By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

A back-and-forth “Battle of Southmost” baseball game ended with the Porter Cowboys pulling off a 6-4 District 32-5A win Tuesday night on the Lopez Lobos’ diamond.

The Cowboys led 3-0 after one inning, fell behind 4-3 during the bottom of the sixth and eventually won 6-4 by scoring three runs during the top of the seventh.

“We knew we had another chance all the way to the last out,” said Porter pitcher Cesar Lartigue, who went the distance and threw 112 pitches in earning the mound victory. “We kept fighting for the win. As long as you have another out to play, you always have a chance.”

The victory keeps Porter alive for a playoff spot with a 5-6 record. Lopez, also in the playoff hunt, slipped to 7-4.

“This feels great because we’ve been in every single game,” Porter coach Oscar Cortez said. “We’ve lost some games in the late innings, and tonight it felt the same way. It feels great because we came back in the seventh and scored those (three) runs that we needed to win.

“Everybody is beating everybody in our district,” Cortez added. “I think a team with a 7-7 record will go (to the playoffs).”

Porter’s Cristos Sauceda belted a two-run double to left field in the top of the seventh with two outs to break a 4-4 deadlock and provide his team with the runs it needed for the victory.

Earlier in the seventh, with one out, teammate Marco Castro, Porter’s leadoff batter, hit a double to left-center field that tied the score at 4.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Lobos couldn’t get a runner beyond second as the Cowboys retired the side and ended the game after facing five Lopez batters.

During the top of the first, a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Lartigue, an RBI single by Eric Rico and a sacrifice bunt by Daniel Elizarde accounted for Porter’s 3-0 early lead.

Lopez pulled within 3-1 during the bottom of the fifth when a throw to third from first sailed high, allowing Andres Hernandez to come home.

The Lobos then made it a 3-2 game thanks to an RBI single to left-center field by Robert Guerra during the bottom of the sixth.

When the two teams played during the first round of district on March 22, the Lobos captured a 5-3 win against the Cowboys.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Whether it was a boys team from Brownsville or a girls team from Harlingen, all the ones who made it to the regional tournament in soccer this season from Cameron County were intent upon taking the next step and qualifying for this week’s UIL state tournament.

For that reason, it’s understandable that some disappointment exists because neither the Brownsville Hanna boys nor the Harlingen South girls were able to qualify for state this year from the Class 6A regional tournament, and the Brownsville Veterans Memorial boys suffered the same fate at their Class 5A regional tournament.

After sending three teams to state from the Rio Grande Valley during each of the past three seasons, the only one going in 2019 is Valley View’s boys.

The seasons for the Brownsville Veterans and Hanna boys ended at the regional level this past weekend as did the season for the South girls.

At the Region IV-6A Tournament at Brownsville Sports Park, the Golden Eagles were edged 3-2 on Friday during the regional semifinals by San Antonio Reagan, and the Lady Hawks were defeated 3-0 on Saturday by Lake Travis in the regional final at BSP.

“It’s always been a challenge for all of the Brownsville schools (to win once they reach the regional tournament), but it’s not the ultimate goal, really,” said Hanna coach Reyes Prado, whose team finished the season with a 17-6 record. “Our goal (in Brownsville) has always been to make it to state and win it all. Being at regionals is nice because it means you have a chance at advancing.”

San Antonio Lee wound up being the 6A boys team advancing to the state tournament this week in Georgetown with a 5-0 victory over Reagan in Saturday’s regional final at BSP.

The South girls (23-4) ended up one win short of making their first trip to state after falling against Lake Travis during Saturday’s regional final for the girls at BSP. It was only the second time for the Lady Hawks to play in the regional final after advancing that far for the first time in 2003.

“Our girls were sad and crying and everything else after our loss to Lake Travis, but they don’t realize what an accomplishment this (regional runner-up finish) is by making it all the way to the regional final against some of the teams we played (in the playoffs) that were very good,” Lady Hawks coach Omar Pedroza said. “This is only the second time (to get a trophy like this) in my 23 years (as coach).

“To be able to be here and do as well as we did was very good, and I’m very happy for our girls,” he added. “They did an outstanding job. That’s just the way it goes sometimes.”

The South girls prevailed 2-1 in overtime against Austin Westlake during Friday’s regional semifinals to earn their spot against Lake Travis in Saturday’s final at BSP.

Perhaps the most frustrating ending for an area team during the weekend involved the Brownsville Veterans boys, who saw their season come to close for the third straight year in the Class 5A regional final at Corpus Christi’s Cabaniss Field.

Valley View beat the Chargers 4-2 in Saturday’s 5A regional final. The Tigers are going to state for the second straight year.

Brownsville Veterans, which beat Kerrville Tivy 2-0 during Friday’s regional semifinals, closed its season with a 24-4-1 record.

“I’m extremely proud of my boys,” Chargers coach Alberto Vasquez said. “They left everything on the field, and they kept fighting until the very end.

“It has been difficult to earn respect among the great soccer programs in Brownsville (that have been to state), but because of the hard work and dedication of our guys, I truly believe respect has been earned,” Vasquez added. “I’m super proud to be their coach.”

ROY HESS | Staff Writer

BROWNSVILLE — Well, it was fun while it lasted.

The Harlingen South Lady Hawks said goodbye to a memorable soccer season Saturday following a 3-0 loss to Austin Lake Travis in the Region IV-6A Tournament final at Brownsville Sports Park.

The District 32-6A runner-up Lady Hawks ended the season with a 23-4 record.

District 25-6A runner-up Lake Travis (23-4) moves on to the UIL State Tournament in Georgetown during the coming week. It will be Lake Travis’ second appearance at state in soccer. The Lady Cavaliers advanced to state for the first time as a Class 4A school in 2007.

“It’s been awhile,” Lake Travis coach Trey Young said. “This is the first time in 6A, so we’re pretty proud of that.

“It feels like a lot of different girls have had a hand in getting us this far this year,” he added. “It wasn’t just one particular girl who was a superstar. Everybody has contributed, so that makes it kind of special. It feels fantastic.”

The South girls were playing in the regional final for the first time since 2003.

Lady Hawks coach Omar Pedroza said fatigue was a factor for his girls since they played 100 minutes during the hottest part of a sunny day Friday in defeating Austin Westlake 2-1 in overtime during their regional semifinal.

Conversely, Lake Travis built an early 3-0 lead during its semifinal win earlier Friday against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln and was able to rest its starters during its decisive victory against the Lady Huskies. The Lady Cavaliers wound up winning their semifinal 3-0.

For Pedroza, the back-to-back aspect of playing Friday and Saturday was an important factor for his team to overcome.

“The main thing was the 100 minutes that was played (by us) Friday under that sun and the way it was,” the South coach said. “I said, ‘Man, we’ve just got to hang in there (against Lake Travis).’

“Bottom line, Lake Travis is an outstanding team,” Pedroza added. “They have a very good group of girls. It’s hard to say which team is better, Lake Travis or Austin Westlake (which are both from 25-6A). The big difference was these (Lake Travis) girls were pretty rested up (thanks to their decisive win Friday). We weren’t.

“My girls did an outstanding job. They just kept fighting and fighting. That’s all you can do.”

While the Lady Hawks weren’t able to muster much of an offensive attack, goals by Natalie Yoo and Jessica Wade during the 21st and 29th minutes, respectively, gave the Lady Cavaliers a 2-0 halftime advantage.

Teammate Trinity Clark scored from the left side during the 64th minute to complete the 3-0 tally.

Afterward, Pedroza told his team it was a time to be proud, not sad.

“I told our girls, ‘Don’t be sad, you should be proud because this is only the second one we’ve ever gotten,’” said the South coach, referring to the regional runner-up trophy. “It’s nice and it’s awesome. I’m happy for the girls because it was a good season.”

ROY HESS | Staff Writer

BROWNSVILLE — Thanks to a 5-0 win in Saturday’s Region IV-6A Tournament soccer final, the San Antonio Lee Volunteers are going to the coming week’s UIL State Tournament for the first time since 1997.

The District 27-6A champion Volunteers (24-2-1) built a 4-0 first-half advantage and held off the San Antonio Reagan Rattlers the rest of the way at Brownsville Sports Park to earn their trip to Georgetown.

Reagan, the Region IV-6A champion one year ago and a state qualifier, ended the season with a 17-9-2 record as the No. 3 playoff seed from 27-6A.

During district this season, Lee defeated Reagan 3-1 and 2-0. Lee went into the regional final as a clear favorite, and the decisiveness of Saturday’s outcome was perhaps the only surprise.

“It’s been a while since Lee went to state, so it’s exciting for these players and our school,” Volunteers coach David Rogers said. “As a coach, it’ll be my fifth appearance at state, but for the school, it’ll be only the second time to make it to state.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to go to state while coaching at Granbury, Boerne (High), Boerne Champion and Denton Ryan, and now at Lee,” Rogers added. “It’s always nice to go to state.

“I think it means everything to our community and our school to take that next step and go to the next level, so we’re excited.”

The Volunteers put the match away during the first half as Antonio Loyola, Wilmar Aguilar, Francisco Segura and Henry Bowland scored goals during the 12th, 23rd, 25th and 26th minutes, respectively.

Teammate Julian Sanchez added Lee’s last tally during the final minute of the match for the only score of the second half.

The regional tournament now has been played at BSP five times (2011, 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2019). Saturday marked the first time a boys team from outside of the Rio Grande Valley has won the regional tournament and qualified for state at BSP.

The Region IV-6A Tournament will return to BSP next season.

In Friday’s semifinals, Lee defeated Laredo Alexander 4-2 and Reagan prevailed against Brownsville Hanna 3-2.

Rogers said his team is leaving South Texas having had a pleasant experience made even better by winning the regional tournament.

“Brownsville hosted a great tournament and has treated our boys well,” the Lee coach said. “We’re just fortunate to be down here and playing some great soccer.”

ROY HESS | Staff Writer

Although it took some extra time to accomplish the feat, the Harlingen South Lady Hawks are advancing to the regional tournament final in soccer for the first time since 2003.

The Lady Hawks prevailed 2-1 in overtime Friday against the Austin Westlake Lady Chaparrals during the Region IV-6A Tournament semifinals at Brownsville Sports Park.

The South girls played as a Class 5A school when they reached this level of the playoffs for the first time in 2003.

The Lady Hawks (23-3) go against Austin Lake Travis (22-4) at 10 a.m. today at BSP for the Class 6A regional title and a trip to next week’s UIL state tournament in Georgetown. Earlier Friday, Lake Travis advanced with a 3-0 semifinal victory against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln.

“It means the world to us to win this game,” said Alise Garza, a senior forward for South who scored the game-winning goal from close range with just less than five minutes left in Friday’s match. “We haven’t done this in such a long time.

“To be able to make it this far to the Elite Eight (of the playoffs) is just great,” Garza added. “We just have to play as strong as we did today, and we can come out with the win.”

It took a strong defensive effort by the Lady Hawks to come away with the victory against the Lady Chaparrals and their seemingly non-stop offensive attack.

Leading the way for South was senior goalkeeper Reid Davis, with a double-digit number of saves. Other standouts on defense for the Lady Hawks were Korynne Reininger, Bianca Martinez, Mellory Grannum, Jackie Guillen and Joann Saldana.

“This was a (Westlake) team that definitely knows how to score,” Davis said. “We watched film and saw that they can put the ball in the net, without a doubt. It was really important for me to stay focused and just play the way I know how to play.

“We’re all really excited to be here playing in the regional final,” Davis added.

It was a scoreless game until Grannum found the net from medium range on the right side with about eight minutes gone in the second half to give South a 1-0 lead.

“This win is amazing,” Grannum said. “I can’t explain how good it feels to be moving into the next round. I’m just so happy we’re in the Elite Eight.

“We just put all our hearts into it,” she added. “We didn’t want it to be our last game. I just want to thank our coaches, the players and all the fans who came out to see us play.”

With the end of regulation drawing near, Westlake kept pressing the offensive attack, and the Lady Chaparrals were rewarded for it with nine minutes remaining before overtime when Davis came out to stop a shot but couldn’t get to it in time. The Lady Chaparrals passed the ball to an open teammate, and she rolled a shot into the goal from about 15 yards away.

The Westlake score created a 1-1 game, and made the possibility of OT and maybe even penalties seem quite likely.

But Garza soon came to the rescue for the Lady Hawks with less than five minutes to go in OT and provided a 2-1 victory for South.

“I want to say Caroline (Grannum) gave me the pass (from the left side),” Garza said. “I saw the ball roll past the goalkeeper. I knew it was my opportunity (to score), and I took the shot.”

Omar Pedroza said this has become one of his most memorable seasons in 23 years as the Lady Hawks’ coach.

“It’s very special,” he said. “I’m really happy for our girls. We have an outstanding group of young ladies. This is very nice.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep tonight,” he added. “I got up about 3:30 this morning to get ready for this game. It’ll probably be the same tonight, but I’m really enjoying the heck out of this.”

ROY HESS | Staff Writer

A soccer season that was one of the Hanna Golden Eagles’ best in recent years came to a disheartening close with a 3-2 loss to San Antonio Reagan in a Region IV-6A Tournament semifinal Friday at Brownsville Sports Park.

The Rattlers broke out of a 2-2 halftime deadlock with a goal near the end of the match. Reagan’s Ricky Huereca received a centering pass from the left side and headed in the ball with eight and a half minutes left to give the Rattlers their game-winning tally.

“It was a tough one,” Hanna coach Reyes Prado said. “We expected that type of battle, and it was a very close battle. Reagan has a very good team. We made some mistakes against a very good team, and we paid the price.

“We had our chances (to score), but that’s the way the ball bounces sometimes,” he added. “Congratulations to Reagan. We just came out a little short, and there’s no shame in that.”

Hanna ended its season with a 17-6-6 record.

Reagan (17-8-2) advances to today’s Class 6A regional final at noon at BSP to face San Antonio Lee (23-2-1), a 4-2 semifinal winner earlier in the day against Laredo Alexander.

“I’m extremely excited for my players,” Reagan coach Gilbert Villarreal said. “They’ve worked really hard and battled. We had a tough beginning to our season, but we’ve been playing well lately. I’m just excited for them to get back to the regional final.

“There are obviously a lot of storylines between us and Lee (both being from District 27-6A),” Villarreal added. “This is the fifth year the regional tournament has been here (at BSP), and no non-Valley (boys) team has ever advanced to state from here, so for either us or Lee to go (to state now) is a big accomplishment for our district and our city.

“For whoever it’s going to be, it’ll be a great day.”

Lee finished first in 27-6A and Reagan was third this year. They played twice during district earlier this season with Lee winning 3-1 and 2-0.

Reagan advanced to state last year from the 6A regional tournament played in San Antonio.

Friday’s game was a rematch from earlier this season between the Eagles and Rattlers. Reagan played Hanna in the Brownsville ISD Tournament on Jan. 10 at Hanna, and the Rattlers prevailed 2-1 in penalty kicks.

It was close again, but like the earlier time, Reagan emerged victorious.

Still, backed by a lively, vocal crowd at BSP, the Eagles went ahead early for a 1-0 lead. Hanna’s Jose Guerrero dribbled the ball in close from midfield, and his shot found the mark during the 14th minute as he beat the goalkeeper in a 1-on-1 matchup.

Fabrizio Bernal pulled the Rattlers even with the Eagles during the 22nd minute by sending a shot into the net off the left post from the right side.

Caleb Powell gave the Rattlers a 2-1 lead during the 28th minute. He received a pass from a teammate on the right side before scoring on a well-placed header from the left side into the right corner of the goal.

Hanna’s Kevin Ochoa put his team back into a tie at 2 when he dribbled in and scored from close range during the 32nd minute.

Neither team gained an advantage until Huereca received the centering pass from the left side with eight and a half minutes to go and scored his game-winning header.

ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers and Hanna Golden Eagles are the city’s remaining teams still alive in the UIL soccer playoffs as the fourth round begins Friday with regional tournament competition.

The Region IV-6A Tournament returns to Brownsville Sports Park as Hanna (15-7-3) takes on San Antonio Reagan (15-8-2) at 4 p.m. Friday in the final match of a four-game boys and girls regional semifinal lineup.

Friday’s first two games at BSP involve girls teams as La Joya Juarez-Lincoln (22-1) plays Lake Travis (21-4) at 10 a.m. and Harlingen South (22-3) goes against Austin Westlake (20-1) at noon.

Friday’s other boys semifinal has San Antonio Lee (24-2-1) playing Laredo Alexander (23-7-7) at 2 p.m.

The boys and girls semifinal winners play Saturday for the regional championship and a trip to Georgetown for next week’s UIL state tournament.

“I would like to invite the people of Brownsville to come out and support our Hanna team,” said Kevin Ochoa, a senior forward for the Eagles. “This is our last chance (as seniors) to get as far as we can. We’ve been training so hard to get beyond regionals. That’s our goal.”

Brownsville Veterans is returning to the Regional IV-5A Tournament at Corpus Christi’s Cabaniss Field for the third straight year.

The Chargers (23-3-1) go against Kerrville Tivy (22-2-1) at 2 p.m. Friday in the boys regional semifinals at Cabaniss Field. The other boys semifinal Friday matches Valley View (16-13) against San Antonio Southwest (18-7-1) at noon.

Friday’s girls regional semifinals at Cabaniss have Alamo Heights (23-2-2) playing Victoria East (18-6-3) at 4:30 p.m. and Dripping Springs (19-4-3) going against Gregory-Portland (19-2-4) at 6:30 p.m.

The semifinal winners play Saturday for the regional championship and a trip to state.

“I would say we’ve done good in the playoffs so far, but I wouldn’t say we’ve done excellent because we haven’t,” said Frank Moreno II, a senior outside defender for the Chargers. “I feel that we can still do more than what we’ve done.”

The Region IV-4A Tournament returns to McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium on Friday and Saturday. The only Rio Grande Valley team playing in it this year is Progreso. The Red Ants (13-3-5) play Taylor (18-5-3) in the regional semifinals at 2 p.m. Friday in McAllen. The winner goes against Gonzales or Canyon Lake on Saturday to determine the Region IV-4A state qualifier.

Progreso is trying to make it to state a fourth straight year, which would be a first for a Valley team.

The four girls teams playing in the McAllen regional tournament are Liberty Hill, Beeville Jones, Wimberly and Pleasanton.

FAMILIAR FOE

Hanna is going against an opponent in Reagan that it faced Jan. 10 during the 37th annual Brownsville ISD Tournament. Reagan, which went to state in 6A last year, edged the Eagles 2-1 in penalty kicks in that Jan. 10 tournament game.

“It was the preseason, and we tied with them (1-1) here at Hanna (before going to penalties),” Eagles coach Reyes Prado said. “Reagan has a very good team, and I think we should match up pretty evenly with them. Hopefully, we can come out on top.

“It’s great to be playing Reagan anywhere, really, but hopefully playing them down here (at BSP) our home crowd will go support these players,” Prado added. “We hope we can give the people a good show. We had good support against Harlingen South (at BSP for the regional quarterfinals last Friday) and we’re very thankful for that.

“Our supporters show up even when it’s raining, and that’s great. Now we’re getting more people coming out. Bottom line, I think they’re supporting BISD. We’re proud to be representing not only Hanna, but BISD, too.”

BRAND NEW FOE

Conversely, Brownsville Veterans is going against an opponent it hasn’t played before in Kerrville Tivy on Friday in Corpus Christi. The past two years, the Chargers have beaten Austin High (4-0 and 3-0) in the regional semifinals at Cabaniss.

“All I’ve heard is that Tivy is a very solid team,” Chargers coach Alberto Vasquez said. “They have some speed, they have some height and they play simple, effective soccer. They’re supposed to be well-coached, so we’ve got to be ready.”

Added Moises Navarro, the Chargers’ senior goalkeeper, “We’ve been at regionals two times already and I think this is our year.”

ROY HESS | Staff Writer

There is a sisterhood of soccer at Harlingen South.

In a sense, all the Lady Hawks see themselves as sisters. Past and present, some of them are related by bloodlines, too.

The Lady Hawks (22-3) are preparing to play Austin Westlake (20-1) at noon Friday in the semifinals of the Region IV-6A Tournament at Brownsville Sports Park. It is the first return appearance for South at the regional tournament since 2007.

Actually, there have been numerous sister combinations in the South girls soccer program during Omar Pedroza’s 23 years as the team’s head coach.

Current sisters playing for the Lady Hawks are Mellory and Caroline Grannum. They are a senior and a junior, respectively, for South this season. Another sister duo is senior varsity goalkeeper Reid Davis and younger sister Dell, a freshman who plays on South’s JV Dark squad.

“I think it’s really fun and a good bonding experience for the two of us because we get to spend a lot more time together,” Reid said. “It’s fun to be playing soccer along with someone you’ve spent pretty much your whole life with. (After I graduate) I can still come back and it’s like a part of me is still part of this program. It gives me an excuse to come back to watch South play (after I graduate).”

Added Dell, “It’s makes me a lot less nervous because I already know a lot of my sister’s friends (on the varsity).”

The Grannums had an older sister, Verita, who played for the Lady Hawks and graduated about 10 years ago.

“I really look up to my sisters,” Caroline Grannum said. “My older sister (Verita) wore No. 5 and that’s the number I wear now. I’ve kept her number alive.”

There’s another varsity player, Jackie Guillen, whose younger sister, Juliza, plays on South’s JV Dark.

“It’s a tradition,” Pedroza said. “We’ve been fortunate enough to have some great players here. It ends up that some of them have older sisters who played here, and they did well, so the younger sisters follow up in the footsteps of the ones who played here before.

“We have had a lot of that happen here at South,” the coach added. “On my JV Dark team I have a couple of players whose moms played for me.”

Current senior Stephanie Torres had an older sister, Cassandra, who played for the Lady Hawks and graduated four years ago.

“It’s great,” Stephanie Torres said. “Seeing Cassandra win all those playoff games with the Lady Hawks made me want to reach that bar and exceed it. It just makes you want to play a lot harder with a lot more heart and passion, so I think it was a great thing she came here first.”

Also, Abigail Velazquez, a senior, had two older sisters, Emily and Gabby, who played for the Lady Hawks even before her time on the squad. Emily graduated in 2017 and Gabby followed in 2018.

“It’s fun because the ones on the team are already sisters to you (thanks to your older sisters),” Abigail said. “Having actual sisters on the team is really good because you have this (closer) connection on the field and it makes it even more special.”

Current Lady Hawks assistant coach Ashley (Dawi) David, a 2010 South graduate, played for the team when she was a senior and her sister, Georgie Dawi, was a freshman. She is in her first year as a South assistant coach. Monica Silva is the Lady Hawks’ first assistant.

“My sister and I were both here in 2010 playing for the Lady Hawks,” said David, who is now married. “Now I’m back again (as a coach).

“It was really great to play with Georgie when I was a senior and she was a freshman,” David added. “All of my friends on the team already knew her, so it was great. There really wasn’t anything difficult about it. We were all family. It all came together and we got along so easily because we all knew each other. My sister was actually a starter as a freshman.

“Not only have we had sisters play together here, we’ve had sisters (Kayla and Courtney Gaither) who were twins (play here).”

A GREAT RUN

The South boys will remember this season as the year they won in the playoffs for the first time.

After a wait of 25 years or so, the Hawks won in bi-district against Edinburg Economedes (3-2) and in the area round against McAllen Rowe (4-1).

Of course, the South boys wanted their playoff run to last longer, but a 4-2 setback against Brownsville Hanna in the regional quarterfinals last Friday at Brownsville Sports Park ended their season.

“It’s been a great season,” Hawks coach Julian Robles said. “Hopefully we can built on this season next year. We have seven starters coming back.

“It’s heartbreaking to lose at this point (in the regional quarterfinals),” he added. “I think we’re turning things around. We’re coming along and things are changing.”

By ROY HESS|Staff Writer

The Hanna Golden Eagles are on the rise in the Class 6A soccer playoffs at just the right time.

There are five seniors for the Eagles who are leading the way in the postseason.

They are midfielders Hector Quintero and Aldo Gonzalez, forward Kevin Ochoa, defender Miguel Payan and goalkeeper/midfielder Ricardo Sandate.

“ It’s very good to be a member of this team and this family,” Sandate said. “We’re giving everything we have in every game. Above all else, this is a team of humility with players that are giving a maximum effort.”

The Eagles (15-7-3) go against San Antonio Reagan (15-8-2) at 4 p.m. Friday in the Region IV-6A Tournament semifinals at Brownsville Sports Park. Both teams are the No. 3 playoff seeds from their respective districts.

“ It feels great because after six years this team is back in the regional tournament,” said Gonzalez, a center midfielder. “Being back there at regionals means history for the school.

“ This is a team that is always together,” he added. “We support each other. We don’t want to let anyone down. Our (regular) season wasn’t all that great (as we finished third in District 32-6A), but thank God, we’re back on track.”

Added Quintero, a midfielder on the right wing, “Getting to the regional tournament was a goal I had for this team since I was a freshman. We got stuck in the third round (previously). This year we knew it was our last year (as seniors) to take leadership on the field. We have a young team, so it’s a good experience for everyone getting to regionals.”

The Eagles opened the playoffs with a 3-0 bi-district win at Edinburg High and followed it with a come-from-behind 3-2 triumph against Laredo United South during the area round. Hanna’s 4-2 victory against fellow 32-6A member Harlingen South last Friday at Brownsville Sports Park in the regional quarterfinals clinched the Eagles’ first trip to the regional tournament since 2013, when they went all the way to the state final.

“ It’s real nice to be going to the regional tournament,” Eagles coach Reyes Prado said. “It means we have the chance of advancing. So many good teams are not there, so we’re very blessed and proud of being in this position.

“ This group of seniors is a very special group,” Prado added. “They haven’t been to regionals before. We’ve been so close, but we haven’t made the jump. Now we’re crossing that barrier, and these guys are promising that we’re going to do the best we can to take the next step.

“ I’m very proud of these guys, and I’m very thankful God has given me the opportunity to coach this great group. Hopefully, we can extend our season a little more.”

Two key members for the Eagles are Ochoa on the offensive end and Payan on the defensive end.

“ To be a senior on this team means a lot because the other players look to you for leadership,” said Payan, who is a defender on the right side. “I try to be a role model. I’ve been on the varsity four years and the past years we’ve wanted to get far, but we haven’t been able to achieve it. Being a part of this season with a team like this one has been very unique and special because we all get along together so well and we’re bonding.”

Added Ochoa, “We’re supporting each other. Together as a team, we can do it.”

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

Going to the Region IV-5A Tournament is exactly what the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers envisioned they’d be doing at this point of the soccer season.

Having won three games already in the Class 5A playoffs, the Chargers (23-3-1) go against the Kerrville Tivy Antlers (22-2-1) at 2 p.m. Friday in a regional semifinal at Corpus Christi’s Cabaniss Field. The winner plays Saturday in the regional final against Valley View or San Antonio Southwest.

“It has been a great season (to this point),” said Moises Navarro, a senior goalkeeper and two-year starter for the Chargers. “There is more to come.”

This marks Brownsville Veterans’ third straight season to reach the regional tournament. The Chargers have played in the regional final during each of the past two years at Cabaniss Field.

“This is just another step that we want to take to get to where we want to go,” Chargers coach Alberto Vasquez said. “It’s not easy. Just making it to this level one year is very difficult. For us to be able to make it three years in a row just shows the amount of work our players are putting in and how much they really want it.

“In the game of soccer, anything can happen,” Vasquez added. “The ball bounces wrong for you just once and that can be the end. We just have to make sure we stay focused, stay hungry, be protective inside (of the goal) and hopefully things go our way.”

The Chargers have a starting lineup comprised of six senior starters, three juniors, one sophomore and one freshman.

Navarro is the goalkeeper, with Gerardo Valle and Israel Barron at center defender and Frank Moreno II and Jose Capistran at defender on the sides. Juan Amieva is the defensive midfielder, Cesar Cepeda and Alberto Maradiaga are center midfielders, Orlando Sanchez and Javier Ballesteros are on the midfield wings, and Mark Boswell is at forward.

Among those helping off the bench are Diego Bernal, Eduardo Martinez and Rey Gonzalez.

“We have not done (everything) that we want to do, and we’re not where we want to be at (yet),” Moreno said. “We still have a couple of games to try to accomplish what we want to do.

“We still haven’t played a perfect game from the beginning of the season until now,” Moreno added. “I believe we’re going to have to do that in regionals. We have to try to play like never before.”

The Chargers opened the playoffs with a 3-0 win against Sharyland Pioneer in bi-district and a 5-1 area-round victory against Laredo Cigarroa. A 2-1 overtime triumph against Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial during last Friday’s regional quarterfinal clinched a berth at the regional tournament for the Chargers.

The Cigarroa and Corpus Christi Veterans matches were played at Cabaniss Field.

“We’ve been improving (throughout the season), which is really important,” Boswell said. “We’ve had our ups and downs, and we need to keep going on a high note from now on to make sure we get to state.

“We just need to trust in one another because we know what we’re capable of doing,” Boswell added. “What we’ve done so far (in district and the playoffs) gives us motivation and shows us what we’re able to do.”