By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

LOS FRESNOS — The Los Fresnos Lady Falcons became part of history Saturday by delivering career victory No. 600 to volleyball coach Becky Woods.

Playing a District 32-6A home match in which the outcome never seemed to be in doubt, the Lady Falcons (34-8, 11-0 district) efficiently triumphed 25-14, 25-13, 25-14 in barely an hour over Harlingen High (3-8).

It was the 14th straight victory for Los Fresnos. The Lady Falcons are ranked No. 2 in the Rio Grande Valley.

There was a celebratory atmosphere from the very start at the Los Fresnos gym as a large crowd, including a number of Woods’ former players, gathered to witness the veteran coach reach her milestone. Once Los Fresnos won, it was a time for the victory party to begin with obligatory nonstop “selfies.” Earlier, even the school’s mascot, “Falcon,” wanted to have a picture taken with heralded coach.

Signs that read “600” were passed out to the home fans, who stood, raised them and enthusiastically cheered on the match’s final point. Some of the fans, along with Woods, donned T-shirts commemorating her 600th win.

For the record, Woods’ career coaching mark now stands at 600-319 through 31 seasons. That many victories for a high school volleyball coach is believed to be a first in the Valley.

“This is great, just awesome,” said Woods, surrounded by the Los Fresnos fans after the match. “It feels great that our girls are still undefeated (in district).”

Not wanting to give their coach any reason to criticize their play, the Lady Falcons came out on fire and got off to a fast start during each game.

Woods said she really had nothing to complain about to her players during the match as she stood on the sideline and basically watched like everyone else as her team dominated the action and enjoyed one of its best outings of the season.

“The girls were very focused,” Woods said. “We were hitting the ball really well. It was a lot different match than when we played them in Harlingen (during the first round of district Sept. 22 and won 25-22, 27-25, 25-17).”

The Los Fresnos coach was glad she got all of her players from the bench into the match, mostly in the third game, so they could share in achieving the victory as well.

“This is just a great win for the kids, for the school, for the community and Los Fresnos in general,” Woods said.

There were plenty of decisive and thundering kills to wow the fans on this day.

Jackie Kingsbury led the way for the Lady Falcons with 13 of them and had three blocks. Teammates Sam Ibarra and Joseline Caraveo each had 12 kills, and Ibarra also had 12 blocks. Giselle Ibarra added five kills and four digs.

Also for Los Fresnos, libero Isis Delgado had 28 digs, and setter Miranda Gonzales contributed 23 assists with eight digs.

“It’s just so amazing for Coach Woods to have this opportunity,” Sam Ibarra said. “We’re so blessed to have her as our coach. I think we played really well today because we knew it meant so much to our coach. We’re really happy and so proud of her.”

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

As far as huge wins go on a scale of 1 to 10, Pace’s 25-21, 25-22, 25-20 triumph over Porter in District 32-5A volleyball Saturday was clearly a 10.

At least that’s the way the Pace girls felt after winning a match at home against their crosstown district rival that greatly improves the Lady Vikings’ chances of making the playoffs.

The teams are now tied for fourth place in 32-5A with 5-6 records. Three matches remain on the district schedule, and only one of them will advance to the postseason as Edcouch-Elsa, PSJA High and Donna High have clinched playoff berths from 32-5A.

“This was probably the best feel-good win we’ve had all season,” Pace coach Gavin Rudder said. “It’s always a huge match when we play Porter. It’s probably one of the better rivalries here in Brownsville. When we get together, it always is a big match and it means a lot to each team. I couldn’t have dreamed this (ending) any better.”

The Cowgirls had beaten Pace 25-17, 26-24, 25-14 during the first round of district Sept. 22 at Porter.

During Saturday’s opening game, Pace built leads of seven points twice, 19-12 and 20-13, before Porter battled back and narrowed the lead to 22-20. From there, the Lady Vikings reeled off three of the next four points to take the first set 25-21 on a kill.

Porter never led during the second game as Pace held the advantage practically the entire way. The Cowgirls stayed close, though, and tied the score at 22. But their hitting errors allowed Pace to score the final two points and win 25-22.

There were ties at 8, 9, 15 and 16 during the third set, but once again, the Lady Vikings pulled away to win 25-20 and take the match as the Cowgirls hit the ball out of bounds on the final point.

“It’s a tough loss for us,” said Porter assistant Vanessa Mata, who replaced Cowgirls coach Laura Fortner on Saturday as Fortner was receiving her master’s degree in education at Grand Canyon University in Arizona. “We have a team full of seniors, and our girls really wanted to win this match.”

Marquel Rivera led Porter with 25 assists, seven digs, four kills and three aces. Teammate Karla Sosa had 14 kills and two blocks, and Karen Garcia added 18 digs.

For Pace, Valeria Varela was a standout with 10 kills, six digs, one block and one ace. Ashley Gutierrez added nine kills and seven digs, and Jessica Aguilar contributed 19 digs and 18 assists. Also for Pace, Ebony Casanova had 25 digs and two aces.

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

SAN BENITO — The San Benito Greyhounds scored 67 points to win an offensive shootout last season with Brownsville Veterans Memorial.

This time, 40 points by the Greyhounds did the trick.

San Benito, ranked No. 4 in the Rio Grande Valley by RGVSports.com, remained in the thick of the District 32-6A race with a 40-21 victory Friday against the No. 7 Chargers at Bobby Morrow Stadium.

When the teams played one year ago at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville, San Benito won 67-57. The combined 124 points are believed to be a Rio Grande Valley record.

On Friday, the Greyhounds (5-2, 3-1 district) trailed 14-7 after one quarter but came back to lead 24-14 at intermission en route to their decisive victory. The Greyhounds took a 27-14 advantage into the fourth quarter.

“I think we got closer to putting together all three phases of the game and seeing what we want to see (from our team) tonight,” San Benito coach Dan Gomez said. “This was a very good Brownsville Veterans Memorial team, and our players worked really hard for this win.

“Our offensive line did a great job tonight, and that’s the reason our backs, including our quarterback, were able to do so well,” Gomez added. “No one works harder than they do. And now, it’s back to the grind Saturday as we prepare for what’s ahead.”

San Benito quarterback J.R. Gaitan led the way for his team as he broke loose three times on touchdown runs of 41, 67 and 66 yards, and he also threw a 6-yard TD pass to Edward Alvarez for his team’s initial score on its opening possession. The three runs alone gave him 174 yards on the ground.

Also for San Benito, Alvarez scored on 3-yard run midway through the second quarter to make it 21-14, and teammate Alejandro Lugo kicked field goals of 49 and 21 yards during the second and third periods, respectively.

For the Chargers (6-1, 3-1), Carlos Garza rushed 3 yards for a TD during the opening quarter and had a 67-yard scoring burst up the middle during the final period to highlight the night for the visitors, who suffered their first loss of the season.

The Chargers uncharacteristically turned the ball over four times, with three interceptions and one fumble.

Perhaps the turnover that hurt the most was an interception thrown into the end zone by Chargers QB Marcus Castillo on a third-and-5 play from the San Benito 5-yard line as Brownsville Veterans appeared to be on the verge of pulling to within 24-21 of the Greyhounds’ lead with less than 1 minute to go in the first half. Instead, the pick sent the Chargers to the locker room at halftime trailing by 10 points, 24-14.

“I think we had, like, three chances (to score) in the red zone, but we failed to cash in,” Chargers coach David Cantu said. “That’s a credit to San Benito’s defense.”

Castillo, who appeared to be not quite 100 percent healthy due to a possible leg injury, gave the Chargers a 14-7 lead on the final play of the first quarter when he threw a 10-yard scoring pass to Stephen Flores.

Then, less than one minute later, Gaitan’s first of three long scoring runs, a 41-yarder down the right sideline, evened the tally at 14 with 11:03 showing in the second period. Gaitan’s two other long scoring runs came in the fourth period to put the game out of reach.

District 32-6A action continues next week as Brownsville Veterans plays Harlingen High at 7 p.m. Thursday at Sams. San Benito next plays at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Sams against Lopez.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

There could be plenty of offensive fireworks on display when the San Benito Greyhounds play host to the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bobby Morrow Stadium.

One year ago when the two teams met in Brownsville for a District 32-6A game, they set what is believed to be a Rio Grande Valley scoring record with 124 combined points as San Benito prevailed 67-57 at Sams Memorial Stadium.

In this week’s RGVSports.com rankings, San Benito (4-2, 2-1 district) is No. 4 in the Valley and Brownsville Veterans (6-0, 3-0) is No. 7.

“Going into this San Benito game, we feel that it’s a very even matchup,” Chargers coach David Cantu said. “Our feeling is, ‘Why can’t it be us? Why can’t we be the team that surprises a lot of the experts (in the 32-6A race)?’

“I think San Benito is a team very similar to us in that at the end of the game, they feel they’re going to find a way to win,” Cantu added. “At the same time, we believe that we have a legitimate chance to go over there and bring back a victory for Brownsville. They’re a good team, but so are we.”

The top two offenses in 32-6A are expected to duel it out. The Chargers average 450.8 yards and 42.5 points per game, and the Greyhounds rank next in 32-6A by averaging 406.3 yards and 36.2 points per game.

Each team features a senior quarterback with the ability to run and pass the ball effectively.

For San Benito, it’s J.R. Gaitan, a converted wide receiver who has rushed for 625 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 7.4 yards per carry. He also has passed for 911 yards and nine scores.

Gaitan’s numbers are countered by those of the Chargers’ Marcus Castillo, who leads the district in rushing and scoring with 904 yards and 12 TDs while averaging 8.5 yards per running attempt. Castillo has passed for 748 yards and 10 TDs.

With such potent offenses matched on the same field, it figures to come down to the team making the most defensive stops. Brownsville Veterans ranks second in district defensively behind Los Fresnos, giving up 290.2 yards and 21.7 points per game. San Benito ranks fifth in 32-6A, allowing 335.2 yards and 24.8 points per outing.

The Greyhounds are coming off last Friday’s emotional 22-21 come-from-behind road win against Harlingen High (4-2, 2-1) in the 87th “Battle of the Arroyo.”

San Benito suffered its only district loss, 14-7, during an away game against 32-6A co-leader Los Fresnos (6-0, 3-0) two weeks ago.

As the only other 3-0 team in district, the Chargers are coming off last Saturday’s 28-10 victory over Hanna. They’re starting an important three-game swing that after the San Benito contest will find them playing home games at Sams against Harlingen High and Los Fresnos to close out the month.

“We just need to keep doing what we’re doing, and that means continuing to listen to our coaches and staying together as a team so we can ride through this as brothers,” said Jorge Montelongo, the Chargers’ senior center and a three-year starter. “Getting a win in this next game would feel great.”

The Chargers will be continuing 32-6A action next Thursday at Sams against the Cardinals, and San Benito will be playing Lopez at the same site next Friday.

San Benito coach Dan Gomez did not respond to requests for a comment regarding this story.

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

Sooner or later this volleyball season, Los Fresnos’ Becky Woods is going to pick up her 600th career coaching victory.

As far as the District 32-6A-leading Lady Falcons are concerned, it might as well be at noon Saturday when they play host to Harlingen High.

Los Fresnos (33-8, 10-0 district), ranked No. 2 in the Rio Grande Valley behind Mission Veterans Memorial, has won its past 13 matches, so the odds would seem to be in Woods’ favor that she’ll notch win No. 600 against the Lady Cardinals (3-7).

For the record, Woods’ overall coaching record is 599-319 through 31 seasons.

She knows Saturday’s match has special significance, but she would rather her team approach it as routinely as possible.

“It’s another match,” Woods said. “I just want us to play well and win.

“Yes, it’s a big day (for me),” she added. “I hope we look good out there on the court, that’s the main thing.”

Reaching 600 wins for a high school volleyball coach may be a first for South Texas and a rare achievement in the state. The state record for most high school volleyball wins appears to belong to Billy Bob Evans of Jewett Leon. He retired in 2000 with 1,079 victories.

When asked what reaching such a milestone would mean to her, Woods said, “It means I’ve had a lot of good players play for me over 31 years. It’s got to be the kids and the ones on our coaching staffs all the way down to middle school (as the reason). Everyone has had a part in this.”

After Saturday, Los Fresnos has three more regular-season matches on its schedule before the playoffs.

REMATCH: Porter plays at Pace at 2 p.m. Saturday with a possible playoff berth on the line for the District 32-5A teams and crosstown rivals.

In district, the fourth-place Cowgirls are 5-5, and the fifth-place Lady Vikings are 4-6. The top four teams in 32-5A advance to the postseason, and right now, the leaders are Edcouch-Elsa (9-1), PSJA High (9-1) and Donna High (8-2).

When Pace played at Porter during the first round of district Sept. 22, the Cowgirls prevailed 25-17, 26-24, 25-14.

Porter coach Laura Fortner won’t be at Saturday’s match because she’ll be participating in graduation ceremonies at Grand Canyon University in Arizona. She’ll be receiving her master’s degree in education. Assistant Vanessa Mata will coach the Cowgirls on Saturday.

“Well, it hurts me that I will not be there,” Fortner said. “I am taking it hard. I see the match (being) very loud, and packed (with fans) and tons of energy from both teams.

“Each team knows what’s expected of them and what winning this match means for their season,” she added. “My girls have what it takes. They just need to come out with that same fire they had the last time we played Pace.”

Not long ago, Pace coach Gavin Rudder coached Fortner, a former Hanna standout whose maiden name is Rodriguez, at the University of Texas at Brownsville and at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. The coaches have a friendly rivalry between them.

“The Porter matchup will be very big for us,” Rudder said. “It won’t be the same for me because Coach Fortner won’t be there, but I am glad she is accomplishing a huge goal in her life.”

PLAYOFF QUALIFIERS: Among the area’s teams, Los Fresnos and Brownsville Veterans Memorial have earned playoff spots from District 32-6A. Hanna is on the verge of claiming a playoff berth.

The winner of Saturday’s match between Pace and Porter could eventually clinch a playoff spot from District 32-5A or possibly force a play-in match to get to the postseason.

In District 32-4A, third-place Port Isabel (7-3) needs one more win to clinch a spot. The Lady Tarpons play at Grulla (3-7) at 2 p.m. Saturday.

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 founding of a football program requires the proper touch and guidance to ensure success.

Judging by its winning records, Brownsville Veterans Memorial has done it the right way.

The school opened in 2010 and fielded its first football team that fall with only freshmen and sophomores. The Chargers played mostly subvarsity opponents and went 9-0 during their first season, which included a pair of varsity wins against Santa Maria and Marine Military Academy of Harlingen. From the very beginning, a favorable Brownsville ISD zoning designation provided the school with ample student numbers for its extracurricular programs.

During the course of its brief history, Brownsville Veterans has continued to enjoy success and make Brownsville proud, particularly in 2012 when the Chargers went 9-3 and advanced two rounds in the Class 5A Division II playoffs. That took place during the Chargers’ first year as members of District 32-5A.

The current Chargers find themselves 6-0 with a 3-0 mark in District 32-6A as they prepare for an important district showdown at 7:30 p.m. Friday against San Benito (4-2, 2-1) at the Greyhounds’ Bobby Morrow Stadium.

This week’s action for Metro-area teams gets under way at 7 p.m. Thursday when Harlingen South (1-4, 1-2) comes to Brownsville to play Rivera (0-6, 0-3) in a 32-6A game at Sams Memorial Stadium.

Besides the Brownsville Veterans at San Benito game, competition continues in 32-6A at 7:30 p.m. Friday as Los Fresnos (6-0, 3-0) plays at Harlingen High (4-2, 2-1) in The Brownsville Herald’s Game of the Week.

In other games at 7:30 p.m. Friday involving Metro-area teams, it’s Porter (4-2, 2-1) vs. Pace (1-4, 1-2) at Sams for a District 32-5A contest and Port Isabel (4-1, 1-0) at Rio Hondo (4-1, 1-0) in District 16-4A Division II action.

Three Metro-area teams play Saturday as Lopez (1-4, 1-2) and Hanna (2-4, 0-3) square off in a 32-6A game at 7 p.m. at Sams and St. Joseph Academy (5-1, 1-0) travels to San Antonio St. Anthony’s (3-3, 0-1) for a 2 p.m. TAPPS district contest.

Brownsville Veterans has followed a successful path that was initiated by Mark Guess, the Chargers’ first football coach/athletic coordinator.

Guess coached the Chargers two seasons as they went 9-0 in 2010 and 8-1 in 2011, playing with no seniors and losing only to Port Isabel 31-15 in a varsity game. In 2012, Guess became the Brownsville ISD athletic director and was succeeded at Brownsville Veterans by current coach David Cantu, who had been the coach at Rivera.

Guess welcomed the opportunity of starting the Chargers’ athletic program from scratch when he was hired in 2010.

“There are two things I believe were important,” said Guess, who came to Brownsville Veterans after coaching at West Oso. “The first thing was hiring the right coaches that would benefit the program. (Secondly,) studying the culture of athletics here, it was decided we were going to set some high standards that we were going to follow. Our focus was on winning rather than making excuses as to why we couldn’t win.

“An important part of that is having discipline in the program,” Guess added. “They’re first of all students and then student-athletes. They had to understand that passing their classes was what was going to allow them to participate (in sports).

“I take a lot of pride in the success the Chargers are enjoying. (As athletic director,) I want to see all of our schools be successful. (In reality,) they can’t all be successful every year because that’s just the nature of high school athletics. I’ll continue to support all of them.”

The torch at Brownsville Veterans was passed from Guess to Cantu, whose best season thus far came in 2012 with his 9-3 team.

The past two seasons the Chargers have gone 5-5 and 6-4, but without a trip to the playoffs. Getting back to the postseason has become a strong motivating factor as the Chargers now enter a crucial stretch of their regular-season schedule against San Benito, Harlingen High and Los Fresnos.

“I think a lot of it, as far as us being successful, is (due to) our coaches, and the attitude they have toward this program,” said Chargers senior center Jorge Montelongo, a 6-foot-2, 250-pounder who was an All-Valley honoree last season. “They always expect a lot of hard work from each and every one of us. It’s also been the (diligent) attitude of all the athletes who work out under them and have a positive state of mind. We always want to do our best for our coaches.

“When I was a freshman (in 2012), that’s when the seniors back then went two rounds deep into the playoffs. You see that and you crave it,” added Montelongo, a three-year starter. “Wanting to win is just a craving that every athlete has. We had a good team last year (but missed the playoffs). We’ve been working hard to improve ourselves so we can change that this season.”

Added teammate Brandon Lee Martinez, a 5-10, 185-pound junior and multi-position defensive player, “We’re doing really good this year, and it’s an honor to play on this team. It’s like a family, and I’m really proud to be a part of it. We came all summer and worked out (on our own) for this (undefeated start). We really have a bond between us.

“We’ve had some great game plans put in by our coaches, and there’s been a lot of hard work done in the weight room,” added Martinez, a two-year starter who lines up at defensive end, outside linebacker and sometimes even at nose tackle. “We’ve gotten on this roll (of winning), and we’re real confident in our team now. Winning close games like against Harlingen South (35-28) has helped us a lot.”

Cantu said perhaps the biggest reason behind the Chargers’ success this season is the group of dedicated seniors who are leading the team.

“There are 29 of them who just care a great deal about each other, and they’ve done everything the right way,” the Chargers coach said. “There was a lot of pain last year when we fell short (of the playoffs), and they are motivated to achieve that goal this season. The second thing I would say that is behind our success is the consistency of our coaching staff. It’s been pretty much 90 percent of the same people (here) for the past four years. We have some very good coaches on our staff.

“Preparation also has been very important,” Cantu added. “Our players have been focused every week. There’s a lot of hope (for what we can accomplish). When there’s hope for the future, there’s power in the present.”

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Brownsville Veterans Memorial solidified its hold on second place in District 32-6A volleyball by defeating third-place Hanna on Tuesday at the Lady Golden Eagles’ gym.

The Lady Chargers triumphed 25-18, 25-14, 25-18 in a relatively drama-free match as they managed to go ahead by a fairly comfortable margin at least midway through each game and pretty much cruise to the win.

It was the second time the two teams met in 32-6A play this season. During the first round of district Sept. 19, Brownsville Veterans prevailed 28-26, 25-22, 25-22 on its home court over Hanna.

The Lady Chargers (9-1) remain within striking distance of 32-6A leader Los Fresnos (10-0). Each team has clinched a playoff spot. Hanna (7-3) stays in sole possession of third place, and San Benito (5-5) is alone in fourth.

Brownsville Veterans and Los Fresnos shared district titles the past two seasons. They play each other one more time in district on Oct. 24 at Los Fresnos.

Lady Chargers coach Lisa Mares was pleased to see her girls get off to a fast start during each of the first two games by taking leads of 6-1 and 5-1, respectively.

“Our girls were ready to play, and I felt we served well,” Mares said. “We had 16 aces. We have a great group of athletic girls who can serve well.

“Hanna was having problems with its passing, and if you can’t pass that makes it hard,” Mares added. “(Hanna hitter) Pamela (Ellis) wasn’t used a lot because of their problems passing. That helped us.”

During the third game, Hanna led 3-0 and 4-2, but Brownsville Veterans quickly rallied and tied it at 4 and then at 5 before going ahead for good 6-5. The Lady Chargers surged to a 20-10 advantage in the third game before taking the set and the match with a 25-18 victory on a kill by Bridget Himes.

“Right now, everyone is hunting for those (four) playoffs spots (from our district), and we want to be in a good position (going into the postseason),” Mares said. “I just told our girls we have to push hard against every team, regardless of the record, and they did tonight. Hanna has a good team. There’s a little (volleyball) rivalry between us, so I knew it was going to be a good match.”

Megan Sanchez was a standout for the Lady Chargers with 12 kills and four aces. Teammates Sarah Sandoval and Ashley Tumlinson added seven and six kills, respectively, and Sandoval also had 14 digs and two aces.

Setter Cassandra Valdez finished with 34 assists and five aces for the Lady Chargers. Krista Lopez, a libero, contributed 17 digs and two aces.

Hanna coach Ansgar Hagemann said his team wasn’t able to get on track and respond to the Lady Chargers’ fast starts.

“It wasn’t good for us tonight,” he said. “We dug ourselves a hole (during each game), and we couldn’t get going. Veterans had some very aggressive serves, and their game plan worked out fine. We had a hard time getting our hitters involved, and that was basically the reason we lost.

“We’re going to regroup, and we look forward to our (four) remaining district matches,” Hagemann added. “I believe we’re more or less locked into third place now. We’re going to work hard these next two weeks (to finish strong in district).”

District action continues at noon Saturday as Hanna is at Lopez and Brownsville Veterans will be at home against San Benito.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Alexandria Martinez is the kind of standout volleyball player every team would like to have in its lineup.

Martinez, Port Isabel’s team captain, is a 5-foot-4 senior libero and a two-year starter who has been a member of the varsity since her freshman season.

The 2015 Lady Tarpons are a squad with several underclassman newcomers, particularly at the net, and Martinez has become a stabilizing influence on the court as the team seeks to return to the playoffs in District 32-4A.

“Alex is kind of a little sparkplug for us,” Lady Tarpons coach Julie Breedlove said. “She plays in our back row and controls things back there. She’s a go-getter. We’re real young this season and a little inexperienced, and she’s very positive out there. Alex has been really instrumental in keeping the girls upbeat during the match and ready to play all the time.

“The girls feel comfortable with her because when they make a mistake, she is very positive with them about it,” Breedlove added. “She doesn’t get down on them or herself. Alex has just brought a lot to us this season, and I think the lack of (varsity) experience of these younger girls and getting to play with her has meant a lot to them.”

The Lady Tarpons are in third place in 32-4A with a 6-3 record behind Zapata (9-0) and La Feria (8-1). Those three teams shared the 32-4A title last season.

Port Isabel is coming off Saturday’s 25-17, 18-25, 25-22, 25-20 victory against Rio Hondo and next plays at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Raymondville.

“We’re still learning, and we have a lot of potential,” Martinez said. “Little by little, every practice we’re getting better and stronger. We have the height, we have the speed (to cover the court) and we have pretty much everything we need. We just have to work together as a team, and we are. We’re getting better at it.

“I feel like it’s my job to help the girls as much as I can and help boost their confidence,” she added. “We have some young players, which is good because they have a lot more time to play ahead of them. They tend to get down when they mess up, so I try to raise up their confidence by letting them know what they should fix and how to do it. They get it right the next time, and they feel better. I can see a lot playing in the back, so I feel like my role is to help out (in that way).”

Playing in the back row as a libero is both a pleasure and a challenge, Martinez said. She enjoys chasing down balls, making a dig and starting the process of setting up a kill for her team.

“I love the back row. It’s fun diving for balls, trying to save them as much as you can and throwing your body out there,” she said. “You do everything you can to get that ball back in play. To me, that’s the best part. It’s a good feeling (to make plays like that).”

Martinez is a multi-sport participant who also competes in basketball, track and softball. She said her mother, Marta, has been a driving force behind her involvement in sports since she started youth track at age 5. She said her coaches and friends have been an important influence as well.

It’s a credit to the standout libero that she’s rebounded from an ACL injury during her sophomore year.

“With the team we have now, I think we can go far in the playoffs, and that would be amazing,” said Martinez, who upon graduation is thinking of attending Texas State University and studying kinesiology. “I’m excited for it. We’re going to keep fighting and working as a team because we’re like a family that helps each other in and outside of school.”

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

HARLINGEN — With so many changes in momentum during Saturday’s District 32-6A volleyball match between Hanna and Harlingen High at the Lady Cardinals’ gym, it was difficult to tell until the very end just which team would come out the winner.

Hanna seized the moment and surged ahead behind the play of its big hitters at the net during the fifth game to prevail 19-25, 25-16, 17-25, 25-23, 15-9.

“It was a very close match,” Hanna coach Ansgar Hagemann said. “I think the Lady Cardinals played excellent. We didn’t have a lot of teamwork on the court in the first three and a half games, and we were able to put it together in the fourth and fifth games as a team, I think, and that was great. It was a great feeling to see our players play together like that.

“Both of the Harlingen schools play well at home,” Hagemann added. “We saw that when (Brownsville) Veterans (Memorial) played at Harlingen South (and needed five games to win last week). Those Harlingen teams are forces at home, and that was shown today, and of course, the Lady Cardinals are fighting for a playoff spot. They played with a lot of heart and a high energy level. They came out to beat us, and it took us a while to find our way in the match, but our girls came through.”

Third-place Hanna (23-12, 7-2 district) was coming off last Tuesday’s four-game victory at home against fourth-place San Benito (4-5). During the first round of district, the Lady Golden Eagles had five-game matches that they won against San Benito and Rivera. They had previously swept the Lady Cardinals in three games during the opening round of district.

The Lady Cardinals (3-6), still alive for the playoffs, were coming off last Tuesday’s five-game victory at Rivera (3-6).

Los Fresnos (9-0) and Brownsville Veterans (8-1), defending district co-champions, are the top two teams in the 32-6A standings.

“Yes, it was a very close match,” Lady Cardinals coach Jennifer Martinez said. “We just need to finish. We lost our focus today. Our girls fight hard, but it’s a mental game that we play. But we’re all right. We’re going to refocus and keep going. There’s a lot of volleyball left, and we’ve got a lot of work to do. We’re going to do whatever it takes to get into the playoffs.”

The Lady Cardinals can do a lot toward helping themselves get to the postseason by winning when they play Tuesday at San Benito. Hanna also has an important match coming up Tuesday as the Lady Eagles play host to Brownsville Veterans.

It was back and forth throughout the match Saturday between the Lady Eagles and Lady Cardinals.

Harlingen High fell behind 7-1 during the first game before battling back to tie it at 13, 14 and 16 en route to winning the opening set 25-19. There were nine ties during the second game, the last of which came at 13. From there, Hanna went on a 12-3 run to take the second game 25-16.

It was the same type of game during the third set, only in the Lady Cardinals’ favor. After the seventh and final tie of the third game at 12, the Lady Cardinals came alive and went on a 13-5 run to capture the set 25-17.

Things didn’t look too good for Hanna during the fourth game as the Lady Eagles trailed 11-4 and then 17-14, but they battled back to tie it at 20 and 21 before taking the lead for good at 22-21 on a tip by Sausha-Rae Brown. An emphatic kill by Pamela Ellis enabled Hanna to win the fourth game 25-23 and send the match to the deciding fifth set.

Thanks to strong play at the net early on, Hanna built a 10-4 lead during the fifth game. The Lady Eagles held off Harlingen High’s attempt to rally and prevailed 15-9 to take the match when the Lady Cardinals hit into the net on the final point, moments after Hanna had made it 14-9 on a block by Brown.

Ellis finished with 13 kills, five blocks and 17 digs for Hanna. Brown added 12 kills and four blocks, Flora Herrera contributed six kills and three blocks, and Lauren Webb recorded three kills and two blocks.

Also for Hanna, Bianca Olivares and Gianna Muniz each had 20 assists. Jenny Guerrero, Yelitza Barrientos and Julie Soto contributed 15, 12 and 10 digs, respectively.

Martinez said standouts for the Lady Cardinals included Addison Dickey, Samantha Quilantan and Jenny Nieto.

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 — Chalk up another district-opening win for the Port Isabel Tarpons.

On a rainy Friday night while celebrating homecoming, the Tarpons triumphed over Progreso 33-13 in their District 16-4A Division II opener at Tarpon Stadium.

Port Isabel (4-1, 1-0 district) has won five straight district openers dating back to the 2010 season, when the Tarpons suffered a 39-23 loss at Zapata in a District 32-3A opener.

On Friday, the Tarpons led 9-0 after one quarter and 22-7 at intermission. Port Isabel took a 25-7 advantage into the final period.

“We played hard,” Port Isabel coach Monty Stumbaugh said. “I felt we gave up a couple of cheap touchdowns because we weren’t defending (against the pass) the way we were supposed to.

“Progreso came and played hard,” Stumbaugh added. “I knew they would. They had some good kickoff returns that gave them some good field position. But our guys responded and did what they needed to do (to win).

“We started out 1-0 (in district) tonight, and that’s what we wanted to do. I’m proud of our players. They came out and took care of business, and the good thing about homecoming for me is it’s over now.”

Progreso hurt itself by fumbling the ball away four times and throwing two interceptions. The Tarpons had a couple of fumbles but did not turn the ball over.

Ivan Gonzalez scored on a 10-yard run and Williams Romero made a 24-yard field goal to give the Tarpons a 9-0 lead by the end of the opening quarter.

During the second quarter, Omar Silva, who alternated playing quarterback and running back for the Tarpons, threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Garza and then scored himself on a 2-yard run to make it 22-7 at the half. Silva went over 100 yards rushing on the night.

Progreso’s first score came on a 5-yard pass from Joey San Roman to Rey Garcia during the second quarter as the Red Ants (1-4, 0-1) pulled to within 9-7 of the Tarpons’ lead.

Romero’s 25-yard field goal midway through the third quarter increased the Port Isabel advantage to 25-7.

The Red Ants narrowed the lead to 25-13 with 8:08 remaining when Daniel Munoz went in on a 1-yard QB keeper. The score came one play after the Red Ants completed a deep pass off a halfback option for 35 yards.

However, the Tarpons were back in the end zone just one minute later on a 50-yard run by Silva with 7:11 showing. Silva also rushed for the two-point conversion to account for the final score of 33-13.

Each team faces tough district tests next Friday as Port Isabel plays at Rio Hondo and Progreso entertains Orange Grove.