” Cardenas said. “So if I’m considered the Valley’s best, I want to show them I’m the Valley’s best. I do feel more consistent, because I’ve been working constantly to do what I have to do.”

Cardenas has been seeded first in the event since her 12-03 in February at the Rey Ramirez Relays in Rio Grande City.

Jon Zapata of Weslaco High enjoyed home cooking for a boys pole vault championship with a 15-07 gold-medal jump.

“I’ve been working real hard to get to the height that I’m at, but I’m still not satisfied,” Zapata said. “I still want to go 16-01 to break the Valley’s record. We don’t have a meet next week, so gotta practice, get prepared for state. Hopefully, (I) can come back with a medal.”

FAMILIAR DISTANCE RUNNERS PULL AWAY

PSJA Memorial’s Cruz Gomez and La Joya Palmview’s Brianna Robles were double winners in the distance events, setting the pace for the 3,200- and 1,600-meter runs.

Gomez showed why he’s one of the state’s best runners with a 3,200 pace of 9:23.70 — a new meet record and also his best time of the 2018 season. The Wolverines junior is looking to return to state and improve on his eighth-place finish as a freshman (9:27.62)

Brianna Robles ran a 5:09.70 in the 1,600 and a 11:10.95 in the 3,200. Both of those times stand as her season bests, and the Adams State commit says she’s getting back into a groove.

“This season I felt like I’ve had this barrier, and I felt I had been able to overcome that, so today I came with a purpose, and that was to try to cross that and run without fear, for once,” Robles said. “I stepped on the track and ran without fear, especially knowing I had the support of my family and the people that believe in me.”

The Lobos also had individual winners in Mariana Hernandez in the 200 dash with a 25.49 and Bailey Villalon in the 800 run with a time of 2:19.57.

Their 400 relay team came in first with a 49.64, edging out Weslaco High for the top spot.

The two teams faced off again in the 800 relay, with the Panthers narrowly beating the Lobos 1:44.28 to 1:44.75.

Weslaco High continued the relay momentum in the boys 800 race, with the Panthers (1:30.32) coming from behind to catch Edinburg Economedes (1:30.73) for the gold medal.

In the girls 800 run, two-time state champion Valery Tobias of Edinburg IDEA Quest took a spill near the start of the race before recovering for second place. A few races later, she showed she was unfazed, coming from behind for a dramatic victory in the 400 run.

“Everything happened so quick, so all I could think of was, ‘Get back up and try to finish with everything you can,’” Tobias said. “It wasn’t the result I wanted to get, but they all did so good, so they deserve the place they got. I was disappointed in myself, but I was determined to just come back and forget that happened.”

BLINK OF AN EYE

The sprint and hurdle events were electric. McAllen High’s Gunnar Henderson was an individual gold and silver medalist.

His gold came in the 100 dash with a time of 10.90. He also finished just behind Harlingen’s Roel Renteria in the 300 hurdles.

McAllen Memorial’s Sean Skaugen claimed gold in the 110 hurdles with a 14.68, just ahead of Pioneer’s Michael Landavazo (14.72).

Alex Cordova of Mission High finished his race as expected — as the fastest 200 runner in the Valley with a time of 22.42.

“I’ve been looking forward to this my entire life. Just keep on running,” Cordova said. “I love competition. I love running beside someone and someone pushing me at all times. If I don’t have that, I’ll imagine someone in front of me. I thank God every day, because that’s what keeps me going.”

In the girls short hurdles, Aniah Chaleff-Reyna of McAllen High earned first with a 15.21. She also earned silver in the 300 hurdles with a 46.90. Jasmyn Tulloch of Harlingen High was the champion with a 46.51.

Chaleff-Reyna’s 100 hurdles time was a personal best, and the junior said she hasn’t peaked just yet.

“It feels really good, because I haven’t done this well in this meet in my previous years and I just PR’d (set a personal record) right now, so it feels real good,” Chaleff-Reyna said. “It’s important, because after you peak, you don’t really go up from there. You just kind of go down.”

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