RGVSports.com

Sharyland received all six first-place votes to continue as RGVSports.com’s top-ranked team.

The Rattlers, who are coming off a Week 1 59-28 victory over McAllen Memorial, finished as the Valley’s top-ranked team the last two seasons and travel to take on Laredo United on Friday.

The loss to Sharyland did not hurt Memorial too much. In the preseason poll, Memorial was tied with McHi at No. 3. The Mustangs check in a No. 4 this week.

All three of the McAllen ISD schools are ranked in the Top 10. McHi is No. 5 after a 35-7 loss to Odessa Permian on Saturday. McAllen Rowe is tied at No. 7 with Edinburg North. Rowe thumped Edcouch-Elsa to open the season while North rallied to beat Los Fresnos on the road.

Rowe was unranked in Week 1. North was No. 10 in the preseason poll.

Harlingen High maintained its No. 2 ranking. The Cardinals were idle in Week 1 and travel to take on San Antonio Reagan at Heroes Stadium in San Antonio on Friday.

After slipping past city rival Mission High on Friday, Mission Veterans moved up to No. 3. The Patriots will make the long trek to Odessa on Saturday to take on Odessa Permian.

Port Isabel is No. 6 after a resounding victory over Grulla on Friday in Rio Grande City. P.I. plays host to Rio Grande City this week. Despite the win, P.I. slipped one spot in the poll.

Weslaco East and Edinburg Vela round out the Top 10 at No. 9 and No. 10, respectively. Weslaco East beat Rivera and plays host to San Benito on Thursday.

After a slow start, Vela pushed aside Brownville Pace for a Week 1 victory. It is the first time Edinburg Vela has been ranked in the RGVSports.com poll.

The following are the teams in RGVSports.com’s Top 10 poll, with first-place votes in parentheses and total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through 1 point for a 10th-place vote:
Record Pts Pvs
1, Sharyland (6) 1-0 60 1
2, Harlingen High 0-0 46 2
3, Mission Vets 1-0 40 6
4, McAllen Memorial 0-1 39 3(t)
5, McAllen High 0-1 38 3(t)
6, Port Isabel 1-0 25 5
T7, Edinburg North 1-0 21 10
T7, McAllen Rowe 1-0 21 NR
9, Weslaco East 1-0 13 NR
10, Edinburg Vela 1-0 8 NR
Others receiving votes: Weslaco High (7 points); Harlingen South (3); Mercedes (3); Edcouch-Elsa (2); Donna (1); San Benito (1).

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

St. Joseph Academy’s football fortunes in 2014 will depend in large part on the development of quite a few newcomers to the starting lineup.

Even with those new players adapting to starting roles, the Bloodhounds’ offensive objective will remain exactly the same, and that’s to unleash a face-paced, all-over-the-field passing attack that is so quick and diversified that it drives the statkeeper crazy. Actually, the Bloodhounds’ primary goal with their uptempo aerial scheme is to put opposing defenses in a tizzy. Ideally, defenders aren’t able to catch their breaths while not knowing what to expect next. SJA’s rapid-fire play distribution, when functioning at its best, just happens to have that same disconcerting effect on those trying to keep accurate stats during the game.

“Our offense for the past four years during the time that I’ve been playing has basically been the same fast-tempo (passing) attack, and I’ve liked that a lot,” said SJA receiver Jeff Gowen, a senior and starter since his freshman year. “It tires the defense down, and it’s just a system that I’ve always enjoyed.”

The Bloodhounds, coming off a 6-5 playoff season in TAPPS, began two-a-day workouts on Aug. 4 and now are practicing just once daily in the late afternoon since school at SJA started earlier this week.

With only two starters back on offense and four on defense, there are lots of spots to fill due to departures from graduation. It’s a little different than one year ago when there were nine starters returning on each side of the ball.

“We lost a pretty solid senior group from last year,” said Christian Putegnat, now entering his sixth season as the Bloodhounds’ coach. “We’ve got a lot of young faces (on the team) this year, but they’re learning the system, and my expectations are high for them. I think they’re going to do a good job.

“It’s a little different than last year when we went into it with a seasoned group,” Putegnat added. “Now it’s more about reteaching the techniques and making sure everyone understands what his position is (responsible for doing). Last year, our lineup was set when we came into two-a-days, and this year, it’s not. We’ve got a lot of people competing for a lot of positions. But we’re in OK shape.

“I don’t think it’s one of those years where we’re expecting a lot of losses and having to rebuild. We have a pretty good program, and it’s just a matter of getting all the cogs to fall into place and getting those wheels to turn right. Once we get to that point, I think we’ll be good, we’ll be solid.”

Putegnat said the Bloodhounds hope to carry between 35 and 40 players on their varsity roster.

SJA plays its first scrimmage Friday at Rio Hondo and will take on Lopez in a scrimmage Aug. 22 at Sams Memorial Stadium. The Bloodhounds open the season at home against Raymondville on Aug. 29.

There’s no denying the Bloodhounds are eager to play.

“Really, this being my senior year doesn’t change anything,” said SJA linebacker-running back Daniel Matar, a three-year starter, mostly on defense. “We’ve always had the same mentality, and that’s having a fast, hard finish and giving 100 percent effort. I guess the fact that it’s a senior year might motivate others to go harder than usual, but I think I’ve been doingthat (already) during my other seasons.

“We definitely all have excitement for the start of another season and just sending a message that we’re not here to be pushed around,” Matar added. “That’s pretty exciting considering some of the players we have are younger guys. It’s nice to know (that’s our mentality).”

By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer

This will be the only time during the season when football coaches don’t care about a victory.

For several Metro area teams, today and Saturday mark the first scrimmages of the 2014 football season. The coaches for each team are more concerned with evaluating players and hoping they come out unscathed from injury more than anything else.

“Nobody wins or loses scrimmages, it’s as simple as that. I just want to go and see where we’re at,” Hanna coach Rene Medrano said. “I don’t care about the other team does, I just want to see our kids against competition. What concerns me iswhere the Hanna Eagles are at and what we have to work on.”

Rivera coach Tom Chavez agreed.

“We want to evaluate everybody, it’s just our first scrimmage. We want to come out injury free,” he said. “We’ll probably make mistakes, but we will correct those mistakes as we keep going, especially with our young guys on offense.”

Hanna will play host to Weslaco High as Los Fresnos plays host to Donna High, Brownsville Veterans Memorial travels to La Joyathis morning and St. JosephAcademyvisits Rio Hondo tonight.

On Saturday, Port Isabel plays host to Donna North and Rivera welcomes Hidalgo at SamsMemorial Stadium.

For the players, it’s a chance to hit an opponent instead of a teammate for the first time.

“The kids are excited to go against someone else, they’re tired of hitting each other,” Medrano said.

Los Fresnos coach Clint Finley concurred. He said it’s different when it’s a different jersey on the other side of the ball.

“No doubt, they’re ready,” he said. “When you line up against the same guy, it gets monotonous. They’d like to have someone new stepping in there.”

The speed of the game is more relevant than in practices, especially for those players with little to no varsity experience. Rivera lost several starters on the offensive side and is still getting its young players acclimated to the increased speed of the varsity game. Even for Raiders, who go at full speed during practice nearly every day.

“It’s a different level, (there’s) more speed,” Chavez said. “(The young guys) have to get used to the (varsity) speed right now.”

Coaches see scrimmages as a valuable tool for the team, whether it be finding the right guy for a certain position or even finding the best quality backup.

“Some of our starters might not see a whole lot of playing time, so it’s really an opportunity to see those guys in backup roles,” Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu said. “We’ll give them a lot of opportunities so we can have confidence in them in case they need to step up. We are looking for depth. As violent and as physical as football is, all teams need it, and we didn’t really have that last year.”

Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The Pace Vikings are by no means there yet.

In fact, some might say Pace has a ways to go before turning the corner and fielding a winning football team. But there’s some light at the end of the tunnel, and that’s the encouraging part as the Vikings open their 2014 campaign.

“We’ve had back-to-back 1-9 seasons,” said Pace coach William Deen, who is now entering his third year guiding the team. “We have to break out of that rut.”

Most high schools across the state began football workouts Aug. 4, but since the Vikings played spring ball in May, they had to wait one week before getting their fall practices started on Monday.

“Coming out here after having spring ball, we didn’t even take a step back,” Deen said. “We’ve just continued from where we were in the spring, so it’s been very good for us.”

One thing is obvious. The numbers have returned at Pace.

The Vikings took a big hit numbers-wise in their athletic program during the past few years due to Brownsville ISD’s re-zoning that coincided with the opening of Brownsville Veterans Memorial. The numbers were down as much as 50 percent in some sports at Pace when Deen first arrived three years ago.

A football program that once opened practice with more than 100 participants as recently as four years ago had taken a noticeable drop in numbers during more recent seasons. The Vikings now are boasting attendance in the 90s at workouts this week.

“It’s awesome to see everyone (out here),” said Pace quarterback Alex Cisneros, a senior three-year starter. “We’re a family team right now. We’re a group of guys who started off young and transitioned together to where we are now. We’ve gotten older, wiser and more experienced together. That’s why we’re feeling confident (about what we can do).”

There are eight starters back on offense, including Cisneros, and six starters returning on defense. For many of them, this will be their third year to start.

“I’m real excited because we have a mature group,” Deen said. “About 15 of these players are going on their third year as starters. Our players are doing a good job. There’s a lot of competition (for starting spots) offensively, defensively and even on special teams. That’s something we haven’t had before. There’s going to be around 55 players on our varsity roster, which is exciting.

“We worked hard to win the past two years, and we knew this year was coming,” Deen added. “I can’t say that the thought (of our potential this season) hasn’t been in the back of my mind (before). We knew we would be more mature. I think the biggest thing we have to do as a coaching staff, and me as the head coach, is to manage these kids. They’re not used to winning, and that’s something they’ve got to learn to do. We’ve been working with them about that during the offseason, in spring ball and obviously now. We’ve got to break bad mental habits (that prevent us from being successful). It’s not that we can’t perform physically. We now have to perform mentally, too.

“Will it be a breakthrough year? I don’t know. I’m not a predictor. We have a lot of things that we have to get better at. Is it possible? You bet. I think these players are ready for it. We just have to manage them right and get them on a winning attitude.”

The Vikings start practicing in full uniforms with pads Friday. They scrimmage Edinburg Economedes the morning of Aug. 22 at Sams Memorial Stadium and open the season Aug. 29 at Edinburg Vela. Pace will be playing in District 32-5A against Porter, Edcouch-Elsa, Mercedes, Donna High, Donna North, PSJA High and PSJA Southwest.

“It actually feels really good (to be out here),” said Pace defensive end Brandon Cano, a senior three-year starter. “We’ve got new guys coming in to go with our returners. We’re here as a team outdoors again. (But) it’s not so much like we were our sophomore and junior years. We (as seniors now) are leading this group of guys, and it feels pretty good.

“It feels like this is a season we’ve been waiting for,” Cano added. “We’ve endured a lot the past two years. Now we have a lot of experience coming back, and to be honest, it just feels like it’s supposed to be our year.”

DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

HIDALGO — Hidalgo’s offseason is defined in one word.

Closing out drives and games hindered the Pirates last season. Yes, they made the playoffs in coach Taihi Jones’ initial season at the helm, but what really could have been? They’ll never know, because mental errors or lazy gaffes took away opportunity after opportunity.

“We had situations last year where we had teams at 3rd-and-15, and we give up a first down,” Jones said. “We had the ball at first-and-goal on the 2-yard line and we fumble. We go on an 80-yard drive and then we turn it over on four downs.

“We didn’t know how to finish.”

The Pirates are hoping that’s no longer the case. In practices the last couple of weeks, Jones has noticed a distinct focus in his players. This is still a young group, having lost just 11 seniors from last season, but it’s one that now feels it has a purpose.

“The coaches are making us work really hard,” senior running back Adrian Ruiz said. “Practices are hard and long, but we got through it. The dedication is a big difference and there’s just more intensity.

“Everything we’re finishing harder, stronger.”

Jones and his staff walked into an arduous situation last season. They started on the job late because of the timing of Scott Ford’s departure to east Texas. Then they had to start from scratch at quarterback with Shea Patterson leaving to Louisiana.

The fact that Jones and the Pirates were able to squeak out a playoff berth was impressive. Now that they’ve had a full offseason under their belt, Jones is confident things will continue to get better.

“Now coming into camp, kids have an understanding of what we’re doing in the first place,” Jones said. “What’s surprised me is the effort. It’s been really good.

“I’ve seen a lot of physicality, and for the first time since I’ve been here we’ve had to blow the whistle to settle everything down. I’m excited about that.”

The Pirates are pleased with what they accomplished last season. But things are easier this time around, and there is no telling what lies ahead.

“I’m ready to go, man,” junior quarterback Peter Quiroz said. “Last year we made the playoffs, we were learning a lot of things under a new coaching staff and this year is easier. We know what we’re doing and we know who we are.”

A REASON FOR THE MADNESS

The Pirates’ skill position kids are young, and numbers are a concern. But those two factors are the only things that truly worry Jones.

Hidalgo is ahead of the curve everywhere else.

“We have a reason to do what we’re doing right now,” Jones said. “The mental game is better and now we can truly teach the whole X’s and O’s of what we’re doing.

“Everyone’s bought in, and it’s because we’re coaching the brand of the name of the ‘H’ that’s on our chest.”

Jones is also excited about a veteran offensive line in which three of the five are seniors.

QUIROZ TAKES CONTROL

For the second year, Hidalgo’s offense will be led by Quiroz. A louder Quiroz.

“Last year, he was a very quiet kid, and if you’re going to be a quarterback that won’t cut it,” Jones said. “He’s been more vocal and he’s been a leader. If you’re loud and vocal, guys are going to listen to what you have to say.”

Aside from being louder, Quiroz worked all summer with his receivers and defensive ends, the latter to get better at reading defenses.

“The biggest difference between this team and last year is dedication,” Quiroz said. “We have guys who work in the mornings or afternoons and they’re still here out on the field. That’s what I’m most proud of.”

PIRATES TO WATCH

Aside from Quiroz, other Pirates to keep an eye on are junior receiver Eliud Castillo and Ruiz, who got hurt before district play started last season.

The offensive line, as mentioned, will be the strength of the Pirates, starting with Johnathan Bolanos. He, Jesus Castillo and Rudy Zarate are three of nine starters returning on offense.

“Making the playoffs was huge for us, but we don’t want to be 4-6 again,” Bolanos said. “We don’t want to lose in the first round again. We want to be undefeated, we want to be district champs. We were young last year and we weren’t ready for the speed, but we’ve improved.”

[email protected]

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PROGNOSIS

Hidalgo got realigned into a tougher district. Instead of just beating out Progreso for a playoff spot, the Pirates have to hope La Feria has a down year.

2014 Record: 3-7

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TENURE

Coach: Taihi Jones

Years at school: 2

Record at school: 4-7-0

By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer

At first glance, one wouldn’t have known it was the opening match for both squads.

Hanna and Port Isabel looked in midseason form, and each came out with something to prove. The Lady Golden Eagles were dealing with key injuries to a few starters and the Lady Tarpons looked as strong as ever despite losing most of their starters and a large senior class last year.

The teams fought for every point, but in the end the Lady Tarpons made fewer mistakes and defeated Hanna 25-20, 25-20, 13-25, 25-23 on Tuesday at Port Isabel.

“I expected it to be (back and forth). I knew Hanna was going to come in and be ready. We saw them during a scrimmage, so we knew it would be one of those types of games,” Port Isabel coach Julie Breedlove said. “Our kids came out, and they were focused and ready to go in those first two games. Plus it’s always nice when you can build that lead and build some momentum.”

After Port Isabel won two straight, hard-fought, close games, Hanna wasn’t ready to give up. The Lady Eagles began with a 6-1 run and soon pushed the lead to 16-4. The Lady Tarpons seemed stunned and began to make errors to add to the Hanna run. The Lady Eagles finished off the third game and hoped to keep the momentum going in the fourth game.

“We told them to just keep calm, we have a strong team and a lot of good things going,” Hanna coach Ansgar Hagemann said. “They were picking up more than we were on defense in the first couple of games. I knew we were facing a strong team, they might be 4A, but they play like a 6A.”

Flora Herrera had eight kills, Claudia Gonzalez had four kills and Pam Ellis had four kills and two blocks for Hanna.

Although Breedlove couldn’t explain how Hanna took the momentum away in the third game, she was glad they did.

“Sometimes that’s good because the kids have to work to get out of that,” she said. “I told them to play their game, don’t worry about what happened, but worry about the right here and right now.

“I love for the girls to have to fight like that because it’s not always going to be easy and they have to learn to fight out of those situations.”

Kelcie Swink finished with eight kills and two blocks, and Larissa Torres had 22 assists for Port Isabel.

Hanna continued to play strong, building a 12-3 lead in the fourth game. But the Lady Tarpons began to chip away at the lead, cutting the deficit to three points at 19-16. Port Isabel looked to senior captain Gabby Torres, who finished with 23 kills and had a pair of key blocks to lead the comeback.

Torres responded when the Lady Tarpons needed her most. Hanna was up 23-17 late in the fourth game and was trying to push it to a decisive fifth.

Port Isabel finished the game on an 8-0 run, during which Torres had four kills and a block to fuel the rally for the Lady Tarpons and change the momentum. It was only fitting that another powerful kill from Torres was the game winner when the Lady Eagles failed to return the shot.

“Gabby has worked really hard the last two years and really hard in the offseason,” Breedlove said. “The kids respond well to her, and it takes all of them. It takes those passes to her, but she did come through for us and had a good game.”

Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.

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By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer

Despite a slow start, Brownsville Veterans Memorial accomplished what it set out to do during its first volleyball match of the season.

The Lady Chargers played through nerves during their first home match and, on the power of senior Mariza Cardenas’ 13 kills, netted a 25-16, 25-17, 25-3 victory over PSJA Memorial in their opener Tuesday.

“We started off slowly. I think it was just the jitters,” Brownsville Veterans coach Lisa Mares said. “The goal was to win in three, and we did that. It wasn’t pretty in the first two games, but we picked it up, especially with our serving.”

The first two sets were similar, Brownsville Veterans built a decent lead and PSJA Memorial fought its way back to get close or tie the score. But the Lady Wolverines were making too many unforced errors to overcome the Lady Chargers.

“For the first two games, it was a roller coaster of playing and relaxing, playing and relaxing,” PSJA Memorial coach Angie Gonzales said. “(Our) game wasn’t there (in the third set) today.”

The Lady Wolverines also played with virtually a new team after losing six seniors to graduation. Five players returned to varsity this season, but none were starters last year.

“We don’t have the talent that we did last year, but these girls are very hard workers,” Gonzales said. “We have a lot of heart, a lot of hustle. (We) were out of sync in terms of communication, that’s what probably effected our play the most.”

Mares was especially impressed with the way her senior stepped up in the win.

“Mariza has been playing well, she’s gotten better over the summer,” Mares said. “In the scrimmages, I saw a difference in her. She’s playing smarter, hitting at all three sides, being a weapon from all sides. I’ve been really proud of her.”

Ashley Tumlinson and Megan Sanchez each had seven kills apiece, Krista Lopez finished with 18 digs, and BB Brown and Clarissa Chavez combined for 21 assists for the Lady Chargers.

The Lady Wolverines’ coach wasn’t worried about the setback.

“When they were talking, they were playing at their peak,” Gonzales said. “When we stop talking or someone made a mistake, everybody was down. So we have to keep the energy level high, that and communication is going to be key for us. Everyone has to be in sync. Once (we) get to know each other, get that team bond, we’re going to mesh really well.”

Emily Rivera had nine kills and Carla De Leon had five kills for PSJA Memorial.

Even with the victory, Mares felt like the struggle during the first two sets will help her team further into the season.

“It’s a good thing (to get a win), but I feel we still have a lot to work on,” she said. “I sometimes feel if it goes perfect, they’ll feel we’re already really good. In a sense, I am upset because I expected a little more, but we got the win and we still have things to work on. I think that motivates them also to work harder in practice.”

Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Football practice began this week at Porter with an atmosphere of greater understanding between player and coach, along with a more confident feeling for what the Cowboys can accomplish on the field in 2014.

Coach Tom Campos is entering his second season of guiding the team. He knows his players better now, and they know him better, too.

“It’s great because we’re more comfortable now,” said Frank Alvarado, the Cowboys’ junior quarterback who will be calling signals for the second straight season. “We’re starting to know the offense better. Since last year was our first year (with Coach Campos), we had to adjust to a new offense, and now that this is his second year here, we’re starting to get into the offense more.

“We’re more comfortable with each other now because we know each other better,” Alvarado added. “I was pretty excited to get things going (when practice started Monday).”

The Cowboys played spring football in May, so under University Interscholastic League rules they couldn’t start their fall practices until Monday, while other teams in the area and across the state that didn’t have spring ball began workouts Aug. 4.

Besides their increased comfort zone with the coaching staff, another important plus for the Cowboys is seeing a lot of familiar faces again in the lineup as there are eight starters back on offense to go with six returning starters on defense.

Several of those familiar faces are attached to some pretty good-sized bodies, giving the Cowboys further confidence for what they can do in the trenches this season against their opponents.

“I think our guys are realizing how big we are (up front) and that we can move some people around,” Campos said.

“Last year, the coaches were learning the same time as the players as far as schemes and things like that,” Campos added. “Having spring ball helped us out a bunch. We got a lot of ‘knicky-knacky’ stuff that you (usually) want to take care of in (fall) two-a-days done in the spring, including our depth charts, so right now we’re brushing up on the basics in the morning and then the rest of it is breaking down into (specific) team (position work) and getting down to the ‘nitty-gritty.’ There’s no wasted time. The players are far ahead of where we were (at this time) last year.”

Campos was encouraged by how his players came to campus and worked out on their own during the summer. Now they’re taking the next step of workouts in stride, he said.

“We were limited to things like weights and speed conditioning (individually) during the summer,” Campos said. “There was no on-the-field training, so to be out here now and doing these things is great.

“The work that these players already have put in shows a lot,” he added. “They showed up for our summer program that we have with the (school) district. I told the team earlier that it’s just a good feeling to see everybody working together toward one goal.”

The challenge for the Cowboys will be to achieve the school’s first winning record in football since 2008. That was the year Porter went 6-5 with Adrian Moya at QB and made it to the playoffs the last time. Porter will play in District 32-5A again this season and face a new set of conference opponents, including Pace, Donna High, Donna North, Edcouch-Elsa, Mercedes, PSJA High and PSJA Southwest.

The Cowboys start practicing in pads Friday and will play a scrimmage at Raymondville on Aug. 22 before opening the season against Progreso on Aug. 29 at Sams Memorial Stadium.

“These first days of workouts are really good for me and for the whole team, too,” said the Cowboys’ Raul Sandoval, a senior returning starter at strong safety. “It’s helping me a lot. All of us are getting stronger, and it’s working out for all of us (in preparation for the season).

“It’s a pretty good feeling to be out here because all of the returning starters are back, and we’re getting new people, so that makes it even better,” Sandoval added. “It would mean a lot to me for us to do well this year. Coach Campos has never given up on us, and we’ve never given up on him.”