By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The Pace Lady Vikings are enjoying their most successful back-to-back seasons of girls soccer with a pair of District 32-5A championships.

Yet, their ambitions go beyond just winning district.

The Lady Vikings advanced three rounds in the Class 5A playoffs one year ago. Their goal is to go at least that far in the playoffs this season.

“This is a very good team because we have a lot of communication and we show up to play,” said Paloma Zamora, a sophomore midfielder for the Lady Vikings. “We support each other in our games.

“We’re expecting to win our next (area-round) game,” she added. “We want to keep going (in the playoffs). We’re motivated, and we’re playing as a team.”

After defeating PSJA Memorial 1-0 in bi-district last Thursday, the Lady Vikings (23-8-3) are set to play their second-round game at 6 p.m. today against District 29-5A runner-up Corpus Christi Flour Bluff. The match is scheduled to take place at Raymondville’s Burnett Stadium, but if it is determined this morning that the natural grass field in Raymondville is too wet to be used, the game will be moved to Calallen and still start at 6 p.m.

The Lady Vikings are making memories as they go along.

“It’s really going to be memorable playing for this team,” said Jovana Rodriguez, a senior central defender for the Lady Vikings. “In college and in later years I’m going to look back and think about how great it was playing on this team. The trips we take, the bonding together and the communication we have, it’s all great.

“I believe in us, and I think we have the potential to go three rounds or more,” Rodriguez added. “I hope our girls never give up and just go for it (now in the postseason). I believe we will succeed.”

Added teammate Kenia Galvan, a junior central defender, “It feels great to spend a lot of my time playing my favorite sport with the ones on this team, and it’s great to have Coach (Jesus O.) Villarreal as our coach. He’s very understanding with us. He does a great job.”

Against PSJA Memorial, the Pace girls benefited from an ‘autogol,’ which wound up deciding the game. It came on a strong kick by Zamora from the left side during the first half that bounced off the pole. On the play, the ball was knocked in as the goalkeeper and a defender tried to clear it.

Now the Lady Vikings are going against Flour Bluff again in the area round. Pace defeated Flour Bluff 4-1 last year at Raymondville in the second round.

“Every game from here and going forward is going to be a tough game,” Villarreal said. “It’s expected. We did what we had practiced in our bi-district game. We didn’t score (more) like we had planned, but we had 12 shots on goal in the first half.

“I congratulate every one of our players (for the bi-district win),” he added. “Every single one of the players who was there for us was one piece of the whole pie. Our defense was very solid the entire game, and things got very intense toward the end.

“We got what we deserved, and here we are going to the second round.”

A key player for Pace in the bi-district shutout was goalkeeper Jennifer Oliveira, a senior who is coming off last year’s ACL injury.

“I’ve known a lot of these girls for most of my life, and what we’re doing is amazing,” Oliveira said. “It’s just fun to get to play with them one last time as a senior before we go off to college.

“We have some great players and we’re just great friends,” she added. “I don’t think anyone has a bond like we have. It’s just amazing.”

Added teammate Arianna Garcia, a senior midfielder and four-year member of the varsity, “I’m very fortunate to have the chance to play with the girls on this team, especially since I was a freshman. Throughout the years our unity has just gotten stronger. We’ve stayed determined, and we’re just ready to keep going in the playoffs.

“We’ve gone up against some challenges, especially in the preseason with some losses,” she added. “Now we’re showing our potential and our strengths. We all have different strengths, and that’s what helps us come together and be successful at the end of the day.”

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The second round of the state soccer playoffs gets underway today with six Brownsville teams still alive in the UIL postseason.

One of the them is the Brownsville Veterans Memorial boys squad, which plays a Class 5A area-round match at 8 p.m. today against Laredo Cigarroa at Corpus Christi’s Cabaniss Field.

The Pace Lady Vikings are another Brownsville team playing an area match today. Their game is scheduled at 6 p.m. at Raymondville’s Burnett Stadium. Pace’s opponent is Flour Bluff.

Regardless of today’s weather conditions, unless there is lightning, Brownsville Veterans’ match will be played at Cabaniss. If the natural grass field in Raymondville is affected by the weather and too wet to be used, the Pace-Flour Bluff match will be moved to Calallen, Lady Vikings coach Jesus O. Villarreal said. That game site determination will be made this morning, he said.

Other Brownsville teams set for UIL area-round playoff action Tuesday are the boys from Hanna and Rivera, along with the girls from Hanna and Lopez.

Jubilee Brownsville competes in the Texas Charter Schools Academic & Athletic League, and thanks to Saturday’s girls soccer victory over IDEA Pharr in the South Texas regional championship, it is headed to the TCSAAL state tournament later this week.

Meanwhile, the UIL Region IV-5A Tournament will be played April 12-13 at Cabaniss Field.

Brownsville Veterans has played there in the regional final the past two seasons. Coach Alberto Vasquez welcomes the chance his team is getting to play tonight at Cabaniss with the hope that the Chargers can return to the regional tournament again this season.

First of all, Vasquez knows his team must win against Cigarroa to keep its season alive before thinking about playing in the regional tournament at Cabaniss.

“It’s always great to play on what is the only (artificial) turfed field that’s exclusively (designed) for soccer in South Texas,” Vasquez said. “Our team’s goal is to get past the elite eight and make it to the final four.

“That’s what we really want, so hopefully we will get to play two more games after Monday’s game,” he added. “Our players are focused and ready, so God willing, things will go our way.”

On Tuesday for Brownsville boys teams, Hanna plays Laredo United South at 5:30 p.m. at Roma and Rivera goes against Laredo LBJ at 7 p.m. at Legacy High School in San Antonio.

For the Brownsville girls Tuesday, Hanna plays at 6 p.m. at McAllen High and Lopez faces Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial at 8 p.m. at Cabaniss.

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The arrival of April means it’s time for district golf and tennis.

Districts 32-6A and 32-5A have their golf and tennis tournaments scheduled this week at various sites in Cameron and Hidalgo counties.

For 32-6A, the golf tournament will be at Rancho Viejo Resort and Country Club today and Tuesday. The host school is Los Fresnos.

The 32-5A golf tournament is scheduled today and Tuesday at Tierra Santa Golf Club in Weslaco. The host school is Donna High. The 32-4A golf tournament begins today at Tony Butler Golf Course in Harlingen.

Of course, that’s weather permitting.

The district tennis tournaments in 32-6A and 32-5A also are scheduled this week in Harlingen and Brownsville, respectively.

Weather permitting, the 32-6A tennis tournament will be played Tuesday and Wednesday with Harlingen High as the host school. The 32-5A tennis tournament is scheduled Thursday and Friday at Brownsville Tennis Center.

In 32-5A golf, the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers will attempt to capture a third straight district crown as a team. The Lady Chargers have advanced to the UIL state tournament the past two seasons. They were led by now-graduated Julie Lucio, who is playing golf for the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley.

Although Lucio has graduated, there are still some strong players for the Lady Chargers. Among them is Fahtima Avila, a senior who has the third-best 18-hole average in the Valley for high school girls this school year. She averages 76.29 strokes over 18 holes and barely trails Mission High’s Mia Lerma (74.57) and La Joya Palmview’s Briana Silerio (76.25).

Avila was a member of the past two Brownsville Veterans teams that made it to state.

Brownsville Veterans coach Thomas Abete likes the chances of his girls and boys squads at the district tournament.

“Both (girls and boys) teams have a great chance at advancing to regionals,” Abete said. “They just need to stay focused and play one shot at a time. They can’t get wrapped up in the good or the bad. They just need to play tough and have minimal mistakes.

“We have played Tierra Santa several times, so our players are pretty familiar with the greens and layout,” he added. “Both teams are confident, and we hope we can execute the way we have planned.”

Besides Avila, other members of the Lady Chargers’ squad are Giovana Ramirez, Anisa Nieto, Lauren Serra and Faviola Nino.

Members of the boys squad for Brownsville Veterans are Daniel Yznaga, Michael Alvarez, Jose Fernandez, Isaac Sanchez and Jesse Saldana. Yznaga is a past regional qualifier as an individual player.

The top individual and team finishers at the district level advance to regional competition April 22-25.

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

It was a long time coming.

After waiting 25 years or so, the Harlingen South Hawks have captured what is believed to be the school’s first playoff win in boys soccer.

Having achieved such a feat, the District 32-6A runner-up Hawks are eager to build upon their postseason success.

“Our players have put in a lot of hard work, and they’ve wanted a win like this one for a very long time,” South coach Julian Robles said. “I think the past teams we’ve had set the foundation for this team, and this one is putting up the building blocks for what our future teams can do.

“It’s family,” he added. “There’s a brotherhood here, and it’s one of the biggest things that is keeping us together.”

On Friday, the Hawks triumphed 3-2 at their mini-stadium against Edinburg Economedes during the Class 6A bi-district playoffs.

The score was 2-2 until about 12 minutes remained. Angel Ortega, a senior defender and a team captain, headed in the ball off a corner kick taken by Isaac Garza from the right side. It was a game-winner that Ortega will never forget.

“When it came to that corner kick, I was there at the right moment at the right time,” Ortega said. “Thankfully, God gave me a chance to score that goal. Isaac crossed the ball into the box and I was able to head it in. The whole game was very intense.

“Playing on this team means everything to me,” Ortega added. “Since the beginning of the year, I’ve told these guys that we had to break the curse of not getting past the first round of the playoffs. What we did (in that bi-district game) was unbelievable, and it’s going to stay in the (history) books of South. We’re always going to look back and enjoy it every time we remember it, and cherish every moment.

“I want to thank everyone for their support. Without that support, we couldn’t have done it.”

What was notable Friday for the Hawks was having all three of their senior captains score a goal. Besides Ortega, also putting the ball in the net for South were Eric Lopez Jr. and Jose Lerma.

“To be able to get past the first round is amazing, especially with a team like this one,” said Lerma, a four-year starter at forward for the Hawks. “These are guys that I’ve made friends with, and I love to be a part of this team.

“It was incredible to have all three captains score in that game,” Lerma added. “It showed leadership, especially from these other two guys. They kept their heads up high. When Economedes tied the score (at 1 and then at 2), we tried to motivate our team and keep it going.”

Added Lopez, a defender/midfielder, “We really showed up against Economedes and broke that curse of 25 years. To be completely honest, this is probably one of the best teams I’ve ever played with in my life. I’ve played with Angel and Jose since we were younger, and it’s great to be able to go on (in the playoffs) with all of these guys to form the brotherhood that we have. The atmosphere on this team and the companionship we have is really cool.”

The next challenge for the Hawks comes Tuesday in the area round of the 6A playoffs. The South boys and girls have a playoff doubleheader at McAllen Rowe. It starts with the Lady Hawks going against the Lady Warriors at 6 p.m. and ends with the Hawks playing the Warriors at 8 p.m.

Another 6A area-round game involving a local team is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday as the Harlingen High Lady Cardinals play La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at Sharyland High.

“We have a good chance to win our next game, but we can’t go into it with our heads up too high, thinking that we’re (automatically) going to win,” Lopez said. “We know Rowe was the fourth-place team in their district, and they knocked off a No. 1 team (in Laredo United 4-2) in bi-district. They have fight in them, and they’re not going to go down easy. We’ll have to go out there and play with all that we have.”

(Harlingen South team photo courtesy of Alex Mendez)

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The Hanna Lady Golden Eagles are a senior-laden soccer team with a lot of potential.

That potential showed in a big way Saturday evening as the Lady Eagles won 2-0 at home against the Edinburg Vela Lady Sabercats. The Hanna girls scored one goal during each half to secure the Class 6A bi-district match.

The victory advances the District 32-6A third-place Lady Eagles to the area playoffs this coming week. They are scheduled to play next at District 30-6A champion McAllen High at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Vela ended the season as the District 31-6A runner-up.

Hanna goalkeeper Valeria Perez, a four-year starter, displayed her experience by making a number of standout plays while defending the net and keeping the Vela girls scoreless.

“Being out of the playoffs last season, a win like this means everything to me,” Perez said. “For most of us this is our last year (at Hanna), and now we’re coming for it all. We’re playing together and trying to go as far as we can.”

The Lady Eagles went ahead 1-0 during the 18th minute when Hilary Pina received a centering pass from the right side and scored from close range.

“First of all, it felt amazing (to score),” said Pina, a senior forward. “It happened in the first 20 minutes of the game, and I wanted to secure the bag (by scoring).

“Today the difference was we took so many shots at the goal,” Pina added. “We took like 20 shots and made two out of 20. As long as we don’t stop shooting (we’ll be fine).”

It became 2-0 during the 46th minute when Sytlaly Loyde lofted a free kick on an arc over the outstretched arms of the Vela goalkeeper and into the back of the net. It was a perfectly placed kick that found the mark from 25 yards away.

“My thought (when taking that free kick) was just to score,” said Loyde, a senior midfielder on the right wing. “Like Valeria said, she has us (covered) on the bottom (of the field) and I want to help us be covered up on top.

“We have a lot of seniors this year, and we want to do the best we can on top, and really, everywhere on the field,” Loyde added. “I usually try to take our free kicks, and my goal is to score every time.”

The Lady Eagles went into the match as a slight underdog, but playing at home and the support of the crowd appeared to give them a boost.

Vela, a solid team with some speed on the offensive attack, almost won 31-6A this season but settled for second place in their district as Edinburg North edged them for the conference title in points 32-30.

“It was a complicated game against Vela, not an easy game,” Lady Eagles coach Eliseo Guzman said. “I’m very happy we got a positive result.

“We’re very glad to get the win,” he added. “We have a lot of seniors, and they really wanted this victory and a chance to play this next game (against McHi).”

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The Sharyland High Rattlers are moving on in the Class 5A soccer playoffs.

All the Rattlers needed was one goal, yet they added a pair of late scores to defeat Pace 3-0 on Friday during the Class 5A bi-district playoff at Sams Memorial Stadium.

The District 31-5A champion Rattlers (22-5-3) advance to next week’s area playoffs to face Corpus Christi Flour Bluff or Victoria East.

Pace, the fourth-place team from District 32-5A, ended its season at 15-8-1.

Sharyland High led 1-0 for most of the match after Alonso Gonzales scored on a header during the 18th minute. The ball was volleyed around in the goalmouth before it came to Gonzales, whose header put his team ahead for good.

The Rattlers added two goals during the final five and a half minutes to win rather decisively.

“Our team played with a very good attitude tonight,” Rattlers coach Reveriano Hernandez said. “They played their hearts out and never gave up.

“Pace left everything on the field,” Hernandez added. “They gave us a hell of a game. Up until the end it was 1-0, so it could have been anybody’s game.”

Jorge Morales sent a rocket of a shot into the right corner of the net to make it 2-0 for the Rattlers with a little more than five minutes left.

Gonzales scored into an open goal from the left side with just less than one minute remaining to make it 3-0 after the Pace goalkeeper came out and was caught out of position. Gonzales put a move on the goalkeeper, dribbled around him and found himself with an uncontested look at the goal. He converted his chance from relatively close range, and that’s when the victory celebration for Sharyland High began.

The Rattlers had a previous chance at an open goal with 12 1/2 minutes to go, but a shot from the left side went into the outside of the net and, at that point, the score stayed 1-0.

Pace coach Mario A. Zamora was grateful for everything his Vikings did for the team this season.

“I am very proud of my guys for their effort throughout this game and the entire season,” Zamora said. “They fought hard tonight, since the first minute until the end, but it was not enough to defeat a great team like Sharyland High.”

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

BROWNSVILLE — The La Joya Palmview Lobos rallied to win 2-1 in overtime against the Brownsville Porter Cowboys Thursday night in the Class 5A bi-district soccer playoffs.

The victory at Porter sends the District 31-5A runner-up Lobos to next week’s second round of the 5A playoffs to face Corpus Christi Veterans, a 5-0 bi-district winner against Calallen, also Thursday.

Porter, the District 32-5A third-place team, ended its season 22-7-2.

The match went to overtime tied at 1.

The outcome didn’t turn in Palmview’s favor until three and a half minutes remained in the second half of OT. That’s when Jonathan Delgado fired a shot from the left side that went off the crossbar and into the net, sealing Porter’s fate.

Earlier, the Cowboys scored on a header from the right side during the 25th minute to lead 1-0, but that was their only time to find the net.

The Lobos had an apparent goal by Cesar Lopez waived off five minutes into the second half, which was the 45th minute, due to a foul, but they still tied the score on a direct kick from about 20 yards out on the right side by Delgado during the 60th minute.

From there, it was either team’s match for the taking, and the Lobos came up with the goal that won it 2-1 in overtime.

Palmview goalkeeper Ruben Martinez made some standout plays guarding the net to highlight the win.

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BOYS SOCCER POSTSEASON SCHEDULE

Thursday, March 28
Bi-District Round
Class 6A
Brownsville Hanna at Edinburg High, 7 p.m.
Donna North at San Benito, 7 p.m.

Class 5A
La Joya Palmview at Brownsville Porter, 7 p.m.
Brownsville Veterans vs. Sharyland Pioneer at Mercedes, 7 p.m.

Class 4A
Port Isabel at Grulla, 7 p.m.

Friday, March 29

Bi-District Round

Class 6A

Brownsville Rivera vs. Edinburg North at Edinburg’s Richard Flores Stadium, 7 p.m.

Edinburg Economedes at Harlingen South, 7 p.m.

La Joya High vs. Laredo Alexander at Corpus Christi’s Buccaneer Stadium, 7 p.m.

Laredo United South vs. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at La Joya ISD Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

Laredo United at McAllen Rowe, 7:30 p.m.

McAllen Memorial vs. Laredo LBJ at Laredo’s SAC, 7:30 p.m.

Class 5A

Brownsville Pace vs. Sharyland High at Brownsville’s Sams Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m.

Class 4A

Hidalgo vs. Raymondville at La Feria, 6 p.m.

Progreso vs. Brownsville IDEA Frontier at Brownsville Sports Park, 7 p.m.

Zapata at La Feria, 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 30

Bi-District Round

Class 5A

Valley View vs Roma at Sharyland’s Richard Thompson Stadium, 6 p.m.

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS SOCCER POSTSEASON SCHEDULE

Wednesday, March 27

TCSAAL regional semifinal

Jubilee Brownsville 4, IDEA Edinburg 3 (PKs)

Thursday, March 28

Bi-District Round

Class 6A

Edinburg North at Harlingen High, 7 p.m.

Laredo LBJ at McAllen High, 7 p.m.

Class 5A

Edcouch-Elsa vs. Roma at Roma’s Ramiro Barrera Middle School, 6 p.m.

Brownsville Pace at PSJA Memorial, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Porter vs. Sharyland Pioneer at Weslaco’s Bobby Lackey Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

Class 4A

La Feria vs. Vanguard Academy Rembrandt at Pharr, 7 p.m.

Friday, March 29

Bi-District Round

Class 6A

Laredo United at McAllen Rowe, 5:30 p.m.

Los Fresnos at Edinburg High, 6 p.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln vs. Del Rio at Laredo’s Shirley Field, 6 p.m.

Harlingen South at Donna North, 6:30 p.m.

McAllen Memorial vs. Laredo Alexander at Zapata, 7 p.m.

Class 5A

Sharyland High at Brownsville Lopez, 6 p.m.

Class 4A

Port Isabel at Hidalgo, 6 p.m.

Lyford at Progreso, 7 p.m.

Rio Hondo vs. Edinburg IDEA Quest at Hidalgo, 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 30

Bi-District Round

Class 6A

Edinburg Vela at Brownsville Hanna, 6 p.m.

TCSAAL

South Texas regional final

Jubilee Brownsville vs. TBA at Hidalgo, 10 a.m.

ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The Hanna Golden Eagles have experienced their share of ups and downs to this point of the soccer season.

They finished third in District 32-6A with a 5-5 record and 16 points.

The postseason offers them a fresh start in the Class 6A state playoffs, and Hanna coach Reyes Prado said the team wants to take full advantage of that chance.

The Eagles are scheduled to play their bi-district match at 7 p.m. today at Edinburg High against the District 31-6A second-place Bobcats.

“Our chances are just as good as anybody that is still playing at this point,” Prado said. “Edinburg High is an extremely well-coached team.

“With that said, we have to be disciplined and keep our composure,” he added. “We must play with patience and must be ready for whatever is coming our way, and we must establish our style. We’ll depend on team effort and discipline.”

The Eagles are annually a playoff qualifier. Last season they advanced three rounds in the postseason as the runner-up finisher in 32-6A.

This season the Eagles are led by team captains Hector Quintero, Miguel Payan and Zebastian Gonzalez.

The winner of the Hanna-Edinburg High match goes against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln or Laredo United South next week during the second round of the playoffs.

RETURN OF THE RAIDERS

Just like Hanna, the Rivera Raiders are no strangers to the soccer playoffs. Counting 2019, they’ve advanced to the postseason 27 times out of 28 seasons, missing only in 2009.

This time, the playoffs begin for the 32-6A champion Raiders at 7 p.m. Friday at Edinburg’s Richard Flores Stadium with a bi-district match against the 31-6A fourth-place Edinburg North Cougars.

As Rivera’s 32-6A schedule drew to a close, Raiders coach Salvador Garcia warned his team that it could ill afford to not play together and must play with discipline.

“If we don’t play the way we know how to play, we’re going to go home after one or two rounds of the playoffs,” Garcia said. “We can’t be walking, we can’t be playing without communicating and we can’t be playing without discipline.

“We have to be prepared for the playoffs,” he added. “As a coach, you get disappointed sometimes because you want the team to play better. We’ve told the team since the beginning of the season, ‘It doesn’t matter what others believe about this team, it matters what you guys believe you can do.’

“Maybe we (as coaches) ask too much of these guys, but we’ve seen how they can play and we know they can do it. I’ve told them if they play with discipline, they can beat anybody. If they don’t play with discipline, anybody can beat us.”

The winner of the Rivera-Edinburg North game advances to face Laredo LBJ or McAllen Memorial next week.

ANOTHER PLAYOFF PARTY

There’s usually a strong representation of Brownsville-area teams in the UIL soccer playoffs.

Metro-area boys teams reaching the postseason this year include Rivera, Hanna, Veterans Memorial, Porter, Pace, Port Isabel and IDEA Frontier. The St. Joseph Academy boys were in the TAPPS playoffs last month.

Metro-area girls squads in the postseason are Los Fresnos, Hanna, Pace, Lopez, Porter, Port Isabel and Jubilee Brownsville.

The bi-district playoffs in all three UIL classes start today and run through Saturday.

REGIONAL RETURN

The Region VI-6A Tournament is returning to Brownsville Sports Park April 12-13 and will be played there in 2020 as well.

Teams in the 6A playoffs must win three times to advance to the regional tournament.

The Valley has never failed to advance a boys team to the state tournament in Georgetown from a regional tournament played at BSP.

Past teams going to state from the regional tournament at BSP were Porter (2011), Sharyland High (2012), Rivera (2015) and Lopez (2016). Sharyland High and Rivera went on to win state championships.

Also, the Region IV-4A Tournament will be played again in McAllen April 12-13.

ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The La Feria Lions are facing a familiar opponent in the first round of the Class 4A soccer playoffs.

The Lions are going against the Zapata Hawks in bi-district for the third straight season.

This time, La Feria is playing host to Zapata at 8 p.m. Friday. It will be a 4A bi-district boys doubleheader with Raymondville playing Hidalgo in the 6 p.m. opener at La Feria.

Sergio Rodriguez Jr. has been the Lions’ coach since the program started in 2009. The best playoff showing for the La Feria boys came in 2017 when they won district, defeated Zapata 3-1 in bi-district and advanced four rounds in the postseason before suffering a 2-1 loss in penalty kicks to Bandera in the 4A regional tournament in McAllen.

Last year, the Lions played Zapata in bi-district at La Feria and lost 5-0.

The Lions want to redeem themselves in bi-district against the Hawks this season.

“We’re No. 3 (from District 32-4A) and they’re No. 2 (from District 31-4A),” Rodriguez said of his team’s matchup against Zapata. “It’s going to be a close, even game. Our players remember their players. Our players communicate, they practice hard even when it’s raining and they want to win.

“We have players on our team who went to the regional tournament two years ago,” he added. “They want to win and keep going in the playoffs.”

Francisco Vargas is a junior center midfielder/forward for La Feria. He is glad to be playing for the Lions for several reasons.

“This team has a lot of heart and a lot of potential,” Vargas said. “We have some young players. I think if we fight hard enough and our mentality is in the right place, we can go far. I’ve been here for three years (on the varsity) and I love all these guys. People may not believe too much in us this year, but I really think we can go far.”

That sentiment is shared by Diego Martinez, another junior for the Lions who plays defender on the left side.

“It’s a bunch of different players for us this year compared to other years, but it’s still a good team,” Martinez said. “We just have to train hard and work our way up there. We all believe in each other and we play together to control the game.”

Arnold Gonzalez is a senior center midfielder for the Lions and a four-year member of the varsity. He said Zapata is a very familiar opponent and added that things change every season, so Friday’s game is likely to be different than the two teams’ previous encounters.

“Our team now is really young compared to the teams we’ve had before, but I think there’s a lot of potential to do well (in the playoffs),” Gonzalez said. “Next year, I think the team will be even better.

“I would just say thank you for these past four years,” he added “God bless everyone.”

HAWKS CHASE HISTORY

The Harlingen South Hawks are back in the playoffs after a one-year absence as the runner-up team from District 32-6A. South finished district with a 6-4 record and 18 points.

No one can remember if the Hawks have ever won a game in the playoffs, so they figure to be chasing history at home on Friday in their Class 6A bi-district match. South will play host to Edinburg Economedes at 7 p.m. at the Hawks’ Mini-Stadium.

“We are approaching the game as a great opportunity to break through for a playoff win,” Hawks coach Julian Robles said. “The team is extremely motivated, confident and excited to be the first soccer team to compete in a playoff game at our newly remodeled mini-stadium.

“We had an excellent practice on Monday and we seem to be finding the back of the net at the right time,” he added. “We know that Economedes will be ready to play and we expect a tough game. We played them twice before (this season) with each team winning a close one.”

The South-Economedes winner advances to next week’s second round of the 6A playoffs to face Laredo United or McAllen Rowe.

REGIONAL RETURN

The Region VI-6A Tournament is returning to Brownsville Sports Park April 12-13 and will be played there in 2020 as well.

Teams in the playoffs must win three times to advance to the regional tournament.

The Valley has never failed to advance a boys team to the state tournament in Georgetown from a regional tournament played at BSP.

Past teams going to state from the regional tournament at BSP were Brownsville Porter (2011), Sharyland High (2012), Brownsville Rivera (2015) and Brownsville Lopez (2016). Sharyland High and Rivera went on to win state championships.

Also, the Region IV-4A Tournament will be played again in McAllen April 12-13.