ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The “Tennessee Connection” between Brownsville runners and Bethel University continues.

The McKenzie, Tennessee, college added three more Rivera runners to its roster Friday as Jonathan Herrera, Raul Casiano and Jennifer Lopez signed to compete in track and cross country for the NAIA Division I Wildcats.

Family members, friends, teammates, coaches and school personnel gathered just inside the hallway entrance at Rivera on Friday to celebrate the athletes’ accomplishment of earning scholarships to college with a well-attended signing ceremony.

“I’m very happy they can continue to run and get a good education in college,” Rivera coach Arturo Hurtado said. “They can use running as a tool to fulfill their dreams of becoming whatever they want to become.”

Herrera, Casiano and Lopez will be joining five other male runners from Brownsville who already compete at Bethel University — three from Rivera and two from Pace.

The nucleus of Rivera’s runners who went to the UIL state meet as a team in 2014 now will be running for the Wildcats, who qualified for the NAIA nationals for the first time in the fall of 2016.

Lopez becomes the first female runner from Brownsville to compete in track and cross country for the Tennessee school.

“This is an amazing experience,” said Lopez, better known as “J-Lo” to her coaches, teammates and classmates. “I did not believe (at one point) that I would ever be signing to run in college. And now, knowing that I have these (Brownsville) guys who are like my brothers up there to help me and guide me and show me the way, it’s going to be great.

“I would say running with my team in the hot weather and having hard practices (to get better) has been an awesome experience,” added Lopez, who plans to study psychology/criminology in college. “It’ll be even harder over there, but I know I’m ready for it. Definitely my coaches and my family have been a strong support system to help me achieve this. All the glory goes to the Man upstairs.”

Casiano also welcomes his chance to run at the college level and plans to study kinesiology.

“I’m the first one in my family to get a scholarship like this, so I’m very happy,” Casiano said. “I feel good because I’ll be over there with my friends. I just thank God and my family for supporting me and helping me receive this opportunity to become a college student and athlete.”

Herrera said he’s been to Tennessee several times already and likes the state’s landscape with its endless mountains, piney woods and winding roads. It’s far different than his current surroundings in South Texas, but it’s a place he’s looking forward to calling home for the next few years.

“This is a special day that I thought might never happen,” said Herrera, who plans to study mathematics and pre-engineering. “I just started running because of my Dad and we did it for fun. It ended up with me here (getting an athletic scholarship).

“I was born in Ohio, and every time we came down to Brownsville to visit, we drove through Tennessee, and I was impressed,” he added. “There are a lot of mountain ranges and trees. It’s something I look forward to experiencing (while living there). Hopefully, we have fun, do well with our studies and do what we’re going there to do, which is run.

“We want to get better while representing Brownsville and Rivera, the place we’re from and where it all started.”

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

If ever there was a time during the District 32-6A soccer season when the Brownsville Rivera Raiders might be caught a little vulnerable, it was probably Friday.

The Raiders were coming off Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat at Los Fresnos in which they lost one of their best players, Julian Espinoza, to injury and surrendered first place in 32-6A to the Falcons. Espinoza is expected to be out six weeks.

How would the Raiders respond Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium against Harlingen South, a team that had won its last three matches and is right in the thick of the playoff race as well?

Rivera scored a goal during each half and Raiders goalkeeper Jorge Cordova came up with a least three standout saves to highlight a 2-0 victory against the Hawks.

“This was the first game to play without Julian, and there was a question mark in the coaches’ minds, wondering how the players were going to react,” Rivera coach Salvador Garcia said. “Even though we’ve been saying it for the longest time that Rivera doesn’t depend on just one player, Julian is a big part of the team, so it was a concern.

“Our guys really played with a lot of heart tonight and a lot of desire to prove a point (that they are still a good team),” Garcia added. “They got some confidence (from this victory), and confidence is something we need. We go against Hanna on Tuesday, and that’s going to be a tough game as well.”

Los Fresnos, a 4-1 winner against Weslaco High on Friday, closed out the first round of district at 6-1 with 19 points, while Rivera is second at 6-1 with 18 points.

Hanna, a 2-1 winner at Weslaco East on Friday, holds down third place at 6-1 with 17 points and South is fourth at 4-2 with 12 points.

“It was a great game,” South coach Julian Robles said. “Rivera is a tough opponent in the district. It came down to mistakes and who would take advantage of them. They did and we didn’t.

“I am proud of our boys,” Robles added. “They played hard. We still have the second round of district to play and we are looking forward to it.”

Scoring the Raiders’ goals were Alex Mendez in the 25th minute and Adrian Mireles in the 52nd minute.

On the play that resulted in Mendez’s goal, the ball came into the goalmouth on a long free kick taken from the left side of the field. The ball was deflected out and came right to Mendez, who immediately kicked it into the net from about 15 yards away. With 15 minutes left in the opening half, Rivera led 1-0.

It became 2-0 for the Raiders just 12 minutes into the second half when Mireles sent a crossing shot into the right corner of the goal from the left side approximately 18 yards out.

“Tonight we came out with a chip on our shoulder knowing that we didn’t have one of our (top) attacking center midfielders (Espinoza),” said Jorge Morales, a sophomore defensive midfielder for the Raiders. “We knew that God was putting a test to us (to see how we would respond). I think we showed how strong we are and that we’re a pretty good team.”

While Rivera plays Hanna on Tuesday at Sams as the second half of 32-6A action begins, the Hawks will go against Harlingen High the same night at Boggus Stadium in the Bird Bowl.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The 62nd annual Sams Relays returns to Sams Memorial Stadium on Saturday with 20 teams scheduled to compete for the boys and 19 for the girls.

The defending team champions are Weslaco High for the girls and Sharyland High for the boys.

This marks the second weekend of track competition in the Rio Grande Valley. Last weekend’s season-opening meets included the Bobby Morrow Relays in San Benito, the PSJA North Winter Relays in Pharr and the Steve Stark Relays in Mission.

The Rivera boys and the Hanna girls were team champions last weekend at the Bobby Morrow Relays.

One of the athletes to watch Saturday is Pace discus/shot put thrower Gertrudis Ruiz-Balli, a senior who recently signed to compete at Texas A&M University-Kingsville along side her older sister Yesenia, a Pace graduate and now a sophomore at TAMUK.

Gertrudis Ruiz-Balli won the discus (122 feet, 4 inches) and the shot put (37-9) at the Bobby Morrow Relays. She ranks first in the Valley in the shot put and second in the discus.

Ruiz-Balli is a senior who is trying to qualify for state for the first time this track season. At regionals, she finished third in the discus as a sophomore and third again as a junior to barely miss out on a trip to Austin.

“Gertrudis is off to a great start,” Pace girls track coach Sergio Sandoval said. “She’s been working hard since summer track. It’s still very early in the season, and so far, she’s doing great.

“I’m trying not to get too excited (about her chances just yet),” Sandoval added. “Hopefully this is our year and she can make it up there (to state). Our goals are for her to throw 130 feet in the discus and 40 feet in the shot put. We believe this is our year. She’s already been throwing personal bests.”

Among the teams competing this year at the Sams Relays will be the six Brownsville public high schools plus St. Joseph Academy, Los Fresnos and Port Isabel along with the Harlingen schools, San Benito and Raymondville.

The Weslaco schools also are entered along with Rio Hondo, La Feria, Progreso, PSJA North, PSJA Memorial, PSJA High and Edinburg North.

The meet starts at 9 a.m. Saturday at Sams with the prelims and finals of the discus and shot put for boys and girls.

Additional field events to be competed for boys and girls Saturday morning include the long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vault.

Field event awards are to be presented at 3:30 p.m.

Running prelims are set for 10:30 a.m. with the finals to follow at 3:30 p.m.

There will be no prelims and only finals competed in the races that include the 800 meters, 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters plus the 1,600-meter relay.

For all other races, the top eight times will advance to the running finals in the afternoon.

Running event awards will be presented during the finals and team championships are to be awarded at the conclusion of the meet.

For more information regarding the meet, call the Sams Stadium athletic office at (956) 548-8261.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Stephanie Castillo’s high school swimming career is coming to an end.

The Rivera senior standout in the pool is finishing it the best way possible by competing this weekend at the UIL state meet in Austin. The prelims are Friday with the finals on Saturday.

Castillo is advancing to state for the second straight year in the 100 freestyle after placing second at the Region VIII-6A meet on Feb. 4 in Brownsville. Also joining Castillo at state is Rivera diver Italy Garcia, a junior who finished third in her event at the regional meet.

“It’s a cool story (about Italy),” Rivera swimming coach Ryan Shea said. “She’s an ex-gymnast who barely started diving this (school) year. She got her dives down bit by bit and became good enough to qualify for state. It’s pretty exciting.”

Other swimmers from the Metro-area who are headed to Austin include Los Fresnos’ Luis Osuna along with Hanna’s Natalia Davila, Maya Athena Imperial, Gloria Orta and Nadia Gutierrez.

This year, the top two swimmers in every event at regionals qualified for state along with the top three divers. The format has changed from a year ago when only the top swimmer in each event and the top two divers advanced to state.

“I actually feel quite excited (and relatively calm) to be going back,” Castillo said. “It has changed. Before, I was nervous (when I went to state the first time). Since I’ve been training, I feel fine. Everyone is positive about it.

“They’ve given an extra opportunity (to qualify for state to swimmers who finished second at regionals), so that’s even better for me,” Castillo added. “I just feel like it’s a great opportunity.

“I believe this is the best year that I’ve had (swimming for Rivera). Being with this team that has come together and having my coaches with me, everyone is positive and there have been no negatives. Everybody has been there to push everyone else (to do well).”

At regionals, Castillo swam her event in 55.88 seconds. McAllen Rowe’s Ina Te won the competition in 55.38.

Shea said the focus for Castillo at state is to try to drop her time below 55 seconds in the 100 freestyle.

“We have goals going up there (to Austin),” said Shea, who is assisted by Julie Puckett. “Stephanie has been a joy to coach. She’s a very talented athlete and she’s awesome to have on the team. We’re just trying to achieve her goals.

“Stephanie works as hard in the classroom as she does in the pool, so she’s a good student academically as well,” Shea added. “We’re glad to be going back to state. We’re excited.”

Castillo said swimming for Rivera all four years in high school has meant a lot to her.

“I feel grateful,” she said. “I’m grateful for my coaches. To me, they’re the reason that I’m going to state. If I didn’t have them, I don’t think I would have made it. I’m happy.”

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

The boys and girls soccer teams of Los Fresnos have made strong showings during the first half of the District 32-6A race.

Both the Falcons and Lady Falcons are district leaders going into Friday’s matches, which mark the end of the first round of 32-6A action.

Thanks to a 1-0 victory at home Tuesday against Rivera, the Los Fresnos boys are now atop the 32-6A standings at 5-1 with 16 points. Close behind are Rivera and Hanna, each also 5-1 with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Fourth-place Harlingen South is the other team in close contention at 4-2 with 12 points.

“I’m proud of my boys,” said Falcons coach Javier Navarrete, whose team completes the first round of district at home Friday against Weslaco High. “They have a lot of faith. That’s what our season is based on is faith. They showed it against Rivera. They hung in there and they played for each other. We’re excited about our chances.”

Coming off Tuesday’s 6-0 road win against Rivera, the Los Fresnos girls are moving forward with a 6-0 record and 18 points in their district race.

Behind the Lady Falcons in the standings are Harlingen South (5-1, 15 points) and Harlingen High (4-2, 12 points) in second and third place, respectively. Also in the hunt for the playoffs are Hanna and Rivera (each 3-3 with nine points apiece) and Weslaco East (2-4, six points).

“We’re looking forward to great competition (throughout the rest of district) and we just want to make sure that we’re ready for the playoffs,” said Lady Falcons coach Patricia K. Hernandez, whose girls will be at Weslaco High on Friday.

32-5A CURRENT SITUATION
Boys and girls teams reached the end of the first round in District 32-5A on Tuesday.

As expected, it’s become an even, closely fought battle in both the boys and girls races with no one team in 32-5A looking far superior to the others.

For the boys, Brownsville Veterans Memorial ended the first round of district atop the 32-5A standings at 6-1 with 18 points followed by Lopez and Porter tied for second (each 5-2 with 15 points apiece). Donna High (3-4, 10 points) holds down fourth place, while Pace and Donna North follow next and are tied (each 3-4 with nine points apiece).

Coming off Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the Pace Lady Vikings on penalty kicks, the Lopez girls remain atop the 32-5A standings at 6-1 with 17 points. In second place is Porter at 4-3 with 13 points. Pace (5-2, 12 points), Brownsville Veterans (4-3, 12 points) and Edcouch-Elsa (3-4, 12 points) are all tied for third. Donna North and Donna High come next (each 3-4 with nine points apiece).

Teams in 32-5A enjoy an open date Friday before beginning the second half of district action on Tuesday.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Porter Cowboys and Cowgirls played all their first-round district matches on the road as they patiently waited for the completion of their new, on-campus artificial turf field. It is similar to the one recently installed at Lopez.

The finished field was officially christened Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and is ready for action.

On Tuesday, the Porter teams begin the second round at home with “Battle of Southmost” matches against Lopez, the boys playing at 5:30 p.m. with the girls to follow at 7:30 p.m.

“Our team is going through a renewal process and we hope to get our pieces together and regroup versus Lopez on our new turf field,” said Porter coach Jose Espitia, whose Cowboys prevailed at Edcouch-Elsa 2-0 in overtime on Tuesday. “The group is excited about that (new field), and what better way to inaugurate it (than by having a ‘Battle of Southmost’ matchup).

“Being back home with our people there for our first game ever played on our newly installed turf (field) is definitely motivation,” Espitia 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, Staff Writer

LOS FRESNOS — There’s a new leader in the District 32-6A boys soccer race.

Ramon Garcia’s goal on a high arc from about 25 yards out with seven and a half minutes remaining lifted the Los Fresnos Falcons to a 1-0 victory over the Rivera Raiders on Tuesday at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium.

The result enabled the Falcons to move to the top of the 32-6A standings with a 5-1 record and 16 points. Rivera slipped out of first place and now is in second place at 5-1 with 15 points. Hanna, a 3-2 winner against Harlingen High on Tuesday, is close behind the Falcons and Raiders with a 5-1 record and 14 points.

Garcia was attacking down the middle and let his shot fly on the run. The ball came in high and just cleared the crossbar before making it past the goalkeeper and settling into the back of the net.

It was the only goal the Falcons needed.

“We’re battling for first place, so this was a very good win for us,” Los Fresnos coach Javier Navarrete said. “We’re excited about the opportunity (to be in first place) and the challenge. Our guys rose to the challenge tonight.

“I’m very satisfied with how my team played,” Navarrete added. “We had our (scoring) opportunities just like Rivera, and I thought we played poised. We’re a young team with a combination of some experienced players and our guys did really, really well in this game. I’m excited about my boys.”

he first round of district ends Friday as Los Fresnos is at home against Weslaco High, Rivera entertains Harlingen South at Sams Memorial Stadium and Hanna visits Weslaco East.

“There’s no doubt about it, we knew it was going to be a tough game,” Rivera coach Salvador Garcia said. “We know that Los Fresnos has a good team and we know how they play (with determination) for their great coach, so yes, it was going to be a tough one.

“I think we have to give them credit,” the Rivera coach added. “We didn’t play our best game, but it was because of the way they came out to play against us tonight. We have to give the credit to Los Fresnos. It was a hard-fought game. Both teams had their chances. We hit the post twice (with our shots), and that’s just part of the game. Sometimes the ball just doesn’t want to go in for you.”

Rivera lost one of its top scorers, Julian Espinoza, with 25 minutes left when he collided with a Los Fresnos player and took a hard fall to the turf. It appeared Espinoza suffered an upper-body injury and he didn’t return to the match.

“We just hope and pray that he’ll be back soon,” the Rivera coach said.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

LOS FRESNOS — It would seem to be a natural fit for Clarissa “Claire” Castaneda to play soccer for the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley in nearby Edinburg.

Castaneda has played the game since her youth and is currently a strong force at center midfielder for the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons as they pursue yet another district championship and trip to the regional tournament.

Castaneda still has plenty of high school soccer left during the coming month or so as she completes her senior season.
And thanks to Wednesday’s college athletic scholarship signing with UTRGV, the four-year starter can now rest assured knowing her future in the sport beyond graduation is determined.

She’s getting a chance to play close to home at the NCAA Division I level while on scholarship.

That’s a pretty good deal by any measure.

“Yes, it does seem like a perfect fit because I’m going into college knowing at least one other player (fellow signee Anna Hover of McAllen High) who I’ve played (club soccer) with already, and I’ve always watched the UTRGV girls’ games, so it is a very good fit,” said Castaneda, who put her name on the dotted line as family, friends, school personnel, teammates and coaches looked on at Wednesday’s on-campus signing ceremony.

There were some tears, but they were mostly tears of joy.

“I’ve known since I was a little girl that I didn’t want to play soccer just for fun,” Castaneda said. “I wanted to make something out of it and become a college soccer player.”

Castaneda has received recognition for her standout play since she was a freshman for the Lady Falcons. Those awards include all-district and All-Metro honors. After her junior season last year, she was named as one of three candidates for the All-Valley female player of the year award.

Patricia K. Hernandez has been there each step of the way with Castaneda. She was an assistant coach two years at Los Fresnos before serving as the Lady Falcons’ head coach this season and the last.

“I’m filled with pride,” Hernandez said. “I’ve known ‘Claire’ in the classroom and on the field for four years. I’ve seen her walk this journey and there’s nothing more exciting than to sit beside her as she signs her name on that paper. I wish her nothing but the best as she continues her athletic career.

“We look forward to watching her play as a Vaquero,” Hernandez added. “I’m happy for her because she’s one of the lucky ones who gets to play at that level, and more so knowing that her family is going to be close by and able to enjoy going to watch her games.

“‘Claire’ has God-given talent and she has used that talent well. Her level of play is like no other — (and perhaps like only) just a few here in the Valley that I’ve seen. Her scholarship is for UTRGV, but I feel she could have gone anywhere at the Division I level.”

Castaneda said she’s not quite finished adding memories to her stellar Los Fresnos soccer career before turning her full attention to college.

“It is amazing to play for the Lady Falcons,” said Castaneda, who plans to pursue a major in kinesiology or criminal justice at UTRGV. “Everyone knows Los Fresnos has such a good soccer program and that we have such a good group of hard-working girls. We all love the sport and that’s what makes it so amazing to be a part of it with our awesome coaches.”

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

The closely contested District 32-5A boys soccer match Tuesday between Brownsville Veterans Memorial and Porter provided a worthy preview of the intense, all-out playoff competition that is ahead, but still more than a month away. It’s not even the second round of district yet.

The postseason is scheduled to begin March 23 for Class 6A, 5A and 4A teams.

In the meantime, there are pretty engaging district showdowns between Brownsville teams such as Tuesday’s matchup. It was a game in which both squads played at a high level.

Over the years, that’s the kind of soccer Brownsville aficionados have come to expect and what makes Brownsville soccer at the high school level so special.

The fans weren’t disappointed Tuesday, except maybe at the end for the home-crowd Chargers fans. District 32-5A frontrunners Brownsville Veterans and Porter squared off with the Cowboys eventually winning 3-2 to create a tie for first place as both teams are now 4-1 with 12 points apiece. On Tuesday, Porter trailed 1-0 and 2-1 before scoring twice in the final 18 minutes to win.

Both coaches said they were pleased with the effort displayed by their players.

“We’ve gone against three tough Brownsville teams in our district, we beat two of them and we almost beat the third one,” Chargers coach Alberto Vasquez said. “I feel pretty good about our team. We’ll learn from this (loss to Porter). I’m proud of my guys.”

Bouncing back after last Friday’s surprising 2-0 road loss to Donna High, the Cowboys were once again feeling positive about themselves following Tuesday’s win.

“The way we were playing (before Tuesday), we knew only a loss like that (one in Donna) was going to bring us up again,” Porter coach Jose Espitia said. “Our players were excited to get this victory because Veterans was in first place. They knew we had to beat them to have a chance at the district championship or be at the top of the standings (again).

“We knew it was going to be a good test for us,” he added. “The guys were focused and mentally ready. They were prepared for a battle because every time a Brownsville team goes against another Brownsville team, it’s going to be tough, especially against a team like Veterans.

“There was a championship game atmosphere to this one. Hopefully we can start building some momentum from here.”

The Cowboys have been playing all their first-round district games on the road, as has the Porter girls team, as they waited for their on-campus artificial turf field to be completed. The new field is finished and the Porter boys and girls were expecting to start practicing on it this week.

Besides the Chargers and Cowboys tied at the top of the 32-5A standings at 4-1 with 12 points each, other top teams in the 32-5A boys title hunt are Lopez and Pace (both 3-2 with nine points each) plus Donna High (2-3, seven points) and Donna North (2-3, six points).

Lopez is the lone leader among the 32-5A girls at 5-0 with 14 points. The next closest teams are Pace, Edcouch-Elsa and Donna High, all with two losses.

CURRENT SITUATION IN DISTRICT 32-6A
The Rivera Raiders assumed sole control of the District 32-6A boys lead at 4-0 with 12 points after Tuesday’s 2-0 victory against Weslaco High.

Hanna edged Los Fresnos 1-0 on penalty kicks, also Tuesday, leaving the Falcons at 3-1 with 10 points. Hanna is 3-1 with eight points.

Looking ahead, the Falcons and Raiders square off at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Los Fresnos.

Meanwhile, Los Fresnos appears to be unstoppable in the 32-6A girls race with a 4-0 record and 12 points. The Lady Falcons have outscored their first four district opponents 24-3. Harlingen South and Harlingen High (both 3-1 with nine points apiece) are tied for second place.

TAPPS DISTRICT GAME
The St. Joseph Academy Bloodhounds continue their TAPPS district schedule by playing host to San Antonio Antonian at 2 p.m. Saturday at Canales Field.

The Bloodhounds are 15-6-2 overall. They’re 0-2 in their TAPPS district, but remain in the hunt for the playoffs. A win Saturday would greatly help their cause.

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

The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers battled back and captured a victory they desperately needed in the District 32-5A girls soccer race.

The Lady Chargers trailed 1-0 and 2-1 before scoring the match’s last two goals to win 3-2 against the Porter Cowgirls on Tuesday at the Brownsville Veterans field.

The Brownsville Veterans girls improved to 3-2 in district with nine points after suffering losses in their two previous matches. Porter slipped to 2-3 with seven points.

“We desperately needed this win,” Lady Chargers coach Luis Troncoso said. “I told our girls we needed those three points (with a win). It’s tough coming off back-to-back losses, but I told them we just needed to keep fighting and going forward.”

“It was a close game,” Troncoso added. “Porter has a good team.”

The Cowwgirls went up 1-0 during the 18th minute when the ball was centered on a high pass from the right side. The pass couldn’t have been placed any better as the ball came to Lizbeth Garcia, who was situated near the left post. She headed it into the goal as the goalkeeper couldn’t make a play in time.

The score remained 1-0 in Porter’s favor until a little more than five minutes had expired in the second half. That’s when Samantha Bodden scored on a narrow angle with a shot taken from the right side that managed to catch the left corner of the net, making it 1-1.

Just four minutes later, Porter went ahead 2-1 when Christy Herbert sent a high shot into the right side of the goal from about 15 yards away.

At that point, the match was far from over.

Melissa Medina pulled the Lady Chargers even at 2-2 with 11 and a half minutes remaining when she scored from approximately 12 yards out.

When, with six minutes to go, the Lady Chargers took their first lead when Christina Pullen scored from close range, giving her team a 3-2 advantage.

Even then, the outcome still was in doubt as the Cowgirls were awarded a penalty kick with a little more than four minutes left. But the PK try sailed high and the Lady Chargers held on for the victory.

In addition to scoring the first goal for the Lady Chargers, Bodden also assisted on her team’s second and third goals.

“I think Veterans wanted it more than we did tonight,” Cowgirls coach Abraham Gracia said. “Their girls were running to the ball and we were waiting for it.”

District action continues Friday as Brownsville Veterans plays at home against Donna North and Porter travels to Mercedes.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Coming off an unexpected loss, the Porter Cowboys showed their true colors Tuesday against Brownsville Veterans Memorial.

In a back-and-forth District 32-5A soccer match, the Cowboys rallied from deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 to win 3-2 over the Chargers at the Brownsville Veterans’ field.

The result leaves both teams tied for the 32-5A lead with 4-1 records and 12 points apiece.

Porter was coming off last Friday’s surprising 2-0 setback at Donna High.

“For one reason or another we ended up losing that game over in Donna,” Porter coach Jose Espitia said. “The main purpose of it was to give us a wake-up call. It was actually a loss we needed because we hadn’t been playing the way we should. That loss shook up the team. We were only playing (and hustling) at 50 or 60 percent against Donna.

“This was a total team effort tonight,” he added. “Everyone played hard.”

Midway through the first half, the Chargers took a 1-0 lead when Aldo LeKach headed the ball into the goal on the bounce.

Barely a minute later, with 18 and a half minutes to go before halftime, Agustin Pizano scored from close range for Porter, leaving it deadlocked 1-1 through intermission.

LeKach scored on a crossing shot from the left side to the right corner of the goal midway through the second half to put the Chargers on top again 2-1.

When Porter came alive for the next two goals to secure the win that revived the Cowboys’ spirits after their defeat at Donna High.

Anthony Cuellar drilled home a rocket of a direct kick that went off the hands of the Chargers goalkeeper and into the net to pull Porter even for the second time at 2-2. Cuellar’s spectacular goal from 30-plus yards came with 18 minutes remaining.

Porter then went ahead for the first time and eventually won on a high header into the net by Jose Pardillo off a throw-in taken from the left side with nine minutes left.

“I think it was a pretty good game overall as far as being pretty even,” said Brownsville Veterans coach Alberto Vasquez, whose team was coming off Monday’s 2-1 victory over Lopez in a game that was resumed with 28:06 to go after being suspended due to heavy rain on Friday. “We had a couple of chances to score at the end that we just couldn’t push in. They pushed one more in than we did tonight.

“I think my guys left everything they had on the field,” he added. “I’m proud of them.”

District action continues Friday for both teams as Brownsville Veterans plays host to Donna North and Porter travels to Mercedes.