ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The Progreso Red Ants are riding a wave of momentum after winning their fifth annual soccer tournament on Saturday and notching a victory in their District 31-4A opener on Tuesday.

The Red Ants, seeking to reach the UIL state tournament for the fourth straight season in Class 4A, rallied to win the Progreso Tournament in penalty kicks 2-1 (5-4) in the final against Boerne High. Next came Tuesday’s 1-0 win at home against Valley rival Hidalgo to start 31-4A competition.

“It felt great,” Progreso coach Margarito Jimenez said of Tuesday’s triumph. “Miguel Puentes scored our goal. We led 1-0 at halftime.”

Before the Progreso Tournament, Jimenez said this year’s Progreso team has a lot of unity, and that would be the most important quality leading the Red Ants to success this season.

“We have the potential to get back to state,” he said. “We still have a lot to work on, though. The main thing is our players really want to go back to state, and that’s the most important thing.

“We’ll work hard, give it our best effort and see what happens,” Jimenez added.

The players see their most recent victories as boosting the team on its path to where it wants to go later this season. The Red Ants are the only Valley team to advance to state three consecutive seasons, and now they’re going for state trip No. 4 in a row.

“It means a lot (to win our tournament and then beat Hidalgo),” Progreso senior goalkeeper Arturo Gallegos said. “We’re going to keep working hard and fighting, fighting, fighting (to reach our goal).”

The Red Ants continue 31-4A action Friday against Weslaco IDEA Pike. The match will be played at the Toros’ practice field in Edinburg.

START OF 32-6A

Teams in District 32-6A start competition with girls (5:30 p.m.) and boys (7:30 p.m.) doubleheaders on Friday.

The first night for matches finds Harlingen High at San Benito, Los Fresnos at Harlingen South and Brownsville Hanna at Brownsville Rivera.

The San Benito girls tuned up for their 32-6A opener by defeating a Lady Greyhound alumni team 5-0 on Tuesday.

Johnny Garza is the new Lady Greyhounds coach this season. He has been getting his girls ready for the most critical part of the schedule, starting with a 32-6A opener against a highly regarded Lady Cardinals squad.

“Looking at the (pre-district) results of games, there is a lot of firepower in 32-6A,” Garza said. “The goal has been to physically and mentally prepare these girls for the task that is the district season.

“We will take it game by game, and we’ll game-plan to allow ourselves to be the most successful (that we can),” he added.

The San Benito boys also have played a demanding pre-district schedule with the intent of being ready for 32-6A action.

“District 32-6A is going to be a tough district,” Greyhounds coach William Huerta said. “I think our non-district schedule has prepared us well for what is about to happen in our district.

“It will be a tough race for all four spots heading into the playoffs,” Huerta added. “But as I tell my team, we will take it one day at a time and one game at a time. My coaching staff has done a good job of preparing our players for this season.”

Another new coach in the district is Matt Molina, who is directing the Los Fresnos boys.

The Falcons tuned up for Friday’s 32-6A opener at South by defeating San Benito IDEA 4-0 on Tuesday.

Molina said he sees his team as ready to begin district play as well, and added his players are looking forward to finally playing the games that count in the district standings.

BEARKATS LOOKING GOOD

Raymondville’s boys opened District 32-4A action Tuesday with a 4-2 win at home against Monte Alto.

“It feel great (to win our district opener),” Bearkats coach Robert Howell said.

Highlighting the victory for Raymondville were Saul Garcia and Yahir Gonzales. They each scored two goals.

The win improved the Bearkats to 1-0 in 32-4A and to 3-1-3 on the season.

Raymondville continues district competition at La Feria on Friday.

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

Thanks to an outburst of goals during the second half, the Porter Cowboys are 2-0 in the District 32-5A boys soccer race.

The Cowboys led only 1-0 at halftime Tuesday against the Mercedes Tigers before finding the net four more times during the final 40 minutes to win decisively at home 5-0.

“The coaches had a serious talk with us at halftime and told us just to start pushing (forward harder on offense), and the goals came,” said Oscar Garcia, Porter’s senior forward who finished with two goals and two assists on the night. “Our team is playing much better this year. We have a lot of experience from last season.”

The Cowboys were coming off last Friday’s 32-5A opener at Donna High, where they won 1-0.

The score at intermission Tuesday could have been 4-0 or 5-0 for Porter, except Mercedes goalkeeper Agapito Ramos made a number of standout first-half saves to frustrate the Cowboys.

Following the advice of their coaches, the Cowboys came out a little more determined during the second half, and the goals started coming.

“We told the guys at halftime they needed to go out and prove who we are,” Porter coach Jose Espitia said. “When you’re playing at home, you have to demand respect from your opponent. We had to go out, be aggressive and pressure the ball.

“I really liked the way we played the second half,” Espitia added. “We were running and being aggressive with and without the ball. You could tell our guys were playing a district soccer game (by the heightened intensity). The same thing happened at Donna. (But) we were too laid back, and we kept missing and missing (our shots).

“We were playing like it was a tournament game at Donna. We told them (Tuesday) ‘The tournaments are over now, so go out there and play at the (increased) speed of 32-5A varsity soccer,’ and that’s what the guys did. I liked how we played in the second half.”

Mercedes lost its 32-5A opener 8-0 against Valley View last Friday and is now 0-2 in the district standings.

The Cowboys were up 1-0 at halftime Tuesday thanks to a medium-range goal by Jose Xavier Mateos during the 17th minute. It came off a pass from by Garcia.

It became 2-0 for the Cowboys during the 55th minute when Garcia sent a crossing shot from the left side into the right corner of the net.

Five minutes later, during the 60th minute, Garcia drilled a strong shot at the net from about 25 yards away. The ball hit the crossbar and bounced in to increase Porter’s lead to 3-0.

And then one minute later, during the 61st minute, Porter’s Brandon Montes dribbled in on the attack and rifled a shot into the net off a defender from approximately 18 yards out.

The final Porter goal to make it 5-0 came during the 71st minute, when a long, well-placed pass from the right side by Roy Gavina was headed into the goal by Mateos.

The Cowboys face a strong test in their next 32-5A game Friday at Valley View.

“It’s going to be really tough,” Garcia said. “We just have to work hard these next two days and try our best to win.”

Actually, it was a sweep for Porter’s soccer teams Tuesday as the Cowgirls won the nightcap of the 32-5A doubleheader 2-0 against the Lady Tigers.

The match between the girls remained scoreless until 13 minutes were left and the Cowgirls’ Liberty Garza scored on a header. Barely one minute later, Denise Romero scored for the Cowgirls to make it 2-0.

Both Garza and Romero are freshmen.

Porter improved to 2-0 in 32-5A, and Mercedes slipped to 1-1.

“I’m real proud of these girls,” Cowgirls coach Abraham Gracia said. “It’s a very good group that is very dedicated and very committed. I can’t ask for anything else.”

By ROY HESS The Brownsville Herald

PROGRESO — There are soccer memories that last a lifetime.

The Progreso Red Ants experienced one Saturday after going from the edge of defeat to winning their fifth annual tournament by prevailing against the Boerne High Greyhounds in the title match on an otherwise dreary day.

Nevermind the rain, wind, cool temperatures and muddy playing conditions on a natural grass field. The Red Ants were the ones celebrating in spite of the weather at the end.

It was an unlikely finish that followed a scenario rivaling anything Hollywood could ever produce.

Boerne High led 1-0 virtually the entire way until a goal by Progreso with 28 seconds left in regulation enabled the Red Ants to force a 1-1 tie and eventually win 5-4 in penalty kicks. The official result was a 2-1 victory for Progreso.

“It was a hard-fought game,” said Progreso coach Margarito Jimenez, whose team is trying to return to the UIL state tournament in Class 4A for the fourth straight year. “We just gave it everything we had. We were lucky enough to tie the game with less than a minute to go (in regulation), so we’re very happy about this result.

“Boerne is a very respectable team,” Jimenez added. “We’re just very honored to play against them.”

Boerne High won last year’s Progreso Tournament with a 1-0 victory against Brownsville St. Joseph, which won it the previous season in 2017. The last time the Red Ants won their tournament was 2016.

Tournament games Saturday were played with 30-minute halves instead of the usual 40 minutes. No overtime was played. Matches with the score tied after regulation went directly to penalties.

The Greyhounds, the only out-of-the-Valley participant in the three-day, 12-team event, scored barely six minutes into the championship match for a 1-0 lead on a shot from the right side about 20 yards away.

Boerne High was up to the task for the next 53 and a half minutes as the Greyhounds protected their 1-0 advantage with some strong defensive play.

But soccer is a game played until the final second expires, and just when the Red Ants needed him, sophomore midfielder/winger Ryan Garcia stepped up to become a hero for his team. When the ball came to him near the left post with a mass of players packed into the goalmouth during the final minute, Garcia somehow managed to nudge it past the goalkeeper and into the right corner of the net with 28 seconds remaining in regulation.

“I saw the ball was coming toward me, so I had to find a way to put it in,” Garcia said. “It was amazing (to score that goal). It feels great right now.”

As regulation play ended, the Red Ants knew there was still more work to be done.

The Greyhounds went first in the PKs, and the first four players for both teams made their attempts. The penalty try of the fifth player for the Greyhounds was knocked away by Progreso goalkeeper Arturo Gallegos.

“I was trying my best to stop everything, and that one felt great (after I blocked it out),” the senior goalkeeper said.

That meant the Red Ants would win if their next player in the PK order converted his attempt. The next one up was Marco Gallegos, the twin brother of Arturo who is a senior forward.

Although the Boerne High goalkeeper got a piece of Marco Gallegos’ PK try, it still went in and set off a wild, emotional celebration among the Progreso players, coaches and fans.

“I was kind of nervous when I was getting ready to kick it because I was getting some (bad) memories (of previous PK tries that didn’t go well),” Marco Gallegos said. “But I was (still) feeling confident that I was going to make it because I had just seen my brother stop the shot (on the previous attempt). I was thinking ‘Yeah, I’m going to make it. I can’t let my team down.’”

Also making their PK attempts for Progreso were Omar Gomez, Hugo Hinojosa, Miguel Puentes and Matthew Perez.

Earlier Saturday, Progreso qualified for the title match by edging Rio Grande City 8-7 in PKs during the semifinals. Boerne High advanced to the final by edging Zapata 5-4 in PKs during its semifinal.

Also Saturday, RGC won the third-place match 2-1 against Zapata.

[email protected]

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The District 32-5A swimming & diving meet reached a new level of competition Friday at Brownsville’s Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center.

Brownsville Veterans Memorial had captured the two previous boys and girls 32-5A team titles in fairly decisive fashion. But things changed this year with the addition of PSJA Southwest and PSJA Memorial to make it a six-team district. Previously, 32-5A consisted of only four Brownsville schools for swimming and diving.

Still, the Brownsville Veterans girls, with their squad of eight swimmers, again won district. A 34-point margin of victory made it three 32-5A championships in a row for the Lady Chargers.

The change from previous district meets took place in the boys division, where PSJA Southwest came from behind during the final event, the 400 freestyle relay, to edge the Chargers for the team title by just two points, 158-156.

Brownsville Veterans went into the last event with a two-point lead. By winning the 400 freestyle relay in 3 minutes, 35.30 seconds, the Javelinas surged ahead of the Chargers for the boys team title. Brownsville Veterans came in second in the event in 3:43.65.

Third place in the boys team standings belonged to Lopez with 84 points.

“Our boys kept themselves in it all the way down to that last relay, and that’s what it came down to,” Brownsville Veterans coach Frank Sanchez said. “My hat is off to PSJA Southwest. Their guys did a fantastic job.

“That’s what happens,” he added. “You win by a couple of points, or you lose by a couple. That’s what it came down to today. PSJA Southwest brought a lot of good competition to the meet. It’s great. We don’t want complacency (at our district meet with not many real challenges). We don’t want to come into this meet feeling too comfortable.

“For our younger group (of swimmers and divers), I think it’s going to light a little fire under them. Our district is not just a walk in the park. It’s getting more and more competitive.”

The Brownsville Veterans girls won with 159 points. Porter was the runner-up girls team with 125 points. Lopez took third with 80 points.

Winning individual events for the Lady Chargers were Daniela Chapa (200 individual medley and 500 freestyle), Daniela Santillana (50 freestyle), Salma Mena (100 backstroke) and Karen Rodriguez-Lua (100 breaststroke).

The Lady Chargers took first place in the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relays, which consisted of swimmers Santillana, Chapa, Mena and Karen Rodriguez-Lua.

The Porter girls won the 200 medley relay with swimmers Ayali Pena, Brittany Federico, Leticia Ruiz Queda and Joleen Carrizales.

Other individual event winners for the girls included PSJA Memorial’s Gianna Salinas (100 and 200 freestyles) and Pace’s Diana Garza Garcia (100 butterfly).

The Brownsville Veterans boys were led by individual event winners Adrian Rodriguez (50 and 100 freestyles), Javier Garcia (200 freestyle) and Nico Alvarez (1-meter diving).

The Javelinas boasted a pair of individual event double-winners in Issac Velasquez (200 and 500 freestyles) and Luke Singh (100 butterfly and 100 backstroke). Another individual event winner for the Javelinas was Rodrigo Uria (100 breaststroke).

The PSJA Southwest boys won all three relays with swimmers Velasquez, Singh, Mauricio Uria, Rodrigo Uria, Carlos Padron and Jorge Salas-Garcia.

It was a two-day 32-5A meet at the Clark Center. Diving was Thursday and swimming Friday. The top six finishers from each event at district advance to the regional competition next Friday and Saturday in Corpus Christi.

ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers were at their best for Friday’s District 32-5A soccer opener at Pace, particularly during the early stages of the match.

The Chargers made the most of their initial chances and led 3-0 just 11 minutes into the action. They went up 4-0 during the 19th minute and held an advantage by that same score at intermission.

Brownsville Veterans added two more goals during the second half and wound up winning 6-1.

“That’s what happens sometimes in this game of soccer,” Chargers coach Alberto Vasquez said. “Sometimes, if you get chances and you put them in quickly, you’re able to throw off a good team like Pace.

“Pace has a hell of a team, and we knew it was going to be a difficult game against them,” Vasquez added. “If you weren’t here and heard the score, you’d think it was a one-sided game, but it was not. Pace has a very good team. Fortunately, everything went our way tonight. It was just that type of game where things went our way.”

It all started going in the Chargers’ favor during the eighth minute, when Brownsville Veterans was awarded a penalty kick for a knockdown. Pace goalkeeper Alfredo Gallegos blocked the PK, but Albert Maradiaga ended up with the loose ball and put it into the net seconds later for Brownsville Veterans’ first goal.

One minute later, the Chargers’ Felipe Esquivel tapped a rolling shot into an open net from the left side for a 2-0 lead. It became 3-0 when Mark Boswell drilled a direct kick into the left corner of the goal from just outside the penalty area during the 11th minute.

Boswell’s shot from the right side during the 19th minute made it 4-0, which was the halftime score.

Just 1 minute, 30 seconds into the second half, a goal by Rey Gonzalez increased the Chargers’ advantage to 5-0.

Pace’s Erik Chavez converted a penalty kick during the 65th minute to cut the lead to 5-1.

Less than one minute after Pace’s PK, Brownsville Veterans’ Humberto Sosa scored on a crossing shot from the right side into the left corner of the net to account for the final score.

Vikings coach Mario A. Zamora said his team will regroup and bounce back.

“They scored three goals on us in about 10 minutes, and we were not expecting that,” Zamora said. “It was tough to be down 3-0 so early in the game. We just have to keep working hard and correct our mistakes.

“As a coach, that’s my job,” he added. “I have to keep our guys mentally focused and ready for the next game. There are 13 (district) games that we still have, so there’s time (to regroup).”

The boys game was the first part of Friday’s 32-5A doubleheader at Pace. In the nightcap between the girls teams, the Lady Vikings, defending district champions, prevailed 1-0 over the Lady Chargers.

Just like the boys, it was also a district opener.

One play decided the outcome in the closely contested girls match. The Lady Vikings took a corner kick from the right side with a little more than three minutes remaining in the first half, and Paloma Zamora headed the ball in to make it 1-0 for Pace.

Zamora’s goal proved to be the game-winner between two teams who are each determined to return to the playoffs this season.

“This win means a lot because Veterans is a very good team and is well-coached,” Lady Vikings coach Jesus O. Villarreal said. “For us (to win), it meant keeping a tempo, having a rhythm, keeping our momentum going — it means everything. We took the game very seriously, and we won. It means we get three points, and we’ll take them.”

The Lady Chargers didn’t let up the entire way. They almost evened the score five minutes into the second half when one of their shots bounced off the left post.

“I really like how the girls played tonight,” said Alexis Guajardo, a senior forward/midfielder for the Lady Vikings and also their team captain. “It was an intense game.

“We know it won’t be easy, but we want to win the district title again,” she added. “We believe we can do it.”

ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The District 32-5A swimming & diving meet got off to a strong start Thursday for the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers, who are attempting to successfully defend their district title of one year ago.

The diving competition for boys took place Thursday at Brownsville’s Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center on the first day of the meet. Swimming competition for 32-5A teams is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. today.

Actually, the Brownsville Veterans boys and girls are both defending 32-5A team champions.

There was no district diving competition for girls Thursday due to a lack of participants.

On the boys side, though, the Chargers were dominant by taking the top three places in the 1-meter diving.

Brownsville Veterans’ Nico Alvarez captured first place with a score of 339.30, while teammate Carlo Pereira was second with a score of 277.90. Seth Heggie, yet another Charger diver, took third place with a 267.15 score. Fourth place went to PSJA Memorial’s Jose Vasquez with a 228.00 score.

“With our boys taking first through third place (in the diving), it is a nice little lead,” Brownsville Veterans coach Frank Sanchez said. “But having a young team of boys, they will have to fight for every place (for us to do well in the swimming).

“Two more schools (PSJA Memorial and PSJA Southwest) added to the district will definitely make it a battle on Friday,” Sanchez added. “It should be exciting. Lopez has a strong returning group, so it may be close. Either team (between Lopez and us) could make it close, or it could be a blowout (either way).”

Last year, there were only four Brownsville teams in the 32-5A meet, and Brownsville Veterans easily captured both district titles. The boys won with 218 points, Lopez was second with 135 and Porter third with 71. For the girls, the Lady Chargers triumphed with 198 points, Lopez was second with 96 and Porter was third with 87.

Sanchez has faith his girls can repeat this time around.

“We have a small girls team this year, but luckily, it is led by three very strong seniors,” he said. “Our girls team is led by Salma Mena, Daniela Santillana and Karen Rodriguez-Lua. If they all swim their best times, they should be OK. But once again, Porter, Lopez and Pace have strong girls teams, too.

“It is anyone’s district championship this year,” Sanchez added. “I think it comes down to who wants it more.”

The District 32-6A swimming & diving meet is taking place in Weslaco. The 32-6A swimming and diving is scheduled today.

The top finishers at the district level move on to regional competition Feb. 1-2.

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

It’s really not too much of an exaggeration to say the road to state in Region IV-5A boys soccer runs through District 32-5A.

Thanks to the UIL’s most recent district realignment in February 2018, this season’s 32-5A boys race includes past UIL state tournament qualifiers Lopez (a Valley-best five times), Porter (four times) and Valley View (three times). Also playing in 32-5A are past regional finalists Pace and Brownsville Veterans Memorial. The Vikings have come within one win of advancing to state three times and Veterans has come that close twice.

Put those teams all together in one district, plus add Donna High, Mercedes and Edcouch-Elsa, and those are the eight schools comprising an ultra-competitive 32-5A this soccer season.

Conference competition in 32-5A begins Friday with boys (5:30 p.m.) and girls (7:30 p.m.) doubleheaders.

Friday’s schedule of 32-5A boys and girls openers has Brownsville Veterans at Pace, Edcouch-Elsa at Lopez, Porter at Donna High and Valley View at Mercedes.

The Lopez boys and Pace girls are defending 32-5A champions.

“I believe we must play with high intensity from the first to the last minute in every district game in order for us to do well,” Lobos coach Amadeo Escandon said. “The first district game (against E-E) is crucial, for it will give us an idea of where we are and where we need to be as a team.”

Lady Vikings coach Jesus O. Villarreal is telling his team to be ready for a long process in district that will reward the ones who emerge as survivors.

“The beginning of district is just exactly that — the beginning,” Villarreal said. “We can’t say anyone will be a champion or be a dominant team (at the start) because the season is long, and many, many things are going to change the direction of the season for every single team. It is just the beginning, and (actually) a final test as well of what players have done (to be ready for district) during the preseason. We might have some teams that will not peak just yet, but will at a later time.

“For Pace, it means to be ready to defend our successful (14-0 district) season we had last year as well as to continue growing in the program,” Villarreal added. “Many teams will play tougher when it comes to going against Pace, and we need to be ready for that. No team will make it easy for us. We will respect every team for that, and we will take every single game very seriously.”

The first of the Valley View vs. Brownsville matchups in 32-5A comes next Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. when Lopez goes on the road to face the Tigers on their home field.

ALL-SHOWCASE TEAM

First- and second-team All-Showcase honorees have been announced from the inaugural South Texas Futbol Showcase played last weekend in Brownsville and Los Fresnos.

From Hanna, the honorees are Miguel Payan (first team) and Hector Quintero (second team). The Rivera honorees are Joaquin Hernandez (first team) and Juan Pablo Garza (second team), and for Los Fresnos, they are Obed Sepulveda (first team) and Leo Ocana (second team).

For Lopez, the honorees are Alan Reyes (first team) and Guadalupe Sauceda (second team). Porter’s honorees are Oscar Garcia (first team) and Brandon Montes (second team), and those for Brownsville Veterans are Mark Boswell (first team) and Juan Amieva (second team). For Pace, it’s Gabriel Gracia (first team) and Ian Perez (second team).

Honorees for Jubilee Brownsville are Eduardo de Ledezma (first team) and Diego Araujo (second team).

ON THE RISE

The St. Joseph Academy Bloodhounds improved to 5-1 in TAPPS Division 2 District 6 with a 2-1 victory against Laredo St. Augustine.

The next action for the Bloodhounds comes today at the fifth annual Progreso Tournament. It’s a three-day, 12-team event with pool play in three groups. The championship match is scheduled at noon Saturday.

The Bloodhounds won the tournament in 2017 and were the runners-up in 2018 after coming up short 1-0 against Boerne High in last year’s championship match.

ROY HESS | Staff Writer

Before district competition starts in the Rio Grande Valley, there is one more soccer tournament to be played.

The fifth annual Progreso Tournament begins at 10:30 a.m. today with 12 boys teams involved in pool play in three groups.

The three group winners plus a second-place team with the best record advance to Friday’s semifinals with the winners there moving on to Saturday’s noon championship match. Also, a third-place game is scheduled at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Participating teams include Progreso, La Feria, Rio Hondo, Port Isabel, Grulla, Rio Grande City, Zapata, Brownsville St. Joseph, Brownsville IDEA Frontier, Edinburg IDEA Quest, Monte Alto and Boerne High.

Boerne High defeated St. Joseph Academy 1-0 in last year’s title match.

Progreso coach Margarito Jimenez said Boerne High appears to be the favorite again.

“They have a new coach, and I’ve heard some good things about them,” Jimenez said of the Greyhounds.

Meanwhile, Jimenez said his Red Ants are coming together as they seek to become the Valley’s first team to advance to the UIL state tournament four straight years. They are already the only Valley UIL team to go to state three consecutive seasons.

“So far, we’re 4-2-1, and we’ve had some ups and downs,” Jimenez said. “We played in the Liberty Hill Tournament (the first weekend in January) and went 2-1-1.”

Liberty Hill is a past state tournament contender. At the Liberty Hill Tournament, Progreso defeated Stephenville (2-0) and Alvarado (5-1), while tying Liberty Hill (1-1) and losing to Midlothian Heritage (1-0).

“What I see that I like about our team this year is I think we have more unity,” Jimenez said. “That’s what is going to carry us.”

The Red Ants open District 31-4A action at home next Tuesday against Hidalgo. In recent years, the Pirates and Red Ants have been the two most successful Class 4A boys teams in the Valley.

GETTING HEALTHY

The Harlingen High boys have been battling injuries since the UIL season began earlier this month. They appear to be getting players back from injury in time for their District 32-6A opener Feb. 1 at San Benito.

“That has been our main focus with these injuries is to have everyone healthy and back by district,” Cardinals coach Johnny Guillen said.

As their final non-district tuneup prior to the start of 32-6A action, the Cardinals won 3-0 at Rio Hondo on Tuesday.

Ruben Contreras scored a pair of goals and teammate Jesus Reyna tallied one for the Cardinals.

Harlingen High was up 2-0 at halftime.

The Cardinals returned to the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons one year ago during Guillen’s first season as the head coach. Now the goal is to return to the postseason and make it past bi-district in 2019.

ALL-SHOWCASE TEAM

First- and second-team All-Showcase honorees have been announced from the inaugural South Texas Futbol Showcase played last weekend in Brownsville and Los Fresnos.

From San Benito, Isidoro Najera was selected to the first team and Gustavo Solis was named to the second team.

From Harlingen South, Jose Lerma was named to the first team and Angel Ortega to the second team.

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The Hanna Lady Golden Eagles prevailed against the La Feria Lionettes and some challenging gale-force winds Tuesday night to win a non-district soccer match 8-1 at Hanna.

The Lady Eagles are drawing closer to their District 32-6A opener Feb. 1 at Rivera. Tuesday’s match was a timely tuneup for both teams. The Lionettes begin District 32-4A competition on Feb. 1 as well. They open district at Raymondville.

“It was a good practice game before we start district,” Lady Eagles coach Eliseo Guzman said. “I saw the girls passing the ball tonight the way I’m telling them to pass it. More than the goals we scored, what I really wanted to see was good passing of the ball from one side to the other and see the girls talking (among each other on the field) more.

“It was good to see us have the ball control we had in such windy conditions,” Guzman added. “I think we’re more than ready for district.”

The Lady Eagles scored first-half goals during the 19th, 24th, 28th and 39th minutes to lead 4-0 at intermission.

Hanna’s second-half goals came during the 42nd, 47th, 52nd and 80th minutes.

Leading the scoring for the Lady Eagles was Hilary Pina with three goals. Kristy Herrera added a pair of goals for Hanna, and teammates Samantha Galvan, Pamela Prado and Isabel Ortiz each recorded a solo tally to complete the scoring.

La Feria’s Jennifer Leal caught the Hanna goalkeeper out of position and sent a slow roller into an open net during the 48th minute to make the score 6-1, just one minute after a long, high Hanna shot made it 6-0.

Kaylen Chapa and Valeria Barba each played goalkeeper for the Lionettes and came up with some solid saves at various times during the match.

“This was a good practice game for us because it helps us see what we need to work on so we can get to the next level (in time for district),” said La Feria coach Adriana Carmona, now in her third season of guiding the Lionettes.

La Feria is the defending champion in 32-4A. The Lady Eagles are trying to return to the playoffs this season after barely missing out on the postseason one year ago.

Valley HS Girls Soccer Schedule 2018

Monday’s Game

Non-district

Harlingen High 3, PSJA Memorial 0

Tuesday’s Games

Non-district

Laredo Alexander at McAllen Rowe, 6 p.m.

Rio Hondo at Weslaco East, 6 p.m.

Harlingen South at Weslaco High, 6 p.m.

Edinburg High at San Benito, 6 p.m.

Laredo Martin at Sharyland High, 7 p.m.

Friday’s Games

Non-district

Kingsville King at Raymondville, 5 p.m.

Los Fresnos at McAllen High, 5:30 p.m.

Sharyland High at Donna North, 6 p.m.

San Benito at Weslaco High, 6:30 p.m.

La Joya Palmview at Edinburg High, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-5A

Edcouch-Elsa at Brownsville Lopez, 7:30 p.m.

Valley View at Mercedes, 7:30 p.m.

Brownsville Porter at Donna High, 7:30 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans at Brownsville Pace, 7:30 p.m.