By ROY HESS

Staff Writer

LOS FRESNOS — The Los Fresnos Lady Falcons are all business when it comes to winning District 32-6A championships in volleyball.

The Lady Falcons made quick work of the San Benito Lady Greyhounds 25-22, 25-11, 25-21 on Tuesday night at the Los Fresnos gym to wrap up another 32-6A championship.

It was the final night of 32-6A action. The Class 6A bi-district playoffs start next Monday and Tuesday.

Harlingen South defeated Hanna 25-18, 25-21, 19-25, 10-25, 15-13 on Tuesday, meaning it was an outright district title for the Lady Falcons and their first 32-6A title since 2016. The Lady Falcons finished second behind Rivera in district last season.

Fittingly, the Los Fresnos seniors were honored before the match.

“We’re super excited because we’ve been working hard, especially the seniors for four years now,” said Los Fresnos’ Emma Stambaugh, a senior middle blocker/outside hitter. “There are 10 of us who are seniors, so this feels very good for our last ride (to a district championship) with a good win (to close the regular season).

“With this group of seniors, it was definitely our expectation (to win district again),” Stambaugh added. “We’re ready for the postseason now, and we’re going to practice even harder than we’ve been practicing already because we want to make a long run in the playoffs this year.”

Victoria Hernandez led Los Fresnos with 14 kills. Stambaugh and Sandra Salazar each added 10 kills. Also for the Lady Falcons, Isis Delgado, Jovanna Adame and Hannah Castillo had 24, 13 and eight digs, respectively, and Sarah Villarreal finished with 47 assists.

Lady Falcons coach Becky Woods was pleased with the victory and district crown, especially for her players who are graduating.

“I think it’s great for the seniors,” Woods said. “We didn’t want to look ahead (to the playoffs). We wanted to focus on this match with San Benito and take care of business.

“Winning district was always my expectation for this team,” she added. “They were all together (as teammates), and I knew I had a great team. These girls have been playing together for three and four years, so I knew when they formed this team it was going to be a special group.

“I love every one of them. They’re just good kids.”

Los Fresnos finished district play with a 9-1 record. San Benito ended at 3-7.

There were six early ties during the first game before the Lady Falcons went ahead for good, 8-7, on a Lady Greyhounds net violation, and eventually put away the opening set, 25-22, on a tip that landed just inside the back line.

Los Fresnos went out in front quickly during the second game before winning it decisively 25-11 on a tip by Hernandez.

San Benito gained its biggest lead of 17-14 during the third game when the Lady Falcons made a block, but it carried out.

From there, the final set was tied at 18 and at 21, but Los Fresnos wouldn’t be denied. A powerful down-the-line kill by Salazar made it 25-21 and closed out the match, allowing the Lady Falcons’ district championship celebration to begin.

When the Lady Falcons played the Lady Greyhounds in San Benito during the first round of district Oct. 2, Los Fresnos won 25-17, 25-21, 25-20.

By ROY HESS

Staff Writer

Considering all the twists and turns District 32-6A volleyball has experienced this season, especially among the four teams not in the district lead, it seems appropriate that the uncertainty and drama surrounding the playoff race should continue at least one more night.

The final round of 32-6A matches is on tap at 6:30 p.m. today with Brownsville Hanna at Harlingen South, San Benito at Los Fresnos and Harlingen High at Brownsville Rivera.

Hanna and Los Fresnos are tied for the district lead at 8-1 and need wins against the Lady Hawks and Lady Greyhounds to become 32-6A co-champions. The Lady Golden Eagles and Lady Falcons are already in the playoffs.

As for the other four teams, San Benito, South and Rivera are all 3-6, and Harlingen High is 2-7. In one crazy, yet somewhat possible scenario, all four squads could theoretically wind up tied for third place at 3-7, creating a “play-in” scenario in which two of the four would advance to the postseason.

Hanna put itself in position for a district championship or co-championship with a huge five-set win (22-25, 25-17, 25-20, 29-31, 15-10) at home Saturday against Los Fresnos.

“The plan would be to finish as co-champs, but we still have a big stepping stone (against South),” Hanna coach Ansgar Hagemann said. “We’re going to take that match very seriously. As I’ve said before, this is a very balanced district. We know we’ve got to work hard for a win (at South).”

Harlingen High coach Joslynn Torres views 32-6A the same way.

“Oh my gosh, every match is a tossup,” she said recently. “It’s a tossup between all six of us (regardless who is playing).”

Stay tuned for any possible “play-in” matches later this week.

Edinburg Vela, Weslaco High, Edinburg North and Edinburg High appear to be the likely opponents from District 31-6A awaiting bi-district matchups with 32-6A teams when the playoffs begin Oct. 29 and 30.

32-5A UPDATE: Three of four teams from District 32-5A already are headed to the playoffs. They are Edcouch-Elsa (13-0), Brownsville Veterans Memorial (11-2) and Donna High (10-3).

The final round of 32-5A matches is at 7 p.m. today with Brownsville Veterans at E-E, Valley View (0-13) at Donna High, Brownsville Porter (4-9) at Brownsville Pace (3-10), and Mercedes (5-8) at Brownsville Lopez (6-7).

Lopez needs a win to make its third straight trip to the playoffs. Mercedes can force a “play-in” match with the Lady Lobos later this week with a victory today.

The Lady Lobos defeated the Lady Tigers in four games Sept. 29 when the two teams played during the first round of district in Mercedes.

“We work really hard in our practices, and everything is paying off,” said Lopez’s Olga Arozena, a junior middle blocker/outside hitter. “We stay together, and we have a bond. We’re all together, and we’re united. I feel like that helps us a lot. We cheer each other up (when things get tough).

“I hope we make it to the playoffs,” she added. “That’s our goal.”

32-4A UPDATE: La Feria clinched its third straight outright District 32-4A championship thanks to last Tuesday’s 25-13, 25-5, 25-14 win at home against Grulla.

During that match, standouts for the Lionettes were Karina Diaz (19 assists, two kills), Sierra Salinas (six kills, seven digs), Felicity Watson (16 digs), Natalie Gonzalez (seven kills, three aces, six digs), Jeno Ochoa (three kills), Mary Winton (two kills, two blocks) and Aaliyah Stewart (two kills, two digs).

The final round of 32-4A matches was played Monday night after the district had an open date Saturday. It was La Feria (12-1) at Rio Hondo (7-6), Progreso (4-9) at Port Isabel (2-11), Hidalgo (10-3) at Grulla (6-7) and Zapata (8-5) at Raymondville (2-11).

TO THE PLAYOFFS: During its first season of TAPPS district competition, St. Joseph Academy finished as the conference runner-up with a 5-3 record. The Lady Bloodhounds are 21-11 overall.

SJA coach Dolores Olguin-Trevino said her team is waiting to find out where it will play its first playoff match. She is also waiting to find out the opponent, although she knows the match is set for Oct. 30.

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.

By ROY HESS

Staff Writer

PROGRESO — The Port Isabel Tarpons are finding out Cesar Aguilera is quite a productive quarterback as a runner and a passer.

The Tarpons opened District 16-4A Division II competition with a 46-9 victory against Progreso on Friday night at Red Ant Stadium.

Port Isabel improved to 4-3 on the season and 1-0 in district with games ahead against Raymondville and Rio Hondo. Progreso slipped to 3-5 and 0-1.

It was another solid victory sparked by Aguilera, the Tarpons’ senior QB. He passed for four touchdowns and rushed for a pair of scores against the Red Ants.

Coming off a 270-yard rushing performance with five TDs during a 48-21 win against Grulla on Oct. 5, Aguilera accounted for six TDs in all Friday while rushing nine times for 155 yards and completing seven of 13 passes for 110 yards with an interception.

“At first, during Week 1 and Week 2, we weren’t doing so well (because everything was new), and now we’re just picking it up,” Aguilera said. “I’m picking things up (myself in this new offense), and now I get it very well.

“We’re all in (with our first-year coach Jason Strunk), and everyone is playing well,” Aguilera added. “Everything is going fine. We just have to continue working hard together.”

Three of Aguilera’s TD passes went to wideout Sebastian Martinez on plays covering 9, 10 and 25 yards — one scoring strike during each of the first three quarters. Aguilera also threw a 20-yard scoring pass to running back Brayan Medina late in the second period.

The Tarpons’ QB broke loose on a 54-yard scramble to make it 12-3 early in the second period. He added a 14-yard scoring run midway through the final quarter to account for his six TDs on the night and boost the score to 46-9.

The Tarpons led 6-3 after one quarter and 32-3 at halftime. Port Isabel took a 39-9 advantage into the fourth period.

Also for the Tarpons, reserve running back Adrian Nino sprinted 30 yards down the left sideline and into the end zone during the second quarter.

Medina and Nino finished with 101 and 72 yards rushing, respectively, to go with Aguilera’s 155 yards on the ground. Martinez finished with four catches for 68 yards.

The Tarpons were intent upon showing multiple facets of their offense against Progreso.

“We came into this game with a pretty diverse attack with our (offensive) personnel groupings,” Strunk said. “We wanted to work on a lot of different things this week, and specifically in this game. They were things we needed (to do well with) moving forward, and we did that tonight.

“We worked on the run game, the pass game, and had some new formations,” Strunk added. “Our passing game has gotten better from Week 1 until now, and it’s becoming a weapon for us. We came in with some pretty diverse game plans, and we executed them tonight.

“The key to the whole thing with Cesar’s passing is our No. 2 (Sebastian Martinez). He’s a target. We have Cesar at quarterback, Brayan at running back and Sebastian at wide receiver. We have ‘The Triplets’ going right now, and they’re weapons.”

A 21-yard field goal by Progreso’s Marcos Gallegos closed the gap to 6-3 during the first quarter after Aguilera’s first TD pass to Martinez covered 9 yards at the 9:29 mark of the opening period.

The Red Ants found themselves behind 32-3 at halftime after the Tarpons’ 26-point scoring outburst during the second period.

Aguilera’s second TD pass of 10 yards to Martinez came with time expired in the half, as the Tarpons ran two plays with zeros on the clock due to back-to-back penalties (roughing the passer and pass interference) on Progreso, which gave Port Isabel a first down at the Red Ants’ 10-yard line.

Progreso put together a scoring drive near the end of the third period and recorded a touchdown thanks to QB Joshua San Roman‘s 1-yard keeper that narrowed the Tarpons’ lead to 39-9.

Both teams were coming off victories. Port Isabel defeated Grulla 48-21 on Oct. 5 before enjoying an open date last week. Progreso won 56-7 on Oct. 12 at Marine Military Academy.

District action continues next week for each squad. Progreso is at Rio Hondo and Port Isabel travels to Raymondville.

When the Tarpons and Red Ants played at Progreso last season, Port Isabel triumphed 54-30.

By KEVIN NARRO

Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — It took just two plays on the opening drive for San Benito to set the tone.

Senior quarterback Jacob Cavazos hit Brandon Valadez for a 58-yard touchdown, and then the defense forced two first-half turnovers en route to a 49-14 win over Harlingen South on Friday night.

The win sets up a blockbuster matchup with Brownsville Hanna next Friday at Bobby Morrow Stadium. Hanna will meet Harlingen High at 2 p.m. today at Sams Memorial Stadium.

“It is huge to start out 2-0 in district,” Greyhounds offensive coordinator Steve Marroquin said. “But by no means is it over, and we are not looking past our next opponent. It is going to be a big game, and I have a lot of respect for Brownsville Hanna, we know the type of program they have, and it is going to be a good game.”

After its first touchdown, San Benito struggled to find the end zone, but leaned on kicker Fernie Perez, who booted three straight field goals to push the ’Hounds’ lead to 16-0 early in the second quarter.

Sophomore running back Kyler Castilleja helped kick-start the offense for a 17-yard score, putting the ’Hounds ahead 22-0 late in the second quarter. Castilleja finished the night with two rushing touchdowns.

“We just stuck to our game plan, and we saw how (South was) lining up against us when we had to kick those field goals. We made some adjustments, there were some things we went over in practice during the week, and the kids went out and executed.” Marroquin said.

On the next drive, the ’Hounds’ Brandon Valadez who hit a wide-open Mitch Guajardo on a halfback pass for a 26-yard score, extending San Benito’s lead 29-0.

After a Nick Castaneda interception, San Benito capitalized. Cavazos hit AJ Garcia down the seam for a 21-yard strike. Last week, Garcia ran for three scores, and against South he hauled in a TD, giving him back-to-back games with a score.

“Each day our kids show up to work, and they have a great work ethic. It is what coach (Dan) Gomez and the staff have instilled in these kids. They have that mentality where it’s game by game, they don’t worry about what is behind them, and they look forward to the next one.”

Meanwhile, Harlingen South dropped its first district game and is now 1-1. The Hawks travel to Brownsville Rivera on Thursday.

By ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald

The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers are following a path that is leading straight to the state playoffs in District 16-5A Division I football.

The Chargers captured their fourth district win in a row Thursday night with a 9-6 triumph over Donna High at Sams Memorial Stadium.

The standout of the game for the Chargers was senior kicker Israel Barron, who converted three field goals including a 47-yarder that set a school record.

“I’ve been waiting for a moment like this (so I could help us win the game and make a school-record kick), and it feels very good,” said Barron, who previously had a game-winning kick for the Chargers as a sophomore. “I’m glad that I made those kicks (especially the 47-yarder).

“It was a great win,” Barron added. “It was a team effort, and the team did a great job.”

Brownsville Veterans improved to 6-1 overall and 5-1 in district. Donna High, nurturing its own hopes for the postseason, slipped to 4-3 and 3-3.

The two teams staged a defensive struggle throughout the game as the only points of the first half were scored on the 47-yard field goal by Barron with 3:36 left before intermission.

Barron’s kick barely made it over the crossbar, but it was good enough to provide the home team with a 3-0 advantage at halftime.

The 47-yard field goal broke the previous school record of 42 yards.

Barron added field goals of 37 and 27 yards during the third quarter to make it 9-0.

Donna High scored on a 24-yard pass from Ryan Espinoza to Eddie Villarreal with 6:40 left in the game to close the gap to 9-6. The extra point after the touchdown was botched, leaving the Chargers with a three-point advantage that lasted until the end.

The Redskins had a number of penalties, particularly procedure calls and false starts, that hurt their chances.

Chargers coach David Cantu was pretty pumped up after it was all over.

“This was one of my favorite games as a coach,” Cantu said. “I love these types of games because it’s just both teams competing hard and just doing everything they can to win.

“It was a great job by Israel tonight in helping us get the victory,” Cantu added. “We see him make field goals like that every day in practice. He deserves this moment.”

Regarding his team’s playoff situation, the Brownsville Veterans coach said, “I think we’re getting close (to clinching a postseason berth). We’ll look at it now and see. With five district wins, I would hope that it would get us in. It depends on what happens with the other teams in our district (though). Maybe by Saturday we’ll know for sure.”

Brownsville Veterans was coming off last week’s open date after defeating Porter 39-3 at Sams on Oct. 5. Donna High lost at home to Mission Veterans 56-28 last week and enjoyed an open date the previous week.

The Chargers beat the Redskins 27-0 in district a year ago.

District action continues next week for both teams as Brownsville Veterans travels to PSJA Southwest and Donna High plays host to Rio Grande City.

By ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald

By now, open dates have come and gone for practically all football teams in the Rio Grande Valley.

Having taken a little “breather” thanks to a bye week, the focus now is for teams to compete well in their respective districts down the home stretch of the regular season and earn a spot in the playoffs.

With that scenario in mind, there’s a full schedule of games on tap involving Brownsville-area teams beginning Thursday and continuing through Saturday.

It all starts at 7 p.m. Thursday as District 16-5A Division I games find Donna High (4-2, 3-2) playing Brownsville Veterans Memorial (5-1, 4-1) at Sams Memorial Stadium and Porter (1-5, 0-5) going to Rio Grande City (1-5, 1-4).

There are four games on tap Friday involving Brownsville-area teams, including a District 32-6A matchup at 7:30 p.m. in Los Fresnos as the Falcons (2-4, 0-1) play host to the Rivera Raiders (0-6, 0-1), plus there’s a 16-5A Division I clash at 7:30 p.m. at Sams between Pace (5-1, 5-0) and Lopez (2-4, 1-4).

Also Friday, District 16-4A Division II gets underway as Port Isabel (3-3) plays at Progreso (3-4).

St. Joseph Academy (1-5, 0-0) begins TAPPS Division II District 4 competition at 7 p.m. Friday at Corpus Christi John Paul II (3-4, 0-1).

The weekend’s big showdown in Brownsville at 2 p.m. Saturday finds Harlingen High (2-3, 0-1) taking on Hanna (4-1, 1-0) in a 32-6A matchup at Sams.

After having only one game at Sams a week ago due to open dates, there are again three contests on the Sams schedule this week.

Brownsville Veterans is one of the area teams coming off an open date.

Chargers coach David Cantu reserves the right to evaluate just how beneficial it was to have a bye week until after his team plays Donna High on Thursday.

“Let’s see if it was a positive bye week by how we respond in our game against Donna,” Cantu said. “We needed a break, and I think we’re definitely ready to get back on the field.

“I believe the key will be how we play on defense,” Cantu added. “Are we going to respond to their type of power running game and physical play? It’s a traditional Donna team with some good athletes and a solid defense, too.

“For our part (on offense), we need to spread the ball around and keep everyone involved. We know Donna is a tough team, and we expect a close game.”

The Chargers have won three in a row since losing to Mission Veterans 45-24 on Sept. 15.

When asked just what type of grade he would give his team at this point of the season, Cantu said, “It’s an incomplete grade at this point (with still more of the season to play). But overall, as far as effort, attitude and the fun they’re having, I’d say the grade is A-plus.

“This team is really united and has good leadership, and that leadership rubs off on everyone,” Cantu added. “It’s a team that has fun and is a blast to be around. They want to go out and compete again. They seem ready (after our bye week).”

Meanwhile, one team is going to come away with a victory Thursday when RGC plays host to Porter. The Rattlers have dropped their last three games and the Cowboys are trying to break out of a five-game slump.

The Cowboys and Rattlers didn’t play each other last season because they were in different districts.

Due to injuries, the Los Fresnos-Rivera matchup in 32-6A could very well see a freshman starting at quarterback for each team, which is a rare turn of events in football at the state’s highest classification. Ramsey Rocha, a freshman, has started already for Rivera and could get the call again. The same could be said of freshman signal caller Matthew Padilla of Los Fresnos.

Port Isabel is also coming off a bye week after witnessing one of its most prolific rushing performances in years.

The Tarpons amassed 512 yards on the ground during a 48-21 triumph at home against Grulla on Oct. 5. Leading the way for the Tarpons in the victory that night was quarterback Cesar Aguilera, who rushed for 270 yards and five touchdowns. Another huge ground gainer in the game for Port Isabel was running back Brayan Medina, who ran for 198 yards and a pair of scores.

Also Friday, St. Joseph Academy plays its first conference game as a member of TAPPS Division II District 4. Friday may also mark the first time the Bloodhounds have ever gone against John Paul II. Previously, SJA competed in TAPPS Division I for a number of years.

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess

By ROY HESS

Staff Writer

Match by match, the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers are tuning up for the upcoming state playoffs in volleyball.

Tuesday’s 28-26, 25-18, 25-23 District 32-5A victory at home against the Porter Cowgirls marked the Lady Chargers’ fifth triumph in a row.

The playoffs start Oct. 29. The Lady Chargers already have clinched a playoff spot.

“It’s been awesome playing on this team at a more advanced level (as a first-year member of the varsity),” said Lady Chargers sophomore setter Daniella Espinosa, who celebrated her 16th birthday Tuesday and received a birthday cake as she and her teammates rejoiced. They were all smiles after the win.

“I come from the JV Dark team, which is not as quick,” Espinosa added. “Playing on the varsity team has been a lot of fun so far, and I don’t want it to end.

“We hope to make it as far as we can in the playoffs. We’re just going to work hard and keep trying our best.”

Brownsville Veterans remained in second place in 32-5A with a 10-2 record and two match dates left. Porter slipped to 4-8 and out of playoff contention.

“Porter definitely came out strong in this match,” Lady Chargers coach Lisa Mares said. “Offensively, Porter has some hitters, and defensively, they have some good players, too. They were picking up a lot of balls.

“A lot of times (early during the match), we were just going through the motions,” Mares added. “Then we realized, ‘Oh my, the score is that close.’ We realized that we had to start stepping it up (to win). I reminded the girls that we couldn’t become complacent (and they responded).”

The Lady Chargers found themselves behind by as many as eight points, 14-6, during the first game before they came alive and battled back.

After Porter’s early lead, the opening game was fiercely contested back and forth, and eventually tied at 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 before Porter had a hit go into the net to give the Lady Chargers a one-point edge at 27-26. Brownsville Veterans tallied the next point as well to take the first set 28-26.

The Lady Chargers led the entire way during the second set, although the Cowgirls pulled to within one point two times, 17-16 and 18-17. Brownsville Veterans surged ahead near the end of the second game and won it 25-18 when the Cowgirls hit the ball into the net.

Porter stayed close to the lead during the third game and narrowed the score to 19-18, 20-19, 21-20 and 22-21 before Brownsville Veterans surged ahead again to take the contest.

A block at the net by the Lady Chargers’ Monica Garcia became the final point of the match as Brownsville Veterans took the third game 25-23.

Dominique Mena led the Lady Chargers with 14 kills. Teammate Paula Sanchez had nine kills and 14 digs, and Alex Parchmont contributed 24 digs. Espinosa added 36 assists and 14 digs.

Standout hitters for the Cowgirls included Kladys Sandoval, Micaela Garcia and Ana Meza.

By ROY HESS and KEVIN NARRO

Staff Writers

Playoff time is just about here for Rio Grande Valley volleyball teams, so it’s time to start talking about the postseason.

The playoffs begin in all classes for UIL teams on Oct. 29.

In District 32-6A, frontrunners Los Fresnos (7-0) and Brownsville Hanna (6-1) have clinched spots in the postseason with three match dates left on the schedule.

Los Fresnos has been the area’s model of consistency by qualifying for the playoffs 13 years in a row. Becky Woods has taken the Lady Falcons to the postseason 22 times during her 34 years as the Los Fresnos coach, with 13 district titles.

In the hunt for the final two playoff berths from 32-6A are San Benito (3-4), Harlingen High (2-5), Brownsville Rivera (2-5) and Harlingen South (1-6). Even the Lady Hawks are still mathematically alive.

District action continues at 6:30 p.m. today as Rivera visits South, San Benito travels to Hanna and Los Fresnos plays host to Harlingen High.

“We just need to keep working hard and keep trying to get better so we can get to the playoffs,” said Rivera coach Elizabeth Avelar-Guerra, whose Lady Raiders are defending 32-6A champions. “We just need to keep working. We can do it.”

ON THE REBOUND: After losses to Los Fresnos and Harlingen High during its two previous matches, San Benito regrouped with a win against Harlingen South on Saturday.

The Lady ’Hounds made quick work of the Lady Hawks with a clean sweep, 25-21, 25-23, 25-21. Against South, San Benito’s Alysa Naranjo collected 15 kills and 20 digs. Also for San Benito, Devany Castillo had 12 kills, Ariel Garcia led the team with 45 assists and nine digs, and Sarah Garcia finished with a team-high 39 digs.

Capturing at least one more win out of their last three matches against Hanna, Rivera and Los Fresnos should get the Lady ’Hounds to the postseason.

32-5A UPDATE: Three match dates also remain in District 32-5A with Edcouch-Elsa (11-0), Brownsville Veterans Memorial (9-2) and Donna High (8-3) having clinched playoff berths.

After the top three, the other teams in the 32-5A standings are Brownsville Lopez (6-5), Brownsville Porter (4-7), Mercedes (4-7), Brownsville Pace (2-9) and Valley View (0-11).

Today’s schedule of 7 p.m. matches in 32-5A has Porter at Brownsville Veterans, Mercedes at Pace, Donna High at Lopez and Valley View at E-E.

SET TO THREE-PEAT: The train continues to roll in La Feria. The Lionettes picked up a 25-13, 25-11, 25-15 sweep over Raymondville on Saturday.

La Feria is alone in first place in District 32-4A with an 11-1 record, with two matches remaining against Grulla and Rio Hondo.

The Lionettes have clinched a share of the 32-4A title and can win the district outright for the third straight season with a win at 6:30 p.m. today at home against Grulla. Other 32-4A matches today have Port Isabel (2-10) at Zapata (7-5), Raymondville (2-10) at Hidalgo (9-3) and Rio Hondo (7-5) at Progreso (3-9).

La Feria and Hidalgo have clinched playoff spots.

Against Raymondville, La Feria’s Karina Diaz notched 20 assists, Sierra Salinas finished with 16 kills and two digs, and Natalie Gonzalez collected 12 kills and six digs.

District 32-4A is open Saturday and will have its final day of matches Monday.

ON FIRE: Rio Hondo has caught fire and has won four matches in a row in 32-4A to put itself in playoff contention.

On Friday, the Lady Bobcats defeated Port Isabel 25-23, 25-9, 24-26, 25-18, giving Rio Hondo a two-match sweep of the Lady Tarpons in district. Against Port Isabel, Rio Hondo’s Kelsey Pizarro finished with 13 kills, 14 digs and one ace. Teammate Taylor Gomez wound up with 11 kills, 11 digs and four blocks, and Amber Gonzalez added 25 assists.

QUITE A SERVER: During St. Joseph Academy’s TAPPS district win Saturday against Corpus Christi John Paul II, the Lady Bloodhounds’ Halima Dervisevic gave quite a performance behind the service line in a 25-0 third-game win. She served all 25 points and had 10 aces during the set.

SJA won the match 25-21, 25-20, 25-0 on the road to improve to second place in its district with a 5-2 record. The Lady Bloodhounds play host to undefeated Victoria St. Joseph at 3 p.m. Saturday in a matchup of the district’s top two teams.

By ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald

The “Battle of Southmost” volleyball match Saturday at Porter belonged to the Lopez Lady Lobos.

The Cowgirls made it quite a challenge, but in the end, the Lady Lobos won the closely contested District 32-5A match 25-20, 25-22, 25-22.

The victory kept Lopez (6-5) on course for one of the four playoff spots available in 32-5A with three match dates remaining.

Edcouch-Elsa leads the district at 11-0. Brownsville Veterans Memorial and Donna High come next at 9-2 and 8-3, respectively. The closest teams behind fourth-place Lopez are Mercedes and Porter, each with 4-7 records.

Lopez’s Kat Barrientes, a junior outside hitter, believes her team is headed in the right direction regarding the postseason.

“We have a lot of potential (to go to the playoffs),” Barrientes said. “We get blocks, we get hits, we get digs, and we can do everything. This is one of the greatest teams I’ve played on.”

The Lady Lobos were coming off Tuesday’s 25-17, 25-15, 20-25, 25-22 loss at home against Pace. There was a feeling on the Lopez team that it wasn’t about to let Saturday’s match against Porter become another setback.

“We deserved to win this match (against Porter),” Barrientes said. “We worked very hard (in practice) this week, and we deserved it. It was a great win.

“It means a lot to us (to qualify for the playoffs a third straight year if we can),” Barrientes added. “I’ve been on the team for two years, and it’s great. I love this team and that we’re always together. It’s great (knowing we’re so close to the playoffs again). We have great people, and they mean a lot to me.”

There were six ties during the opening game Saturday, with the last of them coming at 19. From there, the Lady Lobos tallied six of the next seven points and won the first set 25-20 thanks to a down-the-line kill by Aileen Aguilar.

Lopez surged to leads of 6-1 and 13-6 during the second game and never trailed, although Porter pulled to within 20-19 and 23-22. A close call the Cowgirls thought should have tied the game at 23 instead was ruled as a Lopez hit that went off a Porter player to make it 24-22. A Porter hit that went long enabled Lopez to win the second set 25-22.

There were eight ties during the third game. The last one came at 22 when Porter’s Brigitte Ortiz served an ace. However, the Lady Lobos scored the next three points to win the match.

A Porter hit that carried out of bounds and a ball that dropped in near the net on the Cowgirls’ side made it 24-22. Lopez’s Amanda Parra then unleashed a monster kill to win the third game 25-22 and end the match in a sweep.

Lady Lobos coach Daya Venegas said her team was motivated by Tuesday’s loss to Pace.

“It feels good to get this win,” Venegas said. “I’m always proud of our girls’ hard work. They always work hard. We got that loss against Pace, and we were practicing (with determination) to win this one. Pace played good against us, and after that loss, it kind of helped us (focus) to get better. We may have been overconfident against Pace. That loss helped us for this match.

“The girls played with a lot of heart against Porter,” Venegas added. “They were everywhere on the floor and picking up everything. I’m just proud of the girls, proud to be at Lopez, and proud to keep the program going the way Coach (Jacquelynn) Touchet (now the assistant coach) started it.”

Lopez’s next match will be Tuesday at home against Donna High. Porter next plays Tuesday at Brownsville Veterans.

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.

ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald

LYFORD — The Lyford Bulldogs improved their chances in the District 16-3A Division I football race with a 37-6 triumph at home Friday against the Aransas Pass Panthers.

The win upped the Bulldogs’ records to 4-2 on the season and 2-1 in district. Aransas Pass slipped to 1-5 and 1-2.

The Bulldogs gained momentum early by scoring on their first two possessions. In fact, Lyford was up 16-0 in the opening quarter before the visiting Panthers had even run a play.

Aransas Pass fumbled the ball away while receiving the kickoff following Lyford’s first touchdown, and that miscue gave the Bulldogs a chance to go ahead by double digits.

“This football team has turned a corner,” second-year Lyford coach Israel Gonzalez said. “Our senior leadership is great. That leadership starts with Joaquin Gonzales, Alfonso Garcia and the rest of our seniors teaching these (underclassmen) guys like Cayleb Klostermann and Devon Mendoza just how Bulldog football is supposed to be played.

“I’m extremely proud to be their coach today,” Gonzalez added. “I think our guys are headed in the right direction at the right time of the football season, and we’re excited for next week.”

Klostermann, the Bulldogs’ sophomore quarterback, highlighted the win by rushing for a pair of TDs and passing for another score.

Klostermann completed a 25-yard TD pass to Gonzales on the Bulldogs’ opening possession of the game to put Lyford ahead 8-0 following a successful two-point conversion.

After the Bulldogs recovered one of the Panthers’ many fumbles on the ensuing kickoff, it didn’t take long before Klosstermann sprinted across the goal line from 9 yards out to make it 16-0 following another successful two-point conversion with 4:48 left in the first period.

The Bulldogs added two more TDs during the second quarter for a 30-0 halftime advantage.

Mendoza’s 1-yard run at the 5:17 mark of the second period and the extra point by T.J. Nieto gave the home team a 23-0 edge. Klostermann went into the end zone from 1 yard out on a somewhat frantic final play of the first half as time expired to make it 30-0 following another Nieto extra point.

Aransas Pass closed the gap to 30-6 when Pepper Garcia scored on a 14-yard run with 8:22 to go in the third quarter.

The Bulldogs made it 37-6 with 7:05 remaining when Gonzales bolted into the end zone from 11 yards away for his second TD of the contest and Nieto again added the extra point.

“We knew Aransas Pass was going to be physical and we had to match that intensity,” Gonzalez said. “Aransas Pass is a good team, and we knew that coming in. I’m proud of my ‘Dogs’ for coming out tonight and doing that.

“This was a great win for our community,” the Lyford coach added. “(I would add) Come out and support the Bulldogs.”

Lyford was coming off a 41-3 district win at home the previous Friday against Falfurrias. Aransas Pass lost 49-0 in district last week at George West.

Lyford goes to San Diego next week in a district matchup against the Vaqueros. Aransas Pass continues district play next week at Falfurrias.