By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

There is a first time for everything.

It was a first in soccer on Saturday for the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers to win the 36th annual Brownsville ISD boys tournament.

The Chargers defeated La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 5-1 in the tournament’s Gold Division final to cap the three-day, 28-team event at Brownsville Sports Park. The tournament featured pool play in four groups Thursday and Friday with the top two teams in each group advancing to Saturday’s Gold Division quarterfinals.

After finishing second in their pool-play group on Friday, the Chargers won three games in the Gold Division on the final day.

Their showing Saturday was highlighted by a relatively one-sided victory against Juarez-Lincoln, a traditionally strong Valley team and a 2017 UIL state tournament qualifier that roughed up the Lopez Lobos 4-0 in Saturday’s semifinals after topping Hanna 3-2 in the quarterfinals.

In Saturday’s final, played with two 30-minute halves, Brownsville Veterans scored with barely four minutes gone to go up 1-0 and then broke out of a 1-1 tie to lead 3-1 at halftime. From there, the Chargers added a pair of second-half goals and cruised to the title.

“It’s a great, outstanding feeling to win this tournament,” said Mark Boswell, a sophomore midfielder who was named tournament MVP. “We all liked the way we performed throughout the whole tournament to get the trophy.

“This is very positive for us,” Boswell added. “It doesn’t change our mindsets (because we’re already aiming high). We all feel great (about the season) and we all enjoy playing together. This (tournament championship) wouldn’t have been done if the team hadn’t put in work and the team not giving up on each other.”

The Chargers won District 32-5A last season and advanced to the Region IV-5A final in Corpus Christi. They’re eager to achieve those goals again and improve upon them if at all possible.

They went against a familiar opponent in the Huskies.

“We got second in a tournament in Mission during maybe our second year as a program (earlier this decade) and the team that beat us was Juarez-Lincoln,” Chargers coach Alberto Vasquez said. “We love to play against Juarez-Lincoln. They’re always a very good team, and they tend to bring the best out of us. Every year we have our first scrimmage against them.”

Vasquez wasn’t sure how much energy his team would bring to the championship match since it already had played two demanding games earlier Saturday in beating Donna High 2-0 in the quarterfinals and McAllen High 1-0 in the semifinals.

“I’ll be very honest, I was a little bit worried about that,” Vasquez said. “We played so many games (nine in three days) in this tournament and then we were playing 30-minute halves against a very good team in the final, so I wasn’t sure how much strength our players would have left in their legs.

“But they showed their heart and their character. From the first second of the game, they were focused and they were ready. They fought for every ball and that helped us get the win.”

An approximately 35-yard blast from the right side by Francisco Moreno barely four minutes into the action got the Chargers going with a 1-0 lead. Ernesto Salinas tallied a goal for the Huskies about seven minutes later to deadlock the match 1-1, but the Chargers were just getting started. Orlando Sanchez scored on a direct kick from about 20 yards out midway through the first half and teammate Jose Balboa put in the ball on a header after receiving a centering pass from the left side to make it 3-1 just three minutes before intermission.

Boswell and Felipe Esquivel tallied second-half goals for the Chargers to seal the victory.

Juarez-Lincoln coach Victor Ramos said he was glad his team got to play in the BISD Tournament again. The Huskies won one of two brackets in last year’s tournament. Rivera won the other bracket as the event finished with two bracket champions for the third straight time.

“It was a good tournament and there was a lot of good competition,” the Huskies coach said. “A lot of the games were tied at the end (showing just how competitive things were).”

At the end of the day, the Chargers were the ones hoisting a tournament first-place trophy for the first time.

“It’s very nice to come out here and win the championship for Brownsville,” Vasquez said.

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

BROWNSVILLE — As temperatures again dropped into the 40-degree range Friday night, soccer teams with a chance to qualify for a spot in today’s quarterfinals at the Brownsville ISD boys and girls tournaments did their best on the field on the final day of pool play, bundled up as the sun set and patiently waited for point totals to be determined.

The two BISD tournaments, which include 32 teams for the girls and 28 for the boys, started Thursday and run through today at Brownsville Sports Park.

Both girls and boys tournaments featured pool play Thursday and Friday with the top two teams in each of four groups advancing to today’s Gold Division quarterfinals at 9 a.m. The third- and fourth-place teams from each of the groups qualified for today’s Silver Division quarterfinals, also this morning.

Reaching the quarterfinals for the boys in the Gold Division were McAllen High, Donna North, Donna High, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln and Brownsville schools Veterans, Hanna, Rivera and Lopez.

In today’s 9 a.m. Gold Division quarterfinals for the boys, it’s McHi vs. Donna North, Donna High vs. Brownsville Veterans, Juarez-Lincoln vs. Hanna and Rivera vs. Lopez.

In the Silver Division boys quarterfinals at 10:30 a.m., it’s Brownsville Pace vs. Los Fresnos, La Joya High vs. Mission High, Brownsville Porter vs. Edinburg High and PSJA Southwest vs. Laredo United South.

It’s the 36th annual BISD Tournament for the boys and the 19th for the girls.

Championship matches in all divisions will be played at 1:30 p.m. today at BSP.

All games are played with 20-minute halves. Any matches tied when regulation ends go directly to penalty kicks.

In today’s 9 a.m. Gold Division quarterfinals for the girls, it’s Brownsville Lopez vs. Brownsville Veterans, Brownsville Pace vs. Laredo United, Juarez-Lincoln vs. Donna High and McAllen Memorial vs. Edinburg Vela.

The Silver Division quarterfinals for the girls start at 10:30 a.m., and in those matchups, it’s Weslaco High vs. Los Fresnos, Harlingen High vs. Laredo LBJ, Brownsville Hanna vs. San Benito and La Joya High vs. Edinburg Economedes.

By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

The most dramatic game during Thursday’s opening day of pool-play action at the 36th annual Brownsville ISD boys soccer tournament was a late-afternoon match that went to extended penalty kicks.

When Rivera took on Laredo LBJ in a Pool D matchup, the match went to PKs with the score tied 1-1 after regulation play ended.

Earlier, Rivera led 1-0 at halftime before LBJ evened the score late in the game. Because it is a tournament, no overtime was played.

The extended PKs involved 14 players taking a penalty try for each team before LBJ prevailed to take the game by the official score of 2-1.

“(Just) one of those days,” Rivera coach Salvador Garcia said in response to the tension-filled contest.

Rivera went 2-1 on the first day of the three-day, 28-team tournament that runs through Saturday at BSP. The final is scheduled at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Raiders opened the day with a 1-0 PK victory over Brownsville Veterans Memorial before downing PSJA Southwest 2-1. Then came the extended PK shootout with LBJ.

Rivera plays three more pool-play games Friday. The top four teams in each of the four pools advance to the quarterfinals in the Gold and Silver brackets on Saturday.

Porter led the way for the Brownsville schools on Thursday by going 3-0.

The Cowboys, winners of last weekend’s inaugural Southmost Classic tournament, opened Thursday with a 4-3 win in PKs against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln before triumphing 1-0 over Rio Grande City and 3-0 over McAllen Memorial.

Lopez and Pace each went 2-1 on the tournament’s first day. Lopez won 2-0 against La Joya High and 9-0 against Raymondville, but came up short against Donna High 2-1.

Pace triumphed in PKs twice against Hanna (2-1) and Edinburg High (2-1) with a 2-1 loss to Harlingen South.

Hanna was edged by Pace and McAllen High (1-0) while defeating Laredo St. Augustine 6-0. Brownsville Veterans suffered PKs losses to Rivera and Mission High by 1-0 and 2-1 scores, respectively, while beating San Benito 2-0.

McAllen High went 2-0 on the day by winning against Hanna 1-0 and McAllen Rowe 1-0. The Bulldogs play four times Friday.

Mission High also enjoyed a 3-0 start to the tournament.

Donna High went 3-0 with wins against Laredo United South (2-0), Lopez (1-0) and Harlingen High (2-0). Sister school Donna North also went 3-0. The Chiefs’ wins came against McAllen Memorial (3-2), RGC (3-0) and Los Fresnos (1-0).

By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

The 19th annual Brownsville ISD girls soccer tournament began Thursday and offered some good competition to all 32 teams entered in the three-day event at Brownsville Sports Park.

The tournament runs through Saturday with pool play in four eight-team groups highlighting the action Thursday and Friday.

Defending champion McAllen High is not back to defend its BISD title of a season ago, so the door is wide open for a new champion to be crowned in Saturday afternoon’s final.

One of the Brownsville teams getting off to a strong start Thursday was Brownsville Veterans Memorial, which won its first three games and capped the day with a late match against La Joya Palmview.

In its first three pool-play games Thursday, Brownsville Veterans defeated Mercedes 6-0, PSJA North 1-0 and Valley View 3-0.

The Lady Chargers’ Samantha Bodden finished the day with six goals, scoring three against Mercedes, one against PSJA North and two against Valley View.

Also for the Lady Chargers, Corina Arizmendi, Camila Trevino and Hannah Obregon each scored a goal against Mercedes. Areli Guzman added a goal to go along with Bodden’s two tallies against Valley View.

“I feel good about our team’s play so far,” Lady Chargers coach Luis Troncoso said. “The team is playing hard and trying to do the things that we practice. We’re trying to reach our goals of just continuing to win games.

“This tournament gives us an opportunity to get our new players involved (and get them some playing time),” Troncoso added. “They can have an opportunity to get in there and get better. We’re having a good start, but there’s still a lot of work to do so we can improve. Doing the little things right will help us get better every game.”

The Los Fresnos girls started Thursday 2-0 with wins over PSJA North (4-1) and Mercedes (3-0) before finishing the day against Palmview and Valley View.

Lopez bounced back from a 1-0 loss to Weslaco High to win its next game 2-0 against Donna High. The Lady Lobos played two more games Thursday.

Pace opened with a 2-0 win against PSJA High before being edged 2-1 in penalty kicks by Edinburg Vela. The Lady Vikings bounced back to win their third game 8-0 against Rio Grande City before playing Edinburg Economedes in a nightcap.

Pool-play action in all four groups starts at 8 a.m. Friday at BSP.

By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

Beginning today, a multitude of soccer players converge on Brownsville Sports Park for three days of competition as the Brownsville ISD boys and girls tournaments get underway.

It’s the 36th consecutive year for the BISD boys tournament and the 19th for the girls.

This year, a total of 60 teams (32 girls and 28 boys) are entered in the two tournaments with a combined 224 games (126 girls and 98 boys) scheduled.

By all accounts, it will be quite an undertaking with play starting today at 8 a.m. for girls and 9 a.m. for boys. After two days of pool play in four groups for each tournament, the quarterfinals for girls and boys in Gold and Silver brackets are scheduled at 9 a.m. Saturday. The championship matches are set for Saturday afternoon for both boys and girls.

The defending champions are McAllen High for the girls and Rivera (Bracket A) and La Joya Juarez-Lincoln (Bracket B) for the boys.
McHi, which defeated Los Fresnos 2-1 in penalty kicks in last year’s final, is not returning. Instead, the Lady Bulldogs are playing at a tournament in Corpus Christi this week.

The Rivera and Juarez-Lincoln boys each won their brackets at the BISD Tournament last season, and for the third straight year, by mutual agreement, a game to determine an overall tournament champion was not played. Rivera is back again, as are all the Brownsville teams, and Juarez-Lincoln, a state tournament qualifier in 2017, is as well.

With so many teams entered, there figures to be a wide range of competition on tap with maybe some pools looking tougher than others.

“Our pool is going to be difficult,” Pace girls coach Jesus O. Villarreal said. “It has some soccer teams that by tradition have always shown to be top programs. In fact, three of the four (girls) brackets are also very competitive, but it seems that our bracket, Pool B, has about six programs with winning traditions and (that’s considering) only four teams will advance to Saturday’s competition.

“Indeed, the BISD Tournament has become one of the most competitive tournaments in the region,” Villarreal added. “So that means at any time during the tournament two top programs will have to face each other either in pool play or during elimination play. It seems our pool will have more higher-level games than the rest.”

ON THE MARK
The ones who figure to be top scorers in District 32-5A girls soccer this season are already finding the net with regularity as proven by the past weekend’s tournament play.

At the Border Olympics Tournament in Laredo, Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s Samantha Bodden had 16 goals in six games. At the Waller Classic, the Porter girls played four games and Priscila Cortinas scored nine goals, while Pace’s Kryssie Rivera tallied six goals in three games, all victories, at Houston’s Spring Branch Tournament.

The Cowgirls, Lady Vikings and Lady Chargers are all playing in the BISD Tournament along with the other Brownsville schools.

STRONG START
The Port Isabel boys opened their season in a big way at home Tuesday by defeating Monte Alto 6-2 in a non-district matchup.
Coach Crespin Gonzalez Jr. is in his first season guiding the Tarpons.

Forwards Brayan Medina and Jonatan Rivera plus midfielder Jair Prieto each scored a pair of goals for the Tarpons. Also, midfielder Saul Beltran recorded three assists for the Tarpons and goalkeeper Adrian Mendoza was a solid performer guarding the net.

Port Isabel next plays at Edcouch-Elsa at 7 p.m. Friday.

A NATIONAL CHAMP

Adrian Montalvo, a 2016 Hanna graduate, now plays soccer for the University of Charleston (West Virginia) Golden Eagles, who won the NCAA Division II national championship on Dec. 2 in Kansas City. The Golden Eagles defeated Lynn University 1-0 (3-1 penalty kicks) in the final to finish the season 21-1-2.
Montalvo is a sophomore midfielder on the team.

The University of Charleston is one of the top NCAA Division II men’s soccer programs in the nation and has qualified for the Final Four of the playoffs during each of the last four 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 | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

BROWNSVILLE — The Battle of Southmost came early this soccer season.

Brownsville schools and neighboring rivals Porter and Lopez met Saturday in the final of the inaugural Southmost Classic boys soccer tournament.

Thanks to an early goal, the Cowboys prevailed 1-0 on their home field over the Lobos for the tournament title on the first weekend of the new UIL soccer campaign.

The Cowboys and Lobos were hosts of the three-day, 10-team tournament with pool-play matches Thursday and Friday before Saturday’s semifinals, third-place game and final were played.

It won’t be long until the two teams meet again as the Lobos return to Porter’s field on Jan. 26 to open District 32-5A action.

“It was nothing less than what we were expecting,” said Porter coach Jose Espitia, a former soccer player for the Lobos and a Lopez graduate who also served as a Lopez assistant coach when the Lobos won state in 2004. “Every time you play Lopez it’s something special and it’s always hard-fought, especially lately — actually, all the time.

“I hadn’t seen Lopez play yet (this season), but we had heard very good things about them,” Espitia added. “It was tough to take the win. Our players gave it all they had. We told the guys to go out and have fun and play the way they know how to play.

“It was one more Battle of Southmost (in the storied series) and it was historical because it was the first Southmost Classic final. We told the guys they were going to leave their names in history (by winning). Then again, (we also have to look at it as) just a preseason tournament and what really matters is District (32-5A).”

The fans packed the stands at Porter for Saturday afternoon’s final and barely had settled into their seats when the Cowboys were awarded a penalty kick on a knockdown call in the penalty area against the Lobos. The call came just two minutes into the match.

Oscar Garcia took the PK for the Cowboys and sent a well-placed shot into the right corner of the goal. Porter’s 1-0 advantage stood up the rest of the way for the victory in the 60-minute match.

As play continued, Porter goalkeeper Isaac Acevedo, a freshman, made several solid stops to keep the Lobos scoreless.

Earlier Saturday in the semifinals, Lopez rallied from a 2-0 halftime deficit to win 3-2 against Laredo LBJ as Baltazar Cerda registered his second hat trick of the tournament for the Lobos.

Porter won its semifinal 1-0 earlier in the day against Laredo United South on a second-half penalty kick by Harambe Garcia.

“We try our best, we fight until the end and we came out on top,” said Harambe Garcia, a senior central defender who is not related to Oscar Garcia. “These tournament games help us to see our mistakes and fix them before district.”

Added Oscar Garcia, a junior central defender, “This tournament was just like a practice, so we can’t get too hyped up about winning it. We still have to keep on practicing hard and wait for the (district) season to begin.”

Porter is now 4-0-2 to start the 2018 season, while Lopez is 5-1.

“As expected, we knew Porter was going to press our defense and look for the counterattack,” Lopez coach Amadeo Escandon said. “I feel we could have made better choices when we had the ball because there were plenty of open spaces. However, we did not take advantage of them.”

Saturday’s third-place game at Lopez was won 1-0 by LBJ against United South.

The day started off with Los Fresnos defeating Laredo United 1-0 in a consolation game.

Saturday’s championship match was moved back to start at 1 p.m. instead of noon after a Lopez fan suffered an apparent heart attack while watching the semifinal at Lopez between the Lobos and LBJ. CPR was administered to the Lopez fan, and once stabilized, he was taken to the hospital for observation. Further information about the man’s condition was not immediately known at press time.

By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

It’s Brownsville vs. Laredo in today’s semifinals of the inaugural Southmost Classic boys soccer tournament.

Lopez and Porter are hosts of the three-day, 10-squad event, which featured pool play in two five-team groups on Thursday and Friday.

The top two teams from each pool after Friday’s action advanced to today’s 10 a.m. semifinals. The tournament championship is set for noon at Porter.

Porter won Pool A and Laredo LBJ was the runner-up. In Pool B, the winner was Lopez, while Laredo United South was the second-place finisher.

In today’s 10 a.m. semifinals, it’s Porter vs. United South at Porter and Lopez vs. LBJ at Lopez.

The tournament format for pool play awarded points to teams based on wins, ties, shutouts and number of goals scored. The matches have 30-minute halves.

Lopez (35 points) was a decisive winner in Pool B by going 4-0 in its pool-play games, while United South (25 points) took second by going 2-2. It was a bit closer at Porter, where the Cowboys (25 points) won a pair of games and tied two matches, while LBJ (18 points) won once and tied three times.

Porter coach Jose Epitia said his young team is gaining varsity experience with each game.

“We’re having to fix a lot of things (to be successful), but at the end of the day, that’s what you want,” Espitia said. “You want to fix things before district. For us, these games are a test because that’s what we’re going to face once we get into District (32-5A later this month).

“We were ahead in all (four) of our games and we’ve been struggling to take care of the score (and protect the lead), especially near the end,” Espitia added. “We were leading twice and wound up tying. We need to control the game and stay ahead.”

On Friday, Porter tied LBJ 1-1 as Ossiris Hernandez tallied the Cowboys’ lone goal. Against Los Fresnos in a 3-1 win, Oscar Garcia, Brandon Cantu and Hernandez scored the goals for Porter.

Lopez opened Friday with a 5-2 triumph over United South as the Lobos were led by Baltazar Cerda’s hat trick. Teammates Alan Reyes and Jafet Morales each added a solo tally. Against Laredo United later in the day in a 2-1 victory, Lopez’s goals were scored by Ramon Sauceda and Jose “Chevy” Echavarria.

“We’re just trying to fix the mistakes that we’re making and build upon the correct things we’re doing,” Lopez coach Amadeo Escandon said. “We’re still a work in progress and we still have a long way to go.

“It’s going to be a good semifinal game (against LBJ),” he added.

In Friday’s other three pool-play games at Porter, Los Fresnos defeated Edinburg North 3-1, McAllen High and LBJ tied 2-2 and Edinburg North edged McAllen High 1-0. The Cougars prevented McAllen High from reaching the semifinals.

Leo Ocana had Los Fresnos’ lone goal against Porter, while teammates Jose Casanova, Obed Sepulveda and Enrigue Rodriguez each scored a goal against Edinburg North.

“There’s been good competition at this tournament,” said Falcon coach Javier Navarrete, whose team plays a consolation game against Laredo United at 9 a.m. today at Porter. “The weather has been nice, too.”

At Lopez, Friday’s other three matches saw Harlingen South down Laredo United 2-1, United South shut out La Joya High 2-0 and La Joya High edge Harlingen South 2-1.

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

Parity ruled on the first day of the inaugural Southmost Classic boys soccer tournament as the Lopez Lobos were the only ones out of 10 participating teams to win both of their matches on Thursday.

The tournament features two five-team pools with Lopez and Porter as the tournament hosts.

The Lobos triumphed over Harlingen South 3-1 and La Joya High 5-1.

“I think the first game (against Harlingen South) we started a little slow, but we picked it up (against La Joya High),” Lopez coach Amadeo Escandon said. “Hopefully that’s the way we’re going to play from now on. What we did in the second game is what we want to see with us pressuring the ball. More than anything, we’re asking the players for intensity with the ball and without the ball.

“I loved the intensity we had in the second game and the way we capitalized on our scoring opportunities,” Escandon added.

Pool play continues today beginning at 10 a.m. at Porter and Lopez. At the end of today’s pool play, the top two teams in each pool advance to Saturday’s 10 a.m. semifinals. The championship match is scheduled at noon Saturday at Porter.

In their tournament opener Thursday, Lopez led 2-0 at halftime and won 3-1 against the Hawks. Scoring goals in the opener for the Lobos were Miguel Cruz, Jafet Morales and Daniel Casanova.

Against La Joya High later in the day, the Lobos led 4-0 at the half and won 5-1. Jose “Chevy” Echavarria scored three goals and Morales two against the Coyotes.

Meanwhile, Porter, playing on its home field just like Lopez, opened Thursday with a 3-0 triumph against Edinburg North before leading McAllen High 1-0 and ending up with a 1-1 tie.

Against Edinburg North, the Cowboys led 2-0 at halftime. Scoring the goals in the opener for Porter were Edward Rodriguez, Agustin Pizano and Brandon Cantu. Against McAllen High, the score was 0-0 at halftime before Porter went ahead 1-0 on a penalty kick by Harambe Garcia. Later in the second half, McAllen High failed to convert a penalty-kick opportunity before eventually finding the net to pull even 1-1 with the Cowboys.

“We knew the teams at this tournament are at a very competitive level, so it was going to be tough,” Porter coach Jose Espitia said. “We were fortunate to start off with a good win against Edinburg North. We took advantage of our opportunities.

“Against McHi, we were winning, but then we almost lost because of our lack of experience due to our young team,” Espitia added. “We couldn’t control the game (with the lead). It got pretty intense there toward the end (against McAllen High).

“The best thing is we’re doing well with a young team. We’re lacking a little bit of experience and size, but soccer-wise, I believe we’ll continue to improve.”

In other matches Thursday at Porter, Los Fresnos and Laredo LBJ tied 2-2, LBJ defeated Edinburg North 3-1 and McAllen High downed Los Fresnos 2-1.

In Thursday’s other three games at Lopez, Laredo United South defeated Laredo United 1-0, Harlingen South edged United South 2-1 and United topped La Joya High 2-0.

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

The Rio Grande Valley always likes to dream big when another soccer season starts.

The Valley’s boys teams, and especially those in Brownsville, begin every season believing they have what it takes to make it to the UIL state tournament in Georgetown and win it all.

Considering the Valley’s showings in reaching state and doing well over the past decade or so, those lofty goals can’t be discounted. Since 2004, five Valley teams have brought home six UIL state titles, including Lopez (2004), Porter (2006 and 2016), Hidalgo (2009), Sharyland High (2012) and Rivera (2015). Also, Lopez (2009), Hanna (2013), Valley View (2014) and Progreso (2016) have each reached the state final.

The Valley has sent three boys teams to state during each of the past two years.

As a new soccer season arrives, the question arises regarding what to expect in 2018.

Recent history says 2018 holds the promise of another successful campaign.

The answer will be known in a little more than three months.

Another UIL regular season opens this week with teams playing in tournaments or kicking things off with non-district matches. Some Valley boys and girls teams are playing at tournaments in the Houston area this weekend, while the Porter and Lopez boys are hosts of the inaugural Southmost Classic, a three-day tournament which opens today with 10 teams grouped in two brackets.

Here is a look at the Metro Area’s 10 boys teams and their prospects for 2018:

LOPEZ LOBOS
The Lobos have made it to state a Valley-record five times, including back-to-back appearances in 2016 and 2017.
Things are looking good again for the Lobos as they return midfielder Jose “Chevy” Echavarria, the All-Valley boys soccer MVP of last season, plus four other starters.

Along with Echavarria, also back are defensive midfielder Alan Reyes, goalkeeper Andrew Flores, midfielder on the wing Marco Antonio Mendoza and forward Sebastian Benavides. Also returning is forward Eloy Lozoya, who is coming off an injury.

Other players returning with varsity experience include defender Raudel Ramirez and midfielders Guadalupe Sauceda and Milton Solis.

Lopez will compete in District 32-5A, which again figures to be ultra-competitive as the Lobos go against Brownsville Veterans Memorial, Porter and Pace plus Edcouch-Elsa, Donna High, Donna North and Mercedes.

“I think our players know the expectations we always have,” Lopez coach Amadeo Escandon said. “They have their own goals they want to achieve. Obviously, they want to go as far as we can. I think they’re mature enough that they set their goals and work hard to reach them.

“That’s one of the good things we have here, and not only here, but in the whole Brownsville (soccer) community with all the teams,” Escandon added. “They don’t ask us for (just) a district title any more. They ask for regionals and then state. That shows the high expectations we have in Brownsville. Those expectations are welcomed because it makes us work harder.”

PORTER COWBOYS
There are still one or two players on the roster from Porter’s state title team of 2016, but most of the ones playing for the Cowboys now are new to the varsity. There is only one returning starter. He’s Oscar Garcia, who is being moved from the defense to center midfielder or forward this year. Back with varsity experience are defenders Diego Rivera and Harambe Garcia, goalkeeper Luis Reyna and winger Jesus Sepulveda.

Newcomers include freshmen Brandon Montes, Daniel Martinez, Eleazar Estrada, Erick Esparza and Isaac Acevedo.

“Porter will be a fielding a young team, but that is no excuse,” Cowboys coach Jose Espitia said. “When you establish a winning tradition, it carries over year after year. I have to say that this year’s team is hungry and very coachable. They are willing to learn and they have worked very hard this offseason. We are expected to compete year after year, and this year will not be the exception.”

BROWNSVILLE VETERANS MEMORIAL CHARGERS
Brownsville Veterans won 32-5A last season and came within one victory of advancing to state for the first time.

In 2018, the Chargers want to build upon their success of last season.

There are seven returning starters for Brownsville Veterans this year. They are Juan Amieva, Albert Maradriaga, Orlando Sanchez, Mark Boswell, Abel Martinez, Francisco Moreno and Jose Luis Capistran.

Boswell, now a sophomore midfielder/forward, was the All-Metro newcomer last season, while Sanchez was the 32-5A newcomer.

Other players counted upon to contribute this season include Jose Zamora, Gerardo Sosa, Diego Kat Bernal and Blair Averyt.

Key departures for the Chargers include central defender Jesus Arenas and goalkeeper Garret Wild plus Guillermo Laguna and Aldo Lekach from the offensive end.

PACE VIKINGS
Mario A. Zamora starts his fourth season as the Vikings’ coach and has guided Pace to the playoffs during each of the past three years with the distinction of having defeated highly regarded Valley View on its home field in the postseason three straight times.

Starters back to help the Vikings return to the playoffs are defenders Raul Mendoza, Joe Ramirez and Gabriel Gracia along with center midfielders Leoncio Estrada and Eduardo Ramirez plus winger Ian Perez.

The key departure for the Vikings is All-Metro goalkeeper Ervin Rocha, who signed to play in college.

“We have a senior (in Sebastian Ceballos) who is waiting to show that he is ready to take that spot left by Ervin,” Zamora said. “He was our backup goalkeeper last year and he did well when we put him in there.”

HANNA GOLDEN EAGLES
The Golden Eagles are coming off a season in which they shared the District 32-6A championship with Rivera.

There are seven starters back to help Hanna make a return to the postseason and improve upon its all-too-early exit from the playoffs in 2017.

The returning starters are goalkeeper Victor Villarreal, defender Miguel Payan, forward Daniel Rivera and midfielders Hector Quintero, Adir Ochoa, Adrian Rodriguez and Aldair Hernandez.

Other players who figure to be important contributors include Jose Vidal, Jose Pompa and Ariel Gonzalez.

Hanna’s Reyes Prado, now in his sixth year guiding the Eagles, is the only Valley coach to take teams to the regional tournament in boys (2013) and girls (2003) soccer.

RIVERA RAIDERS
The Raiders’ stellar playoff run continued a season ago as they advanced to the postseason for the 25th time in 26 years (no playoffs in 2009).

They shared the 32-6A title with Hanna last year, and just like the Eagles, the Raiders want more than just a district championship in 2018.

Salvador Garcia, now in his 21st season as Rivera’s head coach with a 6A state title in 2015 to his credit, returns eight starters. They are goalkeeper Jorge Cordova, defenders Tito Melendez, Ramiro Rodarte and Totti Morales, midfielders Kevin Zarrazagas and Alex Mendez, forward Julian Espinoza and defender/midfielder Jose Muniz.

Espinoza, despite missing some time due to an injury, was named 32-6A overall MVP last season.

Garcia said additional players who figure to contribute right away are Issac Cedillo, Joaquin Hernandez, Salvador De Leon, David Villarreal, Jorge Castillo, Garry Ureno, Hector Guevara, J.P. Garza and Anthony Enriquez.

“We are doing well and anxious to start,” Garcia said. “We are going to play our (home) games at Sams Stadium since they are going to install (artificial) turf at our campus (field).”

LOS FRESNOS FALCONS
The Falcons, with seven starters back, hope to build on their success of a year ago when they finished third in 32-6A and returned to the playoffs after not going the previous two seasons.

Starters back to help the Falcon cause are Pepe Zuniga, Emilio Garcia, Enrique Rodriguez, Adrian Torres, Abel Sauceda, Jaime Casanova and Luis Rocha.

Torres, the Falcons’ kicker during the football season, will be in the thick of things on the soccer field as a center midfielder.

Newcomers who are expected to contribute include Leo Ocana, Obed Sepulveda, Dustin Fivek, Angel Mancillas, Frankie Melendez, Adrian Longoria, Emiliano Gonzalez and Humberto Trinidad.

PORT ISABEL TARPONS
Crispin Gonzalez takes over as the Tarpons’ coach. He inherits a team that finished second in District 31-4A and made it back to the playoffs in 2017.

“Saul Beltran, our senior captain, will be playing midfielder and goalkeeper,” Gonzalez said. “He is a very talented player. Seniors Jair Prieto, a midfielder, and Hector Reyes, a defender, will add to the senior leadership and experience.

“Sophomore Brayan Medina is also returning and should provide plenty of offense as a forward with his speed and agile footwork,” Gonzalez added. “Freshman Angel Fernandez, a midfielder, has looked very impressive. He has great ball control and a good feel for the game.”

ST. JOSEPH ACADEMY BLOODHOUNDS
The Bloodhounds play in TAPPS and opened their season in late 2017. They were 2-2 at one point in December with Edgar Tovar as their new coach.

“Our players are enthusiastic about forming a (competitive) team,” Tovar said. “It’s the last year for some of them. I like the players’ attitude and their willingness to develop a team that can play well this season plus have a structure for the future. We’re working hard every day to follow the path to success. We’ll get there.”

Among the standouts for the Bloodhounds this season are team captain Jose Luis Almazan, Adrian Cerda and Miguel Guerra.

IDEA FRONTIER CHARGERS
The Chargers have a new coach as well in Steven Martinez. They made the playoffs as the fourth-place team from 31-4A last season and suffered a 1-0 lost to District 32-4A champion Grulla in the opening round of the postseason.

“The IDEA Frontier Chargers will have 12 returning lettermen on the team this year of which six are seniors,” Martinez said. “The returning seniors are Miguel Regalado, Antonio Espino, Evan Davila, Bryan Salinas, Jesus Longoria and Rodrigo Pena.

“(Other) players to watch are sophomore Johan Sandoval and freshmen Bryan Hernandez, Juan Franco and Alan Gallegos. Alan Gallegos fills a void at the goalkeeper position the Chargers have been missing. He is an aggressive goalie.”

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

High school football is king in Texas.

That is a fact of life across the state and it’s certainly true in Brownsville.

One of Brownsville’s most successful football seasons in recent memory took place during the fall of 2017.

The city’s football resurgence was chosen as the top sports story of the year in The Brownsville Herald’s Metro Area, which includes Brownsville, Los Fresnos and Port Isabel.

The Herald’s four-man sports staff did the voting.

Here is a look at each of The Herald’s selections as the Metro Area’s Top 10 sports stories of the past 12 months:

No. 1 — BROWNSVILLE’S FOOTBALL RESURGENCE

This was the unanimous choice by The Herald sports staff as the top story in the Metro Area.

The 2017 football season saw two city teams win outright district championships as Brownsville Veterans Memorial captured the District 32-5A title and St. Joseph Academy won TAPPS Division 1 District 2. The Chargers (10-2) and Bloodhounds (7-5) each advanced two rounds in the playoffs. The Bloodhounds had gone 25-plus years since their last district title in football.

Also advancing to the postseason from Brownsville were Hanna (7-4), Lopez (8-3) and Pace (5-6), making it five teams in all from the city going to the postseason.

“The 2017 football season showed that in Brownsville, our teams are not satisfied with only playing at their best against other city teams anymore (in intense intracity rivalry games),” Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu said. “Our teams (now) believe they can compete against anyone from the Valley and beyond. The Brownsville teams are proving that with their efforts and commitment to what it takes.

“As one of seven proud (head) football coaches from Brownsville, it means a great deal to be respected as a city for all the hard work that is put in,” Cantu added. “There exists a genuine pride for all the Brownsville football teams that fared well in 2017.

“I felt our kids believed in themselves and their coaches, and they competed (hard) to win against anyone in the Valley and beyond. Also, our (city) teams proved that our football programs are at a high level and on the rise.”

The Golden Eagles, under All-Metro coach of the year Mark Guess, were the surprise team in an ultra-competitive District 32-6A in 2017 as they recorded impressive conference wins against Harlingen High (32-6) and Los Fresnos (10-7). Then, playing in Edinburg, Hanna appeared to be in position to upset previously unbeaten Edinburg Vela in bi-district on Nov. 17, but a 54-yard field goal with 24 seconds left by Vela enabled the SaberCats to escape with a 34-32 victory.

It was the third straight year in the playoffs for Brownsville Veterans, which was led by All-Metro MVP Gustavo Vasquez, a senior quarterback who rushed for 1,617 yards and 26 touchdowns while passing for 1,112 yards and six scores. The Chargers enjoyed their first 10-win varsity season in school history.

Meanwhile, Lopez and SJA made repeat appearances in the postseason. Pace hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2011 and Hanna since 2009.

Also, it marked the end of an era at SJA as QB Kai Money completed his four-year stint as the Bloodhounds’ starter. The standout senior was named the All-Metro offensive player of the year for 2017 as he passed for 2,539 yards and 35 TDs while rushing for 1,502 yards and 11 TDs.

Pace, led by QB Randy Aguilar, came up with last-minute, come-from-behind road victories against Donna North (34-27) and Donna High (35-31) in 32-5A action to secure its trip to the playoffs.

All in all, the 2017 football season in Brownsville was one to remember.

No. 2 — ALL-IN SOCCER PLAYOFF PARTY

It was an all-time first last March for Brownsville ISD to have all 12 of its boys and girls soccer teams qualify for the playoffs. And considering the total number of playoff qualifiers from the Metro Area, things became even more impressive as 18 of 19 soccer squads reached the postseason, including the boys and girls from Los Fresnos and Port Isabel along with the SJA boys and the IDEA Frontier boys.

It was a feat never before seen in soccer, or any other sport for that matter, in Brownsville and the overall Metro Area.

“The road to the playoffs goes through Brownsville,” Lopez Lobos coach Amadeo Escandon said.

No. 3 — LOPEZ SOCCER SETS RECORD

In soccer last April, the Lobos made their Valley-record fifth appearance at the UIL state tournament in Georgetown. They broke a tie with the Porter Cowboys, who have made four appearances at state.

It wasn’t one of Lopez’s better showings at state on April 13 as the Lobos suffered a 4-0 setback against Waller in the Class 5A semifinals.

Lopez has played in all three divisions at state. The Lobos won the Class 4A state title in 2004, finished as the 5A state runner-up in 2009 and reached the state semifinals in 2014 (5A), 2016 (6A) and 2017 (5A).

No. 4 — POWERLIFTING PROWESS

The Metro Area enjoyed quite a strong showing in powerlifting in 2017 as the Los Fresnos girls captured the Class 6A THSWPA state title in March at Waco. It was the Lady Falcons’ third straight time to win the state title. Ally Highful,

Mandy Sanchez and Jesed Castro were individual state champions for the Lady Falcons.

At the same meet, the Lopez girls were Class 5A state runners-up behind powerhouse Port Lavaca Calhoun (12 straight team state titles). Winning their weight class divisions individually for the Lady Lobos were Marisol Pulido and

Julieann Delgado. Teammates finishing in second place were Alexis Rivas and Lizeth de la Fuente.

Later in March, the Lopez boys edged Hanna for the Division I title at the THSPA state meet in Abilene. Division I was composed of 6A and 5A competitors. Lopez won with 14 points compared to 12 for Hanna.

The Lobos were led by Jose Alvarado, a two-time state champion. Teammates Jesse Luna and Josh Trevino each placed third.

Hanna was led by Ricky Arreola and Adrian Arredondo, who each took second.

No. 5 — AREA TRACK SUCCESS

Track and field performances stood out in 2017. Port Isabel’s Trey Mock won the Class 4A discus at the UIL state meet in Austin in May. His winning throw was 175 feet, 4 inches, a personal best.

Natalie Garza, also from Port Isabel, placed fifth in the 400-meter dash at the UIL state meet.

A month earlier, at the 90th Texas Relays, also in Austin, then-St. Joseph Academy hurdler Gaby Garza recorded among the best times by a Valley female in her events in the meet’s high school division. She ran the 300-meter hurdles in 43.51 seconds (second fastest time by a Valley female) and she ran the 100-meter hurdles in 14.27 seconds (third all-time best by a Valley female).

At the TAPPS state meet in early May at Waco, SJA’s Pablo Zolezzi won the boys discus with a throw of 147-4 to edge second-place teammate Ricardo Miner, who had a 142-8. Miner was third in the shot put. SJA’s Marte Rodriguez won the boys 300-meter hurdles in 40.73 seconds. Also, the Bloodhounds’ 400- and 800-meter boys relays consisting of Mario Garcia, Miguel Guerra, Keaton Cackley and Kai Money recorded city record-breaking times, running 1:29.26 in the 800 relay and 42.61 seconds in the 400 relay.

For the SJA girls, Gaby Garza, who has signed to run track at Cornell University, had a pair of second-place finishes in her hurdles events at the TAPPS state meet and Leslie de la Llata was third in the discus.

No. 6 — FALCONS GO THREE DEEP AGAIN

In football, Los Fresnos advanced to the third round of the Class 6A Division I playoffs for the second straight season by defeating Edinburg High 34-14 in bi-district and San Antonio Southwest 47-35 in the area round. The Falcons ended the season with a 9-4 record on Dec. 2 when they were defeated at home 42-7 by eventual 2017 state runner-up Lake Travis, also the 2016 6A Division I state champion.

The Dec. 2 Los Fresnos-Lake Travis contest at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium is believed to be the first time a defending state champion has played in the Valley in the UIL playoffs.

In his two years as the Falcons’ coach, Patrick Brown has guided his team three rounds into the playoffs both seasons.

No. 7 — LADY CHARGERS SHINE IN GOLF

In April, Brownsville Veterans became the first school in the city to send a girls golf team to the UIL state tournament.

The Lady Chargers played in the Class 5A division of the girls state tournament in Bastrop and finished fifth in the two-day event. Members of the Brownsville Veterans team were Vanessa Campos, Fahtima Avila, Cristina Pullen, Cecilia Garza and Julie Lucio, who was the Region IV-5A medalist.

Lucio, considered one of the city’s top all-time female golfers, signed with the University of Houston in November.

No. 8 — DOMINATING 32-5A SPORTS

Brownsville Veterans boasted the most successful athletic program in District 32-5A during the 2016-17 school year by winning 13 of 19 possible conference championships in team sports. The school began competing in Class 5A in August 2016 after spending the previous two school years in Class 6A.

Besides its 13 district championships, Brownsville Veterans also recorded 32-5A runner-up finishes in three other sports. Every one of the school’s team sports advanced to the state playoffs for the second consecutive school year.

It was an accomplishment of consistency and dominance on a scale that hasn’t been witnessed before in Brownsville ISD and maybe not achieved by any other high school in the Rio Grande Valley.

For its strong athletic showing during the 2016-17 school year, Brownsville Veterans received the Sub-Class 6A Program of the Year award at the All-Valley Sports Banquet in June.

Among the 13 sports earning district titles or co-championships for Brownsville Veterans were team tennis, volleyball, football, boys and girls basketball, boys soccer, softball, baseball, boys and girls golf, boys and girls swimming and girls track.

No. 9 — 500th VOLLEYBALL WIN

It was a milestone volleyball season for the Rivera Lady Raiders in 2017 as head coach Elizabeth Avelar-Guerra recorded her 500th career coaching victory at home on Sept. 1 with a non-district 3-0 sweep of Edinburg High. The Rivera coach finished the 2017 season with a 517-300 coaching record over 25 years.

The Lady Raiders went 29-11 overall in 2017 and won District 32-6A with a 14-0 record. It was Rivera’s first district title in volleyball since 2007. Rivera advanced two rounds in the playoffs.

“I was kind of concerned that the 500th win wasn’t going to happen until (during) district, so there would be a lot of pressure (on the girls), but we got it early and it gave the girls a big boost before district started,” Avelar-Guerra said. “Yes, it was actually perfect timing. Everything fell right into place where we needed it to be. A lot of that was the girls working very hard and then they did what they had to do (to notch win No. 500 when they did).

“This was a team that played without fear,” she added. “The girls played like sisters, they played together and everything just jelled. It was an amazing season with the 500th victory, the undefeated (14-0) run in district and our playoff win (a 27-25, 25-19, 25-22 bi-district triumph against Edinburg North). It was just amazing.”

No. 10 — PACE COACH, 56, DIES
Not all the impactful events of 2017 were positive. It was truly a sad day in Brownsville and across South Texas when Pace assistant coach Art Cantu collapsed due to an apparent heart attack during the Vikings’ Aug. 18 football scrimmage against PSJA Memorial at Sams Memorial Stadium. The defensive line coach was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. He had worked in Brownsville ISD since 1993. The scrimmage was immediately canceled.

Cantu’s death shocked the Valley and the Brownsville sports community in particular.

“This hits the BISD family hard,” BISD superintendent Esperanza Zendejas said. “Our prayers are with Mr. Cantu’s family and friends. We are saddened by this news. He is a longtime employee of BISD.”
Cantu’s death served as a constant motivation throughout the season for the Vikings, who qualified for the Class 5A playoffs for the first time since 2011 under first-year head coach Danny Pardo.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
(stories receiving votes)

Longtime coach/athletic director Tom Chavez, former football standout Tony Villarreal Jr. and sports artist/sports historian Manuel Hinojosa of Port Isabel were inducted into the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame in July along with six other enshrinees.

IDEA Frontier runner Sabrina Garcia placed fifth in the Class 3A division at the UIL cross country state meet in November while making her third trip to state. Also, the IDEA Frontier boys qualified for state as a team.

SJA graduate Valeria Tapia, a guard, became a starter as a freshman for the UT-Rio Grande Valley women’s basketball team in 2017.

More than in previous years, there were numerous early college signings by Metro Area athletes during the fall. Among them were Brownsville Veterans’ Julie Lucio (golf at the University of Houston) and Cassie Valdez (softball at UT-San Antonio), Gaby Garza (track at Cornell University) and Port Isabel’s Natalie Garza (track at UTRGV).

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