By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Upper Rio Grande Valley teams enjoyed strong showings Saturday at the Fall Festival Swimming & Diving Meet at Brownsville’s Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center.

The two-day event attracted more than 650 swimmers representing 33 teams.

McAllen High captured the boys team championship with 325 points. Sharyland High and PSJA Southwest came next with 214 and 198.5 points, respectively.

Roma took home the girls team title with 224 points, while Sharyland High was second with 198.5 points and McAllen Memorial was third with 194.

Bulldogs coach Jared Kaminski said his team is coming along nicely, particularly his boys, who have captured three or four championships at Valley meets so far this year.

With district and regional competition still a couple of months away, Kaminski said this weekend’s meet allowed the McHi swimmers to experiment a little bit by competing in some different events to test their abilities. It’s something teams will do at this time of the season to break up the routine.

“Today was good,” Kaminski said. “It was kind of a different meet for us. We swam a lot of ‘off’ events, trying to get times and see where our swimmers are at, plus get them away from their comfort zone a little bit.

“It was a good meet with some solid swims,” the McHi coach added. “We still have a lot to work on such as turns, starts and things like that, but, overall, the effort was there and the times reflected that, so I thought it was a good meet for us.”

The Bulldogs were especially strong in the relays, capturing a pair of first places. They won the 200 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay. Swimming on those relays for the Bulldogs were Max Saenz, Thomas Wilkins, Errol Lizzotte, Shaine Casas and Jorge Garza Rodriguez. Also, Casas was an individual winner for the Bulldogs in the 500 freestyle.

The Roma girls won two of the three relays as well, placing first in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. Swimmers on those relays for Roma were Yamilet Ramirez, Isabella Gonzalez, Jocelyn Martinez, Briseida Saldana and Robin Castillo.

In addition for Roma, Martinez was a double-winner in the 200 and 500 freestyles, and Gonzalez won the 200 individual medley.

Also in the girls division, Hanna was fourth (184 points), McHi fifth (174.5), Rivera sixth (173.5), St. Joseph Academy seventh (161) and Los Fresnos eighth (158).

Rivera won the girls 200 medley relay with swimmers Stephanie Castillo, Fernanda Rodriguez, Ximena Gonzalez and Sofia Gonzalez. Castillo was a double-winner in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke.

McAllen Memorial came in fourth in the boys standings with 197 points, while Los Fresnos (103), Brownsville Veterans Memorial (161), Roma (161) and St. Joseph Academy (160.5) completed the top eight.

Double-winners for the boys included Brownsville Veterans’ Jonathan Ashford in the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke, and SJA’s Adrian Fierro in the 50 and 100 freestyles.

Also at the meet, other individual winners included SJA’s Luis Davila (boys 200 freestyle), Los Fresnos’ Ivana Besteiro (girls 50 freestyle), Mission High’s Sandra Valdez (girls 1-meter diving), PSJA North’s Ruell Cuellar (boys 1-meter diving), SJA’s Jessie Hainley (girls 100 freestyle), PSJA Southwest’s Joshua Velazquez (boys 100 backstroke), Harlingen South’s Aransas Haley (girls 100 breaststroke) and First Baptist School’s Victor Carreon (boys 100 butterfly).

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

One of St. Joseph Academy’s best football seasons in recent memory came to an all-too-soon end following Friday’s 49-42 loss to the Midland Christian Mustangs at Canales Field during the opening round of the TAPPS state playoffs.

Midland Christian’s Lukas Singh returned the opening kickoff 101 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown. And from there, things started going downhill fairly quickly for the Bloodhounds (8-3). Still, they showed plenty of determination in battling back from first-half deficits of 28-0 and 35-8.

Even though Midland Christian brought a 4-6 mark into the contest, SJA coach Tino Villarreal said the Mustangs were a lot better than their record indicated.

“We knew coming into tonight that Midland’s record didn’t show who they really were,” Villarreal said. “We knew they were a very good team and that we were going to have to play our best game. We came out a little shellshocked in the beginning and spotted them way too many points.

“In the second half, they kept their starters in the whole way (because they were never comfortable with the lead they had),” Villarreal added. “I think we showed what Bloodhound football is all about tonight and that our 8-2 (regular-season) record and our finish in district means we’re bringing back the Bloodhound dynasty to Brownsville. I think we showed that tonight.”

Midland Christian quarterback Westin Elliott, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound senior, enjoyed quite a productive outing, throwing for 376 yards and five TDs — four of them during the opening half. He also rushed for a 1-yard score in the final period.

During the first quarter, Elliott threw scoring passes of 21 yards to Mclane Mannix and 13 yards to Luke Watson. The second period saw Elliott toss TD aerials of 47 yards to Mannix and 39 yards to Anderson Needham. The Needham TD catch made it 35-8 with 3:22 left in the half.

In the third quarter, Elliott and Mannix hooked up again for a 6-yard scoring pass, pushing the lead to 42-14.

SJA trailed 21-0 after one quarter and 35-8 at intermission. It was 42-21 after three periods as the Bloodhounds went on to tally three TDs during the final 7:00 to account for the seven-point outcome.

Kai Money, SJA’s sophomore QB, threw three TD passes — all of them to Bernie De La Garza — on plays covering 4, 11 and 35 yards. The 4-yard scoring pass came with 5:31 remaining before intermission to bring the Bloodhounds to within 28-8.

The 11-yard Money-to-De La Garza scoring hookup to make it 35-14 came just one minute into the second half and provided the Bloodhounds with some momentum as they began their comeback.

Money also scrambled 10 yards for a TD with 7:00 left to bring the Bloodhounds to within 42-28.

The 35-yard scoring pass to De La Garza brought SJA to within 49-35 with 1:19 remaining, and then a successful onside kick allowed the Bloodhounds to get into the end zone one more time.

Also for SJA, Mario Garcia tallied second-half TDs on a pair of 1-yard runs, including the second one as time expired.

“We had them fourth-and-3, fourth-and-12 and fourth-and-16, and they converted those situations into touchdowns,” Villarreal said. “You can’t do that against a really good team in the playoffs and expect to win.

“But we never stopped fighting,” he added. “I am so proud of our boys, the coaches, our seniors and our captains — just everyone, because we showed what Bloodhound pride is about. We showed who we are as a team.”

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

LOS FRESNOS — Rene Ortega is one of those athletes who has paid his dues at each level of the Los Fresnos football program.

No one is more aware and appreciative of that fact than Falcons coach Clint Finley.

“Rene was my freshman light quarterback, my junior varsity light quarterback, my JV dark quarterback, and now as a senior, he’s my starting quarterback (on the varsity), and he’s done a wonderful job,” Finley said. “He’s worked tremendously hard and paid his dues.

“He throws the ball really well, and he’s running the ball pretty good, too,” Finley added. “He’s grown so much with the mental part of the game. He knows a lot more about the offense now than he did Day 1, and he can get us in and out of bad plays by changing them. He’s having a great year, and I couldn’t be prouder of the job he’s done.”

Ortega, 5-foot-10 and 163 pounds, is making the most of his opportunity as a senior in guiding the Falcons to another successful season. He’ll have a chance to continue that role for the Falcons as the state playoffs begin this week.

District 32-6A tri-champion Los Fresnos (9-1) plays District 31-6A champion Weslaco High (8-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Weslaco’s Bobby Lackey Stadium in the Class 6A Division I bi-district round of the playoffs.

Since the beginning of the season, the Falcons have known they had quite a productive offense with Ortega as the signal caller.

Ortega has carried on the standout play demonstrated by past Los Fresnos QBs, including Pierce Ruiz last season. Ortega leads 32-6A in passing with 2,324 yards and 26 touchdowns. He’s completed 153 of 247 pass attempts (61.9 percent) with 10 interceptions. Ortega leads the Falcons in rushing with 533 yards and five TDs.

“It’s a good feeling (to be productive for the team),” Ortega said. “I’ve been waiting since I was a freshman to get my spot and be where I am now. Coach Finley’s right, I did pay my dues. I’ve gone through a lot to get to this point. It’s an amazing honor to be in the position I have now. I’m grateful that he gave me a chance to play the position.”

Becoming so effective at QB on the varsity has been a bit of a surprise for Ortega.

“At the beginning of the year I didn’t think I’d have the season that I’m having now,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d be as successful as I’ve been, and it’s an amazing feeling to see what I’ve done in (just) one year (as the varsity starter). I feel the team’s confidence in me from the offense and the defense. When I have a bad play, there are several people who pick me up so we can do what we’ve got to do (and move on).”

Finley said because he’s seen Ortega progress since he was a freshman, he’s not all that surprised about the standout season his QB is putting together as a senior.

“Rene showed some flashes of what he could do last year near the end of the season that really had us feeling good about what he could do on the varsity,” the Los Fresnos coach said. “We kind of had an idea of how he might turn out, and he’s become a nice, pleasant surprise for us. I wouldn’t say it’s an all-out surprise. He came up with the varsity last year during the playoffs, threw some passes and had some success. We definitely saw some things with him that we were excited about.

“He’s put in some time in the weight room, and he grew (and honed his body),” Finley added. “That was a big deal as to whether he was going to grow, gain some weight and be able to take the (physical) punishment of varsity ball, and he has. He’s grown, gotten faster and he’s making a big difference for us.”

More than anything, Ortega appreciates the chance he’s received to shine for the Falcons.

“It’s awesome to do what you (initially) didn’t think you could do on the varsity,” Ortega said. “Coach Finley and the coaching staff know how to motivate the players and keep us going (and I thank them).”

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

PORT ISABEL — It’s not exactly a two-quarterback system, but it seems to work well for the Port Isabel Tarpons.

The Tarpons began the football season not quite sure just who would be the starting quarterback among three candidates — senior Javier Hernandez Jr. and juniors Omar Silva and Carlos Orduna.

The way things have evolved, Silva has become the starter at QB with Hernandez coming in to take over signal-calling duties when Silva switches to running back, which now happens on a fairly regular basis during the course of a game. Also, Orduna has found a spot on offense at running back. Moving Silva back and forth between QB and running back has helped increase the Tarpons’ offensive effectiveness.

There’s no lack of playing time for the three athletes as they all play in the defensive secondary as well.

The Tarpons (6-3) take on Cuero (5-5) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Corpus Christi’s Cabaniss Field in the Class 4A Division II bi-district playoffs.

“Javi has some experience at quarterback from last year, and then you’ve got Omar, who’s a pretty good runner either as a quarterback or a running back,” Tarpons offensive coordinator Al Senteno said. “It kind of gives us a little change of pace and gives Carlos a little breather (by moving Silva to running back). It follows the formula we’ve had here the last couple of years where we bring in different running backs to give (the ones who come out) a rest. This year it’s a little different, though. We can’t really rest any of them too much because they play defense.

“It’s nothing new for Javi because he played QB last year and he brings a lot of experience to the position,” Senteno added. “Omar had never played QB before this year, so that was something new for him. He’s matured in that role and as a leader for the team. He’s an athlete with good vision. He sees the hole and he’ll hit it. Omar only knows one way, and that’s running downhill. That’s what we do here. Our philosophy is to run downhill.”

Silva leads District 16-4A Division II in rushing by a good margin with 978 yards on 150 carries for a 6.5-yard average per carry. He has rushed for nine touchdowns while passing for 179 yards and four scores.

“I think it’s been working out pretty good,” said Silva, a 5-foot-9, 155-pounder, of his duties playing dual spots on offense. “Either way, it doesn’t matter to me which position I play. I just do what the coaches tell me to do.

“I’ve gained confidence through the season,” he added. “Everybody improves as the season goes on, and I can tell you from the first week until now, we’ve gotten a lot better as a team. I’m happy with how I’m doing, but I’m not satisfied. There’s still a lot more for me to improve on.”

Added Hernandez, a 5-4, 150-pounder who was named Homecoming King last month, “It’s working out pretty well. Omar’s a good runner (whether he’s at QB or running back). It’s pretty neat seeing him run. He may look like he’s trapped, but then he breaks some tackles and takes off (for a big gain).”

Tarpons coach Monty Stumbaugh said his team has found some momentum going into the playoffs, with Silva and Hernandez playing important roles along with everyone else on the team.

“Omar has come on, and it’s been huge for us,” Stumbaugh said. “Whether it’s playing quarterback or running back, he’s running the ball better and making some big plays. Javi can throw the ball, also. It gives us another dimension at running back (by moving Silva there). With Javi coming in, we can go with two backs or even a spread look. We’re confident in Javi at quarterback as well. It’s something that’s working out well for us.”

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

WESLACO — The McAllen Memorial Lady Mustangs are returning to the Region IV-6A Tournament in volleyball for the first time since 2010.

The Lady Mustangs earned their trip to San Antonio by triumphing against Los Fresnos 25-22, 25-17, 25-16 on Tuesday during a Class 6A regional quarterfinal match at Weslaco High.

The Lady Falcons were attempting to make back-to-back appearances at the regional tournament, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

The District 30-6A runner-up Lady Mustangs (35-7), ranked No. 4 in the Rio Grande Valley, were on top of their game from the very beginning and never really let Los Fresnos build momentum for any significant amount of time.

It was a night of uncharacteristic errors, hitting and otherwise, for the District 32-6A champion Lady Falcons (39-9), ranked No. 2, who this season pretty much considered anything less than making a return trip to San Antonio a disappointment.

On the other side, there was euphoria among the McAllen Memorial players, coaches and fans immediately after the final point when a Los Fresnos serve sailed long and the Lady Mustangs had swept the match.

“Obviously, it feels amazing to make it to the Sweet 16 of the state playoffs,” Lady Mustangs coach Lorena Lopez said. “I thought it was a competitive match. My girls really prepared and worked hard in practice trying to get ready to defend against a great-hitting team. I think our girls executed everything we worked on well.

“It’s always important to win the first game and kind of get that one in your pocket,” Lopez added. “It gives you confidence to last you through the match.”

The Lady Mustangs and Lady Falcons had played twice earlier this season at tournaments and split the matches.

“I told the girls we needed to come out on fire, and we didn’t,” said Los Fresnos coach Becky Woods, whose team advanced all the way to the regional tournament semifinals last season in San Antonio. “We were flat tonight and just made a lot of mistakes. Memorial came out ready to play.

““We had a good year, and I’m proud of our girls,” Woods added. “It was a good season. We’ve always got next year. This year would have been a good year (to go to the regional tournament), but that’s OK.”

McAllen Memorial advances to play San Antonio Reagan or San Antonio O’Connor at 6 p.m. Friday in the Region IV-6A Tournament at Alamo Convocation Center in San Antonio.

Draik Banks was the leader for Memorial with 13 kills. She also had three blocks. Lanie Nitsch added 10 kills and three blocks, and Allie Nitsch contributed four blocks and four aces.

Also for the Lady Mustangs, Taylor Marburger had 29 assists, 10 digs, one block and one ace. Jocelynn Everage finished with five kills and four digs, and Aleya Campos and Danniella Alvarado had 10 and eight digs, respectively. Campos also served a pair of aces.

Sam Ibarra led Los Fresnos with 10 kills and 11 blocks. Joseline Caraveo, Jackie Kingsbury and Cassie Parra added seven, six and six kills, respectively. Miranda Gonzales contributed 19 assists and seven blocks.

Also for the Lady Falcons, Giselle Ibarra, Kingsbury and Isis Delgado recorded 16, 14 and eight digs, respectively.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

A berth at the Region IV-6A Tournament later this week awaits the winner of Tuesday’s third-round volleyball playoff match between Los Fresnos and McAllen Memorial.

The Class 6A regional quarterfinal contest is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Weslaco High.

The District 32-6A champion Lady Falcons (39-8), ranked No. 2 in the Rio Grande Valley, are seeking to return to the regional tournament for the second straight year. They also advanced that far in the playoffs in 2011. The District 30-6A runner-up Lady Mustangs (34-7), ranked No. 4, have reached the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 2011.

The teams played each other twice already this season and split the matches. At the McAllen Poundfest Tournament on Aug., 15, McAllen Memorial defeated Los Fresnos 25-23, 25-27, 15-11. The Lady Falcons returned the favor Sept. 5 at the Sharyland Tournament, winning 25-27, 25-18, 25-20, 12-25, 15-11.

When asked how it feels to be facing McAllen Memorial again, Lady Falcons coach Becky Woods said, “It’s great. We’re anxious and excited. We both have very good teams.”

McAllen Memorial coach Lorena Lopez said the Lady Mustangs and Lady Falcons have faced each other a number of times in the past, particularly in the postseason.

“We have a long history of playing each other in the playoffs, so we’re very familiar with each other,” Lopez said. “I can’t even count how many times we’ve had to face each other.

“It’s always an exciting match, and it’s always fun,” Lopez added. “I think we’ve gotten used to each other and what to expect from each other’s team. But it’s all about the girls, how they come out and who wants it more. Win or lose, we’re proud of the girls and the effort that they’ve put in. Being in the third round is an accomplishment already, so best of luck to both teams.”

McAllen Memorial advanced to the regional quarterfinals with a 25-15, 25-13, 25-15 area-round triumph against Edinburg North last Friday. Los Fresnos gained its spot opposite the Lady Mustangs by prevailing against Laredo Alexander 20-25, 25-21, 25-16, 26-24 on Saturday.

After breezing past PSJA North 3-0 in bi-district, the Lady Falcons had all they could handle in getting past Laredo Alexander in four games during the area round. Losing the opening game 25-20 to the Lady Bulldogs was a bit unnerving.

“It was really good for us to come out with a strong win (against Alexander),” said Miranda Gonzales, the Lady Falcons’ senior setter. “We played sloppy in the beginning, but towards the end we really picked up our game. Alexander had a fast offense, and it really helped us (improve) with our blocking. It was a good test (to prepare us) for the next round.”

Added Sam Ibarra, Los Fresnos’ senior middle blocker, “Memorial has a good team, and they’re as talented as we are. We’re just excited to play them again, and we know it’ll be good competition. Alexander was playing tough against us. We know we have to work hard on every point and just get better with every game we play.”

According to the UIL 6A playoff bracket, the McAllen Memorial-Los Fresnos winner goes against San Antonio Reagan (43-5) or San Antonio O’Connor (33-16) at 6 p.m. Friday at the Region IV-6A Tournament in San Antonio.

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

LA JOYA — The Los Fresnos volleyball team is following the same playoff path that led the Lady Falcons to the Region IV-6A Tournament last year.

It’s anything but an easy journey, as the Lady Falcons experienced Saturday during their Class 6A area-round match against Laredo Alexander at the La Joya Palmview gym.

After barely breaking a sweat during last Tuesday’s 3-0 bi-district sweep of PSJA North, things became much more difficult Saturday for the Lady Falcons as they displayed the resolve to battle back and prevail over the Lady Bulldogs 20-25, 25-21, 25-16, 26-24.

Losing the first game 25-20 to a determined and practically error-free Alexander squad with the same height, steady serving, skillful digging abilities and power hitting was a jolting wakeup call for the Lady Falcons.

“Oh my gosh, we were all sweating bullets (after that opening game),” said Miranda Gonzales, the Lady Falcons’ senior setter.

“Honestly, it was our passion (that was the difference),” Gonzales added. “We all love the sport so much and we put so much hard work into it. That’s really what it came down to. It was such a big win, and we really proved that we deserve to be in the running for state.”

District 32-6A champion Los Fresnos (39-8), ranked No. 2 in the Rio Grande Valley, advances to the regional quarterfinal round of the 6A playoffs to face District 30-6A runner-up and fourth-ranked McAllen Memorial (35-4) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at a neutral site to be determined. District 29-6A runner-up Alexander ended its season at 30-12.

“We had to just stay positive and not give up on the ball,” said Joseline Caraveo, Los Fresnos’ senior middle blocker whose strong play at the net early, including some decisive kills, seemed to spark her teammates. “We stayed strong and played for God. I just wanted to bring my team up because we were already down from losing the first set. I had to play my hardest to help my team.”

The Lady Falcons’ determination began to manifest itself during the second game. There were eight ties in the set, the last of which came at 18. Kills by Caraveo put Los Fresnos ahead 19-18, 21-19 and 22-20. Errors by the Lady Bulldogs started to surface as a serve went long, giving the Lady Falcons a 24-21 advantage. A hitting error by Alexander allowed Los Fresnos to win the second game 25-21, and the Lady Falcons were on their way.

Los Fresnos cruised to a 25-16 victory during the third game. Still, Alexander wasn’t quite ready to give up. The Lady Bulldogs surged ahead early during the fourth game and led by as many as seven points, 12-5.

At that point, the match appeared destined to go five games, but the Lady Falcons refused to relinquish the set and again came roaring back. A kill by Sam Ibarra allowed Los Fresnos to tie the score at 15. Then there were ties at 16, 17 and 20. But it didn’t look good when the Lady Falcons hit the ball out of bounds to give Alexander a 24-21 edge. That’s when, for some reason, the Lady Bulldogs began committing a few more errors and Los Fresnos started making a few more plays.

A kill by Caraveo brought the score to 24-22, and then the Lady Bulldogs hit the ball into the net on back-to-back points, allowing Los Fresnos to pull even once again at 24. An Alexander kill attempt sailed just long to lift the Lady Falcons into the lead at 25-24, and seconds later, another strong kill by Ibarra clinched the set and match 26-24.

“It took a lot of teamwork and being confident in each other (to win this one),” Ibarra said. “It took working together and giving all the glory to God. We knew we had to work a little harder after losing that first game. It was just an amazing win.”

Earlier this season, the Lady Falcons played the Lady Bulldogs at the Poundfest Tournament on Aug. 14 in McAllen, and Los Fresnos won 10-25, 25-22, 15-8.

Los Fresnos was coming off Tuesday’s 25-12, 25-12, 25-7 bi-district win against PSJA North.

On Saturday, Caraveo led Los Fresnos with 18 kills and contributed eight digs. Sam Ibarra had 14 kills with 13 blocks, and teammate Jackie Kingsbury added eight kills, 10 digs and seven blocks.

Also for the Lady Falcons, Gonzales finished with 26 assists. Giselle Ibarra had nine digs and four blocks, and Isis Delgado and Alexis Cuello contributed 12 and seven digs, respectively. Cassie Parra added five kills.

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Mission accomplished for the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers.

Thanks to Friday’s 41-21 District 32-6A victory against the Lopez Lobos at Sams Memorial Stadium, the Chargers are back in the state playoffs for the first time since 2012, when they advanced two rounds.

“Earning a playoff spot in 32-6A is absolute happiness,” Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu said. “We’ve been so close the last two years, so that makes it extra special.

“Our motto has been ‘We will,’ and I’m proud to say that ‘We did,’” Cantu added.

Brownsville Veterans will play Weslaco East in the first round of the Class 6A Division II playoffs next week. Details regarding the matchup were to be finalized Saturday morning.

Snapping a three-game losing streak, the Chargers (7-3, 4-3 district) received a big game from senior running back Carlos Garza. He rushed 16 times for 197 yards and a pair of touchdowns with scampers up the middle on scoring plays covering 79 and 37 yards during the first and fourth quarters, respectively.

Garza also caught a screen pass from quarterback Marcus Castillo and took it 26 yards for another score, also during the fourth period.

Castillo was a contributor to the Chargers’ scoring as well, as he tallied on a 14-yard quarterback keeper during the second quarter and threw the 26-yard screen pass to Garza during the final period. Castillo finished with 94 yards rushing on the night.

The score was tied at 7 after one quarter, and the Chargers led 17-7 at intermission.

Brownsville Veterans took a 24-7 lead into the fourth quarter that became a little bit eventful as 31 combined points were scored. The final period featured onside kicks, trick plays and going-for-broke fourth-down conversions.

Lopez opened the game’s scoring on Jose Echavarria’s 14-yard burst to the end zone with 2:37 showing in the initial period. Garza’s 79-yard breakaway scoring run came with just 12.6 seconds remaining in the first quarter to deadlock the tally at 7 thanks to extra points by Lopez’s Jose Martinez and Brownsville Veterans’ Humberto Trevino.

Castillo’s 14-yard QB keeper made it 14-7 with 1:50 left in the second period, and a 25-yard field goal by Trevino as time expired in the first half gave the Chargers a 17-7 edge at intermission.

David Jacob Cantu caught a 12-yard pass in the end zone from running back Jeremiah Meyers with 2:26 to go during the third period as Brownsville Veterans increased its lead to 24-7.

Things got a bit wild after Garza scored on the 26-yard screen-pass play from Castillo with 9:44 showing during the final quarter and the lead seemingly out of reach at 31-7.

But then, with the help of a successfully recovered onside kick executed by Echavarria, the Lobos (1-8, 1-6) tallied a pair of touchdowns within a span of 13 seconds to pull within 31-21.

First, Echavarria, lined up as a running back, took a pitchout and threw a 10-yard scoring pass to Markus Leal with 8:52 remaining.

After the recovery of Echavarria’s ensuing onside kick, Lopez QB Saul Mendoza hooked up with Cristo Garcia on a 53-yard scoring play on a deep pass route to cut the lead to 31-21 with 8:39 to go.

“The game was a great example of two teams playing their hearts out,” Cantu said. “Lopez was extremely tough and forced us into many mistakes early on. Kudos to Coach (Jason) Starkey, his staff and the players (at Lopez).”

The Chargers closed out the scoring with Garza’s 37-yard sprint up the middle on a fourth-and-1 situation with 5:25 left and Trevino’s 38-yard field goal with 2:36 to play, making it 41-21.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Several months have passed since the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons last played the Laredo Alexander Lady Bulldogs at the Poundfest volleyball tournament in McAllen.

To be exact, it was Aug. 14 when the Lady Falcons bounced back after losing the first game to defeat the Lady Bulldogs 10-25, 25-22, 15-8 at the tournament.

Los Fresnos coach Becky Woods believes her team has improved since then, and at the same time she’s pretty certain Alexander has gotten better, too.

The District 32-6A champion Lady Falcons (38-8) meet the District 29-6A runner-up Lady Bulldogs (30-11) for the second time this season at 3 p.m. Saturday at La Joya Palmview for a Class 6A area-round playoff match. The winner advances to next week’s regional quarterfinal round to play either McAllen Memorial or Edinburg North.

“We just have to play our game, which means starting fast and keeping our focus,” Woods said. “We’ve got to play good defense and play smart. If we do that, I think we’ll win. I know our offense will be there. We’re excited about what’s ahead.”

Added Jackie Kingsbury, the Lady Falcons’ junior outside hitter, “Laredo Alexander definitely is a great team. We saw them at Poundfest. At that point, we had just started our season, and we know that both teams have matured with their playing styles, so we’re definitely expecting a good match against them. I remember they beat us terribly bad (25-10) in the first game (at Poundfest), but we came back to win.”

The Lady Falcons, ranked No. 2 in the Rio Grande Valley, got off to a strong start in the playoffs Tuesday at home with a decisive 25-12, 25-12, 25-7 bi-district victory against PSJA North.

Alexander made the most of its bi-district match Monday at Roma by defeating McAllen High 25-21, 25-19, 25-16. McHi, ranked No. 5 in the Valley, is a team that last season advanced to the Region IV-6A Tournament in San Antonio along with Los Fresnos and was expected to have a strong chance to do so again.

With 32-6A runner-up and sixth-ranked Brownsville Veterans Memorial losing its area-round match to 29-6A champion Laredo United 25-18, 25-20, 26-28, 25-18 Thursday in Corpus Christi, the Lady Falcons remain the only team from 32-6A still alive in the playoffs.

The Lady Falcons kept their focus and didn’t let up against PSJA North during their bi-district match Tuesday. Kingsbury said she and her teammates want to continue playing at a high level and avoid having any sort of team meeting with Woods to discuss a lack of intensity. That’s happened already this season, and the Lady Falcons don’t want to experience it again.

““We want to keep our coach as happy as possible,” Kingsbury said.

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The goal of qualifying for Saturday’s UIL cross country state meet for the first time has been achieved by the IDEA Frontier runners.

So what do they do now, having realized their objective?

It’s called icing on the cake, said Albert Alanis, who coaches the cross country team at the Brownsville charter school.

“Being at state will be a day of celebration for us, because getting there has been our goal all along,” said Alanis, who is assisted by Joshua Lumley. “Since the very beginning, going back to the summer, it’s been state or bust. Now it’s icing on the cake for us. I’m telling our runners to have fun and enjoy it because we finally got there (to state). They’ve earned it.”

Enjoy it, but don’t forget to compete, the coach is saying.

“It will be a tough course, and the competition will be very good,” Alanis said. “I’ve thought about it, and I think finishing in the top 10 (as a team) is a pretty good goal for our boys. That’s something they can focus on. As long as they do their best, I’m satisfied with that.”

The UIL state meet takes place Saturday at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock. The IDEA Frontier boys will compete in Class 3A and are scheduled to run at 9 a.m.

Members of the IDEA Frontier boys team are Jesus Garcia, Arturo Gutierrez, Cristian Davila, Kevin Sanchez, Jose Quintero, Irving Chavirra, Bryan Estrella, Daniel Ramirez and Alex Trujillo. Ramirez and Trujillo are alternates. The Chargers qualified for state at the Region IV meet Oct. 26 in Corpus Christi. They finished third behind Luling and San Antonio Cole.

“We’ve run harder and trained harder this year,” said Quintero, a senior. “We’ve built a strong relationship between the runners and the coaches, and that’s helped us a lot.”

Added Estrella, also a senior, “This is my first year running on this team, and it’s really been an honor to be part of it. I’ve learned a lot.

“We’ve been through quite a bit (together),” Estrella said. “We’ve been dedicated and pushed each other to do our best in practice every day. We started working out in the summer, and that’s what has made a big difference (in us doing so well). We want to make a change (and history) at our school.”

Also for IDEA Frontier, Sabrina Garcia has qualified individually for state and will run in the 3A girls race at 8:30 a.m. It will be the first race of the day at Old Settlers Park.

“Since I’m the only girl (at our school) going to state, it pushes me,” said Garcia, a sophomore. “The boys are doing well, and they believe in me as well (along with the coaches), so it makes me believe in myself, too.”

Alanis said the success of the cross country team is putting the Brownsville charter school that opened in 2006 on the map. The IDEA Frontier boys are two-time District 32-3A champions and now state qualifiers.

“We’re trying to get our athletic program up there,” Alanis said. “This is definitely a step in the right direction, and it’s putting our name out there.

“I’m super proud of the hard work and dedication these runners are showing,” he added.

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.