By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

CORPUS CHRISTI — It was a magical feeling when Brownsville Veterans Memorial rallied from a two-game deficit to win Tuesday’s Class 6A bi-district volleyball match in five sets.

During Thursday’s area-round playoff contest the Lady Chargers again fell behind by two games, and for a few moments after they won the third set it seemed as though another miraculous comeback was entirely possible.

But this time it just wasn’t to be as the District 32-6A runner-up Lady Chargers lost 25-18, 25-20, 26-28, 25-18 to the District 29-6A champion Laredo United Lady Longhorns at the Corpus Christi Ray gym.

“I thought we might pull it out again,” Lady Chargers coach Lisa Mares said after her team won the third game 28-26. “To me, I felt we adjusted too late (in losing the first two games). It took us a while to get going.

“Laredo United is a very good team, and we kind of needed everyone on our team to be ‘on’ tonight, but it wasn’t that way,” Mares added. “I saw it as two evenly matched teams playing each other, but their girls were just a little more ‘on’ than ours were.”

United (35-11) advances to next week’s regional quarterfinal round to face either McAllen Rowe (39-9) or Edinburg High (32-7). Brownsville Veterans, ranked No. 6 in the Rio Grande Valley, ended its season at 30-13.

United has advanced to the area playoffs four straight years, and this is the first time the Lady Longhorns have reached the third round.

“Wow, I don’t have words to describe how lucky I am to coach these girls,” United coach Leticia L. Longoria said. “We’ve been waiting to open a new chapter of our volleyball program by making it to the regional quarterfinals.

“Last year we came up short against Brownsville Veterans at this stage of the playoffs,” she added. “This season our girls had the heart and will to do it.”

When the Lady Longhorns and Lady Chargers met in the area playoffs last season, Brownsville Veterans won 25-23, 19-25, 25-19, 28-26. The teams had not played each other this season before Thursday.

During Thursday’s first game, the Lady Longhorns, behind the standout play of junior hitter Isela Murillo, unleashed a number of powerful kills that gave them an edge. During the second game, United changed things up a bit and started finding open spaces in the middle of the Lady Chargers’ defense by scoring on some well-placed tips.

As a result, the Lady Chargers found themselves trailing by two games for the second straight match, and with their backs to the wall they again showed their resolve. But this time, it just didn’t work out, even after they fought hard to win the third set.

The score of the third game was tied three times early and five more times down the stretch, with the last of the deadlocks coming at 26 after Murillo scored on a tip. From there, a Megan Sanchez kill gave the Lady Chargers a 27-26 advantage, and they captured the game 28-26 on a hitting error by the Lady Longhorns.

During the fourth game, there were six ties, including the last of them at 9, before United went ahead for good 10-9 and took the set and match with a decisive kill on the final point to prevail 25-18.

Sarah Sandoval, a senior hitter, was a determined performer for the Lady Chargers with 19 kills, which is believed to be a career best. She also had 30 digs.

Also for Brownsville Veterans, Ashley Tumlinson and Sanchez had 13 and 10 kills, respectively, and Sanchez added 11 digs. Teammate Cassie Valdez finished with 49 assists and 34 digs.

Murillo and Gabriela Senties led the Lady Longhorns with 15 kills apiece. Teammate Mariela Bustamante added eight kills and a team-high four blocks.

The Lady Chargers were coming off Tuesday’s emotional 22-25, 24-26, 25-16, 25-22, 15-12 bi-district win at home against PSJA Memorial.

United defeated Mission High 25-20, 25-19, 25-9 during its bi-district match at Roma, also Tuesday.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

In football and other sports, controlling one’s destiny always means a lot, especially around playoff time.

The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers are content in knowing that their playoff future is exclusively in their hands.

There’s no need for fancy formulas, multi-scenario projections or anything else regarding the possibilities. For the Chargers, it’s simply a matter of winning Friday when they play the Lopez Lobos at 7:30 p.m. at Sams Memorial Stadium, and their ticket to the postseason will be punched.

The District 32-6A game marks the end of the regular season for both teams. While the Lobos (1-7, 1-5 district) have been eliminated from playoff consideration, the Chargers (6-3, 3-3) have a strong chance to qualify for the postseason. They want this year’s campaign to turn out differently than the past two, when they came very close but didn’t reach the playoffs.

“Our ultimate goal has always been to be in the postseason,” Chargers coach David Cantu said. “We completely understand that it’s totally in our hands, unlike the last two years when we were on the cusp of getting in but we needed help. We took care of our business in regards to getting a ‘W,’ but we didn’t get the help we needed. We’re just in a better situation this year because we don’t need help right now from someone else in the last week of the regular season.

“We’re excited about our chances,” Cantu added. “While the last three weeks have been tough (with losses to 32-6A tri-leaders San Benito, Harlingen High and Los Fresnos), if we are able to reach the playoffs we feel those three games will have helped make us stronger and prepare us for what might be ahead. We know it’s one thing at a time, so our focus right now is only on Lopez, not anything else.”

The Chargers and Lobos met in the final game of the regular season last year, and Brownsville Veterans came away with a 57-0 victory to finish with a 6-4 record, including a 4-3 district mark. But there was no trip to the playoffs for the Chargers because Rivera, Harlingen High, San Benito and Los Fresnos all shared the 32-6A title with 5-2 records.

This time around, Brownsville Veterans boasts the top offense in 32-6A, averaging 412.7 yards per game. Lopez ranks last in district in defense, allowing 376.3 yards per contest.

Senior quarterback Marcus Castillo leads the way for the Chargers offensively. He has rushed for 1,116 yards and 12 touchdowns and passed for 1,175 yards and 13 scores.

Lopez counters with senior quarterback Saul Mendoza, who hasn’t been the starter at QB the whole season. Mendoza has passed for 613 yards and seven TDs.

Brownsville Veterans could lose to Lopez and still make the playoffs if Harlingen South (3-5, 3-3) is beaten by Harlingen High (7-2, 5-1) in Friday’s “Bird Bowl.” That’s because the Chargers defeated the Hawks 35-28 earlier this season. Any tie of records between the Chargers and Hawks goes in Brownsville Veterans’ favor.

The Lobos have their own focus for this game.

“Yes, we’re going against a very good opponent that is playing for a chance to go to the playoffs, but for us it’s all about our seniors and sending them out the right way, the way they deserve,” Lopez coach Jason Starkey said. “Our seniors have done an amazing job, and they’ve played an instrumental part in the change we’re seeing. They’re a group that has had 95 percent (attendance at practice).

“Thanks to our senior class and the leadership these guys have shown, I believe the classes behind them at Lopez are going to experience a lot of success,” Starkey added. “It’s going to be all about our seniors for this game.”

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

For teams that advance in the state playoffs, sooner or later there’s going to be some travel involved.

After opening the postseason at home and playing a down-to-the-wire bi-district thriller, the Brownsville Veterans Memorial volleyball team now goes on the road for a Class 6A area-round match against Laredo United. The match is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at Corpus Christi Ray. Originally, the teams had agreed to play at Corpus Christi Carroll, but it turned out the Carroll gym was not available.

“It’s definitely going to be a battle,” Brownsville Veterans coach Lisa Mares said of Thursday’s match. “It’s going to be a tough task, because defensively United is a great team also (in addition to what it does offensively).”

On Tuesday, the District 32-6A runner-up Lady Chargers (30-12), ranked No. 6 in the Rio Grande Valley, staged one of the biggest comebacks in the history of their volleyball program by prevailing at home 22-25, 24-26, 25-16, 25-22, 15-12 in a bi-district match against a highly motivated and unranked PSJA Memorial squad.

“We just had an eye-opener (to begin the playoffs),” said Sarah Sandoval, a senior outside hitter for the Lady Chargers. “We know we have to work hard and fight hard. We’re not a team to roll over, but we still have to work hard for it. And now, we have to work even harder.

“I’m really happy and excited we got the win in bi-district,” Sandoval added. “We had to dig deep and fight for it. (Now it’s) next round here we come.”

Thursday will mark a playoff rematch for the Lady Chargers and District 29-6A champion Laredo United (34-11), a team they have not yet played this season.

When Brownsville Veterans and United met during the area round of last year’s playoffs, the Lady Chargers prevailed 25-23, 19-25, 25-19, 28-26. Brownsville Veterans then wound up one victory shy of qualifying for the Region IV-6A Tournament for the first time as the Lady Chargers lost to McAllen High during the third round last season.

Laredo United has made it to at least the second round of the playoffs four straight seasons. To reach Thursday’s match, the Lady Longhorns defeated Mission High 25-20, 25-19, 25-9 in bi-district Tuesday at Roma.

Mares hopes the resolve her team displayed in winning its bi-district match carries over to Thursday.

“I told our girls (when we were behind Tuesday), ‘Don’t think about it as though we have to win, we have to win,’” Mares said. “I’ve always believed if you start thinking that way, then it’s not going to happen. I told them, ‘You just have to do your job and take every point one at a time, and that’s how you can win and don’t lose confidence.’

“I’m so proud of them because they showed a lot of confidence, especially toward the end with the way they were hitting the ball,” she added. “They showed that they believed in themselves.”

The Brownsville Veterans-Laredo United winner plays McAllen Rowe (39-9) or Edinburg High (32-7) next week in the regional quarterfinals.

The only other team from 32-6A still alive in the playoffs is district champion Los Fresnos (38-8), ranked No. 2 in the Valley. The Lady Falcons next face 29-6A runner-up Laredo Alexander (30-11) at 3 p.m. Saturday at La Joya Palmview for an area-round match. The winner there would face McAllen Memorial (34-4) or Edinburg North (31-10), also next week in the regional quarterfinals.

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

LOS FRESNOS — It remains to be seen just how far the Los Fresnos volleyball team will advance this season in the Class 6A state playoffs.

With most of their key players back from the squad that reached the Region IV-6A Tournament one year ago, the expectations are pretty high this season for the Lady Falcons, ranked No. 2 in the Rio Grande Valley.

Whatever happens playoff-wise during the rest of current month will be determined soon enough. For the moment, the District 32-6A champion Lady Falcons (38-8) are content to have started the postseason the way they hoped with an efficient, dominating 25-12, 25-12, 25-7 bi-district victory at home Tuesday against District 31-6A fourth-place PSJA North (16-19).

“I feel this was a great way (to begin the playoffs) and open our eyes to what’s ahead of us,” said Jackie Kingsbury, a junior outside hitter for the Lady Falcons. “It helped us sharpen our skills and be ready for the next match.

“It definitely was a great way to start,” she added. “We wanted to end it in three sets and not play anything extra, and that’s how we plan on doing it for a while now. I think it was one of our better matches (of the season). With it came a lot of hard work, and now we definitely want to keep it up.”

Los Fresnos moves on to the area round of the 6A playoffs and will play later this week against District 29-6A runner-up Laredo Alexander, a 25-21, 25-19, 25-16 bi-district winner Monday against McAllen High at Roma. The details regarding that area match are scheduled to be finalized Wednesday morning.

“We had a lot of spark and a lot of fire tonight,” Lady Falcons coach Becky Woods said. “Our girls are ready to go (in the playoffs).

“We’re running on all eight cylinders now, and that’s what I want these girls to do every match,” Woods added. “We have to stay focused and play one match at a time.”

There never really appeared to be any doubt about Tuesday’s outcome. The Lady Falcons, supported by a large, vocal home crowd, jumped out to a comfortable lead during each game and cruised to victory.

There were quite a few “slam-dunk” kills by the Lady Falcons to awe and entertain their fans.

Kingsbury, Joseline Caraveo and Sam Ibarra each had 10 kills for Los Fresnos, and Caraveo had 10 total blocks and Ibarra had seven. Kingsbury added six assists.

Also for the Lady Falcons, Isis Delgado, Liz Ramirez and Gio De La Torre finished with 24, 19 and 15 digs, respectively. Delgado served two aces, and De La Torre finished with five assisted blocks. Miranda Gonzales contributed 25 assists and four assisted blocks.

Stephanie Crispin, a junior hitter, was a standout at the net for the Lady Raiders.

Woods said one of her players, Giselle Ibarra, was injured during pregame warmups and helped from the court. Woods said the player would be OK. The sophomore did not play in Tuesday’s match.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers came out for Monday’s Class 6A bi-district volleyball match on their home court only to encounter a PSJA Memorial squad that was on fire.

The District 32-6A runner-up Lady Chargers had to dig deep and fight for their lives to rally and win the match 22-25, 24-26, 25-16, 25-22, 15-12 against the District 31-6A third-place Lady Wolverines.

“This feels awesome,” said Sarah Sandoval, Brownsville Veterans’ senior outside hitter. “It’s another accomplishment for us this year. (To win) with the young girls we have on this team, it was just an amazing experience. All of our girls on this team played their hearts out tonight.”

The Lady Chargers (30-12), who advanced three rounds in the postseason last season, next face Mission High or Laredo United later this week in the area round of the playoffs.

“These (PSJA Memorial) girls came out really good, and even their coach (Angie Gonzales) told me, ‘Hey, I bet you didn’t expect us to be this good, right?” Lady Chargers coach Lisa Mares said. “I was like, ‘No, I didn’t,’ because we played them earlier in the season (and won handily). They’ve totally improved a lot.

“I was really proud of the way our girls came back and won this match,” she added.

Down two games, the Lady Chargers somehow gathered their composure, made adjustments and fought back to win. Still, it was anything but easy.

The Lady Wolverines (25-15) clearly possessed the momentum early as standout sophomore hitter Kristi Gomez, along with her sister, Deserey, also a sophomore hitter, dominated at the net, converting almost every opportunity with a decisive kill.

The Lady Wolverines brought along a large number of vocal fans who had plenty to cheer about throughout the match. That support seemed to inspire the PSJA Memorial girls.

However, after losing the first two games 25-22 and 26-24, things began to turn in the Lady Chargers’ favor during the third set as they cruised to a 25-16 victory.

During the fourth game, PSJA Memorial again started off strong and led by as many as six points three times, the last of which was 10-4. Gradually, though, the Lady Chargers battled back and tied the set at 15, 16, 17 and 21.

From there, Brownsville Veterans tallied four of the next six points and won the fourth game 25-22 when Kristi Gomez’s strong kill attempt carried just long.

Moving on to fifth and deciding game, the score was deadlocked seven times, including at 8. A pair of timely service aces by Brownsville Veterans’ Cassie Valdez and a kill by Sandoval gave the home team a 10-8 edge, but PSJA Memorial rallied to tie it one more time at 11.

Hitting errors down the stretch hurt the Lady Wolverines, and they lost the fifth game and match by hitting long on the final point as the Lady Chargers prevailed 15-12.

“(Trailing 2-0) we were just thinking about going out (staying calm) and having fun,” Sandoval said. “We knew that wasn’t us in the first two sets. We were tense, we were stressed and we weren’t playing our game.

“I told the girls, ‘This is not our last match. We’ve worked too hard this season to let this happen right now,’” Sandoval added. “We’re not the team to give up so easy. I told the girls we had to dig deep, fight and find a way to win the match, and we did.”

Megan Sanchez, Bridget Himes and Sandoval finished with 13, 11 and 10 kills, respectively, for the Lady Chargers. Sandoval also had 22 digs. Krista Lopez and Paola Villarreal added 31 and 25 digs, respectively, and Lopez contributed six kills.

Also for Brownsville Veterans, Valdez had 36 assists and four aces.

PSJA Memorial was led by Kristi Gomez, who registered an impressive 33 kills. She also had four blocks and three digs. Deserey Gomez had 14 kills, 10 digs and four blocks.

Also for the Lady Wolverines, Amanda Aguilera finished with 42 assists and five digs, and Carla De Leon had 15 digs and five assists. Victoria Maldonado contributed 20 digs.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Consistency is the name of the game for the Brownsville Veterans Memorial volleyball team as the state playoffs begin.

That’s what Lady Chargers coach Lisa Mares wants to see from her squad as it opens the Class 6A bi-district playoffs at home at 7 p.m. Monday against PSJA Memorial.

The Lady Chargers (29-12) finished second in District 32-6A, and the Lady Wolverines (25-14) wound up third in District 31-6A.

“My focus for the team from the beginning this season has been consistency and defense,” said Mares, whose squad advanced three rounds in the postseason one year ago. “Defensively, I think we’ve improved and been doing a pretty good job, and consistency? Sometimes it’s good, and sometimes it isn’t, so I think that’s what is going to be crucial for us.

“We have to be consistent in every match and not lose focus,” Mares added. “I’ve been trying to impress that on the girls to have fewer and fewer errors. Once you get to the playoffs all the teams are good, so any little error can cost you.”

The Brownsville Veterans-PSJA Memorial winner is expected to go up against the Mission High-Laredo United winner later this week in an area-round playoff match.

“I’m letting the girls know that’s it’s up to them,” Mares said. “I told them, ‘It’s up to you how far we go in the playoffs.’”

The only other bi-district playoff match scheduled Monday involving a Metro-area team will find Port Isabel of District 32-4A taking on Rockport-Fulton of District 31-4A at 7:30 p.m. at Riviera. That Class 4A match will be the second half of a doubleheader at Riviera as Corpus Christi London and San Isidro battle in a Class 2A contest at 5 p.m.

While Brownsville Veterans plays Monday, the other three teams from 32-6A have their bi-district matches scheduled for Tuesday. It will be PSJA North (16-18) at Los Fresnos (37-8) at 6:30 p.m., Edinburg High (31-7) at Hanna (26-13) at 7 p.m. and San Benito (11-15) at Edinburg North (30-10) at 7 p.m.

Los Fresnos, a Region IV-6A Tournament qualifier last season, won 32-6A this year with a 14-0 record and is ranked No. 2 in the Rio Grande Valley behind Mission Veterans Memorial. Edinburg North, ranked No. 7, won 31-6A with an 11-1 mark. Brownsville Veterans, Edinburg High and Hanna are ranked sixth, ninth and 10th, respectively, in the Valley.

“We know there will be tough teams ahead in the playoffs,” Los Fresnos coach Becky Woods said. “We have to be ready to play every point. Going out in the first round would just be the hardest thing. Something like that would just kill us, so that’s why we just need to focus and be ready to play well. We practice hard, and we have to play like we practice.”

Facing perhaps the toughest challenge will be the Pace Lady Vikings (12-15) as they go up against top-ranked Mission Veterans (36-3). Their Class 5A bi-district match against the Lady Patriots will be played at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Pace gym.

“We’re just going to keep working hard and see what we can do,” said Ebony Casanova, Pace’s junior libero.

All second-round playoff matches will take place later this week.

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 — Orange Grove took a step toward capturing another outright District 16-4A Division II title by defeating the Port Isabel Tarpons 36-14 on Friday at Tarpon Stadium.

The Bulldogs (8-0, 4-0 district) have been members of 16-4A Division II for two seasons now and have yet to lose a district game. They won 16-4A DII with a 5-0 record last season and will try for another perfect 5-0 mark when they close out the regular season next Friday at home against West Oso (2-7, 1-3).

Friday’s win clinched at least a share of the district crown.

The Bulldogs trailed 6-0 after one quarter but came back to lead 14-6 at intermission. Orange Grove took a 30-6 advantage into the fourth quarter thanks to a pair of third-period TDs and a safety.

A sporadic light drizzle fell, increasing near the end of the game. Meanwhile, a constant strong wind from the south blew throughout the contest, hampering each team’s passing game to a certain extent, although the Tarpons mostly preferred to run the ball.

Despite the loss, Port Isabel (5-3, 2-2) has secured a trip to playoffs and will try to bounce back next Friday at Raymondville in its regular-season finale.

The Bulldogs, behind the play of running back Alex Acuna and quarterback Hondo Harris, both seniors, were just too much for the Tarpons.

Acuna rushed for touchdowns on plays covering 3, 3 and 27 yards during the second, third and fourth quarters, respectively, and Harris threw TD passes of 10 yards to Jordan Garcia during the second period and 29 yards to Connor Hans in the third quarter.

For the Tarpons, Carlos Orduna gave the home team a 6-0 lead on a 6-yard run as Port Isabel marched 81 yards to score on its first possession.

Trailing 30-6, the Tarpons added their second score on a 2-yard QB keeper up the middle by Javier Hernandez, who then completed a pass to Martin Alvarado for the two-point conversion with 6:51 remaining in the game.

At that point, the Tarpons trailed 30-14, but Acuna’s third TD, a 27-yard sprint down the right sideline, came with 3:39 left and accounted for the final 22-point margin of victory.

During the opening quarter, it seemed as though the Tarpons might be able to play the undefeated Bulldogs on even terms. But the Tarpons’ all too often enemies — turnovers and penalties — started surfacing during the second period, enabling Orange Grove to go ahead for good.

The first of Port Isabel’s three lost fumbles allowed the Bulldogs to take over at the Tarpons’ 16-yard line early in the second period. Two plays later, the visitors were up 7-6 on Acuna’s 3-yard run with 4:54 showing on the scoreboard.

It didn’t get any better for the Tarpons on their next possession as a high snap on fourth down forced Port Isabel punter Denilson Lozano to chase down the ball, and he was tackled at his own 10-yard line. From there, Harris needed only one play to find Garcia open in the corner of the end zone for a 10-yard scoring strike, making it 14-6.

Another high snap on a fourth-down Port Isabel punt went over Lozano’s head and bounced out of the back of the end zone for a safety at the 9:52 mark of the third quarter to increase Orange Grove’s advantage to 16-6. By the end of the period, the Bulldogs were in command with a 30-6 lead.

The Bulldogs defeated Port Isabel 33-7 last season when the two teams played in Orange Grove.

Also Friday, Port Isabel public address announcer Gualberto Gonzalez marked his 40th year of calling the Tarpons’ home games.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Given the fact that Orange Grove is undefeated and located so far away, 171 miles to be exact, Port Isabel coach Monty Stumbaugh says playing Friday’s game against the Bulldogs at Tarpon Stadium is definitely a plus for his team.

““It’s always a lot better to be at home against anybody,” he said.

Having clinched a playoff spot with last Friday’s 44-18 win at Tarpon Stadium against West Oso, the Tarpons (5-2, 2-1 district) now find themselves at home again at 7:30 p.m. Friday against District 16-4A Division II leader Orange Grove (7-0, 3-0) and its potent passing attack.

It doesn’t figure to be easy, but if the Tarpons win their last two games of the regular season, they’ll earn a share of the district title. They play at Raymondville (4-3, 2-1) next Friday to close out the district schedule before starting the playoffs the following week.

“Orange Grove is a good football team that likes to throw the ball,” Stumbaugh said. “They’ve got a good passer (in Hondo Harris), and they score a lot of points. He puts the ball on the money. They play sound football, and they don’t beat themselves.”

Harris, Orange Grove’s senior quarterback, has completed 130 of 194 passes for 2,109 yards and 26 touchdowns this season. He’s only been intercepted once.

Another offensive threat for the Bulldogs is senior running back Alex Acuna, who has rushed for 401 yards and 10 TDs while averaging 7.0 yards per carry.

Port Isabel will counter with junior quarterback/running back Omar Silva, who has rushed for 674 yards and nine TDs along with passing for 128 yards and three scores.

Stumbaugh was encouraged by his team’s play against West Oso last week, and he hopes it carries over to the Orange Grove game.

It will take an error-free effort by the Tarpons, he said.

“For us, it’ll mean playing a complete game, and that means not having any turnovers and not having penalties,” the Port Isabel coach said. “We have to play sound defense and not give up big plays while putting together some long drives offensively.”

When the two teams played in Orange Grove last season, the Bulldogs won 33-7 en route to capturing the 16-4A Division II championship with a 5-0 record.

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

Pace’s reward for making the playoffs as the fourth-place volleyball team from District 32-5A?

The Lady Vikings (12-15) will go up against District 31-5A champion Mission Veterans Memorial (36-3), the Rio Grande Valley’s No. 1 team, in the Class 5A bi-district playoffs.

The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Pace gym.

The Lady Vikings are coming off Tuesday’s 27-25, 25-9, 25-16 victory at PSJA Southwest that earned them a trip to the postseason for the first time since 2010.

Now it’s a matter of preparing for the Lady Patriots, who are led by senior power hitter Daisy Reyna, among others.

“Mission Veterans does the exact same thing that we do,” Pace coach Gavin Rudder said. “They still have to bump, set and spike it, plus serve and block and everything else just like us, so it’s just another volleyball team on the other side of the net. We just have to work hard this week and get ready for them.”

Added Jessica Aguilar, a senior setter/outside hitter for the Lady Vikings, “It’s been a few years (since Pace was in the playoffs). I’m just proud of the girls. We pushed through, and I’m glad we’re here.”

Rudder, now in his third season directing the Lady Vikings, said the Pace girls have adapted to him, and vice versa.

“It’s a good feeling to be in the playoffs,” he said. “These girls have worked so hard since I got here, and if there’s a team that deserves it it’s this team right here. These girls have stuck with me, and they’ve dealt with my coaching style and my yelling and everything. They’ve worked hard and they’re coming through.”

PAIRINGS SET: First-round playoff matchups are set for Metro-area teams with four of five local squads playing at home for the bi-district round early next week.

From District 32-6A, Los Fresnos, Hanna and Brownsville Veterans Memorial are all playing at home along with 32-5A qualifier Pace.

Only Port Isabel from the Metro area is on the road. The Lady Tarpons of District 32-4A take on Rockport-Fulton of District 31-4A at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Riviera.

The other match Monday involving an area team has Brownsville Veterans at home against PSJA Memorial at 7 p.m.

In addition to the Pace-Mission Veterans 5A match Tuesday, other bi-district pairings that day for area 6A teams have Edinburg High at Hanna at 7 p.m. and PSJA North at Los Fresnos at 6:30 p.m.

The only 32-6A team on the road for bi-district will be San Benito traveling to Edinburg North at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The second round of postseason play is scheduled Nov. 5 through 7.

PROGRAM SUCCESS: The Brownsville Veterans volleyball program is showing its penchant for success from top to bottom.

During somewhat of a rebuilding year, the Lady Chargers emerged as the second-place finisher this season behind Los Fresnos in the 32-6A varsity race, and the Brownsville Veterans junior varsity won the district title. The school’s freshman team did well, too.

““I’m just really happy with my program in general, and with what our coaches (Nubia De La Fuente, Noe Uribe, Arnold Torres and Tony Barbosa) are doing at the freshman and JV levels,” Lady Chargers coach Lisa Mares said. “They’ve done a lot, and what they’re doing is helping us at the varsity level. I feel that’s why our (varsity) team and our program is getting better each year. It all starts with them (at the subvarsity level).”

The Lady Chargers will be attempting to duplicate or surpass their playoff showing of one year ago when they advanced to the third round.

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

It figures to be an interesting finish to the regular season for Metro-area football squads, particularly those fortunate enough to be involved in the playoff picture and even in the conversation for a district championship.

After this week’s round of games, one more week remains before the playoffs start.

Normally for Metro-area teams, it all begins on Thursday with a game at Sams Memorial Stadium, but there is none this week. That means there is a full schedule of action coming up during the two following days.

District 32-6A games at 7:30 p.m. Friday will find Los Fresnos (7-1, 4-1 district) going against Brownsville Veterans Memorial (6-2, 3-2) at Sams, Lopez (1-6, 1-4) at Harlingen High (6-2, 4-1) and Harlingen South (3-4, 3-2) at San Benito (6-2, 4-1). All of those teams except Lopez remain very much in the playoff picture.

The Brownsville Veterans-Los Fresnos matchup is The Brownsville Herald’s Game of the Week.

In other games Friday involving Metro-area teams, it’s Pace (1-6, 1-4) at Edcouch-Elsa (6-2, 4-1) at 7:30 p.m. for a District 32-5A contest, Port Isabel (5-2, 2-1) at home at 7:30 p.m. against Orange Grove (7-0, 3-0) in District 16-4A Division II action and St. Joseph Academy (7-1, 3-0) at San Antonio Central Catholic (6-2, 3-0) at 7 p.m. for a battle of conference unbeatens in TAPPS district play.

Weekend action continues with a doubleheader Saturday at Sams. At 1 p.m., it’s Porter (5-3, 3-2) taking on PSJA High (0-8, 0-5) in a 32-5A game, and Hanna (3-5, 14) goes against Rivera (0-8, 0-5) at 7 p.m. in 32-6A action.

At this point, there appears to be too many variables involved for any team from 32-6A to have clinched a playoff spot, although Los Fresnos, Harlingen High and San Benito, all with one district loss, can secure a trip to the postseason by winning Friday.

Brownsville Veterans and Harlingen South are tied for fourth place in 32-6A with two district losses apiece. If it comes down to a tiebreaker, the Chargers defeated the Hawks 35-28 during their district opener on Sept. 25.

“We have approached each game all year as though it was the biggest of the season,” said Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu, whose team closes out the regular season against Lopez on Nov. 6 at Sams. “That doesn’t change now. Our focus is on preparing to execute the game plan (against Los Fresnos) and correcting little things. Our mentality is to be aggressive and strive for our best game yet.”

Brownsville Veterans is trying to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2012, when the Chargers went 9-3 and advanced two rounds. Harlingen High, San Benito and Los Fresnos all went to the postseason one year ago as quad-champs from 32-6A along with Rivera. South last reached the playoffs in 2013.

Another Metro team right there in the playoff mix is Porter in 32-5A. The Cowboys, who last reached the postseason in 2008, can clinch a playoff berth with a win Saturday against PSJA High. After playing the Bears, the Cowboys end the regular season Nov. 6 at Mercedes.

Two area teams that have clinched playoff spots are St. Joseph Academy and Port Isabel.

The Tarpons secured a spot in the Class 4A Division II playoffs with last week’s 44-18 win at home against West Oso. After playing undefeated district leader Orange Grove on Friday, the Tarpons travel to Raymondville on Nov. 6.

“If we win out (these last two games), we’ll get a share of the district title, so that’s what we’re going to try to do,” said Port Isabel coach Monty Stumbaugh, whose team has reached the postseason six straight years. “That’s our focus (for the rest of the regular season).”

SJA has been perhaps the most impressive team this season in the Metro area as the Bloodhounds have won seven straight games, including last Friday’s 29-26 triumph at home against traditional TAPPS district power Austin St. Michael’s. Before last Friday, the last time the Bloodhounds beat the Crusaders was 1997.

The victory clinched a playoff spot for the Bloodhounds, and now they’ll be playing for a TAPPS district title Friday at Central Catholic.

SJA coach Tino Villarreal said the Bloodhounds went from TCIL to TAPPS in 1998, and since that time his school has never won or shared a district championship in football. The Bloodhounds missed the TAPPS playoffs last season after advancing in 2013.

SJA closes out the regular season Nov. 6 at home against San Antonio Antonian.

“Last week’s win was huge for us,” Villarreal said. “A win this week would really be huge for our school. It would be history for our program.

“Our theme from the start of the season has been ‘finishing,’” he added. “We’ve been there before, but we haven’t finished the way we wanted. Now we’re at the right place and the right time (to do well).

“At this point of the season, it’s the most important time for teams to finish strong and be peaking before the playoffs.”

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