EDINBURG — The Edinburg High Bobcats and the La Joya Juarez-Lincoln Huskies were in a heated tangle in the championship round of the District 15-6A wrestling dual championship Saturday.

The event marked the first team matchup tournament of the wrestling season. It was hosted at Edinburg North High on Friday and Saturday as each of the teams comprised of boys and girls and matched up against each other according to weight classes.

Juarez-Lincoln was undefeated going into the championship round. Edinburg High was carrying a single loss to Edinburg North.

And the defending District 15-6A champion Huskies proved to be too strong and defeated the Bobcats 46-30.

“There is a lot of competition and right now we are just excited that we are doing good day in and day out,” La Joya Juarez Lincoln head coach Armando Resendez said.

The Huskies defeated the competition ending the weekend with a 9-0 mark.

Juarez-Lincoln wrestler Carlos Doria was named the most valuable player of the event.

On their way to winning the championship, the Huskies defeated McAllen High 54-12, McAllen Memorial 58-9, McAllen Rowe 60-18, Mission High 60-18, Edinburg North 58-18, Edinburg Economedes 62-6, Edinburg Vela 60-17, La Joya High 48-28, and Edinburg High 46-30.

“The championship between us and Edinburg High boiled down to who had fewer mistakes and who had the most wins throughout the district dual,” Resendez said about winning the team matchup. “The tournament was a preview of what we will see in the District tournament.”

The district tournament will be held in January.

Edinburg High has a winning tradition. It is led by head coach Abel Saenz, and over the last two years it finished second in district. In 2017, it won the title.

“I look forward to see how much our team can improve as the season moves on,” Saenz said.

Each of the 10 teams in District 6A brought more than 10 wrestlers to compete. McAllen Memorial, Edinburg Economedes, Edinburg Vela, Edinburg High, Edinburg North, McAllen High, Mission High and McAllen Rowe participated.

Edinburg Vela freshman Maximilian Benavidez wrestled in the 106-pound weight class. Benavidez said it was his first year wrestling since joining the team.

“I enjoy executing the hip toss move to flip my opponents around,” Benavidez said.

Benavidez competed in 10 matches and won four over the course of the tournament.

“I felt good about the matches,” Benavidez added. “It gets your adrenaline pumping.”

WRESTLERS TO WATCH

Humberto Alcala, a senior at Edinburg Vela, went 9-0 in the district dual. Three of his wins were by forfeits, three technicals and two pins. He has been wrestling since the eighth grade and is currently ranked ninth in the state in his weight class of 160 pounds.

Alcala reached the regional competition his junior year ranked third.

“Honestly, I don’t think rankings mean a lot,” Alcala said. “Last year, I entered the state tournament ranked third and I didn’t place, so rankings don’t mean much to me. I’m just going to go out there and wrestle.”

Justin Garcia, a sophomore at McAllen Memorial, wrestled in two weight classes during the weekend event. He entered the competition in the 145 weight class Friday and 138 weight class Saturday. Garcia went undefeated 9-0 in the 138 class, winning his last match in less than one minute by taking advantage of his opponent’s lack of speed and using an ankle pick technique to end the match.

“Once I was on top of him, I held him down long enough for the referee to say I pinned him,” Garcia said. “I felt pretty good to get a win like that — efficiently.”

Garcia finished third in district his freshman year and advanced to the regional round.

“Unfortunately, I did lose twice,” Garcia said about his regional’s experience. “But at least I got the feel of the competition.”

He is ranked No. 18 in the state.

Javier Rodriguez, a junior at Edinburg High, wrestles in the heavyweight class. He is also ranked 16th in the state in the 285 weight class. He started the sport as a sophomore.

“Wrestling is a really good sport and I recommend it,” Rodriguez said. “It really tests you.”

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McALLEN — Weslaco East defensive end Leo Guerra lifted his teammate Hector Muñiz above his shoulders to celebrate the Wildcats’ final touchdown of the night.

Muñiz had reached the end zone unscathed off a toss left from the Wildcats’ 48-yard line on a first-and-25 to ignite Wildcats to a 31-10 lead in the final quarter with 3:43 left to play.

The score stood, and the Wildcats (9-3) went on to win the contest after forcing the McAllen Rowe Warriors (7-5) to turn the ball over on fourth down in the waning minutes of the game.

The win sends the Wildcats to their sixth trip to the third round of the UIL state playoffs in the past 10 years.

“It speaks a lot for our school, the coaching staff, our kids and the pride that we have at Weslaco East,” Weslaco East head coach Mike Burget said about reaching the third round of the playoffs.

The Wildcats will face Austin Westlake (11-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Alamo Stadium in San Antonio.

McAllen Rowe’s offense was held to 52 yards rushing and 108 yards passing on the night.

“Our defense has done it all year,” Burget said. “If we chew up the clock, we’re fine.”

The Wildcats did just that to open the third quarter of play using its signature running game led by quarterback Ramsey Vasquez.

Vasquez rushed for 169 yards and scored three touchdowns.

The Wildcats rushed for 282 yards on the night and converted on 18 first downs.

The contest opened with both teams going three and out on their first series of downs in the first quarter.

Rowe would find the end zone on a pass to running back Joey Partida who ran for 20 yards down the sideline to take the early lead.

But the Wildcats would tie the game after Vasquez punched his way into the end zone on a 33-yard sweep right down the sideline.

On the Wildcat’s next series of downs, Rowe forced a Wildcats fumble on their 1-yard line, but went on a three and out late in the second quarter.

The Wildcats carried a 10-7 lead heading into the half.

The Wildcats marched down the field after converting three first downs on their first drive of the second half. Vasquez scored once more on a nine yard quarterback draw to lift the Wildcats to a 17-7 lead.

“We were moving the ball all game and we came up with the victory,” Vasquez said. “I’m psyched to go to the next round.”

After Vasquez’s second score, McAllen Rowe went the length using a combination of their running and passing game and converted on a 34-yard field goal on fourth down.

It was Rowe’s last score of the game.

“Our defense has been the number-one defense all year and we just put in the work to help get this win,” Weslaco East offensive linebacker Irwin Morin said.

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HS BOYS BASKETBALL SCORES

Tuesday’s Game

Non-District

McAllen Rowe 55, Harlingen South 47

Alamo Macidonia 58, Valley View 43

Mercedes 93, Gruilla 69

Edinburg North 80, Santa Rosa 78

Sharyland Pioneer 56, Edinburg Economedes 51

Weslaco High 64, Brownsville Pace 53

Edinburg High 54, La Joya 46

Edcouch-Elsa 90, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 48

Laredo United 47, Edinburg Vela 41

Corpus Christi King 60, McAllen High 53

Brownsville St. Joseph 60, Brownsville Porter 39

Mission High 78, Rio Grande City 70

Hidalgo 64, IDEA Weslaco 57

Sharyland High 58, PSJA High 54

VALLEY HS GIRLS BASKETBALL SCORES

Tuesday’s Game

Non-District

Valley View 71, La Joya Palmview 29

Sharyland Pioneer 32, Harlingen South 48

PSJA High 57, Donna North 32

GIRLS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Tuesday’s Games

Non-District

VALLEY VIEW 71, LA JOYA PALMVIEW 29

La Joya Palmview 5 3 9 12 — 29

Valley View   12 18 22 19 — 71

VALLEY VIEW (69): Alexis Ortegon 24, Angela Garcia 15, Daniela Garza 14, Jimena Munoz 13, Kymberli Cavazos 3, Jareli Cavazos 2

LA JOYA PALMVIEW (29): Lucy 10, Kianna 7, Daniela 5, Matilde 4, Jasmine 3.

RECORDS: Valley View 5-1.

HARLINGEN SOUTH 48, SHARYLAND PIONEER 32

Harlingen South 14 8 14 12 — 48

Shary. Pioneer 2 8 8 14 — 32

HARLINGEN SOUTH (48): Laura Ramirez 5, Janelle Ysasi 2, Julia Celis 8, Amber Lopez 4, Allyah Guevara 11, Karla Reyes 16, Alexes Rocha 2

SHARYLAND PIONEER (32): Adelaida Arroyo 8, Alexia Hernandez 5, Jordan Bravo 1, Laura Ramirez 2, Carla Hornaday 11, Priscilla Garza 3, Hailey Silva 2

RECORDS: Sharyland Pioneer 3-4.

LOS FRESNOS 52, EDINBURG NORTH 38

Los Fresnos 10 15 12 15 — 52

Edinburg North 11 6 6 15 — 38

LOS FRESNOS (52): Sarahi Jones 15, Ari Galoardo 13, Clarissa Eaquibel 6, Maritza Ortega 4, Gio Godoya 4, Eleyne Rio 4, Kyile Garcia 2, Jasmin Garcia 2, Vicki Hernandez 2.

EDINBURG NORTH (38): Kaya Leija 14, Jossette Aguilar 6, Sariah Garza 6, Miranda Gaytan 5, Odayls Luna 3, Briseidy Lerma 3, Samantha Aguilar 1.

RECORDS: Los Fresnos not reported; Edinburg North not reported.

EDINBURG HIGH 52, BROWNSVILLE VETERANS 42

Brownsville Vets 8 8 13 13 — 42

Edinburg High 16 14 16 6 — 52

EDINBURG HIGH (52): A’nnika Saenz 18, Daysha Tijerina 5, Julissah Santa Maria 1, larissa Martinez 3, Lesile Martinez 19, Brianna Sanchez 6.

BROWNSVILLE VETS (42): Alex Parchmont 8, Catie Esquivel 6, JuJu Alvarez 5, Bry Buifereira 10, Lizzy Garza 11, Alyssa Esquvel 2.

RECORDS: Edinburg High 7-0; Brownsville Vets not reported

MISSION VETERANS 65, EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 24

Edinburg Economedes 5 1 8 10 —   24

Mission Veterans   23 17 15 10 —   65

MISSION VETS (65): Andrea Meza 2, Aniss Amaya 3, Ronnie Cantu 19, Leila De Leon 4, Kaylee Flores 22, Kelly Garcia 8, Nyleen Canizalez 7.

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES (24): D. Serna 2, J. Corona 2, C. Perez 2, J. Loredo 5, A.A. Rodriguez 2, M. Perez 7, J. Espinoza 4.

RECORDS: Mission Vets 5-2; Edinburg Economedes not reported.

MERCEDES 38, PSJA MEMORIAL 22

Mercedes   8 8 14 8 — 38

PSJA Memorial 4 6 1 11 — 22

MERCEDES (38): Mika Vento 10, Selfie G 7, Mallory N. 15, Karisa M 4, Cerina L 2.

PSJA MEMORIAL (22): Melissa Garza 3, Carissa Ovalle 4, Abby Guerrero 5, Heidy Guzman 10.

RECORDS: Mercedes not reported; PSJA Memorial not reported.

WESLACO HIGH 59, MCALLEN MEMORIAL 43,

McAllen Memorial 17 8 10 8 —   43

Weslaco High   6 22 14 17 —   59

WESLACO HIGH (59): M. Carrion 15, M. Peralez 11, A. Gallegos 11, H. Villalpando 5, Alexa Davila 4, Liana Cavazos 4, Kristen Padilla 3, Isabella Olivia 2, Jazmin Saenz 2.

MCALLEN MEMORIAL (43): C. Talamantez 11, K. Trevino 10, V. Alvarado 8, I. Goldman 8, L. Gutierrez 4, K. Garza 2.

RECORDS: Weslaco High 7-1; McAllen Memorial 3-3.

BOYS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Tuesday’s Games

Non-district games

EDINBURG NORTH 80, SANTA ROSA 78

Santa Rosa   12 19 24 23 — 78

Edinburg North 20 26 17 17 — 80

EDINBURG NORTH (80): Dion Moreno 4, Ethan Garcia, 22, Aaron Gonzalez 6 , Sergio Quintanilla 21, Aaron Lopez 7, Moises Garza 2, Ethan Garza 8, Orlando Ochoa 7, Jacob Paez 4

SANTA ROSE (##): C.J. Olivarez 10, Mike Bermea 15, Cristian Vela 18, Daniel Villarreal 2, Jarren Jimenez 3, Ruben Ochoa 2, David Bazaldua 15, Adam Cavazos 9, Wille Vasquez 4

RECORDS: Edinburg North 1-0, Santa Rosa 0-1.

MISSION HIGH 78, RIO GRANDE CITY 70

Rio Grande City 19 14 20 17 — 78

Mission High 21 17 19 21 — 70

MISSION HIGH (78): Eddie Rivero 33, Tajh Jones 2, Jeremy Duran 5, Dominick Gomez 4, Eugene Botello 12, Rey Garcia 4, Abiud Garza 2, Jahel Salinas 16

RIO GRANDE CITY (70): Aaron Marroquin 17, Frank Cantu 7, Eliud Alaniz 8, Daniel Trevino 11, Dennis Trevino 27.

RECORDS: Mission High 1-0, Rio Grande City 0-1

HIDALGO 64, IDEA WESLACO PIKE 47

IDEA Weslaco 14 13 11 9 — 47

Hidalgo   16 10 15 23 — 64

HIDALGO (64): Abraham Casas 6, Angel Lopez 2, Robert Toledano 6, Fabrian Frias 2, Gus Sanchez 21, Julio Zamorrano 10, Sammy Zamorrano 2, Josh Barron 2, Esteban Casas 10.

IDEA WESLACO: Raul Leal 4, Diego Villela 5, Adrian Ramirez 6, Julio Oviedo 17, Tony Hernandez 6, Javi Alaniz 5, Ismael Garcia 4

RECORDS: Hidalgo 1-0, IDEA Weslaco 0-1

SHARYLAND PIONEER 56, EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 51

Economedes 13 10 16 12 — 51

Shary. Pioneer 10 17 11 18 — 56

SHARYLAND PIONEER (56): Darik Briseño 11, Miguelangel Gonzalez 17, Marco Treviño 17, Isaih Reyes 3, Jacob Ruiz 6, Seth Rodriguez 2

ECONOMEDES (51): Joel Rios 4, Trini Moreno 7, Ray De Leon 21, Jorfe Garza 2, Simon Garcia 2, Michael Barrientos 15

RECORDS: Pioneer 1-0; Economedes 0-1.

EDCOUCH-ELSA 90, LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN 46

Edcouch – Elsa 14 34 28 14 — 90

Juarez-Lincoln 8 14 15 12 — 46

EDCOUCH-ELSA (90): Pauly Rodriguez 3, Damian Granados 9, Aaron Aguinaga 26, Mando Uribe 11, Adrian Solis 1, Zion Allen 4, Lupe Balderas 6, Joey Swarez 8, Edward Seanz 6, Orlando Gonzalez 2.

LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN (46): Adan Hernandez 5, Raymond Carmona 10, Luis Flores 12, Kenneth Gonzalez 9, Manny Martinez 2, Cruz Gonzalez 5, Carlos Guerra 2, Omar Hernandez 2.

RECORDS: Edcouch-Elsa Not reported; La Joys Juarez-Lincoln Not reported

PSJA MEMORIAL 76, SAN PERLITA 62

San Perlita   9 21 18 14 — 62

PSJA Memorial 25 15 24 9 — 76

PSJA MEMORIAL (76): Jose Lozano 19, Chris Sierra 13, Barac Garcia 12, Michael Munoz 8, Nick Cisneros 7, John Martinez 6, Oscar Marquina 4, Jessie Montes 3, Leo Almanza 2, Alexis Ovalle 2.

SAN PERLITA (62): Tige Johnson 17, Ely Terry 11, EJ Nieto 10, James Herrera 9, Gabriel Lopez 6, No one else reported.

RECORDS: PSJA Memorial NR; San Perlita NR.

McALLEN — McAllen High senior Ava Alaniz scored her first goal when she was 4 years old.

These days, Alaniz can’t recall how many goals she’s blasted past goalkeepers over the years. But her work, nonetheless, has been enough to grab the attention of the University of Houston woman’s soccer program, which offered her a spot on its roster.

“I enjoy passing and distributing the ball,” Alaniz said. “But, obviously, I really like to score.”

After making a verbal commitment with the school in 2018, Alaniz made her commitment to the Cougars soccer team official at her college signing day celebration Monday at McAllen High, sharing the moment with her friend and longtime teammate, Westyn Henderson, who also signed her letter of intent to play soccer for Texas A&M.

“It meant everything to have all my family and friends here and all my teachers here supporting me,” Alaniz said about her signing day celebration.”

Alaniz began generating interest because of her offensive style of play after attending soccer showcases around the country and other elite girls club soccer events. By her freshman and sophomore seasons, the University of Houston had begun recruiting her.

The McAllen High midfielder is two seasons removed from her stellar 2018 campaign in which her late goal during the regional final beat powerhouse Austin Lake Travis and vaulted the Bulldogs into the UIL state tournament — the first Valley girls soccer team to ever make it that far.

“When we made our run to state, Westyn made the pass to Ava to make us go to state,” McAllen High head coach Patrick Arney said. “It’s nice for me as a coach to be able to rely on them and get the job done.”

Alaniz joined the McAllen High soccer team as a freshman and has help lift the team to three consecutive District 30-6A titles since 2016.

“They are like a one-two punch,” Arney said.

Alaniz and Henderson are the first players to come out of the McAllen High girls soccer program and make the jump to a major Division I college soccer program.

“This is special,” Arney said about his players signing day. “A&M is a top five team and Houston is an up and coming, so I couldn’t be prouder.”

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McALLEN — McAllen High senior Westyn Henderson has been compared to Wayne Gretzky and Michael Jordan by her coach for her ability to take over a soccer game when it is on the line.

Her playmaking ability on the soccer field and achievements prove the comparison to be true at her level of play.

On Monday, she added another mark to list of soccer accolades by announcing her official commitment to play women’s soccer at Texas A&M University.

“I have been waiting for this day since seventh grade when I decided I wanted to play Division I soccer,” Henderson said. “Today was really just the cherry on top of this whole process.”

Henderson helped lift the girls soccer team to three District 30-6A championships since joining the team as freshmen in 2016. In 2018, the Bulldogs reached the UIL state semifinal. And in 2017, she played on the youth soccer team that won the US Girls Soccer under 17 National President’s Cup.

Her 18 goals and 26 assists during her 2018 campaign, including her stunning goal in the regional semifinal and assist on Ava Alaniz’s game-winner in the regional championship, secured her spot as The Monitor’s All-Area Player of the Year.

At the signing Henderson thanked all the people who helped and supported her throughout her soccer experience.

Her father, Chris Henderson, believes she is the first Division I athlete to come from the Valley to earn a scholarship in women’s soccer at the flagship school.

Regarded as an unselfish player, Westyn Henderson is an expert at feeding her teammates the ball for a score.

“Ava scores a lot of goals and I’m usually the one who feeds it to her,” Henderson said.

The two entered joined the sport soccer together and for national signing day they celebrating together, as well.

Henderson said her recruiting process began in middle school.

“I started to get my name out there after attending coaches camps since the seventh grade,” Henderson said. “I didn’t start to get looked at until my freshman year.”

Henderson said she narrowed down her scholarship offers her sophomore year and committed to the Aggies in May 2018.

Her most memorable game thus far was against Lake Travis, when she assisted Alaniz’s for a game-winning goal to kick the door open to the 2018 state tournament.

“After that goal we became the first girl’s soccer team in the Valley to go that far,” Henderson said.

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WESLACO — The Harlingen Cardinals defeated Tuloso–Midway 47-25 on their way to defend their Mid-Valley Classic girls basketball tournament championship Saturday at Weslaco East High School.

The three-day basketball tournament celebrated its 39th year since it first tipped off in 1980.

“It’s really great to kick off the season with a big tournament,” Weslaco East head coach Chris Kromer said. “We had the top 10 teams compete in the tournament and almost everybody here is a playoff team.”

To win the championship, Harlingen took off to a quick 7-2 lead attacking the basket, converting down low and at the free-throw line.

The Cardinals were led by sophomore point guard Avery Hinojosa, who was also named the tournament’s most valuable player.

Hinojosa showed why after converting on a baseline reverse layup and then hit a 3-pointer as time expired during the first quarter. To open up the second quarter, she stopped at the top of the key, waited for her teammates to run the offense and with a quick step left she drove into the lane and scored with a running tear drop.

“She is very quick and she likes to attack the basket,” Harlingen High head coach Ashley Moncivaiz said. “She is a good asset for our team.”

The Cardinals broke down the defensive zone and went on a 14-2 run and widened their lead 30-9 with 2:28 in the second quarter before going into halftime with a comfortable 34-13 lead.

Missed shots, missed second attempts down low and multiple missed free throws by Tuloso–Midway hurt its attack.

Tuloso–Midway defeated Los Fresnos 64-39 in the Final Four early Saturday afternoon to advance to the championship. Harlingen defeated Weslaco High 49-44 to advance to its second straight Mid-Valley Classic final.

In the consolation match for third place, Weslaco High held its lead in the fourth quarter to defeat Los Fresnos 59-54.

“We are glad to be part of these games and were proud to fight though those games and it’s only going to make us better,” Weslaco head coach Griselda Fino said about the tournament.

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MERCEDES— Mercedes linebacker Brandon Adame tightened his gloves at midfield.

The Tigers were hosting the Alice Coyotes in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs.

Adame and the Tigers defense had the Coyotes in their grip as they were facing a third-and-long.

They were looking to force a turnover.

Adame walked up to the defensive line to pump up his teammates before the snap. The Coyotes had just converted two first downs and were moving the chains using their running game after the Tigers’ opening kickoff.

“We knew all week we were going to have to establish a run game to really get our offense going,” Alice head coach Kyle Atwood said.

Adame and the defense chased down Alice running back RJ Salaiz and tackled him for a short gain and forced them to punt on fourth down.

The Tigers started the drive on their own 20-yard line, capped off by Jared De Los Santos’ rushing touchdown to break open a scoreless tie. It wasn’t enough to ignite Mercedes the rest of the way, however, as it lost 21-17 on Friday night.

The game would go back and forth the rest of the night as the Coyotes later found the end zone in the second quarter, but did not convert the extra point.

“We were two teams fighting to stay alive,” Atwood said. “Mercedes put themselves in a lot of great situations both offensively and defensively.”

De Los Santos lifted the Tigers to a 14-6 lead after a 57-yard touchdown run past the defense in the third quarter.

But in the fourth quarter the Tigers would see their lead dissolve after a blocked punt that left Alice in scoring range. They scored and converted with a two point conversion to bring the Coyotes within three points, trailing 17-14.

And late in the fourth quarter the Coyotes scored once more using their running game and a long pass to lift the Coyotes to a 21-17 lead with less than a minute to go.

“We were lucky that the ball bounced our way when we needed it too,” Atwood said.

Alice (8-2, 5-2) will face Brenham (9-2, 6-1) in the area round of the Playoffs.

“The boys fought hard,” Mercedes head coach Roger Adame said. “It just didn’t come our way.”

Mercedes capped off a (7-4, 5-1) season.

“We had our chances,” Mercedes linebacker Brandon Adame said about the loss. “The offseason starts Monday, and we got to get back on it.”

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EDINBURG — Sergio Quintanilla scores touchdowns and makes it look easy.

The 6-foot-1 wide receiver for the Edinburg North Cougars is not one to make a big deal about scoring and celebrating in a big way after putting six points on the board.

He just raises his arms in the air with the ball in hand before tossing it back to the officials.

And he jockeys back to the sideline with his team to get ready for his number again to be called to make another play for the Cougars.

His favorite route is the slant and go.

“Mike (Rodriguez) puts it up there and I try my best to bring it down,” Quintanilla said about the Cougars’ quarterback passing game.

The two have connected seven times for touchdowns, enough to keep Quintanilla as one of the top five receivers in District 31-6A.

After missing his junior season following a season-ending ankle injury he suffered his sophomore year while playing quarterback, Quintanilla decided to return to the gridiron his senior year in hopes of making the playoffs.

Quintanilla did just that.

So far this year, Quintanilla has posted 480 yards receiving and seven touchdowns to help lift the Edinburg North Cougars to a playoff berth with his scoring.

“I’m pretty surprised,” Quintanilla said about his season success. “I just try to bring my best and our coach has helped us accomplish great things.”

The Cougars (3-7, 3-3) went head to head with playoff teams all season. Their record said one thing in print, but the contests Quintanilla and the Cougars competed in were back and forth matches at times that could have gone either way in some cases.

The Cougars traded blows in their game against Weslaco High before the Panthers pulled away for a 37-13 win.

In that contest, Quintanilla completed six catches for 72 yards receiving and one touchdown, and it is his most memorable score.

“We were down two scores and I was a big part of our scoring drive,” Quintanilla said. “I had a long catch and then finished off the drive with a quick slant for the score.”

Quintanilla catches the pigskin in full stride and lets the ball sail over his shoulder and into his hands while on the run.

And he makes his catches look easy.

His timing for the ball and where he needs to be to catch it is impeccable.

Quintanilla and the Cougars will face San Benito (6-4, 4-1) on the road at 7:30 p.m. Friday in San Benito.

“We’re looking good and bring a lot of energy to the field,” Quintanilla said about heading into their playoff match with the Greyhounds. “We’re getting our game right and we just have to execute and we’re going to hang in there with them.”

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It’s McAllen versus Laredo as the UIL Class 6A regional volleyball semifinals take place tonight. Both games begin at 7 p.m.

McALLEN HIGH VS. LAREDO UNITED AT ZAPATA

The Bulldogs are coming off a convincing four-set victory over Harlingen South on the road.

They had a scare, however, in the second set when their leader, Lexi Gonzalez, came down awkwardly after a kill and slowly went to the ground, grabbing her foot.

The score was tied at 4 after a dominant performance in the first set. Trainers evaluated her and when she returned, clearly ready to play, the roar of the crowd on the McAllen side was almost as loud as the deafening silence on the other side. Gonzalez returned with the Bulldogs trailing 19-15 and failed to overcome the deficit, but once again dominated the final two sets to claim the area victory and advance.

Gonzalez was missing earlier in the year when she had a college visit scheduled, and the Bulldogs visited state-ranked Los Fresnos. There, they dropped the first set but bounced back to win the next three.

The difference in that match and the Harlingen South match was that they prepared and knew Gonzalez would be missing. Watching her, however, crumble to the floor was shocking to the McHi players and seemed to take all the momentum away from McHi, while breathing new life into Harlingen South.

Still, players like Haidee Moore and Celina Saenz showed they were ready to step up and had two of their best performances of the season.

One thing head coach Paula Dodge wasn’t happy with were the number of service errors that the Bulldogs had, especially while Gonzalez was in the front row. While the Bulldogs apply pressure with their serves, putting them in the net or sailing them out of bounds only helps their opponent.

If the Bulldogs put on another offensive attacking performance like they showed when at full force against South, the Bulldogs could punch — or kill — their way to the regional semifinals.

McALLEN MEMORIAL VS. LAREDO ALEXANDER AT ALICE

The Mustangs lost their regular-season finale against McAllen Rowe in four sets, then took five sets to win their first-round playoff matchup. They looked like a completely different team in the area round, disposing of Edinburg Vela in four sets to set up a rematch with Alexander.

Ironically, Alexander advanced with a win over Los Fresnos and Memorial hosted a tri-match with those two teams earlier in the season. The Mustangs fell to Alexander and defeated Los Fresnos.

Against Vela, Memorial’s big middles dominated. Sets were tight to the net and they controlled the game against an undersized SaberCats squad. Those middles — Jocelyn Fernandez and Demy Banks — are game changers and will need to have a similar, or better, performance to face Alexander, which also brings some big hitters along.

If Memorial’s bigs can minimize the damage from Alexander’s bigs, one thing is for sure: it will open up the outside for Memorial’s other hitters including the high-flying Sidney Marburger, who does a little bit of everything for the Mustangs.

Defensively, libero Cori Talamantez and defensive specialist Mercedes Lara should give the offense plenty of extra opportunities to strike. But even the strongest back row can be weakened by constant pounding, that’s why it will be critical for Memorial’s big two to at least break even in the battle for the net.

If those scenarios happen, Mustangs could clinch yet another trip to the regional semifinals.

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WESLACO — Weslaco East defensive back Jon Animas backpeddled from 25 yards out along the sideline in Wildcats territory, the clock winding down with less than 20 seconds remaining and the District 31-6A title on the line.

He was defending Edinburg Vela SaberCats’ top receiver, Kevin Rojas, and on the previous play he blew right by him for the first down.

The Wildcats had their backs against the wall as the SaberCats pushed toward the end zone on their last drive.

“We were going back-to-back,” Animas said about the possession. “Something had to happen and deep down I couldn’t let the SaberCats take the lead.”

What Animas did next is what Weslaco East head coach Mike Burget calls the team’s biggest play of the year.

“It was a good play,” Burget said.

While the football sailed through the air, Animas made his move near the 1-yard line while running in full stride with a leaning leap into the air in front of his opponent. His arms stretched high into the target of the pass.

Animas and Rojas each had their hands on the ball, but Animas came down with it for an interception and touchback.

It was the deciding play of the game that forced overtime.

The Wildcats went on to defeat the SaberCats 35-28 after scoring on their first drive in three plays and hold the SaberCats’ pass attack once more.

Animas had calculated his game ending interception like the mathematical algorithmic equation he’s used to figuring out in his pre-calculus class each morning after practice.

Animas and teammates Adrian Juarez and Josh Gonzalez are students in the school’s dual-credit pre-calculus course.

The class is offered through South Texas College and taught by the school’s lead math instructor, Homer Colunga, who graduated with a Master’s degree from Harvard University Extension School through the Texas Graduate Center, a component of the Texas Valley Communities Foundation, a nonprofit based in Mercedes.

“There is no doubt that Jon gives his all in the classroom, and he carries the same work ethic onto the football field,” Colunga said. “He pushes himself to his limits in all that he does, and always finds a way to persevere no matter what obstacles he faces.”

Using his classroom training, Animas easily compared his interception to an algebra equation, beginning with the number of steps he back peddled, factoring in the speed of his opponent, the velocity and trajectory of the football pass, the unknown variable of the ball being thrown to his side and reaching the target in order to make the play.

“I love numbers, and I am confident with math,” Animas said. “If I know the equation I plug in the numbers and the formula, and I know what to do.”

Animas’ clutch interception help the Wildcats complete their season undefeated in district and secure the district championship outright.

Had the SaberCats defeated the Wildcats, it would have forced a three-way tie in district and a share of the title with Edinburg Vela and Weslaco High.

“I had to make sure my timing matched the speed of the ball while staying with my guy, and I planned it perfectly,” Animas said about his interception. “Every team wishes they could have that moment of wining the district title, and it feels really good.”

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