By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

Having a player score 100 goals in a high school career is quite a remarkable feat.

The Pace Lady Vikings now have had girls attain that milestone in back-to-back soccer seasons.

Alexis Guajardo, a senior forward/midfielder, scored twice during Monday’s 5-1 District 32-5A win at Valley View to reach the 100-goal plateau.

Krissie Rivera, who accomplished the same feat last season, later signed to play soccer at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. Guajardo signed last month to play for Southwestern University in Georgetown.

“As I reflect on my past four seasons as a Viking, I am grateful for all my teammates who have contributed to my 100 goals,” said Guajardo, whose club team is Classic Elite (previously RGV Toros). “I can’t say I approached my high school career with this goal in mind, but I am elated with the accomplishment. I feel this is simply a result of my love for the game.

“This achievement has certainly contributed to our team’s success this season,” she added. “I believe it will fuel our motivation and confidence to advance further into the playoffs than we ever have before.”

With one district game remaining at home against Porter next Tuesday, the Lady Vikings have clinched their second straight 32-5A championship. They advanced three rounds in the playoffs last season.

Guajardo is a big part of that success.

“Alexis is a tremendous player and has committed to the team in many ways such as assisting, defending and scoring,” Lady Vikings coach Jesus O. Villarreal said. “We made a commitment to develop a highly competitive team, and these stats (of 100-goal scorers) are the results of working hard as a team.

“Alexis is a very dedicated player on and off the field,” he added. “She has committed to the team in many aspects.”

CHELIN GOES PRO

Isidro “Chelin” Martinez was a standout member of Rivera’s 2015 Class 6A state championship team that went 28-0. He was chosen as the 2015 Gatorade/USA Today High School Player of the Year in Texas.

“Chelin” went on to play four seasons for the UTRGV Vaqueros and has just signed to continue his soccer career with the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros of Edinburg.

“I feel happy to be able to keep playing, and there’s nothing better than to do it close to home,” he said. “God willing, I will be graduating from UTRGV in May with a degree in rehabilitation service in addiction studies.”

Martinez, a midfielder, appeared in 70 games for the Vaqueros and scored nine goals along with recording 13 assists.

Another Brownsville native, Isaac Acevedo, a goalkeeper who played at Porter in 2018 and then transferred to Houston before the 2019 high school season, also has signed with the Toros.

32-6A UPDATE

Here are the latest District 32-6A boys standings: Rivera (7-2, 21 points), Hanna (5-4, 16 points), Harlingen South (5-4, 15 points), San Benito (5-4, 14 points), Los Fresnos (3-6, eight points) and Harlingen High (2-7, seven points).

Boys playoff qualifiers: Rivera, Hanna, South and San Benito.

Here are the most recent 32-6A girls standings: Los Fresnos (8-1, 23 points), Harlingen South (7-2, 22 points), Hanna (6-3, 17 points), Harlingen High (4-5, 12 points), Rivera (2-7, seven points) and San Benito (0-9, no points).

Girls playoff qualifiers: Los Fresnos, South, Hanna and Harlingen High.

32-5A UPDATE

Here are the most recent 32-5A boys standings: Valley View (12-1, 36 points), Brownsville Veterans Memorial (10-3, 30 points), Porter (8-4, 28 points), Pace (8-5, 24 points), Lopez (7-6, 20 points), Donna High (2-11, six points), Edcouch-Elsa (2-11, six points) and Mercedes (2-11, six points).

Boys playoff qualifiers: Valley View, Brownsville Veterans, Porter and Pace.

Here are the latest 32-5A girls standings: Pace (11-2, 34 points), Lopez (9-4, 26 points), Edcouch-Elsa (9-4, 26 points), Porter (9-4, 23 points), Brownsville Veterans (7-6, 22 points), Donna High (5-8, 18 points), Mercedes (2-11, six points) and Valley View (0-13, no points).

Girls playoff qualifiers: Pace, Lopez and E-E. Fourth playoff spot: Porter or Brownsville Veterans.

ROY HESS | Staff Writer

Returning to the state playoffs this season is an important accomplishment for two District 32-6A boys teams.

San Benito is back in the postseason for the first time since 2014. Harlingen South is playoff-bound again for the first time since 2017.

One date remains for district competition next Tuesday. San Benito is at Los Fresnos and South plays at home against Brownsville Hanna.

All four playoff spots for boys and girls already have been determined, although postseason seedings may change depending upon the final day’s results.

For the Greyhounds, a playoff berth has been a long time coming.

“It means a lot to our kids and our coaches,” San Benito coach William Huerta said. “We were so close last year (missing fourth place by one point), and I think that left a bitter taste in our players’ mouth. We had a good offseason and also had a good preseason schedule to prepare us.

“The offseason and preseason built a unity among the team and helped the guys work harder during the (district) season,” Huerta added. “But we still have one game left in the regular season and we want to finish the season strong and on a good note (with a win) before heading to the postseason.”

Harlingen High took fourth place in 32-6A last year with 16 points. San Benito and South each wound up with 15 points, so it was frustrating for both the Greyhounds and Hawks to be left out of the postseason.

“Making the playoffs means we get to complete one of our goals that we set for this season,” South coach Julian Robles said. “Last year, we barely missed the opportunity, but we knew from the offseason that this was the year we would go back.

“Our hard work has paid off this season,” Robles added. “I believe we have shown what our program is capable of these past few years. I think we’ve shown we can compete with the best in the RGV.”

ll the 32-6A teams play their final district games next Tuesday and will have a bit of a break before the playoffs start March 28.

32-6A UPDATE

Here are the latest District 32-6A boys standings: Brownsville Rivera (7-2, 21 points), Brownsville Hanna (5-4, 16 points), Harlingen South (5-4, 15 points), San Benito (5-4, 14 points), Los Fresnos (3-6, eight points) and Harlingen High (2-7, seven points).

Boys playoff qualifiers: Rivera, Hanna, South and San Benito.

Here are the most recent 32-6A girls standings: Los Fresnos (8-1, 23 points), Harlingen South (7-2, 22 points), Hanna (6-3, 17 points), Harlingen High (4-5, 12 points), Rivera (2-7, seven points) and San Benito (0-9, no points).

Girls playoff qualifiers: Los Fresnos, South, Hanna and Harlingen High.

LIONETTES RANKED

The La Feria Lionettes are ranked 15th with a 19-6-1 record in the most recent Texas Girls Coaches Association Soccer Top 20 Poll. No other Valley team is in the Class 4A rankings. Midlothian Heritage is the No. 1 Class 4A team in the rankings with an 18-1-3 record.

In the Class 6A Top 20 for girls teams, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln (15-1) is No. 11 and McAllen High (17-3-3) is No. 17. There are no Valley girls teams ranked in the Class 5A Top 20.

ROY HESS | Staff Writer

LA FERIA — The La Feria Lions broke into the win column in District 32-4A baseball Tuesday with a 12-2 victory in five innings against the Port Isabel Tarpons.

The win on their home diamond improved the Lions to 1-1 in district. La Feria was coming off a 6-5 setback against Progreso its 32-4A opener last week.

Port Isabel, coming off a loss to Raymondville at home in its district opener, slipped to 0-2 in 32-4A.

It felt great to win for the Lions after coming so close against the Red Ants, La Feria coach Jaime Acuna said.

“This feels good,” Acuna said. “Losing that first district game by one run was tough. We came in more focused tonight, got after it and hit the ball really well. That helped us a lot.

“I just think we hit the ball very well,” he added. “We were aggressive at the plate and we played very good defense. We had very few errors and we ran the bases well.”

After spotting the Tarpons a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, the Lions tallied five runs in the bottom of the first, two in the second, three in the third and two more to end things via the 10-run rule during the bottom of the fifth.

The Tarpons recorded their second run during the top of the fourth to make it 10-2 on an RBI sacrifice play by Alek Zermeno, but that was all the scoring they could muster.

“This game our bats came around,” said Roly Solis, a senior shortstop/pitcher who highlighted the Lions’ batting effort with a one-run, inside-the-park homer to deep center field with two outs in the bottom of the third. His home run made the score 10-1.

“I got my pitch and I couldn’t let it go (by),” added Solis, who previously had an inside-the-park homer as a freshman on the junior varsity for the Lions. “With my speed I was able to make it (around to the plate). I thought (while running the bases) I might be staying at third, but my coach waved me home, so I kept going and I made it.”

The Lions outhit the Tarpons 9-5. Leading the way at the plate for La Feria were Sabian Gonzalez (2-for-2, three RBIs) and Daniel Lopez (2-for-2).

Top batters for the Tarpons were Luis Bustamante (2-for-2) and Daniel Martinez (1-for-1 with an RBI).

E.J. Montalvo went the distance for La Feria to earn the pitching victory. Starter Matthew Cantu took the loss on the mound for the Tarpons.

Errors were a problem for Port Isabel as the Tarpons committed five of them. La Feria had two errors.

“We will get better,” Port Isabel coach Albert Barberena said.

District action continues at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Hidalgo is at La Feria and Port Isabel is at Grulla.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Setting a school record they wanted no part of was definitely something on the minds of the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers when they played the Lopez Lobos in District 32-5A soccer Monday.

The Chargers avoided setting a dubious feat by defeating the Lobos 2-1 at Brownsville Veterans.

“Before the game, our coach (Alberto Vasquez) told us he didn’t want us to lose because it would be the first time in school history for us to lose three times in a row,” said Jose Luis Capistran, a junior left-side defender for the Chargers. “That motivated us to win this game.

“We didn’t start off that good,” he added. “During the game we (eventually) focused more and tried to find each other better (with our passes). We just got our rhythm back (and won).”

The Chargers (10-3, 30 points) were coming off last week’s losses to Valley View (3-1) and Porter (2-0).

Monday’s result was a chance for the Chargers to get back on the winning track, but it was an unfortunate outcome for the Lobos (7-6, 20 points), who will miss the playoffs for the first time in recent memory.

Pace went into Monday’s evening game at Valley View with an 8-4 record and 24 points, meaning the Vikings are the district’s fourth-place finishers regardless of what happens. They can’t be caught now by the Lobos, who trail the Vikings by four points with one game remaining.

The top three playoff spots in 32-5A already belong to Valley View, Brownsville Veterans and Porter.

It was a doubleheader split of Monday’s district games. The Lady Lobos beat the Lady Chargers 2-0 during the first game of the day at Brownsville Veterans.

Due to Spring Break, teams don’t play again until March 19. It will be the final date for 32-5A competition. The playoffs start March 28.

During Monday’s boys match, the Chargers made it 1-0 when Orlando Sanchez fired a crossing shot into the right corner of the net from the left side barely 10 minutes into the game.

A direct kick from 20 yards away by Lopez’s Daniel Cruz that found the mark during the 35th minute evened the score at 1.

With just two minutes left in the half, Brownsville Veterans’ Frankie Moreno Jr. launched a long free kick from the right side more than 50 yards away. The ball took a bounce and went into the goal to restore the Chargers’ lead to 2-1.

Both teams had some opportunistic scoring chances during the final 40 minutes, but no one found the net, mainly thanks to the goalkeepers — Andrew Flores for Lopez and Moises Navarro for Brownsville Veterans.

Another motivation for Brownsville Veterans was its 3-0 loss Feb. 12 at Lopez during the first round of district.

“It was an intense game,” said Vasquez, the Chargers’ coach. “Lopez played their hearts out.

“I’m extremely proud of our team for fighting the entire game,” Vasquez added. “Our guys played a very good game against a good team.”

The Chargers close out their district schedule March 19 at Edcouch-Elsa.

“We came out with a plan to win, and we accomplished that plan,” said Brownsville Veterans’ Israel Barron, a senior central defender who kicked for the football team in the fall. “We just have to win our next (district) game, we’ll be the second seed (from 32-5A for the playoffs) and we’ll go from there.”

The girls match earlier in the day turned in the Lady Lobos’ favor during the 11th minute of the first half when a penalty kick was awarded to Lopez following a knockdown foul in the penalty area by the Lady Chargers.

Tiffany Matambu converted it for a 1-0 lead. It became 2-0 for the Lady Lobos when Myrka Garcia scored from close range into the right corner of the net during the 50th minute of the second half.

With the win, the Lady Lobos (9-4, 26 points) moved into a tie for second place in 32-5A with E-E (9-4, 26 points) behind district champion Pace (11-2, 34 points).

The Pace, Lopez and E-E girls are all in the playoffs.

Also in the hunt for the playoffs with one match date left on March 19 are Porter (9-4, 23 points) and Brownsville Veterans (7-6, 22 points). Four teams will advance to the postseason, so the Cowgirls or Lady Chargers will be the odd team out.

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

Harlingen South girls soccer coach Omar Pedroza has seen many groups of senior players come and go during his 23 seasons guiding the team.

He has a lot of admiration for his current 11 seniors. They have helped lead the squad back to the state playoffs this season. The Lady Hawks have gone to the postseason every year since the program started in 1997.

“These (senior) girls are awesome,” Pedroza said. “They’re great. One of the biggest things is they are so smart (as far as their academics).

“I always tell my players that this is fun (playing soccer), but I’m really looking forward to four years from now when they get their college degrees and they come back to see us (at South),” he added. “They can say, ‘Hey Coach, I got my degree.’ I have a group of super-smart girls. Their grades are incredible. When I check grades, I see all the AP classes they’re taking, and they’ve got 95s and grades in that range.

“I know they’re taking some hard classes, so it’s an outstanding group. They’re good kids, and I really enjoy being their coach. They’re a fun group to work with.”

The Lady Hawks are 7-2 in District 32-6A with 22 points following Friday’s 3-0 win against Harlingen High in the Bird Bowl. The Lady Hawks trail 32-6A leader Los Fresnos (8-1, 23 points) by just one point in the district standings.

The South girls finish 32-6A action March 19 at home against Brownsville Hanna. Los Fresnos is at home against San Benito (0-9, no points) to finish district the same day.

The Lady Hawks’ seniors this season include Mellory Grannum, Bianca Martinez, Stephanie Torres, Joanna Saldana, Aylin Aguilar, Jackie Guillen, Sarah Perez, Lilian Villarreal, Reid Davis, Alise Garza and Abigail Velasquez.

“It’s absolutely incredible to play for the Lady Hawks,” said Davis, a goalkeeper, team captain and four-year member of the varsity. “The bond I have with these girls is so close. I’ve been with some of them all four years, and it’s like I have another family. I just feel that we’re all sisters and there’s a close bond.

“I think it’s all about hard work for us,” Davis added. “We go into every game well-prepared and ready to win. We’re ready to fight for that win, and I think that is what separates us from the rest of our district. I hope we can take our team as far as possible in the playoffs.”

Going into their final district game against Hanna, the Lady Hawks are riding a five-match winning streak. Highlighting that streak is a 1-0 victory Feb. 26 at Los Fresnos.

“It’s been amazing to play on this team,” said Torres, a center midfielder and team captain who also has been on the varsity four years. “I grew up with a lot of these girls, so being able to come from our youth league teams to this team and seeing us grow and get better playing soccer has just been an amazing experience.

“I think our midfield is very strong, plus our defense and our forwards are, too, so I see our team as being very well-rounded,” Torres added. “Our passing game is good, and I think that makes us a pretty good team.”

The standout center midfielder said the coach is an important reason for the team’s success.

“I think we’ve gained someone we can rely on and someone we can talk to by having Coach Pedroza as our coach,” Torres said. “He knows how to get us going and how to motivate us. He has the experience, and that’s a big deal. I’m happy we have him as our coach, and I know we can do well.

“At this point, we’re in second place by just a point, and that’s OK,” she added. “I think we’re all winners here.”

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The Port Isabel Tarpons are fielding a district championship-caliber team this soccer season.

With two games remaining on the District 32-4A schedule, the Tarpons have clinched at least a tie for the conference crown with a 9-1 record and 27 points.

The Tarpons close out their district schedule March 19 at home against Monte Alto and March 22 at Brownsville IDEA Frontier. The Class 4A playoffs start March 28.

The win to secure at least a share of the 32-4A crown came Friday at Rio Hondo. The Tarpons led the Bobcats 3-0 at halftime and won 4-0 with Carlos Noriega scoring two goals. Teammates Josue Avila and Christopher Mosqueda each added one.

“Our guys just fight, and they don’t give up,” said Tarpons coach Josh Kirton, who is in his first season guiding the team. “Anytime they face some adversity, they dig deep and find a way to win. We’ve had several games this season where teams have matched up to our level or we’ve kind of dropped down to their level, but our guys have found a way to win.

“For us, that’s a good sign,” Kirton added. “It’s the sign of a championship team. Sometimes you might not play well but you find a way to win, and that’s what our players have been able to do. These guys work their socks off. They’re at practice and they work hard. It shows in the games. I’m super proud of where we’ve come from since (the first day of practice on) Nov. 26.”

This season marks Port Isabel’s third district title in boys soccer. The Tarpons won an outright district championship in 2011 and shared one with Progreso in 2016. The boys soccer program at Port Isabel began in 2002.

“I’m very proud of my team because it’s a team that plays hard and battles all the time,” said Adrian Mendoza, Port Isabel’s senior goalkeeper and team captain. “We play together and play like a team. I see the guys playing like a family. There’s a lot of teamwork.

“We want to go for a state championship,” he added. “Why not?”

Besides Mendoza at goalkeeper, other members of the starting lineup are defenders Carlos Portales, Angel Fernandez, Carlos Gonzalez and Johan Monroy, midfielders Alan Hernandez, Erik Espindola and Axel Parrazal, and forwards Mosqueda, Avila and Angel Sarabia.

Helping out off the bench are Noriega, Mariano Romero, Marcos Peralta, Yeondris Marquez, Luis Gonzalez, Jonathan Nieto and Jimmy Fernandez, who is the backup goalkeeper.

Along with Mendoza, Angel Fernandez is a team captain.

“I like how we’ve all worked together and worked hard to get here (to the district title),” said Angel Fernandez, a sophomore defender/midfielder. “Winning district means a lot. For the seniors, we want to make it a really good season for their last year. We just want to keep playing hard to get to where we want to go and then keep playing even harder.”

For a senior like Mosqueda, playing on the soccer team this season is quite rewarding.

“We’ve put (every drop of) blood, sweat and tears into this team,” Mosqueda said. “It’s our team. For us to make it up to where we are now, it’s a big step forward (for the program).

“It’s very important to me (that we do well) in my last year,” Mosqueda added. “We’re all family, and I want to do well with my fellow teammates.”

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

Returning to the state playoffs this season is an important accomplishment for two District 32-6A boys teams.

San Benito is back in the postseason for the first time since 2014. Harlingen South is playoff-bound again for the first time since 2017.

One date remains for district competition next Tuesday. San Benito is at Los Fresnos and South plays at home against Brownsville Hanna.

All four playoff spots for boys and girls already have been determined, although postseason seedings may change depending upon the final day’s results.

For the Greyhounds, a playoff berth has been a long time coming.

“It means a lot to our kids and our coaches,” San Benito coach William Huerta said. “We were so close last year (missing fourth place by one point), and I think that left a bitter taste in our players’ mouth. We had a good offseason and also had a good preseason schedule to prepare us.

“The offseason and preseason built a unity among the team and helped the guys work harder during the (district) season,” Huerta added. “But we still have one game left in the regular season and we want to finish the season strong and on a good note (with a win) before heading to the postseason.”

Harlingen High took fourth place in 32-6A last year with 16 points. San Benito and South each wound up with 15 points, so it was frustrating for both the Greyhounds and Hawks to be left out of the postseason.

“Making the playoffs means we get to complete one of our goals that we set for this season,” South coach Julian Robles said. “Last year, we barely missed the opportunity, but we knew from the offseason that this was the year we would go back.

“Our hard work has paid off this season,” Robles added. “I believe we have shown what our program is capable of these past few years. I think we’ve shown we can compete with the best in the RGV.”

All the 32-6A teams play their final district games next Tuesday and will have a bit of a break before the playoffs start March 28.

32-6A UPDATE

Here are the latest District 32-6A boys standings: Brownsville Rivera (7-2, 21 points), Brownsville Hanna (5-4, 16 points), Harlingen South (5-4, 15 points), San Benito (5-4, 14 points), Los Fresnos (3-6, eight points) and Harlingen High (2-7, seven points).

Boys playoff qualifiers: Rivera, Hanna, South and San Benito.

Here are the most recent 32-6A girls standings: Los Fresnos (8-1, 23 points), Harlingen South (7-2, 22 points), Hanna (6-3, 17 points), Harlingen High (4-5, 12 points), Rivera (2-7, seven points) and San Benito (0-9, no points).

Girls playoff qualifiers: Los Fresnos, South, Hanna and Harlingen High.

LIONETTES RANKED

The La Feria Lionettes are ranked 15th with a 19-6-1 record in the most recent Texas Girls Coaches Association Soccer Top 20 Poll. No other Valley team is in the Class 4A rankings. Midlothian Heritage is the No. 1 Class 4A team in the rankings with an 18-1-3 record.

In the TGCA Class 6A Top 20 for girls teams, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln (15-1) is No. 11 and McAllen High (17-3-3) is No. 17. There are no Valley girls teams ranked in the Class 5A Top 20.

ROY HESS | Staff Writer

SAN BENITO — The Rivera Raiders can celebrate another District 32-6A championship in soccer during Spring Break.

A 1-0 victory over San Benito on a breezy Friday night at Bobby Morrow Stadium gave the Raiders their third straight 32-6A title and their fourth district championship in five years.

Spring Break is next week and there won’t be any games until March 19, which is the final date for district competition. Practice still goes on early in the week.

The Lady Raiders made it a sweep for Rivera with a 2-1 victory against the Lady Greyhounds in Friday’s nightcap of the 32-6A doubleheader.

It wasn’t one of the best-played games for the Rivera boys Friday, but it was enough to win.

The game-winner came just three and a half minutes into the second half when Rivera’s Juan Pablo “J.P.” Garza dribbled down the middle on the attack and got off a shot with defenders close around him. The shot went past the San Benito goalkeeper and caught the back of the net for the only goal of the match.

“I just dribbled in and scored,” said Garza, a senior forward, of the game-winner. “We’ve been preparing for this (title) since summer. We’ve been practicing a lot. (Actually) we’re preparing for state. District is not our (ultimate) goal.”

Six minutes after Garza’s goal, the Raiders almost netted another one when Jorge Morales had a header bounce off the crossbar after receiving a centering pass from the left side.

“It’s great to see us go back-to-back-to-back (winning district titles),” said Morales, a senior defensive midfielder. “Our hard work is paying off.

“San Benito gave us a fight tonight,” Morales added. “Over the years they’ve gotten better. They just couldn’t score tonight.

“We’re not going to be satisfied with just a district championship (though).”

With one district game remaining March 19 against Harlingen High, the Raiders are 7-2 in 32-6A with 21 points.

San Benito, which also has already qualified for the playoffs, slipped to 5-4 in district with 14 points.

“It was a tough loss for us tonight,” Greyhounds coach William Huerta said. “We made some mistakes and Rivera capitalized on them. The kids played hard. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

“We’ll get back to work and finish the season strong,” he added.

Rivera coach Salvador Garcia said his team has improved quite a bit since the start of the season. He said that improvement just didn’t show very much during Friday’s game.

“We have to give credit to San Benito, but playing the kind of soccer we did tonight, we’re only going to last one or two rounds in the playoffs,” the Raiders coach said. “We have a lot of problems we need to fix, but tonight, it was just one of those games. Guys were walking, there was no discipline and it just wasn’t the way we like to play.

“We finally have everyone healthy, which is good, but we’re not playing the way we should,” he added. “If we don’t play better, it’s going to be a brief playoff appearance for us.”

Meanwhile, the Lady Raiders scored one goal during each half to get their win over the Lady Greyhounds. Scoring the Lady Raiders’ goals were Yianey Diaz and Michelle Rodriguez.

The Lady Raiders improved to 2-6 in district with six points. The San Benito girls are 0-9 with no points.

ROY HESS | Staff Writer

Another Bird Bowl in soccer is on tap Friday.

This time, the matchups for the boys at 5:30 p.m. and girls at 7:30 p.m. will be played at the Harlingen High Mini-Stadium.

When the Harlingen High and Harlingen South squads last met in the first round of District 32-6A on Feb. 12 at the South Mini-Stadium, the Hawks won 2-1 and the Lady Cardinals were victorious by the same score.

Victories in the 32-6A races for boys and girls have never been more in demand. Add in the city rivalry aspect of things, and it figures to be quite a night of showdowns that should live up to Harlingen’s competitive Bird Bowl tradition in all sports.

When asked about the boys match, Cardinals coach Johnny Guillen said, “We have to find a way to get three points (for a win). That is what will keep us in the playoff race.”

The Cardinals are trying to break out of a five-game slump. They came up just short at Los Fresnos on Tuesday, falling in penalty kicks 4-3, but still picking up one point.

The South boys were tied for the 32-6A lead last week with Brownsville Rivera, but have lost twice since then, including a 1-0 setback at home against Rivera on Tuesday.

So the Hawks are eager to win, too.

“Bird Bowl is a great rivalry game and is never easy since the players grew up playing together (in youth leagues),” South coach Julian Robles said. “We have to stay focused before the game and during the game to win this one. There is so much to play for and emotions will be running high.

“Coach Guillen has done a great job at Harlingen High,” Robles added. “I expect his team to be ready for us.”

On the girls side, the Lady Hawks have won four straight district games since losing 2-1 to the Lady Cardinals on Feb. 12. The highlight of that winning streak was a 1-0 victory at district-leading Los Fresnos on Feb. 26.

The Lady Cardinals are trying to break out of a two-game losing streak that came after they won three straight in 32-6A action. Those setbacks came against Brownsville Hanna (2-1) last Friday and against Los Fresnos (4-1) on Tuesday.

Counting Friday’s matches only two dates remain on the 32-6A schedule.

32-6A UPDATE

Here are the latest District 32-6A boys standings: Brownsville Rivera (6-2, 18 points), San Benito (5-3, 14 points), Brownsville Hanna (4-4, 14 points), Harlingen South (4-4, 12 points), Los Fresnos (3-5, seven points) and Harlingen High (2-6, seven points).

Here are the most recent 32-6A girls standings: Los Fresnos (7-1, 20 points), Harlingen South (6-2, 19 points), Hanna (5-2, 15 points), Harlingen High (4-4, 12 points), Rivera (1-6, three points) and San Benito (0-8, no points).

SPRING BREAK

District 32-6A will be open next week for Spring Break except for a 32-6A makeup game at 10 a.m. Monday at Hanna between the Lady Golden Eagles and Rivera Lady Raiders. The game was postponed when the Lady Raiders were involved in a bus accident going to Hanna to play on Feb. 26.

After next week, only one date remains, Tuesday, March 19, for district games in 32-6A.

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

Friday could be quite an eventful night for the Pace soccer teams.

The Pace girls and boys play host to Mercedes at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively, in District 32-5A competition.

A win over the Lady Tigers by the Lady Vikings will give them a second straight 32-5A championship. Winning back-to-back district titles is something that has never been accomplished before at Pace in girls soccer.

The Pace girls won district with a 14-0 record last season and advanced three rounds in the playoffs. Their goal is to at least go that far or farther this year.

After Tuesday’s 3-1 win at Donna High, the Lady Vikings are 9-2 with 28 points in 32-5A. Getting the full three points against Mercedes would give them 31 points and put them beyond the reach point-wise of any other team in the district.

“(If we win district again) I will be happy for my players because I know more than anyone else how hard they have worked for this and how much they have sacrificed to be where they are,” Lady Vikings coach Jesus O. Villarreal said. “I’ll congratulate them because they are a great group of girls with high aspirations on and off the field, and they make me proud all the time.”

This is a period of unparalleled success for Pace in girls soccer.

Another period of success came during the four seasons of 2008-2011, when the Lady Vikings under coach Valentin Mata made the playoffs four straight years and won a district title in 2009. During that span, the Pace girls won bi-district titles in the playoffs in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Another reason to celebrate for Pace on Friday would come if the boys defeat Mercedes, which will give Vikings coach Mario A. Zamora his 100th career coaching victory.

“I’m at 99 wins, and hopefully on Friday, I get my 100th,” said Zamora, who is in his fifth year of guiding the Pace boys.

32-5A UPDATE

Here are the most recent 32-5A boys standings: Valley View (10-1, 30 points), Brownsville Veterans Memorial (9-2, 27 points), Porter (7-4, 22 points), Pace (7-4, 21 points), Lopez (6-5, 17 points), Donna High (2-9, six points), Edcouch-Elsa (2-9, six points) and Mercedes (1-10, three points).

Here are the latest 32-5A girls standings: Pace (9-2, 28 points), Porter (8-3, 21 points), Lopez (7-4, 21 points), Brownsville Veterans (7-4, 21 points), Edcouch-Elsa (7-4, 20 points), Donna High (4-7, 14 points), Mercedes (2-9, six points) and Valley View (0-11, no points).

32-6A UPDATE

Here are the latest District 32-6A boys standings: Rivera (6-2, 18 points), San Benito (5-3, 14 points), Hanna (4-4, 14 points), Harlingen South (4-4, 12 points), Los Fresnos (3-5, seven points) and Harlingen High (2-6, seven points).

Here are the most recent 32-6A girls standings: Los Fresnos (7-1, 20 points), Harlingen South (6-2, 19 points), Hanna (5-2, 15 points), Harlingen High (4-4, 12 points), Rivera (1-6, three points) and San Benito (0-8, no points).

SPRING BREAK

District 32-6A will be open next week for Spring Break except for a 32-6A makeup game at 10 a.m. Monday at Hanna between the Lady Golden Eagles and Rivera Lady Raiders. The game was postponed when the Lady Raiders were involved in a bus accident going to Hanna to play on Feb. 26.

District 32-5A will play games on Monday and be off for the rest of the week.

After next week, only one date remains, Tuesday, March 19, for district games in 32-6A and 32-5A.