By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

EDINBURG — The Hanna Golden Eagles said goodbye to the 2018 baseball season in a 6-1 loss against Laredo Alexander on Saturday.

The setback eliminated the District 32-6A tri-champion Eagles from the Class 6A area playoffs as the District 29-6A champion Bulldogs swept the two teams’ best-of-three playoff series at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.

Alexander defeated Hanna 8-2 in Friday’s series opener, also at the UTRGV ballpark.

Hanna closes its season with a 23-8-2 record, while Alexander advances to the coming week’s 6A regional quarterfinals with a 24-9 overall mark. The Bulldogs next face McAllen High or PSJA High.

“The deeper you get in the playoffs, the tougher the teams are going to be, and Laredo Alexander proved to be that type of team,” Hanna coach Jameson S. Wicks said. “Their pitching was (as strong) as advertised and they put the ball in play (when at the plate). This game is about executing and we couldn’t execute early (in Saturday’s Game 2). By the time we were able to execute, it was a little too late.

“Yes, some calls didn’t go our way, but that’s the game of baseball,” Wicks added. “At the end of the day, it’s still on us to do what we needed to do to prevent Alexander from doing the things it did. But there’s a lot to be said about the senior group we had on our ballclub this year. At one point in time we were 0-3 in district and we weren’t even sure we were going to make the playoffs. These guys had to climb and scratch, and we wound up as tri-champions with an 11-3 record (in 32-6A).

“It’s been a tough battle all season long and I’m very proud of this group. About the midpoint of district we started playing our game better and got on a little bit of a roll. That’s what got us here (to the area round of the postseason).”

Saturday’s damage began early.

The Bulldogs scored four runs in the top of the first inning, and after that, the Eagles could never really sustain any momentum to get them back in the game.

“When you run into a team that can pitch, hit and execute, and you don’t, it makes it very tough,” Wicks said.

Still, Alexander coach Fernando Lemus said it wasn’t easy.

“It was a tough-fought series,” the Bulldogs coach said. “Hats off to Brownsville Hanna and Coach Wicks. I’m just glad we escaped with a win (again Saturday).

“We finally hit the ball,” Lemus added. “I know we were slumping (at the plate) in the three previous games and our bats came alive (against Hanna). Our pitching has been there all year, so hopefully that continues. I think our guys did an excellent job of coming into this series by being prepared.”

In the top of the first, an RBI single to left field by Alexander’s T.C. Chavez made it 1-0. The next batter was Andres Santos and his bases-loaded double to deep left field brought home three more runs.

Leading by 4-0 after their initial at-bat, the Bulldogs added a run on another RBI single by Chavez in the top of the third and an RBI single to left field by Santos in the sixth to secure the victory they needed to move on to the next round of the playoffs.

Hanna’s lone run came on an RBI double to the left-field corner by Marco Sanchez in the bottom of the fourth. It brought home Cristian Gonzalez, who had reached base on a walk. But on the play, Sanchez was thrown out at third base while trying to stretch his double into a triple.

Each team had six hits.

Marcelo Perez, Chavez and Santos each went 2-for-3 for the Bulldogs with Santos recording four RBIs and Chavez had two.

For Hanna, Sanchez and Jay Medina both went 2-for-3, each with a single and a double as Sanchez plated his team’s only run.

Alexander right-hander Albert Gonzalez went the distance for the pitching victory. Along with allowing six hits, he struck out one batter and walked two.

Hanna starter Raul Perez threw the first three innings and took the loss. Marco Martinez relieved Perez to start the fourth. Martinez went the rest of the way. Together, they struck out four batters, walked four and gave up six hits.

Wicks said the Eagles are graduating 14 seniors and hope to have four experienced players back next school year.

“I was expressing to this group after the game how very proud I am of them,” the coach said. “We’re going to have future engineers, doctors and lawyers come out of this group. Our team GPA (grade-point average) is incredible. We have some really good students on the team.

“I told them that as much as we’d like to win a championship (in the playoffs), there are more important things, and these guys are taking care of those goals (regarding their educations). We have guys who will be playing NCAA Division I baseball, so it doesn’t stop here for some of them.

“We’re going to have excellent contributors to society from this group, and that’s why I’m so proud of them.”

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 | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

LOS FRESNOS — It’s become quite a baseball playoff series between the Los Fresnos Falcons and the Mission High Eagles.

The Falcons won 12-5 on their home field in Friday’s Game 2 of the Class 6A best-of-three area-round series to set up a Game 3 at 1 p.m. today at Mission High’s Leo Najo Alaniz Ballpark.

The Eagles won Thursday’s series opener 12-2 in five innings in Mission.

“That’s all we had to do was win this game and (now) we’ll see what happens in Game 3,” Los Fresnos coach Rene Morales said. “We were a little bit more focused in this game. The team that plays the best in Game 3 is going to win (the series), so let’s see what we can do.”

The District 32-6A tri-champion Falcons improved to 25-9 with the victory, while the District 30-6A third-place Eagles are now 15-14-1.

Los Fresnos led 4-0 after two innings and 8-1 after four frames.

In the bottom of the second, a two-RBI single to center field by Sebastian Ledesma made it 2-0 for the Falcons before a fielding error by the Eagles first baseman allowed two more runs to come home, and that’s what got the home team started.

An RBI sacrifice fly to right field by Ian Danielson in the bottom of the third made it 5-0.

Gradually, Mission High scored some runs to make it a game, starting with a Los Fresnos balk in the top of the fourth for a 5-1 tally.

It was later 8-1 after four innings and then 8-2 when a Mission High run came in from third on a wild pitch in the top of the fifth. A two-run single by Gerardo “Yayo” Cardoza later in the fifth pulled Mission High to within 8-4, but that’s as close as the Eagles could come to the lead.

Four runs by the Falcons in the bottom of the sixth for a 12-4 advantage sealed the Eagles’ fate.

Los Fresnos finished the night with eight hits while Mission High had four.

Ledesma and Hugo Sanchez led the way at the plate for the Falcons as each collected a pair of hits. Ledesma went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, while Hugo Sanchez batted 2-for-3 with one RBI. Danielson had two RBIs on a pair of sacrifice plays and also had a hit.

No one had more than one hit for the Eagles with Cardoza’s two-RBI single to left field in the fifth being the big blow for his team.

Falcons starter J.J. Sanchez picked up the pitching victory with relief help from Victor Loa. Sanchez lasted until there were two outs in the top of the fifth inning and switched to playing center field with his team up 8-2. He wound up with seven strikeouts while throwing a three-hitter with three walks.

In all, Sanchez and Loa combined for 11 strikeouts.

The Eagles used five pitchers with starter Andy Martinez suffering the loss.

The winner of the series between Los Fresnos and Mission High advances to next week’s 6A regional quarterfinals and will go against either Edinburg Vela or Eagle Pass.

By ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald

Just like any standout athlete, Carlos Vasquez wants to continue playing his sport at a high level.

The former Brownsville Veterans Memorial soccer player who starred for Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio before graduating in 2017 is getting an opportunity to continue his soccer career with FC Brownsville as a central defender and team captain.

The newly formed soccer squad, known as the Coyotes, is a fourth division semi-professional expansion team that will be playing in the National Premier Soccer League under the auspices of the U.S. Soccer Federation.

“I heard about the team because I had a lot of friends who came to try out for it,” said Vasquez, the older brother of Brownsville Veterans quarterback Gustavo Vasquez who is completing his first school year as a teacher at Burns Elementary in Brownsville. “It was something local, and here in Brownsville, soccer is very big. So it came about (that I got involved) and started playing with the team and I’ve been here ever since.”

The inaugural NPSL game for FC Brownsville takes place at 7 p.m. Saturday at Brownsville Sports Park, the site of all the team’s home matches. The opponent will be the Midland/Odessa Sockers, the club that took second in the league last season.

“We’ve had some practice games against Laredo Community College and against local opponents just to get our guys going and to see who is going to be playing where,” said Vasquez, who earned all-conference honors and served as a team captain at OLLU. “Our biggest thing right now is playing our first league game Saturday against a very tough Midland/Odessa team. This is a very exciting project that they’re doing (putting together this team) here in Brownsville. The players really look forward to being a part of it.

“Thankfully, I was given a chance to be a part of it, just like all the other guys that are on the roster,” added Vasquez, who received his degree at OLLU in kinesiology with a minor in psychology. “It’s all about making the most of this opportunity and being able to present the team, the logo, each other and get the name out there to support the city of Brownsville.

“There’s soccer talent here in Brownsville. There’s a lot of talent. It’s a matter of being able to display it and show it every time we play. The majority of us on this team have already played in high school and many have gone on to play in college.”

At a press conference earlier this week to introduce FC Brownsville, team co-owner and general manager Francisco Chavez said approximately 80 percent of the squad’s roster is composed of players from the immediate area.

“We’re going to do everything we can to the best of our ability,” Vasquez said. “We want to work as a group, succeed and make a very good impression. We want to represent Brownsville the way it should be represented in soccer, especially knowing that everyone is aware Brownsville is a soccer city. There’s no doubt about it.”

For more information about the team, go to fcbrownsville.net

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 | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

For a high school athlete, continuing to participate in one’s sport in college is about as good as it gets. Doing it on scholarship is even better.

Samantha Bodden and Aaron Barrera experienced that feeling Wednesday when the two Brownsville Veterans Memorial seniors signed college scholarship agreements to compete in their sports at the next level during the 2018-19 school year.

Barrera will play NCAA Division III football at Hiram (Ohio) College and Bodden will join older sister Kathryn (“Kat”) on the women’s soccer team at Huston-Tillotson University, an NAIA school in Austin.

Signing ceremonies for the two standout athletes were held Wednesday afternoon at the Brownsville Veterans library with family, friends, teammates, coaches, teachers and Brownsville ISD officials in attendance.

It was a celebratory occasion for everyone.

“I didn’t realize how hard it would be to play college football until I got into high school, so this day feels pretty good,” said Barrera, a 5-foot-11, 255-pound center for the District 32-5A champion Chargers in the fall of 2017. “Someone asked me (when I was younger) if I wanted to play college football, and since that day, it’s been exactly what I wanted to do.

“This (signing) is something very exciting,” added Barrera, who played one season on the varsity for the Chargers as a transfer and earned all-district and All-Metro honors. “Also, this all feels kind of surreal.”

David Cantu, Brownsville Veterans athletic coordinator/football coach, said Barrera played junior varsity football for the Chargers as a junior as per transfer rules, and added once he was eligible for the varsity as a senior, the standout center made an immediate impact.

“It didn’t take us long to see how intelligent Aaron was and that he was going to really help us out because we ask our centers to make a lot of reads and checks,” Cantu said. “He never had any problems doing that.

“Aaron’s positive nature always has stood out to me,” Cantu added. “He never seems to have a bad day. He always has a positivity about himself with a very calming-type personality.

“He was a person who (in football) never complained about the situation no matter what it was, even when he broke his hand (in a pre-game drill) right before the Donna High game. He just gave me a reassuring look that everything was going to be OK.”

Barrera, a top student who earned first-team all-state academic honors, plans to pursue a degree in physics at Hiram College, while Bodden plans to major in criminal justice at Huston-Tillotson.

Lady Chargers coach Luis Troncoso described Bodden as “a difference-maker for us.”

A recipient of all-district and All-Metro honors, Bodden scored 50 goals as a senior in helping her team get to the playoffs from 32-5A while finishing her four-year varsity career with 94 goals in all.

“Sam was out there leading the team and she demonstrated her leadership in different ways,” Troncoso said. “She was maybe not that person that was yelling all the time, but she would go out there and perform and lead the girls by example while talking to them at times so we could achieve our goals.

“This is a special day for Sam, her family, her teammates and our program,” the coach added. “These signings are becoming a constant event, which speaks well about the good things we’re doing here at our school in general plus in our soccer program. It’s just a very special day for the Bodden family.”

The star soccer scorer said she spent a restless night on Tuesday with some tossing and turning in bed as she anxiously contemplated the coming day’s signing ceremony.

“I’m very excited and very nervous,” said Bodden, who also plays for the Dynamo Academy club team in McAllen. “It’s a big step I’m taking right now. It’s exciting to go up there (to Austin) and play in college.

“It’s been a lot of work that all pays off at the end of the day,” she added. “I’ve been playing soccer since I was age 6 and it’s all beginning to pay off now. It’s crazy knowing that I get to play again with my sister ‘Kat’ (a 2017 Brownsville Veterans graduate). She’s been playing in the midfield and I expect to play at forward.

“It should be a lot of fun plus a lot of hard work, too.”

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

St. Joseph Academy enjoyed medal-winning performances by Pablo Zolezzi and Camryn Gloor at the TAPPS track and field state meet in Waco over the weekend.

Despite some adverse weather conditions, Zolezzi, a junior, successfully defended his TAPPS state title in the discus and Gloor, a senior, took third place in the pole vault.

Zolezzi won with a throw of 160 feet, 2 inches, while Gloor cleared 10 feet in her event to take third.

The TAPPS state meet took place Friday and Saturday at Waco Midway. SJA competed in Class 6A, the highest classification. While the weather was stormy and delayed the competition on the first day of the meet, the second day turned out to be pretty nice, SJA coach Teddy Lopez said.

The SJA coach was pleased with Zolezzi’s showing.

“Defending a state title is a difficult thing,” Lopez said. “I’m proud of the way Pablo competed, but he still has some goals that were left unattained (such as the school record of 162-2).”

Zolezzi battled through the weather and a foot injury to successfully repeat as a TAPPS state champion.

“What stood out to me was how he performed under adverse conditions,” Lopez said. “The communication between Pablo and Rey Cortinas, our throwing coach, had to be in sync, and it was. The rain, the condition of the (throwing) ring, a foot injury from regionals — those were key (factors involved) in his execution.”

Lopez said Gloor finished her track career with a flourish.

“She essentially tied her personal best (at state),” the SJA coach said. “At regionals (on April 26 in San Antonio), she went to 10-1 instead of 10-0 and cleared it. Camryn finished at her peak her last three meets with 10-foot clearances. It was a real possibility to get to 10-6 (which was the winning height at state), but she got rewarded with a bronze medal for having no scratches through 10.

“We have been together for six years,” Lopez added. “At her first state meet in junior high summer track she had an anxiety attack. To see the way she handled herself on Friday is what every coach hopes for. Her integrity and her attitude were unmatched. It’s what made her successful. It’s what will always make her successful.”

Also at state for the Bloodhounds, Kai Money took fourth place in the long jump, Lesly de la Llata Rodriguez was fourth in the discus, Miguel Guerra was sixth in the 200 meters and Marte Rodriguez was seventh in both the 300 hurdles and the high jump.

SJA’s 800 relay finished fifth and its 400 relay was eighth. Running on the relays were Money, Guerra, Keaton Cackley and John Michael Mar Maxwell.

By ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald

LOS FRESNOS — For whatever reason, the West squads always tend to have the most success in the East-West Senior Soccer Showcase presented by the Rio Grande Valley Soccer Coaches Organization.

Just last year, the West won all four games in the event when there were boys and girls matches for Class 6A and sub-6A players from the Valley.

But this year, with just one game for the girls and another for the boys at the 11th annual Showcase, it was the East girls’ turn to win as they were victorious 3-1, while the West boys prevailed 3-2.

The games were played on the artificial turf field at the Los Fresnos High School campus. Since only two games were played instead of four, the halves were increased to approximately 50 minutes to allow more playing time for the participants with college recruiters in attendance.

“This was a good experience playing in a game like this,” said Leah Leal of Harlingen High, who scored the first goal for the East girls. “It’s great to come together like this and make one big all-star team. We got to see how competitive we could be and how good we could be together just like the teams from the West side.

“The fact that we were able to get the win made it great to play with these girls on this team,” added Leal, who not long ago signed to play soccer at UT-San Antonio next school year. “I’m excited for the future (of playing my sport in college) and today was a good experience towards that.”

Leal sent a shot into the net from about 20 yards in the early stages of the match to give the East girls a 1-0 advantage at halftime.

The West girls were awarded a penalty kick in the first minute of the second half after a tripping call in the penalty area. But the West PK attempt sailed high and the East remained in the lead.

About 20 minutes into the second half, Donna North’s Elizabeth Reyes, who finished her high school career with 144 goals, made it 2-0 for the East girls by scoring from approximately 15 yards away.

With nine minutes left, Cynthia Perez of Mercedes lofted a shot on an arc that took a bounce and went in, giving the East girls a 3-0 advantage. Then with six minutes to go, a determined Kaitie Watson of Sharyland High brought the ball down the middle on a breakaway, surged ahead of defenders and fired a strong shot into the net past the goalkeeper to help the West avoid a shutout.

Yes, it was a good day for the East girls.

“I’m completely excited and happy that I got another opportunity to coach in this type of all-star game,” said Pace coach Jesus O. Villarreal, who directed the East girls along with Tony Garcia of Donna North and Michael Gomez of PSJA High. “It’s just amazing to coach these girls. They’re very coachable.

“Winning, of course, is part of the game, and the idea for the girls was to enjoy this competition and to be able to play one last time (as high school players),” added Villarreal, who had a couple of his Pace girls on the field for the East. “If the girls have already signed (to play in college), that was fine. Another objective was to have the ones who hadn’t signed to get that chance.

“It’s really good that we can do something like this for our Valley soccer players (and see them sign to play in college). We had about 28 or 29 girls show up today and we were able to play everybody about the same amount of time, so that was great.”

Mario Ribera of Sharyland High and John Martinez of McAllen Rowe coached the West girls.

In the boys match, the West went up 1-0 during the first 20 minutes on an “own goal” or “autogol.” The East evened the score 1-1 with 30 minutes gone in the first half when Donna High’s Alfredo Ramirez fired a direct kick into the net from 25-plus yards.

With a little more than 10 minutes left in the opening half, a goal kick by the East goalkeeper went directly to the West’s Erwin Von Nacher of Sharyland High and he promptly sent the ball into the left corner of the net for the West’s second goal. It gave the West a 2-1 edge at intermission.

It became 3-1 for the West after Sharyland Pioneer’s Eros Martinez converted a penalty kick midway through the second half following a tripping call in the penalty area on the East goalkeeper.

In the final minute, Harlingen South’s Jairo Diaz scored into an open net for the East to make it 3-2.

“It’s awesome to coach these games and it’s also a challenge because you have talent from all over the Valley on your team,” said Los Fresnos’ Javier Navarrete, who coached the East boys along with Harlingen High’s Johnny Guillen. “These players are going to give it all they’ve got. They’re fighting for that one more opportunity to play college ball.

“It’s a good thing,” he added. “The college recruiters asked to talk to about six of our players on the East roster, so that’s exciting.”

Coaching the West boys were Alex Lopez of Sharyland Pioneer, Armando Bautista of McAllen Memorial and Zeke Morales of Hidalgo.

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 | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

With a strong showing in bi-district, the Hanna Golden Eagles are moving on in the state baseball playoffs.

The Eagles defeated PSJA North 8-4 to sweep their Class 6A best-of-three bi-district series against the Raiders on Friday at Pye Memorial Field in Brownsville.

Light rain fell during the contest, but it never came down hard enough that halting the action became a question.

Playing on the road, Hanna downed PSJA North 9-5 in the series opener on Thursday, and with the two-game series sweep, the Eagles now await the winner of the bi-district series between District 30-6A fourth-place McAllen Rowe and District 29-6A champion Laredo Alexander.

The District 32-6A tri-champion Eagles (23-5-2), who drew the No. 2 playoff seed from their district for the postseason, will go against either Rowe or Alexander in an area-round matchup next week. PSJA North, the third-place team from District 31-6A, ended its season with an 18-11-1 record.

On Friday, the Eagles received solid efforts from Jacob Lozano at the plate and Noe Guerrero on the mound. Both are seniors.

Lozano, an outfielder, batted 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and four RBIs. Guerrero went the distance for the pitching victory. Even though he had some shaky moments, he finished strong with three strikeouts after giving up a leadoff hit in the top of the seventh to end things on a strong note for the Eagles.

Overall, Guerrero wound up with eight strikeouts while walking four batters. He gave up only three hits.

“That last inning I just came up (to the mound thinking) ‘I need a win for my team,’” Guerrero said. “We have a bunch of seniors on this squad, it’s our last year (and I didn’t want it to slip away).

“I thank God for helping me out today,” he added. “I was a little shaky because I hadn’t pitched in awhile, but I went through it and I stayed positive. I kept praying. The three strikeouts at the end just sealed the deal.”

With the score tied 2-2, Hanna came up with a four-run inning in the bottom of the fourth to go ahead for good, 6-2.

Lozano blasted a two-run double to deep left-center field in the bottom of the fourth to give his team its four-run lead. He also had an RBI double in the third inning and a run-scoring single in the sixth to make it 8-4.

“I was seeing the ball real well up there at the plate,” Lozano said. “I went up there just thinking, ‘Get base hits, get base hits and bring the runs home.’ I always do what my dad tells me to do and that’s get base hits. Getting timely hits is what baseball’s all about.

“This feels good for all my teammates,” Lozano added. “It’s amazing. We played a good team, but we came up better. It’s great to be moving on.”

In all, Hanna collected 13 hits. Along with Lozano, teammates Marco Sanchez and Lee Alonzo each batted 3-for-4. Sanchez had a pair of RBIs and Alonzo one. Jay Medina, Cristian Gonzalez, John Castro and Luis Fernandez each added a single for Hanna.

Hanna coach Jameson S. Wicks said his ballclub has been building momentum all season in order to have the kind of bi-district showing it displayed Thursday and Friday.

“We really attacked the baseball in this series,” Wicks said. “We were really aggressive (at the plate). We were really offensive (minded).

“This is what we’ve been working for the entire year and even before we started the season,” he added. “This is what we want to do. There’s an opportunity for us to continue in the playoffs and make a run at state.

“We have a goal of winning the state championship and it’s something we want to do every year. It’s up to these guys and they’re really believing in themselves. These boys have battled the entire year. The baseball gods have favored us and the ball has rolled our way. It’s been a really fun season.”

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

At one point the Pace Vikings led 5-1.

But then came the top of the second inning for the Valley View Tigers and whatever momentum the Vikings had built quickly disappeared.

Valley View sent 14 batters to the plate in the top of the second and scored 10 runs to rally and eventually win going away 19-6 in five innings against the Vikings on Thursday at Pace in the opener of a Class 5A best-of-three bi-district series.

Game 2 of the series is scheduled for 7 p.m. today at View View. If a third game is necessary, it will be played at 2 p.m. Saturday at Pace.
“It was a difficult game in the early part of it, but thank goodness our boys came back and our pitching and bats started coming around,” Valley View coach Mario Gonzalez said. “Those 10 runs (in the second) helped us get back on track.

“We have our No. 1 pitcher on the mound for Game 2,” Gonzalez added. “We feel good about that. Our No. 1 guy has done a great job all season, so we’ll see what happens in Game 2.”

The Tigers are District 31-5A champions and improved to 22-6-1 with Thursday’s victory.

The Vikings are the fourth-place team from District 32-5A.

Pace trailed 1-0 on a top-of-the-first RBI single by Valley View’s Edy Reyes. The Vikings then scored five runs in the bottom of the frame on a pair of bases-loaded walks and a three-run triple to deep center field by Chris Rodriguez. The bases became loaded with no outs due to three straight fielding errors by the Tigers to start the bottom of the first.

But after that, there was no stopping Valley View.

Leading 11-5 following the completion of two innings, the Tigers added three runs in the top of the third and five more in the fifth.

Pace’s sixth run came on an RBI double to deep center field by Jose Banda in the fourth, which closed the gap to 14-6.

Valley View’s Aldo Trevino went the distance on the mound for the victory while the Vikings used two hurlers.

Trevino threw a five-hitter while fanning one batter and walking two.

The Vikings’ two pitchers, starter Banda and reliever Rodriguez, combined to give up 16 hits and issue four walks while striking out three batters.

Esteban Palomo was the top performer at the plate for the Tigers, batting 3-for-4 with a single, a double and a triple, accounting for four RBIs. Teammate Reyes also batted 3-for-4 with a double and two singles and finished with one RBI.

Leadoff batter Angel Gomez went 2-for-2 at the plate to spark the Vikings.

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

St. Joseph Academy is sending a group of experienced athletes to the TAPPS state track & field meet this year, including a pair of private-school defending state champions.

In all, SJA will have eight athletes at the state meet plus a relay alternate. The group includes seven boys and two girls. The majority of them (seven of nine) have competed at state previously.

The TAPPS state meet starts today and runs through Saturday at Waco Midway ISD’s Panther Stadium.

The state qualifiers finished first or second at a TAPPS Class 6A regional meet April 26 in San Antonio.

The ones from SJA at state are Pablo Zolezzi, Marte Rodriguez, Kai Money, Keaton Cackley, Miguel Guerra, John Michael Mar Maxwell, Lesly de la Llata Rodriguez, Camryn Gloor and Melik Kauachi, who is a freshman relay alternate.

“I do think so (that this is an experienced group),” SJA coach Teddy Lopez said. “We’re taking two defending state champions and nine athletes altogether counting our alternate. I feel very comfortable and confident with this group. I don’t have any qualms about taking them up there to state and feeling any jitters or anything like that.

“Our seniors are leading the way,” he added. “They are Kai, Miguel, Marte, Keaton, Camryn and Lesly. They’ve been very committed to track and they’ve been doing their thing forever. It’s going to be tough to see them go (graduate), but they’re here and this is their final meet. We’re just happy and excited to see this happen.

“I’ve been going to (TAPPS) state meets for 25 years (as an SJA track coach) and it doesn’t ever get old.”

A year ago at state, Rodriguez won the 300 hurdles and Zolezzi was a pleasant surprise in winning the discus.

Their goal is to do it again.

“Like any other race, I work hard and give it my best effort,” said Rodriguez, the SJA valedictorian who just a week ago received a $20,000 scholarship from Foot Locker for his athletic involvement and community service. “I know this is the last time to go to state, so I’m trying to enjoy it.

“It’s been a fun six years here at St. Joe,” he added. “It’s been a great experience and I’ve really enjoyed it.”

Added Zolezzi, a junior standout in several field events who will concentrate exclusively on the discus in Waco, “It was great last year. It was definitely unexpected because I was seeded fifth, I believe. But with hard work and a great coach, you can do anything. I’ve always preferred being the underdog, but no challenge is going to keep me from winning.

“My goal is to set a personal record and break the school record,” he added. “I want to throw 165 (feet) or 170. My favorite part of it is just to prove that the Lower Valley can do something (at a state-wide meet). It doesn’t matter where you’re from (you can still do well).”

The Bloodhounds qualified for state in the 400 and 800 relays with team members Money, Cackley, Mar Maxwell and Guerra.

Individually, Money also will be doing the long jump and Guerra the 200 dash.

De la Llata Rodriguez will throw the discus and Gloor will compete in the pole vault.
“This is a happy and sad moment (going to state),” said de la Llata Rodriguez, who will continue to compete as a discus thrower in college. “There are a lot of emotions combined. I would love to stay one more year (at SJA) and gain more experience, but this (state meet) is the last chance I have.

“I’m going to throw (at state) with everything I have on the discus ring and try my best,” she added. “This is a group that has bonded a lot and we trust in each other. We cheer for each other.”
SJA is known for its pole vaulting competitors both male and female over the years. Gloor is proud to be one of them.

“It’s definitely been a learning experience and a lot of fun (doing the event at SJA),” said Gloor, whose older sister Taylor also competed for the Lady Bloodhounds in the pole vault. “When I was a seventh-grader, I was looking up to the older vaulters, and now that I’m a senior, I’ve been able to see some of the freshmen ask me for advice this year. I remember when I was younger asking the older ones for advice, so it’s really cool and also interesting to see how things go during the years.

“I’ve been a part of St. Joe track for six years and I’ve seen all the athletes who have come up through the program,” she added. “It’s going to be really hard to say goodbye (upon graduation).”

By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

It didn’t take long for Yadira Dominguez to embrace soccer as her sport.

She started playing soccer in middle school and decided by the time she entered Pace what role she hoped it would play in her life.

“I still remember Yadira’s freshman year and her words on the second day of practice,” Lady Vikings coach Jesus O. Villarreal said. “She said, ‘Coach, I like soccer more than any other sport and I’m going to be on varsity soon and I’m going to play in college, too. I’m going to do it.’

“I didn’t even really know her name at that point, but I told her, ‘You can do anything you want,’” Villarreal remembers saying. “If you can dream it, you can accomplish it.

“For me as a coach, that was a very special moment. I’m going to remember her words for many years to come.”

After completing her four-year Pace varsity career, Dominguez’s goal to play soccer at the next level became a reality on Wednesday as she signed a college scholarship agreement to play her sport next school year at the University of Houston-Victoria, an NAIA school.

There were teammates, classmates, coaches, teachers, Brownsville ISD administrators and family members on hand at the Pace Auditorium to share in the happy moment.

“It means a lot to me (to sign) and I’m really proud of myself,” said Dominguez, who plans to pursue an education degree in college and someday teach in elementary school. “I set my mind to one day sign (for soccer) and I’m finally doing what I really wanted to do.

“It’s pretty good (that I’m signing with UH-Victoria),” she added. “I like that I’m not too far away from home. I can always come home for the weekend and be with my family for any celebrations or holidays, so that will be fun.”

Dominguez played a variety of positions on the soccer field. Her senior season, when the Lady Vikings won District 32-5A with a 14-0 record and advanced three rounds in the playoffs before finishing with a 28-2-1 overall mark, she played primarily as a central defender and a defensive center midfielder.

“Yadira is one of those players who can play just about anywhere and she does a good job,” Villarreal said. “If I’m not mistaken, I think she played goalkeeper one time, so she’s played all over — defense, midfield and forward. She’s being recruited for defense in college, so let’s see where she plays.”

The Lady Vikings coach said Dominguez has improved as a soccer player and as a person throughout her years at Pace.

“At the beginning when she was a freshman, she went through some struggles,” he said. “Little by little and step by step, she became the person she is right now. I can speak for a lot of people (who have been involved with her life) and there’s just a sense of pride for her.

“There’s a feeling that we (at Pace) helped make her (into the student-athlete she is),” he added. “I say ‘We’ because it’s been the volleyball coaches, the basketball coaches, the cross country/track coaches and everyone. We (coaches) helped form what Yadira is now.”

With a bright future in college to look forward to, Dominguez said she will always cherish her time at Pace.

“I have a lot of good memories of Pace, especially of the soccer team,” she said. “It’s been an amazing experience with the girls on the team — all the bus rides and singing on the bus and everything. We were one team, one family and sisters. Together, we accomplished a lot to get where we got.”

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