By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

SINTON — The Port Isabel Tarpons’ trip to the state playoffs was a quick one this year.

With a strong second-half showing, the Sweeny Bulldogs made sure of that Friday by rallying to defeat the Tarpons 36-21 at Sinton’s Pirate Stadium in the opening round of the Class 4A Division II playoffs.

Sweeny (7-4) moves on to face Navarro or Poteet next week in the area playoffs.

Port Isabel, the District 16-4A Division II tri-champion, ended its season at 9-2.

The Tarpons led 21-15 at halftime after following a pretty much perfectly played game plan that featured time-consuming offensive drives to keep Sweeney’s potent offense on the sideline. Plus the Tarpons made some strong defensive plays in the first half, too.

But in the second half, Sweeny came alive and rallied to go ahead for good as Bulldog quarterback Evan Green broke loose for three long rushing touchdowns on plays covering 19, 51 and 37 yards. The 19- and 51-yard scoring runs came in the third quarter and the last of the three, a 37-yarder, happened with 8:02 showing in the fourth period to boost the tally to 36-21 and seal the victory.

Port Isabel coach Monty Stumbaugh said he was proud of his squad regardless of the loss.

“I saw a group of kids tonight who came to play a team that was bigger and faster than they were, but they played their hearts out,” Stumbaugh said. “That’s what I saw.

“We played a really good first half by getting after Sweeney,” Stumbaugh added. “Then we made a bad pitch (on our first drive of the third quarter that resulted in an 8-yard loss). What should have been a second-and-five turned into a third-and-12 or something like that, then we have to punt and they break one (for a TD to get back in the game and gain momentum).”

The Tarpons trailed early 8-0, but made it 8-7 on a 77-yard scoring run by Omar Silva, who rushed for 200 yards on the night and surpassed the 2,000-yard rushing plateau for the season.

Also for the Tarpons in the opening half, sophomore QB Cesar Aguilera rushed 1 yard for a TD and passed 12 yards to tight end Jesus Saldivar for another score with 2:44 left before intermission to make it 21-15.

Earlier, Sweeny’s Donovan Banks crossed the goal line from 1 yard out and the Bulldogs rushed for a two-point conversion to make it 8-0 with 7:00 showing in the first quarter. Exactly one minute later, Silva scored Port Isabel’s first TD by sprinting downfield on his 77-yard gallop to the end zone.

Aguilera’s 1-yard TD plunge put the Tarpons ahead 14-8 at the 10:35 mark of the second period before Banks caught a deep pass from Evans in stride and turned it into a 59-yard scoring play to allow the Bulldogs to regain the lead, 15-14, with 9:38 remaining before halftime.

Aguilera’s 12-yard pass to a wide open Saldivar in the end zone caught Sweeny by surprise and gave the Tarpons a 21-15 advantage that stood until Green scored on his 19-yard run with 5:44 to go in the third period.

“Tonight, Sweeny was the better team, but I’m so proud of these guys,” Stumbaugh said. “They had a heck of a year. Everyone picked us third in our district and these guys brought us a championship, which was something they weren’t expected to do. What they accomplished and the heart they showed, that’s something I will always remember.”

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

A word of advice: Don’t mess with the Lopez Lobos’ defense.

Defense has been one of the strongest parts of the Lopez football team this season as the Lobos return to the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

The District 32-5A co-third place Lobos (7-3) go against District 31-5A co-champion Laredo Nixon (9-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Roma’s Gladiator Stadium in the Class 5A Division I bi-district playoffs. The winner moves on to play Corpus Christi Carroll or Eagle Pass Winn next week.

Lopez has the stats to back up its strong defensive play.

The Lobos finished the regular season with the top-rated defense in 32-5A, allowing only 232.6 yards per game. Lopez has recorded two shutouts (44-0 vs. PSJA Memorial and 31-0 vs. Donna North), which is a fairly remarkable feat in this time of wide-open, high-scoring offenses. In three other victories, the Lobos allowed only 15 or fewer points.

“We started at the bottom our sophomore year, and we’re a band of brothers who have always been together throughout our losing seasons (of the past),” said Jesse Luna, a senior middle linebacker for the Lobos. “We’ve come together and bought into this program. Our new defensive coordinator (Hugo Ramirez) has us playing a ‘Seek and Destroy’ defense. We’re not sitting back. We’re going (on a blitz) and making plays in the (offensive) backfield.

“It’s kind of exciting to be back in the playoffs after 10 years,” Luna added. “We just have to go out and do what we do.”

On defense for Lopez, the captains are Luna and Rulber de la Torre, a senior tackle.

“This is my second year (to play) and we’re more aggressive now,” de la Torre said. “I feel better about the way we’re playing. We just need to keep playing hard on every play and not stop.”

Besides de la Torre, Lopez’s five-man defensive front includes ends Josue Lucio, Juan Rodriguez and Lorenzo Uresti, who alternate, plus tackle Peter Garcia and nose guard Christian Godinez.

The linebackers are Luna and Leo de la Torre, who is Rulber’s younger brother. The secondary consists of cornerbacks Jose Ochoa, Brandon Frausto and Marco Solis, free safety Irving Perez and strong safety Alec Angeles.

“It’s a great privilege to start on this defense,” said Leo de la Torre, a junior. “We’re out there doing our best. I feel this team can move up (in the playoffs). What I really like is that our defensive coordinator has trusted us and believed in us that we can be as aggressive as he wants us to be. That helps us motivate each other and get to the ball. We’re just going to keep going and ‘Seek and Destroy’ so we can prove people wrong.”

Ramirez has been an assistant coach for the Lobos four seasons. He’s now getting his chance to set the defense and he’s pretty pleased to be making the alignment calls. Ramirez, along with Matthew Barba, another Lopez assistant coach, have been strong proponents of powerlifting and the strength gained from that activity has carried over to the football field for the players.

“I’ve taught these guys to be aggressive and they’re going (strong),” said Ramirez, whose defensive influences include coaches Mario Pena and the late Hector Garcia. “There’s not a lot of thinking about it, we’re just attacking. Our mentality is we want to get to the quarterback or running back before he touches the ball.

“We want to make the offense not want to come out for the second half,” he added. “The players have bought into what I was selling. It’s been a great ride and a lot of hard work has gone into it. It starts with hard work in the summer. That hard work (eventually) pays off and it’s paying off right now. We’re bringing a lot of pride back to Lopez High School.”

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

PORT ISABEL — Port Isabel’s offensive line is paving the way for running back/quarterback Omar Silva, an elusive senior ball carrier who is on the verge of recording a 2,000-yard rushing season.

Just like other successful running backs, Silva prefers to give credit to his linemen plus his fullbacks and receivers along with the quarterback, who helps out with a block here and there, too. Basically, blocking is everybody’s job on the Tarpon offense.

“Going through the season, my line has done an excellent job,” said Silva, who with 1,838 yards in eight games is 162 yards shy of reaching 2,000. “The linemen put in a lot of hard work during the summer and going into our season as well.

“It’s all about just playing football and having confidence in each other,” Silva added. “We (ball carriers) count on the line and they count on us to get the yards and score touchdowns. We count on them to make the holes. It’s a great thing (thanks to the contributions) from all of us.”

Port Isabel (9-1) goes against Sweeney (6-4) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Sinton in the bi-district round of the Class 4A Division II playoffs.

The linemen hope to see Silva break loose for some additional long gainers when the Tarpons return to action Friday. They vow to do their part.

“It’s pretty special to be a member of this line,” said Ryan Valdez, a junior left tackle. “Seeing Omar break one makes us feel that we can accomplish anything.”

Added teammate Isaiah Reyes, a junior left guard, “It’s just an amazing feeling when Omar gets loose and we see him down there scoring. I’m running down the field with my arms raised up (signaling touchdown).”

Besides Valdez and Reyes, the remainder of the line includes tight ends Jesus Saldivar and Erik Garza, right tackle Joseph Ian Torres, right guard Oscar del Abra and center Engel Silva, who is Omar’s younger brother.

“This is something that my brother and I have always wanted to do,” said Engel, a junior. “It’s great to see.”

Also, contributing to the blocking are tailbacks/fullbacks Carlos Orduna and Travis Camacho. In the offensive scheme, Omar sometimes plays QB, but it’s mostly sophomore Cesar Aguilera calling the signals.

Omar leads the Tarpons with 1,838 yards rushing. He averages 10.3 yards per carry and has rushed for 22 TDs plus he’s passed for a TD and made a reception for another score. Orduna has rushed for 674 yards and Camacho has gained 390.

“When Oscar breaks one, we all get excited and run downfield to see if we can pick up any (more) blocks,” del Abra said. “It’s the same when the other guys do it, too.”

Torres, del Abra and Saldivar were the ones who returned this season with the most experience playing on the line. The others were newcomers, but they’ve all come together rather quickly, and it’s meant success for the team. Port Isabel is known for having a potent rushing attack and the Tarpons have lived up to their reputation on the ground in 2016.

“We’ve come together very well,” said Torres, a senior. “We started off the season a little rough, but we grew together and became more of a family.

“To be a part of this offensive line is just great, and blocking for Omar makes it even greater,” Torres added. “I can’t say anything else. We’d love to see him break a long run against Sweeney.”

All together, the Tarpons have gained 3,483 yards on the ground this season. They’re averaging 348.3 yards rushing per game.

“Going into the season we were very young with only two seniors on the line,” said Al Senteno, Port Isabel’s offensive coordinator. “The offensive linemen have developed very well from week to week adjusting to different defenses. These guys are eager to learn, and besides Engel and Omar being brothers, they’re great friends who hang out together. It’s a tight-knit group, and that’s the way the whole team is. We played some good teams early, and these guys have grown up really quick.”

Coaching the Tarpons’ offensive line are Wen Moore and Joe Gonzales.

“There were a lot of question marks about this line at the start of the year, but these kids stepped it up and they’ve proved it by Omar rushing for so many yards,” Gonzales said. “They believe in what they’re doing, and that’s a big plus for us.”

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

LA JOYA — The end of the volleyball season came all too soon for the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons on Saturday in the area round of the Class 6A playoffs.

The District 32-6A champion Lady Falcons came up on the short end of a 22-25, 25-8, 25-17, 23-25, 15-11 match against District 29-6A runner-up Laredo United at the La Joya Palmview gym.

United (33-8) advances to the 6A regional quarterfinals to face District 30-6A runner-up McAllen High (42-2), while the season for Los Fresnos (27-14) is over.

The Lady Falcons had all they could handle and more against the the tall, active Lady Longhorns, who were quite a force at the net with their strong hitting and blocking.

Still, the Lady Falcons were thankful for their season that included a fourth straight district title with an undefeated 14-0 conference record.

“I’m just so proud of all the girls,” said Giselle Ibarra, a junior outside hitter for the Lady Falcons. “We gave it our all, we played with heart and this just wasn’t our year (to go far in the playoffs), but I’m really proud of us. I’m just so happy that all of us could be together on one team, and I just love all these girls. I thank God for everything.”

Added teammate Ashley Tumlinson, a senior outside hitter, “I would just like to say that I’m so proud of how far we’ve come from the beginning of the season. Everyone doubted us, and I want our underclassmen — the sophomores and the juniors — to take the offseason to train as hard as they can and come back and go so many rounds deeper (in the playoffs) because I know they can.”

Things were looking good for Los Fresnos as the Lady Falcons won the first game 25-22, but the match quickly turned in United’s favor during the second game as the Lady Longhorns caught fire and cruised to a 25-8 victory. United’s momentum continued as it took the third set 25-17, and the Lady Falcons started to realize they were in a bit of trouble.

Still, Los Fresnos fought back to win the fourth game 25-23 and send the match to a fifth and deciding set.

Strong play at the net and some kills with authority allowed the Lady Longhorns to surge to advantages of 6-1 and 7-2 early in the fifth set. The Lady Falcons pulled to within one point at 11-10 and then at 12-11, but from there, the Lady Longhorns came up with three straight kills to capture the match by taking the fifth set 15-11.

“This was an excellent match,” United coach Leticia Longoria said. “It was very hard fought between the two teams. It was a strong showing by the Los Fresnos players to come back and fight hard against us like they did.

“But at the end, our girls pushed for the win and they followed through to get it,” Longoria added. “I’m very proud of every single girl on our team. There are no words to really describe how great they play.”

Isela Murillo, a 5-foot-9 senior outside hitter, led United with 23 kills and 19 digs. Teammate Lauren Arzuaga, a 6-1 freshman middle blocker, added 16 kills and five blocks.

For Los Fresnos, 5-11 senior Jackie Kingsbury was once again a presence at the net, and actually all over the court. The UT-Rio Grande Valley commit finished with 31 digs, 21 kills and four blocks. Ibarra added 12 kills and three blocks. Tumlinson had eight digs and six kills while Isis Delgado had 24 digs. Also for the Lady Falcons, Sarah Villarreal had 42 assists and Emma Stumbaugh had six blocks.

This weekend marked the end of the season for the three Metro-area teams that were still alive in the playoffs.

On Friday in a Class 5A area-round match, Brownsville Veterans Memorial lost to Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial 25-23, 19-25, 27-25, 25-15. Also Friday, in a 6A area match, Rivera fell to Laredo Alexander 25-21, 25-15, 25-19.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Turn on the Friday Night Lights, it’s time for some volleyball.

Yes, turn on the lights at the football field and also those at the gym.

While many football teams across Texas will be busy playing their regular-season finales Friday, two Brownsville volleyball teams also will be playing. They’ll be participating in the area round of the state playoffs on a night normally reserved for high school gridiron action.

In a Class 6A area match, District 32-6A runner-up Rivera goes against District 29-6A champion Laredo Alexander at 7 p.m. at Roma.

Also Friday, in the Class 5A area playoffs, District 32-5A champion Brownsville Veterans Memorial plays an area-round match at 6:30 p.m. at District 30-5A third-place Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial.

District 32-6A champion Los Fresnos, also still alive in the volleyball playoffs, has scheduled its area match against 29-6A runner-up Laredo United at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at La Joya Palmview.

Rivera is coming off Tuesday’s hard-fought, five-set bi-district victory at PSJA Memorial. The Lady Raiders rallied to triumph over the Lady Wolverines 25-16, 25-27, 17-25, 25-22, 15-12.

“Our girls did an awesome job (against PSJA Memorial),” Rivera coach Elizabeth Avelar-Guerra said. “They kept fighting and they were not going to let the match slip through their fingers.

“If we play hard and play together, we can do it,” she added. “Anything is possible.”

The winner of the Rivera-Alexander match will go against McAllen Memorial or Edinburg High in next week’s 6A regional quarterfinals.

Brownsville Veterans is coming off Tuesday’s 25-21, 25-17, 25-14 bi-district sweep of Laredo Nixon at Rio Grande City. The winner of the Brownsville Veterans-Corpus Christi Veterans match faces Mission Veterans or Calallen in next week’s 5A regional quarterfinals.

In its 6A bi-district match on Monday, Los Fresnos dispatched PSJA North 25-15, 25-11, 25-15 in Pharr.

A win against Laredo United on Saturday sends the Lady Falcons back to next week’s regional quarterfinals to play McAllen High or Edinburg Vela.

Los Fresnos’ Giselle Ibarra, a junior outside hitter, likes her squad’s chances.

“We have such great team chemistry, we communicate and we’re just excited to keep playing,” Ibarra said after Monday’s victory. “We want to keep going on as far as we can.

“I thank God for giving us this opportunity and getting us this far,” she added. “We’re also thankful for the support we get from our fans. It’s amazing.”

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

DONNA — The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers can now call themselves District 32-5A champions, or at least district co-champions.

Everyone else can too, for that matter.

Thursday’s 39-7 victory over Donna High at Bennie LaPrade Stadium earned the Chargers (8-2, 6-1 district) at least a share of the 32-5A title pending the result of today’s game between Mercedes and Donna North, also at Bennie LaPrade Stadium.

Mercedes enters the contest as a huge favorite against the Chiefs and a win would allow the Tigers to finish 32-5A play at 6-1 as well to tie for the crown with Brownsville Veterans.

Regardless of today’s scenario between the Tigers and Chiefs, after defeating Donna High on Thursday, the Chargers were far more interested in their newly acquired status as district champions than whatever might happen with Mercedes.

“This feels really nice,” said Pedro Pinales, a senior offensive right tackle for the Chargers. “At the beginning of the year we knew it was going to be really tough (in this district), but we worked our tails off (to do well). Getting the district championship just feels great.”

Added teammate Ryan Villalon, a senior strong safety, “We worked as a team from the beginning of the year. It got pretty tough, but we never gave up. We’ve just kept going for the ‘W.’ We’re all a family and we’ve worked together for this.”

It’s quite possible the Chargers will go against Mission Veterans in the first round of the Class 5A Division I playoffs and maybe even play host to the Patriots next Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium, Chargers coach David Cantu said.

“We talk a lot about not necessarily getting what you want, but instead getting what you deserve,” Cantu said. “I feel like this football team and this coaching staff deserve a district title.

“We came out and played a fantastic game tonight (to earn at least a share of the 32-5A championship),” he added.

Chargers running back Abel Martinez was the one who did the most damage in spoiling the Redskins’ homecoming on Thursday. He rushed 13 times for 173 yards and three touchdowns. His scoring runs came on plays covering 2, 68 and 63 yards. His first two TDs came in the first quarter to make it 12-0 and his third score came early in the third period to put his team ahead 32-0.

Also, Chargers QB Isaiah Solis threw for a pair of TDs on a 23-yard toss to Gilbert Garcia in the second period just before halftime and on a 15-yard strike to Adrian Ramirez midway through the third quarter.

Highlighting the Chargers’ strong defensive effort, Villalon intercepted a pass and returned it 72 yards down the left sideline to the end zone to pretty much put the game out of reach at 19-0 with 8:57 to go before intermission. The Chargers created four turnovers by intercepting three Donna High passes and recovering a fumble.

Brownsville Veterans led 12-0 after one quarter, 25-0 at the half and 39-0 at the end of three periods.

Donna High scored on an 18-yard run up the middle by Edson Alvarado with 1:43 remaining to account for the final score following Gio Coronado’s extra point.

Cantu said his coaching staff deserves a lot of credit, particularly his coordinators Mike Evans on defense and Sammy Montalvo on offense.

“In my opinion, we have the best defensive coordinator in South Texas in Mike Evans,” Cantu said. “What they did on defense tonight doesn’t surprise me at all because I see what they can do every day (in practice).

“I feel the same about Sammy Montalvo, our offensive coordinator,” Cantu added. “A couple of weeks ago I kind of handed over the play-calling duties to Sammy, and he’s just taken off and ran with it. He’s doing an outstanding job of orchestrating our offense.”

STAFF REPORTS

The Rivera Lady Raiders remain alive in the Class 6A volleyball playoffs after prevailing over PSJA Memorial 25-16, 25-27, 17-25, 25-22, 15-12 on Tuesday in bi-district at the PSJA Memorial gym.

“I’m excited because our girls really stepped it up tonight,” Lady Raiders coach Elizabeth Avelar-Guerra said. “They didn’t stop fighting. It was back and forth the whole way. It came down to a couple of good hits here and there at just the right time.”

Rivera won a seeding match with San Benito last Friday to take the runner-up playoff spot in District 32-6A behind league champion Los Fresnos, which won its bi-district match 3-0 on Monday at PSJA North. Rivera and San Benito tied for second place in 32-6A with 10-4 records.

The Lady Raiders were led Tuesday by Stephanie Garza and Lizzy Medina with 22 and 20 kills, respectively. Kourtney Shears and Lilian Vera added 30 and 27 assists, respectively. Teammate Maddie Blanco contributed 27 digs. Also, Shears finished with 26 digs.

The Lady Raiders, back in the playoffs after a two-year absence, next face Laredo Alexander or Mission High later this week in the area playoffs.

BROWNSVILLE VETERANS MEMORIAL DEF. LAREDO NIXON
The District 32-5A champion Lady Chargers are moving on in the Class 5A playoffs after a 25-21, 25-17, 25-14 bi-district victory against District 31-5A fourth-place seed Laredo Nixon. The match was played in Rio Grande City.
The Lady Chargers, who went 14-0 to capture the 32-5A title, will go against San Antonio Southside or Corpus Christi Veterans later this week in the 5A area playoffs. This season marked the first time for Brownsville Veterans to win district with an undefeated record in volleyball.

EDINBURG VELA DEF. HANNA
District 31-6A champion Edinburg Vela prevailed at home against 32-6A fourth-place Hanna 3-1. Vela moves on to the area playoffs later this week and will go against McAllen High or San Antonio Southwest.
““I’m proud of my team,” Hanna coach Ansgar Hagemann said. “We won one set against a Vela team that didn’t lost a single set during its district competition. This team came back to be a serious playoff contender when we had only one returning starter and only two back who came off the bench last season, so it’s a team that accomplished a lot.”

MISSION VETERANS MEMORIAL DEF. LOPEZ
Lopez’s season came to a close following a 3-0 loss to Mission Veterans Memorial at the Lady Patriots’ gym. Mission Veterans was the 31-5A champion, while Lopez was the No. 4 seed from 32-5A after defeating Pace last Saturday in a “play-in” match as both the Lady Lobos and Lady Vikings tied for the last playoff berth in district. Mission Veterans now advances to the area playoffs later this week to take on either Calallen or San Antonio Harlandale.

EDINBURG HIGH DEF. SAN BENITO
District 31-6A runner-up Edinburg High ousted 32-6A third-place seed San Benito 25-18, 25-22, 26-24 at San Benito. The Lady Bobcats now advance to the area playoffs later this week to play either McAllen Memorial or Del Rio. San Benito finished in a tie at 10-4 with Rivera in 32-6A and lost out in a seeding playoff match last Friday to determine which of them would take the district’s runner-up spot in the playoffs against Edinburg High.

By ROY HESS/Staff Writer

PHARR — The Los Fresnos Lady Falcons wish all their playoff matches in volleyball went as smoothly as Monday’s Class 6A bi-district contest at the PSJA North gym.

The District 32-6A champion Lady Falcons dispatched the District 31-6A fourth-place Lady Raiders 25-15, 25-11, 25-15 to improve to 27-13 on the season.

Los Fresnos coach Becky Woods had little, if anything, to complain about regarding the performance of her team.

“Every win is a great win,” Woods said. “We came out on fire and we stayed on fire. I told the girls that we couldn’t get behind in any playoff match, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, and we didn’t.”

Los Fresnos now faces either McAllen Rowe or Laredo United in the area playoffs later this week. Those two teams play their bi-district match Tuesday in Alice.

There were plenty of smiles all around on the Lady Falcons’ faces after Monday’s decisive triumph that never seemed to involve too much drama as to which team was going to win.

“We try to give it our all because we know in the future we’re going to be facing tougher teams and we’re going to have to play our hardest to beat them,” said Giselle Ibarra, a junior outside hitter for the Lady Falcons. “A win like this just helps us get better as a team so we can fix our mistakes (and continue advancing in the playoffs).”

Added teammate Ashley Tumlinson, a senior outside hitter, “Coach Woods had us set some goals at the beginning of the season and we’ve met every one of those goals (so far). We’re not going to stop here. We’re going to keep going.

“People thought we might not do too much this season because of the strong hitters we lost last year (to graduation),” Tumlinson added. “But we’re the new and improved Lady Falcons and we’re going to keep on going forward. I love playing for this team.”

Jackie Kingsbury led the Lady Falcons with 19 kills, 18 digs and three blocks. Tumlinson and Ibarra finished with seven and six kills, respectively, and Sandy Salazar had six blocks. Cassie Parra added three kills and three blocks. Ibarra also had a pair of blocks.

Also for Los Fresnos, Sarah Villarreal and Natalie Leal had 23 and 10 assists, respectively, and libero Isis Delgado finished with 19 digs.