VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BOYS SOCCER POSTSEASON SCHEDULE

Thursday’s Games

Bi-district Round

Class 6A

Brownsville Hanna 3, Edinburg High 0

Donna North 3, San Benito 0

Class 5A

La Joya Palmview 2, Brownsville Porter 1

Brownsville Veterans 3, Sharyland Pioneer 0

Class 4A

Grulla 2, Port Isabel 1

VALLEY HS BOYS SOCCER BOX SCORES

Thursday’s Game

Bi-District

LA JOYA PALMVIEW 2,

BROWNSVILLE PORTER 1

La Joya Palmview – – — 2

Brownsville Porter – – — 1

LA JOYA PALMVIEW (2): Jonathan Delgado 2

Friday’s Games

Bi-district

Class 6A

Edinburg Economedes at Harlingen South, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Rivera vs. Edinburg North, at Edinburg’s Richard Flores Stadium, 7 p.m.

La Joya High vs. Laredo Alexander at Corpus Christi’s Bucanneer Stadium, 7 p.m.

Laredo United at McAllen Rowe, 7:30 p.m.

Laredo United South vs. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at La Joya ISD Stadium 7:30 p.m.

McAllen Memorial vs. Laredo LBJ at Laredo’s SAC, 7:30 p.m.

Bi-District Round Class 5A

Sharyland High at Brownsville Pace, at Sam’s Stadium, 7 p.m.

Class 4A

Hidalgo vs. Raymondville at La Feria, 6 p.m.

Progreso vs. Brownsville IDEA Frontier at Brownsville Spots Partk, 7 p.m.

Zapata at La Feria, 8 p.m.

Saturday’s Game

Bi-District 5A

Valley View vs Roma at Richard Thompson Stadium, 6 p.m.

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BOYS SOCCER POSTSEASON SCHEDULE

Thursday’s Games

Bi-district Round

Class 6A

Brownsville Hanna 3, Edinburg High 0

Donna North 3, San Benito 0

Class 5A

La Joya Palmview 2, Brownsville Porter 1

Brownsville Veterans 3, Sharyland Pioneer 0

Class 4A

Grulla 2, Port Isabel 1

VALLEY HS BOYS SOCCER BOX SCORES

Thursday’s Game

Bi-District

LA JOYA PALMVIEW 2,

BROWNSVILLE PORTER 1

La Joya Palmview – – — 2

Brownsville Porter – – — 1

LA JOYA PALMVIEW (2): Jonathan Delgado 2

Friday’s Games

Bi-district

Class 6A

Edinburg Economedes at Harlingen South, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Rivera vs. Edinburg North, at Edinburg’s Richard Flores Stadium, 7 p.m.

La Joya High vs. Laredo Alexander at Corpus Christi’s Bucanneer Stadium, 7 p.m.

Laredo United at McAllen Rowe, 7:30 p.m.

Laredo United South vs. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at La Joya ISD Stadium 7:30 p.m.

McAllen Memorial vs. Laredo LBJ at Laredo’s SAC, 7:30 p.m.

Bi-District Round Class 5A

Sharyland High at Brownsville Pace, at Sam’s Stadium, 7 p.m.

Class 4A

Hidalgo vs. Raymondville at La Feria, 6 p.m.

Progreso vs. Brownsville IDEA Frontier at Brownsville Spots Partk, 7 p.m.

Zapata at La Feria, 8 p.m.

Saturday’s Game

Bi-District 5A

Valley View vs Roma at Richard Thompson Stadium, 6 p.m.

BY NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

ROMA –Edcouch-Elsa was the slightly higher seed coming into Thursday’s bi-district matchup against Roma at Ramiro Barrera Middle School.

The Yellow Jackets needed just one goal and an enormous effort defensively to defeat the Gladiators 1-0 on a hostile pitch.

E-E, which finished second in District 32-5A, and Roma, third in 31-5A, had plenty of looks at the net and close calls, but the only goal came just after the midway point of the first half.

Speedy sophomore midfielder Vanessa Cerda, who was counted on from attack from the right side, made a run and sent a dangerous cross through Roma’s box.

Another Jackets sophomore, Teresa Gallegos, was on the receiving end of the pass with a header that nearly went in on the fly. Instead, she had to do some extra work to ensure her team scored first.

“I thought it was going to go in, but it hit the post,” Gallegos said. “So I got the rebound and I kicked it and it went in, and it felt really good. It was really exciting.”

For most of the first half, the Gladiators’ defenders did a solid job of collapsing on the ball carrier in times of pressure. But with 16:51 to play in the first, half Teresa Gallegos had enough space to control her own rebound without much resistance.

E-E had numerous chances to double its lead just before halftime. A Marissa Rangel shot beat Roma goalie Xiomara Garza in net, but her shot was denied by the crossbar.

Garza was strong all game, pouncing on bouncing balls across her area before Edcouch-Elsa could convert on crosses and corners.

Ari Cavazos, however, won the goaltender duel. She wasn’t extremely busy in net, but her best save came with 2:15 remaining in the first half.

She made a leaping save on Roma winger Julianna Moreno and had the presence of mind to rush at the loose ball and smack it away before a forward could reach the rebound.

“I just have to time them a lot,” Cavazos said. “It’s a lot of pressure, honestly, because once I save a ball then if it bounces back, they can have a shot. So I have to react really quick.”

Cavazos said when the first goal went in, she was hoping her team would score again for insurance but was prepared to shut the opposition down.

“I kind of hoped that we would get more goals, but I knew that we could hold them off,” Cavazos said. “We’ve had a lot of these games (in district play) and it has definitely helped us for these types of games.”

Roma put on the second-half push, but team captain Mayra Estrada had trouble connecting with her teammates even after she put on impressive individual displays to beat her markers.

With 35 minutes to play, Laritza Perez nearly had a clear-cut breakaway, but the Edcouch-Elsa defender was able to keep up and only give up a corner that her team was able to easily clear.

Just 10 minutes later, the Gladiators had their fans on the edge of their seats with two back-to-back chances that ended up off just off target.

“On the coaching side, we don’t wish this on anyone,” E-E coach Juan Romero said about the stress levels he felt on the sidelines. “It was crazy. We knew it was going to be a tight game. They’re a good team, very well-coached, very well-structured. We knew they had the attackers — Mayra and, of course, Julianna — excellent players.”

Edcouch-Elsa, which missed the playoffs by just one point last season, is one of the first teams in 2019 to advance to the area round. The Jackets will face Gregory-Portland, which cruised to an 8-0 bi-district win over Corpus Christi Ray on Thursday, in the area round.

“I hope this leads to the next game, which is a very tough matchup,” Romero said.

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BY NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — McAllen Rowe was 10 minutes away from breaking its playoff drought and qualifying for the 2018 postseason. Instead, McAllen Memorial scored a goal late in regulation to claim the final playoff spot and break Warrior hearts on their home turf.

This year, hard work — and a fortunate circumstance — were on the Warriors’ side and they found their way into the postseason field of four. Rowe will host District 29-6A champions Laredo United at 7:30 p.m Friday. Rowe’s girls also fought their way into the postseason, in the fourth spot as well, and will play prior to the boys at 5:30 p.m., also against Laredo United, at McAllen Rowe High School.

After Mission High’s team had wins reversed earlier this month, the door was opened for McAllen Rowe or PSJA North to claim the final spot and keep the Eagles out of the postseason. All three teams played at the same time against different opponents that were not in the playoff hunt.

The Raiders lost to McAllen High, which meant the Warriors were next in line. Even if Mission won and both teams tied in points, Rowe would advance on goal differential head-to-head.

The only thing standing in the way were the Memorial Mustangs, who had already qualified for the playoffs. Rowe wasn’t deterred, beating Memorial 3-2 on the road, holding on to the late lead to qualify for their first postseason in six seasons.

“I’ve been here for three years already and it felt good beating Memorial again,” junior defender Cesar Gonzalez said. “We were mad about it because we lost here last year. We went over there and showed them what we got.”

Now, the Warriors can look forward to the first playoff game any of the players have experienced. Even after Friday’s win, the team couldn’t settle on how long it’s been since their school made the postseason.

“This is my last year and it feels good to make the playoffs in my last year after not making in the playoffs in — I don’t know, six, seven, eight years,” senior midfielder Julio Boites said. “I think (playing at home) it’s going to make our team more inspired.”

Second-year Rowe coach Jose ‘Chico’ Jimenez said his experience coaching in the tough-as-nails Brownsville area, along with competing against elite teams in the Upper Valley have prepared him for the stiff challenge.

“It happened many times when I was at (Brownsville) Pace,” Jimenez said. “We were fourth place and going against (Edinburg) Economedes twice I believe, and we managed to beat them twice. People tend to say there is no respect for them (fourth-place teams). The only respect is what you have in you.”

Midfielder Brandon Vazquez is one of the team’s most technically sound players. He said this year has been a good learning experience for a relatively young roster.

“We have a lot of (underclassmen), but they have talent,” Vazquez said. “This is our first time going to playoffs in my high school years. We’re trying to work hard every practice so we can beat the district champions of Laredo.”

An upset win would be just another chapter in the storybook year for the Warriors that started back in November when they watched former head coach, current assistant Manny Garcia walk onto the soccer field under his power for the first time since a massive stroke in 2014.

“We are very happy to have coach Manny (Garcia) back from that stroke,” Vazquez said. “We would like to win the playoff game for him and all the school.”

Y LOS NINAS TAMBIEN (THE GIRLS TOO)

First up, however, is the Warriors girls team that finished fourth in district but return many roster players who were a part of their run to the third round last year.

In 2018 the Warriors earned wins over San Antonio Southwest and PSJA High before falling by a goal in the regional quarterfinals to Brownsville Rivera.

“The experience that they gained last year, that’s something that can’t be taught,” Rowe coach John Martinez said. “They earned every bit of it last year and we’re hoping to carry that over to this year.”

Rowe finished 8-6 in district. All three losses came to teams above the Warriors in the standings: McAllen High, Juarez-Lincoln and McAllen Memorial.

“Starting in the beginning of the year, one of the goals that we talked about was obviously making the playoffs,” Martinez said. “With our district being as tough as it is, you just want to get in. Once you get looking at some of the matchups, we have a good chance to make a run. We’re going to respect whoever we play.”

The coach likes his team’s ability to build plays from the defense and feels his roster if packed with ability.

“Our defense creates those spaces,” Martinez said. “They try to pressure us; we play it into those open spaces. Our midfield (is strong), having Alexa (Garza), Natalia (Vela) and, obviously, Emily (Morin) on the right, an all-Valley midfielder.”

Martinez says his team’s ability to create chances is elite. He feels if his group is able to convert chances into goals at a higher rate, they are even more dangerous than their results indicate.

“I think we’ve been the unluckiest team when it comes to putting goals away,” Martinez said with a laugh. “We’ve hit the post a bunch of times this season. I’m hoping it doesn’t happen in the playoffs and a few of those go in.”

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BY NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

LA JOYA — La Joya High and McAllen Rowe both sent freshmen pitchers to the mound Tuesday night to try to take an edge in an important District 30-6A game at La Joya High School.

Rowe right-handed hurler Jorge Melendez settled down first, but La Joya lefty JC Gutierrez had more staying power as he completed five innings, struck out six and earned the victory.

The Coyotes came from behind and outlasted the Warriors 4-3 to improve to 12-9 overall and 4-2 in district play, while Rowe drops to 11-9 and 2-4 in 30-6A games.

Gutierrez stayed composed even as the Warriors put up three runs during the first two innings — two coming off the bat of Jonas Ortiz with a two-run single in the first inning before the Coyotes recorded an out.

“We started a little flat. I’m glad our pitcher settled in. I know he’s young; he’s a freshman. Both of them, actually,” La Joya coach Mario Flores said of the two pitchers he used. “I’m just glad they picked each other up when we really needed them.”

Gutierrez labored early, but his 87 pitches look a lot better when considering it took almost 25 just to get out of the first inning.

After La Joya grabbed the lead, another freshman, Hugo Cantu, came in to turn the lights out on the Warriors and earn the save.

“Both of us have been pitching very well,” Cantu said. “I didn’t feel pressure — and I’m sure neither did he — that most of the other first-year varsity players will feel. It felt good to get the win and come up for my team.”

The Coyotes’ defense started making life easier for the pitchers quickly after making the first mistake.

After an error fueled one of Rowe’s first two runs, Ortiz was caught stealing between first and second.

“The first run was on an error, but after that we didn’t make any errors on defense and they were limited in runs,” Cantu, a first baseman and pitcher, said. “That’s the thing about defense: you have to be perfect. The team with the least errors is going to win.”

Cantu scored during the bottom of the first on La Joya third baseman Salvador Lopez’s laser shot that got past his counterpart at third base, Chris Reyna.

Melendez pitched a decent outing but couldn’t overcome some of the mistakes behind him.

La Joya, on the other hand, made more standout plays than blunders. During the second inning, when Rowe scored its second run, the defense struck again. Warriors center fielder Isaac Gallegos smashed a ball to center to score a run.

The single was hit hard enough that La Joya outfielder Elias Morales was able to hit the crow hop and eliminate the would-be fourth Rowe run.

“We wanted to win this game so we could go up to second place,” Morales. “The team’s defense has been really good. We’ve been practicing a lot. It’s important to think quick so that you can know ahead of time what’s going on.”

Three innings after throwing out at the runner at the plate, Morales hit an RBI single to score Cantu for a second time.

Ortiz came in to pitch in relief for Rowe and helped get out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation, but not before the Coyotes evened the game on a fielder’s choice by Angel Solis.

The winning run came during the fifth inning, when Alan Delgado reached base with a walk from Melendez. The second basemen tried to steal second base but an errant throw from the catcher, Lorenzo Lopez, allowed him to bolt to third. A bad throw from center allowed Delgado to cross the plate and break the tie for the game’s final run.

Cantu moved from first to the mound for the last two innings and Rowe’s final hopes. He allowed no hits and struck out two. Four of his six appearances have been starts, but he relishes the relief role.

“I’ve been dealing with pressure for a long time, so I didn’t really feel it this time,” Cantu said. “Starting, yeah, you feel less pressure because it’s 0-0 once you start. Relieving is just the same. The distance doesn’t change or anything. It’s just you and the catcher.”

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By NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — Athletics at Edinburg IDEA Quest is a tad unconventional, to say the least. At the charter school regarded for its academics, student-athletes and coaches make the most with what’s available.

The gym for basketball and volleyball doubles as the cafeteria, which means the student-athletes have to move the lunch tables to use the court, but the teams still hoop and spike.

The Trailblazers’ home baseball field is 20 minutes away at Edinburg Municipal Park, but the team still bats.

Soccer teams practice on a field that is too small for regulation matches, and occasionally play home games on the road. That doesn’t stop the girls soccer team from running the table with an undefeated District 31-4A record, claiming the program’s first district championship.

Quest will begin its playoff season at 7:30 p.m. Friday with a bi-district match against Rio Hondo at Hidalgo High School.

“It was an amazing feeling because we worked really hard for this,” junior Alexia Salas said. “We are lucky enough to have a field. Some other teams have a little bit more than us. They might have a bigger weight room, but we use what we have. We focus, we train. Our main goal was that, and it was just an amazing feeling.”

First place in the district was secured March 19 with a 3-2 win over Hidalgo, which had won district four consecutive years before finishing as runner-ups.

The composition of Quest’s roster is as unique as the grounds they train on.

Salas, who plays club soccer with plenty of the area’s top talent with the RGV Sharks, is the team’s tactician in the midfield. Between the pipes is a junior playing goalie in her first season competing. The green and gold make it work.

Second-year coach Teresa Gomez said people now are just beginning to learn the school takes part in athletic competition.

“When we’re playing, refs coming up to us saying, ‘What? This is IDEA? You all have sports?’ And it’s always like, ‘Well, yeah, these are kids. Ultimately, this is IDEA, but these are kids. They have the same interests,’” Gomez said. “We are based on academics, but these girls come out here everyday and work so hard to compete with schools that do get focus on athletics more.”

UIL lists Quest’s enrollment for 2018-20 realignment at 381 students, a Class 3A. Since soccer only has 6A, 5A and 4A championship, the Trailblazers are playing in a higher classification.

Senior Yannelie Rebeles is one of many multitaskers when it comes to extracurricular activites on the team. But she may reign supreme.

Outside of soccer, she’s the captain of the chess club, a part of yearbook and cheers for Quest. Gomez also doubles as the cheer coach, which can create a direct conflict at times.

“I felt like I have to put the commitment in both, but it’s hard,” Rebeles said. “Especially because our team was like, ‘This year’s the year we got to do it,’ because I’m a senior. We knew we had to do this well, so I had to dedicate more time to soccer.”

Rebeles has played soccer all four years at the school in north Edinburg. Not every season was UIL. She said they had to fight to get in and the first few years her team struggled not only to win, but to find opponents to fill out their schedule.

“Freshman year, I feel like we started off very conservative. We were very to ourselves,” Rebeles said. “We all played individually and with our clubs, but we were new to each other. We were new to all of this. No one really wanted us to play because they said, ‘What’s the use of you to play if you’re not actual competition?’”

The veteran of the team explained why this season was refreshing to put losing and shortened seasons in the past.

“It’s reflected the way we won this year because although we had those step-backs, I think that made us a stronger team,” Rebeles said. “We need to show off that we belong in this district.”

The budding program is gaining popularity, even within its own campus. Rebeles said that as the wins piled up, more students paid attention and kept up. It’s part of the reason Trailblazers volleyball player Alexa Maciel tried out for the team.

A week into practice, Maciel turned to her coach and said, “Hey, this is hard.” A few months later and the keeper has thrived.

“I’m pretty proud because I really like volleyball and I missed it a lot,” Maciel said. “And it helped me with my coordination skills. When I was younger, I used to play it but I wasn’t fully into it. Now, since in high school, it really helped me enjoy the sport and so did the team and the coaches. Everyone is just so encouraging.”

So what was the missing link to turn IDEA Quest from a program struggling to find opponents willing to play to blossoming into a team that with a bi-district win in 2018 and a district title a year later?

Look no further than the coach on the sidelines.

“She knows the game. She knows what to do. She knows where to move the players if the players are unsure in where to go,” Salas said. “Overall, the game strategy is great. Her motivation to all of us … to the new members and the old members — she just fit perfectly right in with us.”

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VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BOYS SOCCER POSTSEASON SCHEDULE

Thursday, March 28

Bi-district Round

Class 6A

Brownsville Hanna at Edinburg High, 7 p.m.

Donna North at San Benito, 7 p.m.

Class 5A

La Joya Palmview at Brownsville Porter, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans vs. Sharyland Pioneer at Mercedes, 7 p.m.

Friday, March 29

Bi-district Round

Class 6A

Edinburg Economedes at Harlingen South, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Rivera vs. Edinburg North, at Edinburg’s Richard Flores Stadium, 7 p.m.

La Joya High vs. Laredo Alexander at Corpus Christi’s Buccaneer Stadium, 7 p.m.

Laredo United South vs. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at La Joya ISD Stadium 7:30 p.m.

Laredo United at McAllen Rowe, 7:30 p.m.

McAllen Memorial vs. Laredo LBJ, 7:30 p.m. at Laredo’s SAC

Class 5A

Sharyland High at Brownsville Pace, at Sam’s Stadium, 7 p.m.

Class 4A

Hidalgo vs. Raymondville, 6 p.m. at La Feria

Progreso vs. Brownsville IDEA Frontier, 7 p.m. at Brownsville Sports Park

Saturday, March 30

Class 5A

Valley View vs Roma at Richard Thompson Stadium, 6 p.m.

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS SOCCER POSTSEASON SCHEDULE

Thursday, March 28

Bi-district Round

Class 6A

Edinburg North at Harlingen High, 7 p.m.
Laredo LBJ at McAllen High, 7 p.m.

Class 5A

Edcouch-Elsa at Roma, Ramiro Barrera Middle School, 6 p.m.

Brownsville Pace at PSJA Memorial, 7 p.m.

Sharyland Pioneer vs. Brownsville Porter, at Weslaco’s Bobby Lackey Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, March 29

Bi-district Round

Class 6A

Los Fresnos at Edinburg High, 6 p.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln vs. Del Rio at Laredo’s Shirley Field, 6 p.m.

Harlingen South at Donna North, 6:30 p.m.

McAllen Memorial vs. Laredo Alexander at Zapata HS, 7 p.m.

Class 5A

Sharyland High at Brownsville Lopez, 6 p.m.

Class 4A

Port Isabel at Hidalgo, 6 p.m.

Rio Hondo vs. Edinburg IDEA Quest, at Hidalgo High School, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 30

Class 6A

Edinburg Vela at Brownsville Hanna, 6 p.m.

TBA

Class 6A

McAllen High vs. Laredo LBJ/United South, TBA

McAllen Rowe vs. Laredo United, TBA

Friday, March 22

District 30-6A

Mission High 1, La Joya High 0

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 3, PSJA High 0

McAllen Memorial 3, McAllen Rowe 1

McAllen High 4, PSJA North 1

Non-district

Edinburg High 2, Sharyland High 1

Los Fresnos 1, Edcouch-Elsa 0

Edinburg North 5, Roma 1

Boys

Friday, March 22

District 30-6A

Mission High 4, La Joya High 1

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 3, PSJA High 0

McAllen Rowe 3, McAllen Memorial 2

McAllen High 3, PSJA North 1

BY NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — Edinburg North boys soccer needed points in their final game against Weslaco High to hold off surging Weslaco East for the fourth and final playoff spot in District 31-6A.

The Cougars started strong and took the game over early, storming to a three-goal lead and cruising by Weslaco High, 5-0.

“During Spring Break, we practice and we knew that if we wanted to make the playoffs we had to win today,” North senior Ernesto Nevarez said. “We knew since the whistle blew we had to be on top of them and score as many goals as we can to secure that win. We all wanted it, we all wanted to make the playoffs so it was nothing but to go 100 percent as soon as the whistle blew.”

Edinburg North entered the match with 12 points, while Weslaco East was sitting at 14 following a point earned in Tuesday’s 1-0 PK loss to Edinburg Vela.

North’s first goal came on a penalty kick scored by Roberto Ruiz just three minutes in. Axel Loera and Nevarez also had early goals.

Andres Herrera also scored and Loera added a second.

Nevarez is a rare upperclassman on a team that plays plenty of younger players each match.

“I want to recognize all the effort and the hunger that my team showed in the first half, the beginning of this game,” Edinburg North coach Elias Moran said. “It was a great display and great performance by them.”

Moran says his team, made up for mostly underclassmen, learned a lot in a challenging district that added high-end talent Donna North, who won the district.”

“This is a young group and we knew since the beginning we were going to experiment (with) different players to kind of rebuild and to find the best team to compete. We knew that Donna North, Edinburg High, Economedes were going to be strong teams. We struggled, we experienced some adversity, but we really competed against them.”

Up next for Edinburg North will be a bi-district clash of giants. The Cougars will face the Brownsville Rivera Raiders, a team they know well from recent postseasons.

“For us, it’s going to be a really good experience,” Moran said. “We created that rivalry against them. It’s going to be a great game, I can’t wait. Coach (Salvador) Garcia is a great friend of mine. We’re expecting for my team to compete against them and you never know, maybe surprise the world.”

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