By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

There exists a high standard of expectations for Metro-Area girls soccer in 2018 after last season’s strong showing.

All the girls teams from Brownsville ISD — six of them — plus Los Fresnos and Port Isabel made the playoffs a season ago as the Lady Falcons advanced to the regional tournament for the third straight year and the Pace Lady Vikings advanced three rounds in the postseason. The Rivera Lady Raiders reached the third round of the playoffs as well.

The potential is there for another standout campaign by Metro-Area girls squads. The UIL regular season opens Thursday with tournaments and non-district matches on the schedule.

Here is a look at the Metro-Area girls teams for 2018:

HANNA LADY GOLDEN EAGLES
Hanna advanced two rounds in the Class 6A playoffs in 2017 during Eliseo Guzman’s first season as the Lady Golden Eagles’ coach.

There are eight starters back. They include forward Linda Zacarias, midfielders Sytlaly Loyde (team captain), Nadia Sifuentes and Angelina Castillo, and defenders Hillary Pina, Toni Villalpando, Sannon Perez and Alissa Perez. Also, Hanna has two solid candidates at goalkeeper in Abby Mata and Valeria Perez plus newcomers in the midfield in Pamela Prado and Samantha Galvan.

“I expect to have a great season,” Guzman said. “The team looks very united and we have new girls that are going to make a difference.”

RIVERA LADY RAIDERS
Just like Guzman at Hanna, Peter A. Rodriguez is also beginning his second season as head coach at Rivera.

The Lady Raiders made it to the third round of the 6A playoffs last season as Rodriguez was named All-Valley girls soccer coach of the year.

Rodriguez said there are 11 returnees for the Lady Raiders. They include Ashley Torres, Esmeralda Gonzalez, Alexis Sayas, Alyssa Ayala, Ana Perez, Myrka Guevara, Lesly Pena and Daisy Cano, a goalkeeper.

Other players to watch include Mayra Martinez, Claudia Flores Gonzalez, Maddie Blanco, Marlen Mendieta, Itzel Ramos, Sam Rasco, Jamie Silva Gonzalez and Yulianna Villanueva.

Rodriguez said Rasco missed most of last season due to an injury.

“Seven or eight of those girls were starters and we lost a couple of them due to season-ending injuries during the offseason,” he said.

LOS FRESNOS LADY FALCONS
The Lady Falcons graduated a pair of their top players from last season in midfielder Clarissa “Claire” Castaneda and forward Tanya Prazelini (a Valley girls record 68 goals in 2017), but there is plenty of talent back to make Los Fresnos one of the teams to beat again in District 32-6A.

Castaneda and Prazelini each signed a scholarship to play soccer in college.

The group of players back for the Lady Falcons this season includes Alexa Gutierrez, Allison Spier, Perla Briseno, Sam Sanchez, Itzel Bochas, Gaby X. Mariscal and Summer Sosa, a goalkeeper.

Patricia K. Hernandez is beginning her third season as the team’s head coach. Los Fresnos has won a district title five times in the last eight years.

BROWNSVILLE VETERANS MEMORIAL LADY CHARGERS
There are five returning starters for the Lady Chargers, who finished second in District 32-5A last season and advanced two rounds in the Class 5A playoffs. The starters back are Samantha Bodden (team captain), Melissa Medina, Kasandra Jimenez, Monika Sanchez and Arely Guzman, who was the 32-5A newcomer of the year last season.

Returning lettermen include Hannah Obregon and Ana Karen Garcia.

“We have a young, hard-working team that is getting ready to compete against great competition throughout the season,” Lady Chargers coach Luis Troncoso said. “We understand that everything is a work in progress and that there is still much to improve. However, there is a feeling of confidence that we can achieve great things as long as we continue to be driven, build on team unity and have fun while doing it. Overall, I can say that I am excited and ready to begin competition as we aim to have another successful season.”

PORTER COWGIRLS
After having gone 20-plus years without ever making the playoffs, the Cowgirls have qualified for the postseason in back-to-back seasons (2016 and 2017).

The seven returning starters for the Cowgirls in 2018 are defensive midfielder Katherine Castillo, defenders Quetzali Cortez and Roxanna Miranda, midfielders on the wing Marina Rios and Brittany Sanchez, attacking midfielder/forward Priscila Cortinas and attacking midfielder/defensive midfielder Carla Longoria.

Sheila Dominguez, a defensive midfielder, is out for the season with an injury, while defender Allysa Vega is also hampered by an injury that might sideline her, too.

LOPEZ LADY LOBOS
The Lady Lobos are the defending champions in 32-5A who advanced two rounds in the 5A playoffs last season.

They graduated four-year starters Michell Salinas and Carla Gracia, but there are some talented and experienced players returning.

The nucleus back that will try to bring the Lopez girls a third straight district title includes Noemi Gallardo, Kiara Garcia, Myrka Garcia, Corina Garcia, Sam Valdez, Tiffany Marambu, Zayra Esquivel and Kenya Gonzalez.

“They’re all impact players,” Lady Lobos coach Alex Macias said.

PACE LADY VIKINGS
The Lady Vikings had their best showing in the playoffs in school history in 2017 when they advanced three rounds.

Their 5A playoff run included a bi-district upset of highly regarded Sharyland High when Pace won on penalty kicks. A 2-1 area-round win against Gregory-Portland advanced Pace to the regional quarterfinals where the Lady Vikings were edged 4-2 by Flour Bluff.

Back this year for the Lady Vikings is Kryssie Rivera, a talented scorer (25-plus goals in 2017) and the overall MVP in 32-5A last season as a junior. In all, there are eight starters returning. Besides Rivera, the others are Alma Perez, Alexis Guajardo, Yovana Rodriguez, Yadira Dominguez, Belia Suarez, Ariana Garcia and Lesley Amador.

The return of Pace’s starters and the addition of some new players could boost the Lady Vikings and make them one of the teams to beat in 32-5A this season.

PORT ISABEL LADY TARPONS
Jesus Cardenas begins his sixth season of guiding the Lady Tarpons, who compete in District 31-4A against five other teams.

The Port Isabel girls have never missed the playoffs in their five previous seasons of the program’s existence. They even advanced a school-best three rounds in 2016.

Cardenas said he has a solid group returning this time around. The Lady Tarpons finished second in 31-4A last season and reached the second round.

“This is the most experienced team I have had and hopefully (it will go the) deepest (in the playoffs) too,” the Lady Tarpons coach said.

There are nine returning starters with Dafneht Mendez and Ava Gomez back at forward. The returnees in the midfield are Jenny Martinez, Celia Polsky, Esthela Castillo and Susana Martinez. The defense returns Katia Torres and Stephanie Ortiz, who is recuperating from an injury and may not play until district starts.

“I will be looking for contributions from Diana Gonzalez, Carla Alonso and Neftali Torres to solidify our defense,” Cardenas said. “I am really looking for Valeria Gonzalez to give us more depth at the forward position and for Melisa Lopez to shut down the goal with her play at goalkeeper.”

IDEA FRONTIER LADY CHARGERS
The goal for the Lady Chargers this season will be to make the 4A playoffs under first-year coach Brittany Hernandez after missing the postseason a year ago. The Lady Chargers play in 31-4A.

“I believe some players who should be a great asset to the team would be ninth-grader Vanessa Hernandez, 10th-grader Samantha Franco and 10th-grader Aylinn Perez,” Hernandez 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

Regardless of wherever Gaby Garza goes in life, she’ll always be known as one of the top female hurdlers from the Rio Grande Valley.

Garza’s storied path as an athlete is taking her to Ithaca, New York, where next school year she will run her hurdle events on scholarship at Cornell University, an Ivy League school.

A signing ceremony for her National Letter of Intent was held Wednesday at Garza’s home in Brownsville with the senior track standout and her family posing for pictures to mark the occasion.

“I’ve been looking forward to this day,” said Garza, who began her track career as a third-grader in Brownsville. “Even if it was going to be a small signing event (like this one), I’ve been dreaming of going to a real good school, so this means a lot to me.”

During her middle school years, through summer track and other competitions, Garza soon came to know coach Meme Garza (no relation), and their association eventually led her to spend her first three years of high school at St. Joseph Academy.

Now, actually, Garza’s path to Cornell is a journey that is taking her from Brownsville to Florida and then to New York.

While at SJA, Garza recorded times in the hurdles that rank among the all-time Valley bests. As a senior this school year, Garza now is attending and competing for IMG Academy, a high school for talented, college-bound athletes in Bradenton, Florida.

Going to a prestigious Ivy League school and continuing her athletic career in the hurdles at the NCAA Division I level is the realization of a long-held goal for Garza, who set personal bests in her events last March while competing in the high school division of the 90th Texas Relays in Austin.

At the Texas Relays, Garza ran the 300-meter hurdles in 43.5 seconds (second fastest time by a Valley female). Also at the Texas Relays, Garza ran the 100-meter hurdles in 14.27 seconds (third all-time best by a Valley female).

All-time track and field records by Valley high school athletes are kept by Carlos Vela, a former coach at PSJA High who became the Valley’s track historian.

Garza is anticipating a big challenge at Cornell in the classroom as well as on the track. She plans to pursue a degree in hotel administration. Cornell is rated the No. 1 school in the country for such a major, she said.

“I know it’s going to be tough trying to balance out my track life with my academic life,” she said. “(Once there) I just want to settle in and grow mentally, physically and spiritually so I can enjoy my college years.”

It’s already been something of a transition for Garza to go to another state to complete her senior year.

“It’s different,” Garza said of IMG. “Since it’s an academy and every single person going there is an athlete, they all want the same thing. They want to succeed as an athlete (in college). The environment is so much more positive and like 10 times more fun to just be around people who want to do great things (athletically).

“Over there (in Florida), I have other (very competitive) girls to train against,” Garza added. “Here, I was the only hurdler.”

Throughout everything, Garza’s coach has been her mentor and advocate.

“Coach Garza is the one who helped me realize the hurdles are my passion (when I was younger),” she said. “He’s shown a lot of loyalty to me from the seventh grade until now. We’re hundreds of miles away now and I still call him every day. He was the coach who was talking to the coach from Cornell. Coach Garza has been just amazing throughout this whole entire journey.”

Meme Garza, the longtime cross country and track coach at SJA, stepped down prior to the current school year and retired from his teaching/counseling position at the school as well. He’s enjoying seeing one of his best athletes do well and have her college future finalized.

“I’m extremely proud of Gaby,” said the coach, a member of the RGV Sports Hall of Fame. “I knew that Gaby was special when she was in seventh grade and I asked her about her goals. She said she wanted to go to a great college and she wanted to run track. When she said she wanted to go to a great school and then mentioned track, I knew her priorities were where they were supposed to be.

“Let’s face it, there are a lot of great schools across the country, but there are only eight Ivy League schools,” he added. “I’m proud of St. Joseph Academy for helping bring along Gaby to the level where she’s at now. She’s reached the level she needed to be at in order to get to an Ivy League school.

“Cornell has great facilities and Gaby loves the school. I couldn’t be happier for her. She is going to a great school and she is running track. The sky’s the limit for her.”

Gaby Garza is grateful for all those who have made an impact in her life.

“I, of course, want to thank my parents (Carlos and Lucia Garza) for being so supportive with everything that I do,” she said. “And, of course, I thank Coach Garza as well for making this all possible.”

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

Involvement in athletics has always been a vital part of Alondra Toledo’s life, especially running track and playing softball.

Toledo, a Brownsville Veterans Memorial senior, made sure that involvement will continue once she graduates as on Thursday she signed a college athletic scholarship agreement to run track at Graceland University next school year. Graceland is an NAIA Division I school in Lamoni, Iowa.

A signing ceremony took place Thursday afternoon at the Brownsville Veterans library with a number of fellow students, teammates, coaches, teachers and Brownsville ISD officials on hand to witness the milestone event.

“It’s a special day, not just for me, but for my family, too,” said Toledo, who is a standout in the sprint events for the Lady Chargers plus a key member of her track team’s 400- and 800-meter relays. “My family has put in a lot of hard work just like me by being there and taking me to a lot of track meets, practices and things like that, so it’s a special day for us to celebrate this accomplishment and the journey we have been through in track. My parents are Fernando and Laura Toledo and I thank them a lot.”

Toledo, who plans to pursue a college degree in the medical health field, also plays softball and is a center fielder for the defending District 32-5A champion Lady Chargers.

Track and softball figure to keep Toledo pretty busy during the coming spring seasons for those two sports. In track, her best event besides the relays is the 200-meter dash. She recorded a personal-best time of 26.7 seconds at last spring’s 32-5A meet. Toledo is a past regional qualifier who has been listed in the Valley bests.

“This day is very special,” Lady Chargers track coach Jaime Castaneda said. “Alondra is the first one from our (girls) program to officially sign like this, so she’s a trend-setter. Hopefully others will follow. During the past seven seasons that we’ve been in existence (with me as coach), she’s been the first. That’s a great start.

“Things that stand out to me about Alondra are her self-motivation and her discipline,” Castaneda added. “She’s just a very determined person in general, and I think that’s what really motivates her to do better and to reach the next level. She wants to improve every day.
“I wish her the best. I know she’s going to represent our school and our city very well.”

Toledo has enjoyed her time as a Brownsville Veterans athlete and is anticipating even more success during the coming year.

“What can I say? I love this school and the school pride we have,” Toledo said. “Everyone has been so helpful and supportive here. Everyone here just makes the athletes have a drive to succeed. I’m so thankful for the coaches and the staff at our school.

“I thank God for blessing me with the ability to run, helping me have success in what I do and just setting my future for me,” she added.

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

Swimmers and divers from Hanna and Brownsville Veterans Memorial enjoyed standout showings Friday at Brownsville’s annual City Meet at Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center.

Hanna won the girls division with 274 points while Brownsville Veterans captured the boys division decisively with 309 points. The Golden Eagles were second in the boys team standings (232.5 points) and the Lady Chargers were the runner-up team in the girls division (257 points).

Rivera’s boys and girls were the defending team champions, and this year they each finished third with 252 points for the Lady Raiders and 222.5 points for the

Rivera boys. Eight schools participated in the meet.

Hanna coach Sam Perez said the City Meet competition is unique in that it’s not quite as pressure-packed as the district and regional meets that are a month or so away. Still, everyone strives to be a city champion in the festive atmosphere of the Brownsville-only meet, he said.

“It’s always exciting to see who’s the best of the best in town and to watch our guys and girls step up and just compete against the ones (from other schools) we see every day at practice,” Perez said. “We did amazing today. I’m proud of our swimmers and divers. We’ll be working hard during the next few weeks in preparing for (the) District (32-6A meet on Jan. 27).”

Double-winners in individual events for Hanna on Friday were senior Gloria Orta (girls 200 individual medley and 200 breaststroke), sophomore Nadia Gutierrez (girls 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke) and freshman Quinten Deysel (boys 50 and 100 freestyles).

“I was excited to win my events and become a city champion,” Orta said. “I knew I needed to have a really good swim because I was surrounded by some really good girls. I’m glad it really went well.

“I’m excited for district and regionals — it’s the last shot I’ve got (as a senior),” added Orta, who advanced to the UIL state meet last season for Hanna. “We went to state as a relay last season and this year I’m trying to make it to state individually. I hope it goes great. I’m looking forward to the (district and regional) races to come.”

Added Deysel, “It felt great today. I had some really good times. It was just a really good meet for me. It takes a lot of practice to swim really well. You have your whole team there supporting you, so that’s really fun when you do well.”
Other individual event winners for Hanna were Italy Garcia (girls 1-meter diving), Jose Santos (boys 500 freestyle) and Matthew Lovett (boys 100 backstroke),

“I feel I’ve gotten better every year, so I’m looking forward to the future,” said Lovett, a sophomore. “In general, every time I get first I feel like it’s an accomplishment for me because, in a way, by doing that I beat myself. I always try to improve and beat my previous time. Whenever I’m swimming, I visualize me swimming against an older version of myself. Every time I finish first like today, I become a new me (with a better time), and that means a lot.

“I would say to all swimmers to always strive to beat yourself,” Lovett added. “In the end what matters most is beating yourself and achieving something (by getting a new personal best in your event). It’s all about self-fulfillment (and achieving your goals by improving).”
Brownsville Veterans had its share of winners, particularly in the relays as the Chargers and Lady Chargers won a combined three relays — two for the boys and one for the girls.

A double-winner for the Brownsville Veterans boys was Adrian Fierro (100 butterfly and 100 breastroke). Fierro, just back from a national meet in Mexico earlier this week in Guadalajara, normally swims the 50 and 100 freestyles. He said it was a boost to triumph in individual events he doesn’t usually swim at meets. He also swam on two winning relays Friday.

Fierro, who recently signed to swim in college in Florida, topped a school record by clocking 55.14 seconds in the 100 butterfly.

“I wanted to change up my events today because I just came back from nationals in Mexico (on Wednesday and I was ninth in the 50 freestyle),” Fierro said. “I was feeling a little tired today, so I didn’t want to swim my regular events because I want to be at my full potential when I do them. I tried something new at this meet.

“We won (the boys team title Friday), so that was pretty good,” he added.
Other individual event winners for Brownsville Veterans were Daniela Santillana (girls 50 freestyle), Nicolas Alvarez (boys 1-meter diving) and Daniela Chapa (girls 500 freestyle).

St. Joseph Academy finished fourth in the girls standings (147 points) and fifth among the boys teams (100 points). Individual winners for SJA were Jessie

Hainley (girls 100 and 200 freestyles) and Esteban Gonzalez (boys 200 freestyle).

Another individual event winner Friday was Rivera’s Kyle Shea (boys 200 individual medley).

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

After scoring the soccer match’s initial goal three minutes into the action, the St. Joseph Academy Bloodhounds found themselves battling from behind pretty much the rest of the way in a 4-3 TAPPS Division I District 2 loss against Antonian Prep (San Antonio) on Saturday at Canales Field.

The setback at home evened the Bloodhounds’ overall record at 2-2. They are now 0-2 in district.
Antonian improved to 6-0-2 overall and 1-0 in district.

The Bloodhounds quickly gained a 1-0 advantage, but soon were deadlocked 1-1 with the Apaches after six minutes. Antonian went ahead for good, 2-1, during the 17th minute and held a 4-2 advantage at intermission. SJA’s lone goal midway through the second half just wasn’t enough as the Bloodhounds were unable to come up with the equalizer as the final minutes ticked away on the scoreboard.

“It was a tight match,” said Edgar Tovar, SJA’s first-year coach. “We had some errors early in the first half and we had to carry (the results of) those errors into the second half. We just couldn’t come away with the result that we had prepared for.

“Fortunately, our players put forth a stronger effort in the second half and came out with a better attitude (as they tried to rally),” Tovar added. “We just need to continue working hard so we can take away a better result in our next match. We need to be more focused (on getting the win).”

SJA next plays Dec. 28 at home against McAllen Rowe. Antonian’s next match is scheduled at home on Jan. 5 against San Antonio Edison.

The Bloodhounds opened their TAPPS season a few weeks ago with wins against Laredo St. Augustine (3-0) and Pharr Oratory (2-1) before losing 9-1 against TAPPS district foe San Antonio Central Catholic last weekend in the Alamo City.

“We have a team that is coming together and we look forward to having better results in the coming year,” Tovar said.

Jose Luis Almazan’s header off a corner kick in the third minute put the Bloodhounds ahead 1-0 in Saturday’s match. The Apaches converted a penalty kick just three minutes later to make it 1-1.

During the 17th minute, Antonian sent a low ball into the net from close range off a corner kick taken from the left side to go ahead to stay 2-1. An Antonian goal on a shot from the right side during the 36th minute increased the Apaches’ advantage to 3-1. Less than 20 seconds later, Adrian Cerda’s goal for the Bloodhounds cut Antonian’s lead to 3-2, but the Apaches weren’t done scoring.

A high, arcing shot off a long free kick that came in over the outstretched hands of the SJA goalkeeper settled into the back of the net for a 4-2 Antonian lead with 45 seconds remaining until intermission.

The Bloodhounds didn’t allow a goal to the Apaches during the second half’s 40 minutes, and conversely, could only come up with a close-range tally by Miguel Guerra during the 58th minute that left the final outcome 4-3 when the match ultimately ended.

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’ swimmers and divers have some major expectations for the coming year as District 32-6A and Region VIII-6A competition draws closer in late January and early February.

Among the athletes with a goal of qualifying for the UIL state meet Feb. 16-17 in Austin is the Falcons’ 400 freestyle relay composed of Danny Escamilla, Luis Osuna, Carlos Paredes and Will McKinney.

The relay members believe they are on course to do great things in 2018 as they set a school record in their event last weekend at the Pre-Regional Showcase at Brownsville’s Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center. Los Fresnos won the boys 400 freestyle relay at the meet in 3 minutes, 20.91 seconds.

“We’re excited about our 400-freestyle relay,” Los Fresnos swimming coach Jaime Perez said. “Breaking the (school) record is a goal they’ve had all (school) year and for them to accomplish it right now (heading into the new year), that’s just great.

“It gives us some added motivation to continue to work hard and to finish off the season strong (during the next couple of months),” Perez added. “I’m happy and excited for them.”

Paredes, a senior, said setting a school record in the event had added meaning for him.

“It’s been a goal of mine (to break that record) because my older brother was on the team that held it,” Paredes said. “My brother was the original (school) record holder and now I’ve knocked him off (the pedestal). It’s good for the team and it’s something we’ve been shooting for quite a long time.”

Added McKinney, the senior anchor of the relay, “It’s a great feeling knowing we’ve had our own part to play in the fastest (400 freestyle) relay in the history of Los Fresnos swimming. It’s a big deal to us and it serves as a motivator, more than anything else, to continue to push ourselves and strive to do better.

“These guys are my best friends and there’s no one else I’d rather be swimming with. I’m so proud of us.”

Getting to state is the ultimate goal for the relay members. Along the way they would like to break the pool record at the Clark Aquatic Center, which is the site of the 32-6A meet on Jan. 27 and the Region VIII-6A meet on Feb. 2-3. The pool record of 3:16.97 in the boys 400 freestyle relay was set at the beginning of 2017 by McAllen Memorial.

“Really, it feels awesome to be a part of this relay,” said Escamilla, also a senior. “These guys are my brothers and just to come together as a team (and do well) is great. We don’t just swim for ourselves, we swim for each other. We’re looking at regionals already. It’s a little scary because we have some other teams right behind us (and challenging us). We’re determined to go for state.”

Osuna, a junior, knows what it’s like to swim at the state meet. He qualified individually last season as a sophomore in the 500 freestyle.

“I feel very proud of myself and my teammates because we’re a family,” Osuna said. “We put our minds to it and we were determined to break the record. Yes, we just broke the record and what we hope is next is the pool record. It’s going to be tough, but with hard work, we can do it.

“(Except for me), these guys are all seniors and I just want to give them an opportunity to go to state,” Osuna added. “That’s something that would be a very good memory.”

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 district and regional competition just ahead in the coming months, Saturday was the perfect time for South Texas swimmers to show what they could do at the Pre-Regional Showcase at Brownsville’s Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center.

The annual Pre-Regional meet is considered a good indicator of which swimmers and divers might qualify from regionals to the UIL state meet Feb. 16-17 in Austin.

Actually, the meet’s name was changed by the organizers from “Showcase” to “Snowcase” in response to the rare snowy conditions South Texas experienced on Friday. The two-day event attracted 616 swimmers and divers representing 22 girls teams and 20 boys squads from the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, Del Rio and Corpus Christi areas.

Adrian Fierro of Brownsville Veterans Memorial was one of the meet standouts as he won the boys 50 and 100 freestyles with personal-best times of 21.68 seconds and 47.67 seconds.

Fierro, a senior who recently signed to compete at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, said his swims on Saturday give him added confidence that he will be able to qualify for the UIL state meet for the first time.

“I dropped times from my personal bests (in both events), so that was great,” Fierro said. “This meet allows you to see where you’re at (against the competition).

“I’ve been practicing a lot and I think I’m on course (to make it to state),” he added. “We also broke our high school record for the 200 freestyle relay today and that was a big plus, too.”

Also for the Chargers, Nicolas Alvarez (359.35 points) and Carlo Pereira (261.60) finished 1-2 in the boys 1-meter diving.

Brownsville Veterans coach Frank Sanchez said his team had a strong showing overall by finishing sixth in the girls division and eighth in the boys division against a combined field of Class 6A and 5A teams.

“I think our people swam out of their minds today,” Sanchez said. “The relays were just phenomenal. Sometimes when it’s a two-day meet, the times are kind of hit or miss on the second day (finals), and for our swimmers to come back after the first day and drop seven, 10 and 15 seconds in some of the relays and other events, it’s just amazing.

“I think we’re right on pace (for district and regionals),” Sanchez added. “Our people are at a different level now and they understand they can get there (to state). I just think they have to continue working hard and doing what they’re doing. I don’t know what (nourishment) they’re eating (to help them improve), but they should keep eating it.”

Los Fresnos captured the girls team title with 227 points. Rounding out the top seven girls teams were McAllen Memorial (200 points), Harlingen South (182), Laredo United (171), St. Joseph Academy (140) and a tie between Brownsville Veterans (139) and Tuloso-Midway (139).

“I feel great about our girls and boys,” Los Fresnos coach Jaime Perez said. “This pre-regional meet really helps us out because Friday we were able to qualify for the finals and today we were able to record some personal bests and have some other highlights. Our boys broke the school record in the 400 freestyle relay (with a first-place time of 3 minutes, 20.91 seconds).”

Swimming on the relay for the Falcons were Danny Escamilla, Luis Osuna, Carlos Paredes and Will McKinney.

Also, the Los Fresnos girls won the 400 freestyle relay in 4:02.14. The swimmers were Rebeca Osuna, Maria Manongas, Alex Alaniz and Emily Rodriguez.

Laredo United captured the boys team title with 320 points. The next six teams were McAllen High (211.5 points), Tuloso-Midway (179), Los Fresnos (177), Sharyland Pioneer (162) and a tie between Sharyland High (146) and McAllen Memorial (146).

Besides Fierro, double-winners for the boys included Harlingen South’s Justin Diaz (200 individual medley and 500 freestyle) and McHi’s Shaine Casas (100 butterfly and 100 backstroke).

Double-winners for the girls included SJA’s Jessie Hainley (50 and 100 freestyles) and Tuloso-Midway’s Zoe Garcia (200 and 500 freestyles).

Next up for local swimmers will be the annual Brownsville City Meet on Dec. 22 at the Clark Aquatic Center.

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

Among the players who received two of the top honors on The Brownsville Herald’s 2017 All-Metro Volleyball Team are Rivera’s Kourtney Shears and Los Fresnos’ Isis Delgado.

Shears is the All-Metro Setter of the Year, while Delgado is the All-Metro Libero of the Year. Both are juniors.

Delgado was the All-Metro newcomer in 2015 as a freshman and the top defensive player for All-Metro as a sophomore last season.
Now she’s been named the top libero for All-Metro and on the 32-6A All-District Team.

“To me, it just shows that my hard work and dedication is paying off,” said Delgado, who this season led her team with 707 digs and 670 service receptions. “I’m really blessed to have people support me and help me get these awards.

“What I usually try to do every match is just be a team player and help the team stick together and play for God,” she added. “Everything starts off with a pass (after a serve reception), and these last three years (as a starter), I’m thinking that if I can make a good pass (after getting the serve), then I know I’ve done my job. I know everyone else has their own skills to contribute to make the play work so we can get a point. It starts with that pass (off the serve).

“(As a senior next season) the consistency of doing better in whatever is thrown at me is important. I know my teammates count on me to give them the first pass to keep the play going, so (greater) consistency (is what I’ll be striving for). I know now that anything you put your mind to can pay off. I appreciate everyone who has supported me and I’m always going to play for God because He’s given me this gift to play the sport that I love.”

For Shears, it’s been rewarding to see her teammates convert so many of her sets into points with their hitting. She led the Lady Raiders with 883 assists this season while contributing 299 digs, 89 kills and a team-best 52 serving aces.

“It was honestly amazing because even if I had an off set or a bad set, these girls could still find a way to hit it over the net, even the ones who play in the back row,” said Shears, who was also voted the top setter in 32-6A this season. “it was definitely awesome to have them as my hitters.

“It’s amazing (to be named a top setter),” Shears added. “But I do have to give it to (Rivera) Coach Liz (Elizabeth Avelar-Guerra) for working with me every day in practice and to my teammates for making my sets look good.

“I’d just like to say thank you to all of our team, to Coach Liz and to all of our coaches for a great season.”

By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD

The 2017 volleyball season became one of Elizabeth Avelar-Guerra’s most memorable in 25 years of coaching the Rivera Lady Raiders.

It included her 500th career victory, the Lady Raiders’ first district title since 2007 and a trip to the second round of the Class 6A state playoffs.

For those reasons and more, Avelar-Guerra has been selected for the Coach of the Year award on The Brownsville Herald’s 2017 All-Metro Volleyball Team.

The Lady Raiders went 29-11 overall and won District 32-6A with a 14-0 record. Rivera’s season came to an all-too-soon end on Nov. 3 with a 12-25, 25-19, 25-7, 22-25, 15-11 area-round loss to District 29-6A runner-up Laredo Alexander at Rio Grande City.

The Rivera coach, who captured her 500th career win on Sept. 1 as the Lady Raiders triumphed in a sweep at home against Edinburg High, finished the 2017 season with a 517-300 overall record.

“This season has been fantastic,” Avelar-Guerra said. “The girls worked very hard. Including their (participation in) club ball, they’ve been playing all year round, and they’ve given me a lot. I really appreciate everything they’ve done for this team and for the school. They’ve been great representatives for our school, not just this year, but all the time they’ve been here.

“It was awesome coaching this team because they have so much talent, they worked hard and they have a lot of heart,” she added. “They just put everything together, which made them such a great team.”

The Rivera coach’s 500th victory came about with perfect timing as the Lady Raiders were at home when they defeated Edinburg High in three games on Sept. 1, and it happened prior to the start of 32-6A action. Originally, it appeared the 500th win would come at a tournament on the other end of the Valley, but due to the threat of Hurricane Harvey in late August, Brownsville teams weren’t allowed to travel out of town that weekend, so the milestone victory wound up taking place a few days later during a match at home for the Lady Raiders.

“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.”

Avelar-Guerra said she is grateful for her assistants, who include husband Richard Guerra, Shirley Zuniga, Cindy Sierra and Thomas Brashear,
Regarding her coach of the year awards for All-Metro and all-district, “Coach Ave” said, “(Getting) those honors is just great because I know there are a lot of coaches out there who also deserve it, so I’m really honored to receive it this year. I really want to thank my girls because one of the main reasons I’m receiving honors is because of the way they responded. I’m going to miss my seniors a lot and I’m really happy I’ll be getting my juniors back (next season).

“I hope our future teams can follow in these girls’ footsteps and learn from what they did,” Avelar-Guerra added. “Hopefully they can do the same thing.”

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

Cynthia Garcia and Cassie Valdez were two of the standout senior players who helped lead Brownsville Veterans Memorial to the District 32-5A volleyball title during the season just completed.

The Lady Chargers, who finished 25-8 overall, successfully defended their 32-5A championship in 2017 and won district with a 14-0 record for the second straight season.

As a result of the strong contributions they made in helping power their squad, Garcia and Valdez are the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year on The Brownsville Herald’s 2017 All-Metro Volleyball Team.

Garcia went from being named the 32-5A newcomer last season to being chosen the 32-5A’s top offensive player in 2017. And now she’s the top offensive player on the All-Metro squad as well.

“It’s always such a big honor (to receive these awards),” said Garcia, an outside hitter who provided lots of offense from the side for the Lady Chargers with a team-best 237 kills. “I never played club volleyball, so I never thought I would be good enough to get awards like this. I’m amazed that I’ve come so far since starting to play in the sixth grade, so this means a lot to me.

“There was a point I actually hated to play volleyball, but that was a long time ago (in grade school),” she added. “Now I love the game and it’s such a huge honor to receive these awards.”

Garcia is on course to graduate in 2018 as her school’s valedictorian and says she would welcome a chance to play volleyball in college even though her studies to someday become a doctor come first.

Valdez is a multi-sport standout who just signed an NCAA Division I athletic scholarship to play softball for the UT-San Antonio Roadrunners.
Along with her talent in softball, Valdez is quite a standout in volleyball, too. She was named the 32-5A MVP in volleyball this season. In reality, she is an all-around player who shines all over the court doing a variety of things on defense and offense.

“The volleyball season was great again this year,” said Valdez, a third-year varsity player who this season was third on the team in kills (147) and digs (211), first in assists (313) and second in serving aces (37). “I just tried to go all out every time I played and I would be diving after the ball every chance I got. I worked hard for my team and I knew they were doing the same thing. Whatever my coach wanted me to do, I was going to go do it 100 percent. Winning is what drives me.

“Volleyball has always been one of my most fun sports,” she added. “Getting these accolades for playing it is a huge blessing. I thank God for giving me the gift (to play sports) that He gave me.”

Lady Chargers coach Lisa Mares said it was a joy to coach both girls during their varsity careers.

“Cynthia is very dedicated to whatever she does and she worked really hard over the summer (in preparation for the 2017 season),” Mares said. “She was first noticed last year as the newcomer of our district. I love her work ethic. She never shows any signs of frustration or fear. Her demeanor is always the same no matter what, even in practice.

“A lot of hard work and discipline is what Cynthia brought to the team,” Mares added. “I’m just so proud of her accomplishments so far in and outside of volleyball.”

Coaching an athlete of Valdez’s caliber was also quite a pleasure, Mares said.

“Cassie is a person who is so selfless,” the Lady Chargers coach said. “She will give anything to help out the team. I think getting an award for defense really shows the kind of player and person she is. She’s going to do the best she can with her ability to help out. She’s always giving more than she has. She never came out because she was a strong hitter in front and played solid defense in the back.

“Both of these girls have such a tremendous work ethic and I’m glad that it shows and that they are being recognized with these awards,” Mares added. “I know both of them are going to do great things in life. I’m just happy to have had them here with me. They are role models for our younger girls, and I thank them for that.”

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