Consistency paid off for the Progreso Red Ants, and it led them to a third-place finish at the UIL State Cross Country Championship held on Saturday in Round Rock.

“It was a big meet and they came back with medals,” Progreso head coach Ivan Gonzalez said.

The Red Ants went into the competition with their sights on winning the first-place trophy, and they kept their game plan the same as every race they compete in.

“We didn’t want to break the tradition of what got us here,” said Gonzalez, whose team won six meets this year. “The team entered the race relaxed and executed the plan they had to try and win the race.”

Three Red Ants finished in the top 50, led by senior Jonathan Vega, who finished 23rd with a time of 16 minutes and 6.3 seconds. Senior Gerardo Gallardo came in 26th with a time of 16:11.4. Rodolfo Sandoval followed up in 39th in 16:28.5.

“Fortunately we were able to get third place,” Gonzalez said. “We didn’t have a superstar; we had a consistent team that worked hard.”

The Red Ants boys’ team had advanced to the Class 4A state championship 11 times before heading into the Saturday competition that pitted them against 151 of the fastest runners in the state in the 5,000-meter run.

In 2017, the Red Ants finished second at state. In 2018, they finished fourth.

“Gosh, we’ve finished in every place except the first one,” Gonzalez said. “Hopefully next year we bring back a good group.”

The Red Ants will lose four key runners to graduation from this year’s team in Jonathan Vega, Gerardo Gallardo, David Cervantes and Samuel Cerda. They make up the team’s first, second, sixth and seventh runners, respectively.

“They guys who are coming back are real excited because they have even more to prove because we didn’t get to accomplish what we wanted to accomplish,” Gonzalez said about the team’s drive to win it all. “We’re going to have to go back to the drawing board and figure out what we have to do to hopefully get the result that we want.”

MERCEDES’ REYES FINISHES 75TH

Mercedes senior Guadalupe Reyes went for it all in the Class 5A competition.

At the sound of the starting gun, Reyes shot out of the pack and hit the first mile with the speed of 4 minutes and 45 seconds. His goal was to finish in the top 10, but he wasn’t able to get past higher than the eighth position.

He hung around with the top 10 runners in Class 5A up until the two-mile marker.

“He was going out there to be in the top 10,” Mercedes head coach Pete Martinez said. “He was doing well, and the last half mile he was done.”

Reyes finished 75th overall with a time of 16:15.4 and competed against 152 runners in the Class 5A 5,000-meter race.

“His ultimate goal was to medal in state, and he went for it all,” Martinez said. “He just fell a little short.”

SHARYLAND HIGH GIRLS PLACE EIGHTH

Going into state, sophomore Danielle Salinas helped lead the Sharyland High girls cross country team to another district championship and a third-place finish at the regional meet in Corpus Christi. On Saturday, she finished 21st overall with a time of 18:45.5. The Rattlers raced against 150 runners and finished eighth overall with 206 points.

MISSION’S ARRIOLA LEADS ALL VALLEY 6A GIRLS

After clinching a spot to race in the state tournament at the regional in Corpus Christi, Mission High’s Leila Arriola found herself finishing state in the top 50 with a speed of 18:40.7. She placed 45th overall. Following close behind her were Weslaco East’s Tessie Garcia in 51st with a time of 18:44.0 and Weslaco High’s Amity Ebarb, who finished 65th with a time of 18:58.0.

IDEA EDINBURG WINS STATE

IDEA Edinburg cross country team captured the Texas Charter School Academic and Athletic League State Cross Country Championship held Nov. 2, in Georgetown, Texas. The team is seen standing left to right with their team trophy beginning with head coach Tomas Martinez, Javier Pena, Uziel Vasquez, Isai Garcia, Joel Solis, Fabian Garcia, Jose Suarez and Hugo Chavarria. The team won three invitational meets heading into the state championship.

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WESLACO — Weslaco East High head coach Mike Burget and Edinburg Vela head coach John Campbell met on the 50-yard line for the overtime coin toss Friday.

It was a misty night on the gridiron at Bobby Lackey Stadium and the Weslaco East Wildcats and Edinburg Vela SaberCats were tied at 28 with more football to play and the District 31-6A title up for grabs.

After winning the coin toss, Campbell elected to have his team defense. Burget sent out his offensive unit one more time and they scored on three plays, ending on 4-yard run by quarterback Ramsey Vasquez for a 35-28 Wildcats lead.

The Wildcats stopped the SaberCats on their last stand with a shoelace tackle by linebacker Gio Barrera on a SaberCats rush, and Muñiz blocked two passes in the end zone on third and fourth down to end the game and capture the District 31-6A championship for the Wildcats.

“Our kids fought to the end, and I can’t even tell you how proud I am of them,” Burget said. “Our kids are the district champs and we love it.”

Weslaco East (7-3, 6-0) will face Harlingen South in the first round of the bi-district round of the playoffs. The SaberCats (7-3, 4-2) will face Harlingen High.

The Wildcats tied it at 21 on a 5-yard run by Vasquez and they converted on the two-point conversion off a roll out pass to the right and Vasquez passed the ball to receiver Jordan Velasquez, left alone on the left side of the end zone.

“That is one of our favorite plays,” Vazquez said about the pass.

After the kickoff, with the clock winding down in regulation, the Wildcats stopped the SaberCats on a fourth down pass that was intercepted by Jon Animas with less than 20 seconds remaining in regulation to force the overtime.

“It was a hell of a game between two good clubs,” Burget said. “We are looking forward to representing our district in the playoffs”

The game turned into an instant classic with no room for error and played like a chess match with big runs and big passing plays on both sides of the ball.

The game featured a blocked Wildcats punt that set up a second score for the SaberCats during the first half. And in the second half, both clubs forced each other to fumble one right after the other.

On the SaberCats’ second series, they found the end zone with a post pass to the corner from quarterback A.J. Sotelo to Jestin Gomez to lift the SaberCats to a 7-0 lead.

On the Wildcats’ second series, Vasquez scored on a 65-yard touchdown run down the right sideline to tie the game. It was his first of three touchdowns on the night.

That marked the first of two 60-plus rushing plays for Vasquez on Friday that set up scores for the Wildcats.

“I appreciate my offensive line and thankful for all the blocks they put in for me,” Vazquez said. “I had to do this for them and they deserve this as much as I do.”

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Weslaco East hosts Edinburg Vela with the District 31-6A crown is up for grabs.

The Wildcats (6-3, 5-0) and SaberCats (7-2, 4-1) are two of the top teams in the Rio Grande Valley and are set to square off at 7:30 p.m. Friday in The Monitor’s Game of the Week at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco.

A win for the Wildcats would make them the outright district champions.

A win for the SaberCats would split the district title three ways — between the SaberCats, Wildcats and Panthers — with each team carrying 4-1 district records.

“We’re looking to win and get the No. 1 seed going into the playoffs,” Weslaco East linebacker Irwin Morin said. “We know they have playmakers, but we do too.”

A win for the Wildcats would be their first district championship since moving up to Class 6A from 5A in 2018. Their last successful district title campaign came in 2012.

The SaberCats have a tradition for winning district titles, while not losing to a Valley school since November 2016, until this season.

“They are going to come after us on both sides of the ball,” Edinburg Vela linebacker Eddie Salinas said. “We are thinking about playing tougher football than we have in the past.”

The Wildcats lean on their ground game. Their senior quarterback, Ramsey Vasquez, is averaging 7.6 yards per carry, while compiling 917 yards on the ground and 10 rushing touchdowns.

SaberCats senior quarterback AJ Sotelo has completed 64% of his throws for 2,132 yards, 24 passing touchdowns and five picks going into the last game of the regular season, while the SaberCats offense has averaged 37.4 points per game. The Wildcats know that slowing down Vela’s passing attack will be the key defensively.

The Wildcats’ stingy defense has shutout three of their opponents, and has only allowed 23 points in their last five games.

Coming into the contest, the SaberCats have only allowed three points and are coming into Friday’s game having posted a 56-0 win over Edinburg High.

A 46-yard field goal kick late in the fourth quarter by the Wildcats lifted them over the Weslaco High Panthers to become the reaming unbeaten team in district. Their win stretched the Wildcats’ winning streak to five games after snapping a three-game skid heading into district.

This will be the two team’s third meeting ever. Their first meeting was in 2016, when they played in the first round of the playoffs and the Wildcats prevailed.

Last year, the teams meet for the second time, marking the first matchup as district foes after the 2018 UIL realignment order grouped the Edinburg teams, Weslaco teams and Donna North into District 31-6A. The SaberCats shut out the Wildcats in that contest 21-0 and went on to complete district undefeated.

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WESLACO — Weslaco East head coach Mike Burget scanned his sideline of football players.

It was crunch time, and the game was on the line.

The score was tied at 14 at Bobby Lackey Stadium Friday night, and the Wildcats had possession of the ball on a fourth-and-long in Weslaco High territory.

Burget was looking for his kicker, Gilbert Garza.

When he found him, they both gave each other a confident grin and Burget sent him to attempt the game-winning field goal, which he converted from 46 yards with 1:20 remaining to give Weslaco East a 17-14 victory and sole possession of first place in District 31-6A.

Weslaco East (6-3, 5-0) will host Edinburg Vela (7-2, 4-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday. A Wildcat victory will secure the outright district title.

The loss for the Panthers drops their record to 7-2, 4-1.

“I had to come out on the field with a lot of confidence,” Garza said. “Without the good blocking again, good snap, good hold, the kick isn’t made.”

“I just want to thank the coach, the team for trusting in me and give all glory to God that we came out with this ‘W’ today,” Garza said.

Weslaco High got the ball back with nearly 90 seconds left in the game, but Weslaco East forced the Panthers to turn the ball over with less than 10 seconds in regulation after Giovanni Barrera quickly stopped the Weslaco High kick returner inside the 20-yard line and later sacked Panthers quarterback Jacob Cavazos on fourth down.

“Our defense played lights out,” Burget said. “Our defense came to play because they want to show South Texas and Weslaco ISD that there are two good teams in Weslaco.”

For the second year in row, the city rivalry came down to a field goal.

Last year, the Panthers converted on a field goal to win 23-21.

Weslaco plays Edinburg North at 7 p.m. Thursday.

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CORPUS CHRISTI — Wiliams Macias looked as far as he could past the wide hilly path for the boys 5,000-meter race Monday at the Class 5A UIL Region IV cross country championship.

He was focused while waiting for the sound of the starting gun. Once the starting gun’s trigger was pulled, he and his PSJA Memorial teammates, who made up seven of the 183 runners at the event, were off to the races.

Eleso Salazar of PSJA Memorial came out leading the pack, which included teams and individuals from Brownsville Veterans, Donna High, Mercedes, Edcouch-Elsa, La Joya Palmview, Rio Grande City and Sharyland Pioneer, among others.

By the time they reached the first-mile marker, Manicas was in the lead and never looked back.

Macias’ finished first with a time of 15:42.7 seconds, guaranteeing him a ticket to the UIL state championship slated Nov. 9 at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.

Mercedes’ Guadalupe Reyes and Donna High’s Samuel Martinez also advanced individually.

The Edcouch-Elsa Yellow Jackets boys advanced to state as a team by placing fourth with 153 points in the race.

“He hit the first mile in 4 minutes, 45 seconds,” PSJA Memorial head coach Ernesto Cazares said about Macias. “He was flying, and the guys were trying to pace him, and they just let him go after that.”

Macias said coming into the race, he wasn’t sure if he could win it all.

By the time he hit the 400-meter mark, Macias was 40 meters ahead of the next-closest runner.

“When I finished, I turned around and nobody was there,” Macias said.

WINNING TEAMS

The Progreso Red Ants huddled for a prayer and took in hug from their head coach, Ivan Gonzalez, before marching to the starting line of the Class 4A race.

After they shot out of block, Gonzalez wondered if what he told the team was enough to fire them up on their fourth regional championship title defense.

He took comfort in knowing the hug was all it was going to take as he moved to another area of the 5,000-meter race to look for his runners.

“We felt confident and lucky we came out on top,” Progreso’s Samuel Cerda said. “We just needed to stay as close as possible and keep the gap close between all our top five.”

Progreso’s first man, Jonathan Vega, placed third with a time of 16:42.5. The Red Ants’ second man, Gerardo Gallardo, placed sixth in 16:55.3 to help lift the team to its first-place finish.

“Walking up to the podium for the fourth straight time feels nice,” Cerda said.

In the 5A girls competition, the Sharyland High Rattlers raced their way back to the state meet with a fourth-place finish. Three of their runners finished in the top 20. They were led by senior Andrea Gallardo, who finished 12th with a time of 20:05.6. Following her in 16th was sophomore Danielle Salinas in 20:19.4. Senior Delilah Vega finished 20th in 20:28.8. The Rattlers scored a combined 113 points.

Donna North’s boys also secured a fourth spot in its 6A race.

“It’s a great experience to be able to go to state as a team,” Donna North Jorge Ponce said. “Hopefully we can make history at state once again.”

Donna North was a second-place finalist in its 2016 cross country campaign.

“We knew we had to step it up as a team,” Donna North’s Jesus Mora said about his team’s victory.

Mora and Ponce finished in seventh and tenth, respectively. Both of them were on the 2016 team.

WINNING INDIVIDUALS

Weslaco High’s Amity Ebarb and Weslaco East’s Tessie Garcia were battling for a top 10 finish during the entire 6A girls race. Following close behind was Mission High’s Leila Arriola.

Each of them went on to punch their ticket to the state meet finishing in sixth, ninth and 12th, respectively.

“It feels so surreal to come here with my team and make it this far,” Weslaco High’s Amity Ebarb said. “There were so many elite girls pushing the race. It felt good to get a good start and have a good finish, too.”

Weslaco East head coach Josh Davis said Garcia worked every day through sickness and bad weather and never took a day off as she prepared for her postseason appearances.

“She (Garcia) had a goal and she met that goal today,” Davis said. “She’s been consistently one of the best in the Valley and she continued to do that today with her top 10 finish.”

In the 6A boys race, seven runners from the Valley placed in the top 10 to secure their tickets to the state meet. Donna North had two runners on that list finishing seventh and 10th.

The first two runners were Edinburg Vela’s Ramsey Moreno and Jeremy Nino, who finished second and third, respectively.

PSJA North’s Hector Solis participated individually and finished fifth in 15:59.2.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln’s Freddy Calvillo finished ninth in 16:07.53.

“I managed to get to state again for the second time,” Calvillo said about his performance. “I’m real happy with what I did today.”

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UIL Region IV Cross Country Championship

Oct. 28, 2019

Corpus Christi

Team results

4A BOYS

1. Progreso, 55; 2; 2. Liberty Hill, 71; 3. La Feria, 167; 4. Fredericksburg, 174

5A BOYS
1. Boerne, 78; 2. Lockhart, 129; 3. Dripping Springs, 144; 4. Edcouch-Elsa, 153

6A BOYS
1.San Antonio Johnson, 59; 2.San Antonio Brandeis, 182;
3. Comal Canyon, 237; 4. Donna North, 241

4A GIRLS

1. Liberty Hill, 76; 2. Bandera, 156; 3. Salado, 160; 4. Johnson (Buda), 176

5A GIRLS

1. Boerne Champion, 35; 2. Dripping Springs, 80; 3. Austin Johnson, 87; 4. Sharyland High, 113

6A GIRLS

1.Austin Westlake, 77; 2. Comal Canyon, 122; 3. Spring Branch Smithson Valley, 128; 4. Laredo United, 152

Individual results

TOP 10 BOYS 4A

1. Hudson Bennett, Burnet, 16:21.93;2. Adan Jonjuitud, Zapata, 16:28.40;3. Logan Rickey, Salado,16:39.76; 4. Jonathan Vega, Progreso, 16:42.50;5. Griffin Neal, Wimberley,16:43.72;6.Orlando Oliverto, Pleasanton, 16:48.69;7.Gerardo Gallardo, Progreso,16:55.39;8.Carlos Romero, Boerne,16:56.21;9. Isaiah Delagarza, Liberty Hill, 17:03.50; 10. Zaine Leal, Pearsall, 17:06.32

TOP 10 BOYS 5A

1. Williams Mancias, PSJA Memorial, 15:42.77; 2. Guadalupe Reyes, Mercedes, 16:05.48; 3. Philip Metcalf, Austin Johnson,16:08.11; 4. Albino Rodriguez, Edcouch-Elsa, 16:11.23; 5. Foster Wilfong, Boerne Champion, 16:12.97;6. Christian Castillo, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 16:15.73;7. Ricardo Garcia, Eagle Pass Winn, 16:26.14; 8.Cody Fountain, Gregory-Portland, 16:27.17; 9. Caleb Lopez, Dripping Springs,16:27.48; 10. Christopher Martinez, Boerne Champion, 16:27.73

* 14.Samuel Martinez, Donna, 16:32.23

TOP 10 BOYS 6A

1. Victor Zuiniga, San Antonio Johnson,15:51.35; 2. Ramsey Moreno, Edinburg Vela, 15:53.28; 3. Jeremey Nino,Edinburg Vela,15:56.13; 4. Taj Lee, San Antonio Johnson,15:56.52; 5. Hector Solis, PSJA NORTH,15:59.26; 6. Joaquin Medina, San Benito, 16:02.49; 7. Jesus Mora,Donna North,16:05.27; 8. Jakob Love,San Antonio Lee, 16:06.27; 9. Freddy Calvillo, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln,16:07.53; 10. Jorge Ponce,Donna North,16:09.19

*17 Hunter Herrera,McAllen,16:22.26;
*18.John Abrego, Brownsville Hanna, 16:22.27

TOP 10 GIRLS 4A

1. Jaci McGregor, Salado, 11:26.82, 2. Zaila Smith, Liberty Hill, 11:42.63; 3. Ayanna Donwerth, Liberty Hill,11:44.38; 4. Ashlyn Royal, Wimberley, 12:03.52; 5. Kyra Gaddy, Johnson (Buda), 12:11.59;6. Marina Villanueva, La Feria, 12:17.30; 7. Veronica Moreno, Gonzales, 12:17.88; 8. Briana Roberson, Churchill Fulshear, 12:19.63; 9. Anna Lesley, Salado, 12:21.76; 10. Karolyna Martinez, Pleasanton, 12:26.20;

* 12. Odette Fernandez, Grulla, 12:30.87;
*13.Kassandra Gonzales, Progreso, 12:31.63

TOP 10 GIRLS 5A

1. Kelsie Vicknair, Boerne Champion,18:46.91; 2. Emme Odonnell, Port Lavaca Calhoun, 19:08.95; 3. Maddie Livingston, Dripping Springs, 19:33.35; 4. Sophia Dale, Austin Johnson,19:33.69; 5.Samantha Gonzalez, Laredo Martin,19:42.26; 6.Trinity Warnicke, San Antonio Alamo Heights,19:43.89;7. McKenzi Popper, Austin Johnson,19:48.97; 8. Katie Houck, Boerne Champion, 19:49.35; 9.Grace Flores, Boerne Champion, 19:50.36; 10. Kate Williams, Boerne Champion,19:50.69

TOP 10 GIRLS 6A

1. Sara Scott, Spring Branch Smithson Valley, 18:40.97; 2.Elise Smoot, Austin Westlake, 19:05.71; 3. Kennady Fontenot, New Braunfels; 19:08.48; 4. Cassidy Beard, Austin Westlake, 19:12.62; 5. Abigail Parra, Buda Hays, 19:16.87; 6. Amity Ebarb, Weslaco, 19:17.66; 7. Valerie Garcia, Laredo United, 19:19.46; 8. Amalie Mills, Spring Branch Smithson Valley, 19:26.99; 9. Katie Crider, San Antonio Reagan,19:27.19; 10. Tessie Garcia, Weslaco East, 19:28.81

*Advancing to state individually

EDINBURG — Edinburg High Bobcats running back Shandon Woodard loves to score touchdowns.

He leads District 31-6A in rushing with 875 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.

“I love making people miss me, running over people and I love being the running back,” Woodard said. “I love to hear the roar of the crowd as I run in for a touchdown.”

From the time Woodard began playing organized football, he played the running back position, scoring touchdowns for his team and making it look easy.

“I don’t go down easy when I get the ball in my hands,” Woodard said. “I want to score all the time.”

But that all changed in high school when Woodward was moved to linebacker from running back his freshman season.

“I liked being linebacker because I loved the feeling of hitting the opponents and taking down the running backs head on,” Woodard said.

Woodard recalled being at practicing with the linebackers going into this season when head coach J.J. Leija sent him to work out with the running backs.

“That is when they started teaching me the running plays,” Woodard said. “I was the next man up; the coaches liked what they saw and kept me there.”

Going into the season, the Bobcats were looking for a new running back to emerge for the team. Early on the Bobcats rotated between A.J. Treviño and Woodard.

After Trevino was sidelined with an injury, Woodard took over for the Bobcats fulltime.

This week, the Bobcats (3-4, 1-2) will meet up with the Weslaco High Panthers (6-1, 3-0). The Panthers are on a six-game winning streak.

The Bobcats are coming off two straight district losses. The first was in a 28-0 loss against Weslaco East and a 35-28 loss to Edinburg North.

Against the Cougars, Woodard shot out of the backfield on a handoff and picked up a 71-yard touchdown to bring the Bobcats within one score.

“We were down and I had to do something,” Woodard said about his long touchdown.

Against Weslaco East, Woodard was stopped from scoring and rushed for just 36 yards.

“We really learned a lot from that Weslaco East game,” Woodard said. “I didn’t like my performance in that game and I felt I could have done better for the team.”

Going into this week’s game against Weslaco High, Woodard said he is focused and believes any team is beatable.

“It will be a good opportunity to show how good I can play,” Woodard said. “If I can run against that team, I can run against any team.”

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DONNA — Losing the district title last year didn’t sit well with the Edinburg Economedes girls cross country team.

So, they did something about it at the District 31-6A championship Friday at Donna North by reclaiming it.

Senior Dayan Lozano led the way for the Jaguars as she finished third overall with a time of 19 minutes, 48.9 seconds. Weslaco High’s Amity Ebarb won the individual title at 18:42.5, and Weslaco East’s Tessie Garcia finished second in 19:10.5.

“It was up to us if we wanted to take it or leave it, and we took it,” Lozano said. “We knew what we had to do, and we did it.”

Edinburg Economedes won the girls race with 42 points. Weslaco High finished second with 47 points. Wesalco East came in third with 60 points. Those three teams, plus the top 10 runners, will advance to regionals Oct. 28 in Corpus Christi.

Lozano said the team fought hard during the race to reclaim their title from Weslaco High.

Lozano raced at the front of the pack as she followed behind Ebarb and Garcia most of the race. Lozano’s teammates trailed just behind her and close enough to earn the top score.

Lozano said even though she was tired and thought about quitting during the 5,000-meter race, she decided to push herself harder, finish the race for the team, and to cap her senior year with the district title.

“We knew it was possible,” Lozano said.

Three Economedes runners finished in the top 10. And the last four runners — Destiney Martinez, Jennifer Almanza, Leslie Treviño and Audrey Chavez — rounded out the teams score in the top 23.

After the race, Weslaco High head coach Pablo Almaguer congratulated the Economedes team for their win and told the girls he appreciated their competition.

The top three teams and top 10 runners from the girls and boys district championship advance to the regional meet.

Economedes runner Dianette Garcia could be heard celebrating with her team after the official results announcing the Jaguars district champions were said over the loudspeaker.

“District champs, baby,” Garcia said proudly, as the girls ran to their coach and embraced her to celebrate their accomplishment. “We did it.”

DONNA NORTH BOYS EDGE VELA IN ‘OT’

Edinburg Vela’s Jeremy Niño made the sign of the cross while running in full stride just before he crossed the finish line to capture his first district title.

His teammate, Ramsey Moreno, followed him in second place, just seconds behind him.

The next two runners were Donna North seniors Jesus Mora and Jorge Ponce.

Edinburg Vela’s Mark Salas trailed Ponce by five seconds to round out the top five runners in the District 31-6A boys cross country championship.

The race ended up being a thriller as Donna North’s sixth man the 45-point tie between Donna North and Edinburg Vela and gave Donna North the boys District 31-6A team title.

When Javier Venegas edged Edinburg Vela’s sixth man by eight seconds, it was enough to clinch the district title for Donna North.

In the event of a tie in cross country competition, the winner is based of which team’s sixth man finishes higher.

Donna North, Edinburg Vela and third place Edinburg High will advance to the regionals, along with the top 10 individual runners.

“It was a pretty tough race,” Donna North head coach Basilio Mendoza said. “Unfortunately, it comes down to just one race.”

Mendoza described the district championship as the scariest race between district, regional and state championship races because of the low number of runners; in this case, just 49 competed.

“Your room for error is very small,” Mendoza said about the district championship race. “The kids responded and were able to win back-to-back in our second year in 6A competition.”

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LA FERIA — Mariana Villanueva and the La Feria Lions are District 32-4A cross country champions for the fourth year in a row.

Villanueva finished the 32-4A district championship race first overall with a time of 12 minutes, 20.9 seconds.

The race was held in La Feria Monday morning.

Next stop for Villanueva and the Lions is the regional cross country race held in Corpus Christi on Oct. 28.

“The excitement is the everyday process of the girls sacrificing for the team,” said head coach Graciela Campos. “We won by four points, but we’ll take it.”

Also punching their ticket to the regional cross country meet are Rio Grande City La Gurlla with (51 points) and Zapata placed third with (67 points). La Feria finished the race with at total score of (47 points.)

Yesterday’s win marked the second back-to-back District 32-4A championship for the girls La Feria Lions cross country team dating back to the 2016 season.

“This isn’t Friday night lights,” Campos said, comparing the sport to Valley football popularity. “It’s Saturday morning glory.”

BOYS RACE

The Progreso Red Ants cross country team zipped their way to another first place finish at the La Feria District Championship race.

Their win in La Feria on Monday marked their fourth first place finish in their last five races.

And for the fourth year in a row the Red Ants are the crowned District 32-4A champions.

The Red finished the meet with a team total score of (18 points), La Feria trailed with (51 points) and Zapata finished with (78 points).

Progreso claimed seven of the top ten spots in the race. Their fastest runner, Jonathan Vega led the pack at the finish line with a time of 16 minutes, and 18.5 seconds.

“Hopefully we can have a good showing at regional meet,” Progreso head coach Ivan Gonzalez said.

Also participating in the District race for the boys and girls competition were Hidalgo Early College, Port Isabel, Raymondville and Rio Hondo.

The top three teams and the top ten runners in the boys and girls divisions advance to the regional meet.

District 32-4A Cross Country Championship race results

Girls teams results:

1. La Feria 47; 2. Rio Grande City La Grulla 51; 3. Zapata 67

Girls top ten runners:

1. Marina Villanueva, La Feria,12:20.9; 2. Odette Fernandez, Rio Grande Grulla, 12:48.5; 3. Kaelynn Gonzalez, Zapata, 12:58.7; 4. Chelsey Castillo, Rio Grande Grulla, 12:59.9; 5. Jasaline Ayala, Rio Hondo, 13:01.1; 6. Kassandra Gonzales, Progreso, 13:01.6; 7. Jaqueline Mendez, Raymondville, 13:02.9; 8. Miranda Torres, La Feria, 13:05.5; 9. Stephanie Resendez, Rio Grande Grulla, 13:17.3; 10. Denise Rodriguez, Rio Grande Grulla, 13:18.2;

Boys team results:

1. Progreso 18; 2. La Feria 51; 3. Zapata 78

Boys top ten runners:

1.Jonathan Vega, Progreso, 16:18.5; 2. Gerardo Gallardo, Progreso, 16:24.4; 3. Adan Jonjuitud, Zapata, 16:40.8; 4. Rudy Sandoval, Progreso, 16:55.9; 5. Alex Pecina, Progreso, 17:02.3; 6. Greg Rangel, Progreso, 17:09.5; 7. Anthony Cepeda, La Feria, 17:16.3; 8. Santos Botello, La Feria, 17:21.1; 9. David Cervantes, Progreso, 17:21.2; 10. Samuel Cerda, Progreso, 17:25.3   

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WESLACO — Jacob Cavazos tossed the ball in the air to himself inside the end zone as he waited for the Weslaco High Panthers to join him on the field Tuesday morning.

The Panthers quarterback was alone in Bobby Lackey Stadium hours before dawn.

It was early in the morning and the stadium looked like it was open for a Friday night game as the cars zoomed past on Expressway 83.

Cavazos was first on the field for morning practice as he and the Panthers (4-1, 1-0) prepared to take on the Edinburg Vela SaberCats (5-1, 2-0) on Thursday night.

Panthers head coach Roy Stroman pulled into the stadium driving a purple golf cart carrying the football field markers.

Stroman got off the cart and began talking to his quarterback who he describes as leader by example.

“You can’t teach that,” Stroman said of Cavazos’ dedication to the team.

And then, one by one, the Panthers players began to enter the stadium, and by 6 a.m. the team was on the field.

“We try to make it as realistic as possible,” Stroman said about the practice. “This is their classroom, and we practice like it were game day.”

Stroman said he’s a morning person and the team has bought into practicing early, so after school they have time for home work and to be with family.

“The receivers get to catch the ball under the lights like its game day,” Stroman said with a smile. “And I receive texts from parents on how well their child is doing because of early practice.”

TURNING THE CORNER

Heading into Week 7 of District 31-6A, Donna North has 20 straight losses, including six in a row to start the season. And it’s not sitting well with the team.

Donna North head coach Joe Marichalar believes his team is ready to turn the corner, though.

The team came into the season with high hopes, and despite the unwanted results, they continue to fight, Marichalar said.

The Chiefs are coming off their best performance of the season in their 41-24 loss against Edinburg North, which snapped a five-game skid.

Donna North quarterback Brandon Escobar passed for 198 yards and two touchdown passes. Donna North receiver Rigo Rodriguez scored twice, once on a touchdown pass and another on a rushing touchdown.

Wesalco East head coach Mike Burget said Marichalar has the team playing much better.

“He’s made a commitment to turn that program around and I see it at every level,” Burget said. “It’s hard to get a program going. Joe has a big challenge, and I really believe he can.”

Marichalar is not the only coach to go through back-to-back losing season.

The program with the current longest losing streak is the Hidalgo Pirates. They went on a 23-game losing streak between their 2016-2019 seasons. They ended that drought this season and are currently 5-1.

Prior to that, the Valley View Tigers held the second-longest losing streak at 17 games until they defeated the Mercedes Tigers 7-6 on the road in 2007.

Meanwhile, Marichalar said he’s sticking with his game plan and keeping the team focused.

“There is no quitting here,” Marichalar said. “We’re a unified brotherhood.”

Donna North will play Edinburg Economedes (1-5, 0-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bennie La Prade Stadium in Donna.

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