Author: Roy Hess

by Roy Hess

Lopez Defeats Pace To Qualify For Volleyball Playoffs From 32-5A

By ROY HESS/Staff Writer
There’s no doubt about it, the Lopez Lady Lobos are a volleyball team on the rise.
It showed Saturday as the Lady Lobos defeated Pace for the second time within a week at the Pace gym to earn a spot in the Class 5A state playoffs as the No. 4 seed from District 32-5A.
Lopez triumphed 25-11, 25-9, 12-25, 25-20 over the Lady Vikings in Saturday’s “play-in” match after defeating Pace on Tuesday 19-25, 25-17, 25-20, 23-25, 16-14 at the same site to create a tie for fourth place in the district. Both teams finished with 6-8 records in 32-5A, necessitating Saturday’s extra match to determine a postseason qualifier.
The Lady Lobos seemed to raise their game each time they faced Pace after losing at home to the Lady Vikings 27-25, 26-24, 25-19 on Oct. 1 during the first round of district.
“We’re not the same team that we were the first time we played Pace,” said Lopez coach Jacquelynn Touchet, who now has guided her team to the postseason for the second time in four seasons. “That’s obvious from Tuesday. My girls just came out to play today because they were hungry for this playoff spot. Both teams are great. I’m just happy we came out to fight hard and it worked out great for us in the end.
“We’ve been trying to teach the girls to be an attacking team and have that mentality,” Touchet added. “I think (not having that approach) was affecting us (negatively) a lot at the beginning of the season. We’d get nervous and tip (the ball instead of going for the kill) at the end of games. We’ve been working on just going for it and not being afraid of just playing volleyball. I feel that’s what we’ve done in these last two matches against Pace. It’s something that has definitely been effective for us.”
The Lady Lobos’ reward for winning Saturday? They’ll play a 5A bi-district match at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Mission Veterans against the District 31-5A champion Lady Patriots.
Two key players for the Lady Lobos who have contributed greatly to the positive evolution of the team are middle blockers Carla Lopez and Anna Morales. They were there Saturday making themselves a presence at the net and recording some impressive kills and blocks during the match.
“This was an amazing match,” said Lopez, a junior. “The first two games we were fighting very hard. Pace got to us in the third set, but then we came back very strong to fight for the win.
“I love this team,” she added. “We all work together and all of us communicate with one another. For the playoffs, we need to come out (even) stronger, and we’ll be working together to take it (to another level). I’m very proud of my team and coaches. They’ve all worked very hard to get us here (and going to the playoffs).”
This marks the second time in school history for the volleyball team at Lopez to reach the postseason under fifth-year coach Touchet, a former standout at Rivera who also played at UT-Brownsville. Assistant Daya Vengas is also a former UTB player.
The players appreciate the guidance of the coaching staff that has got them on an upward path.
“It feels really great to win this match,” said Morales, a senior. “We went out there and gave it our all and earned the victory. We knew we had to show up and play (well). We knew we could overcome (our opponent) if we worked together. We all wanted it and we were all on the same page.
“Our goal is to work hard and come out with a win in the playoffs so we can continue making history for our school,” Morales 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

District 32-4A Teams, Individuals Shine At Region IV CC Meet

By ROY HESS/Staff Writer
Competitors from District 32-4A enjoyed strong showings at Saturday’s Region IV cross country meet in Corpus Christi.
The meet took place on the grounds surrounding Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Dr. Jack Dugan Family Soccer and Track Stadium.
The top four teams in each division earned a trip to the UIL state meet Nov. 12 in Round Rock. The top 10 individual finishers in each division not on a state-qualifying team also secured a spot at state.
La Feria had plenty to be happy about in the Class 4A girls division as the Lionettes took second place as a team with 92 points behind first-place Bandera with 46.
Leading the way for the Lionettes were Tina Sierra and Dariana Vasquez, who finished first and second individually in the 3A girls race over a two-mile course. Sierra won in 12 minutes, 4.3 seconds, while Vasquez was close behind for second place in 12:04.9. Other Lionettes who counted toward their team’s points were Analiza Rodriguez (32nd), Briana Reyes (33rd) and Katrina Villarreal (42nd).
Other 32-4A girls with strong showings Saturday were Progreso‘s Lizbett Rivera, fourth place; Rio Hondo‘s Jazaline Ayala, seventh; and Rio Hondo’s Jasmine Rangel, ninth.
In the 4A boys division, where the course was 5,000 kilometers or 3.2 miles, Progreso was the team champion with 65 points, La Vernia was second with 95 and Hidalgo was third with 147. La Feria’s boys were seventh.
Individually, Progreso’s Everardo Esparaza (16:32.8) and Hidalgo’s Jesus Guerrero (16:37.9) finished second and third. Also scoring points for the Red Ants were Anthony Vasquez (ninth), Omar Anguiano (19th), Gerardo Gallardo (26th( and Ricardo Salazar (32nd).
“We are elated with their performance today,” Progreso coach Margarito Jimenez said of his runners. “The difference was their will to win.”
The most dominant performance for the Valley on Saturday came in the boys 5A division as the top three teams were Donna North (51 points), Donna (137) and Mercedes (137).
In the 5A boys race, Rio Grande City‘s Brandon Gracia was second, Donna North‘s Daniel de la Cruz was third and Mercedes’ Jonathan Reyes was sixth. In the 5A girls race, Edcouch-Elsa‘s Haley Villalpando was fourth.
In the Class 6A boys division, the Valley’s best team showings were Edinburg North and Harlingen, finishing sixth and eighth, respectively. The best finisher for Harlingen was Art Benavides in 37th place. PSJA Memorial‘s Cruz Gomez and Weslaco East’s Luis Ramirez came in fourth and seventh, respectively, in the 6A boys race.
In the 6A girls race, Edinburg North’s Ariana Beth Ramos was the winner and Brownsville Rivera‘s Andrea de la Rosa was third.
In other team results, Santa Maria‘s girls were sixth in 2A and San Perlita‘s boys were seventh, also in 2A. Santa Maria was led by the fourth-place finish of Kristen Aleman, a freshman. Brownsville IDEA Frontier’s Sabrina Garcia was also a state qualifier in 3A.
by Roy Hess

Pace football edges Donna High

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Staying in the conversation for the state playoffs.

That was the goal for both the Pace Vikings and Donna High Redskins entering Friday’s District 32-5A game at Sams Memorial Stadium.

Thanks to a 20-14 win, the Vikings (3-6, 3-3 district) are still in the postseason hunt with one game remaining in the regular season against the Lopez Lobos.

Pace built a 20-0 advantage midway through the second quarter and held off a determined Donna High comeback in the second half to pull out the victory.

“This feels great and I love my team,” said Javi Garcia, a sophomore outside linebacker for the Vikings who came up with a key sack of the Redskins’ quarterback on third down late in the game at the Pace 31-yard line when Donna High threatened to score its third touchdown. “I work (hard) every day for this team and I love these guys.

“We never gave up and just tried our best,” Garcia added. “Thank God for this great win He gave us today.”

Added teammate Randy Aguilar, a senior QB who passed for 200 yards and the Vikings’ first TD, “It’s great to be in this position (of contending for the playoffs) with one game left against Lopez. We have to get ready for it and do our best.”

In the first quarter, Aguilar threw a 14-yard TD pass to Victor Rodriguez and Pace running back Brandon Zapata ran 3 yards for a score to make it 14-0 coupled with a pair of Pedro Perez extra-point kicks.

Zapata crossed the goal line on a 5-yard run in the second period before the Redskins’ Joshua Mata burst up the middle for 23 yards and Donna High’s first TD with 3:27 left in the half. Pace went into the intermission with a 20-7 lead.

Donna High’s Hector Guerrero bulled his way into the end zone from 2 yards out at the 4:39 mark of the third quarter as the Redskins closed the gap to 20-14.

The Redskins had a first down at the Pace 21 late in the game after a 15-yard pass interference play against the Vikings. But a holding penalty on the Redskins sandwiched between a couple of short gains left Donna High facing a third-and 14 situation from the Pace 24.

From his outside linebacker spot, Garcia crashed in and sacked Guerrero, the Donna High QB, for a 7-yard loss on third down to move the ball back to the 31. On fourth-and 21 from that point, Guerrero threw incomplete into the end zone, ending the Redskins’ drive and pretty much sealing the win for Pace.

In the final minutes, Donna High got the ball back one more time at its 30 but could not do anything. After Donna High ran out of downs, Pace took over at the Redskins’ 14 with 1:23 remaining and ran out the clock for the win.

“Our defense rose to the occasion in the second half,” Pace coach William Deen said. “I’m just so proud of all of our guys. Here we are with a shot at the playoffs.

“To get a win against a program like Donna’s means a lot to us,” Deen added. “Their guys fought hard, too.”

Next week, Donna High (3-6, 2-4) plays host to Brownsville Veterans Memorial on Thursday in its regular-season finale while Pace goes against Lopez next Saturday at Sams in a contest that figures to determine a playoff qualifier.

by Roy Hess

CC Notebook: UIL Region IV Meet, TAPPS State Meet On Tap

By ROY HESS/Staff Writer
Sometimes it takes great teammates to accomplish great things.
Jennifer Lopez, a senior, and Andrea de la Rosa, a sophomore, are two such teammates for the Rivera girls cross country team. They push each other and they support one another as well as everyone else on the team.
When de la Rosa showed up last year as a freshman, Lopez — better known as “J-Lo” — was the top runner for the Lady Raiders. But it became apparent rather quickly that the newcomer was going to be even faster. Sure enough, de la Rosa now has won District 32-6A two years in a row plus she has placed first in all of her meets this season but one. Lopez continues to have strong finishes, too.
The two runners have worked together to make each other better. It’s evident by their strong finishes.
Now comes their biggest challenge to date — Saturday’s Region IV meet at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Dr. Jack Dugan Family Soccer and Track Stadium. The meet will be run on a 5,000-meter course over the area surrounding the stadium. The first race is scheduled at 8:30 a.m.
The top four teams in each division advance to the UIL state meet Nov. 12 in Round Rock. The top 10 individual finishers not on a state-qualifying team also advance in each division.
Rivera girls cross country coach Jenny Schuster said it’s been a pleasure to have “J-Lo” and de la Rosa on the team.
“”They’re just phenomenal and we’re so proud of them,” Schuster said of her two standout runners. “‘J-Lo’ was always the No. 1 runner until Andrea came in the picture. Andrea’s No. 1 now, and there’s ‘J-Lo,’ completely supporting her and letting Andrea push her to do well, too. They’ve developed a really close friendship, so it’s nice to see.
“”I love to watch them as they have success,” she added. “They’ve joined forces and depend upon each other for a lot. They both have risen to become the leaders that I’ve wanted them to be.”
Runners and coaches alike are expecting the competition to be fierce at the regional meet.
“”I hope Andrea, Jennifer and Jonathan (Herrera from the boys team) perform at the regional meet to the best of their ability,” said Arturo Hurtado, also a Rivera cross country coach.
Hanna qualified both its boys and girls teams for the regional meet. The Golden Eagles are led by Cecilia Tellez on the girls side and Julio Dragustinovis for the boys.
Other Metro-area runners who qualified to compete individually Saturday in Corpus Christi are Los Fresnos’ Clarissa Tellez and Ricardo Torres, Porter’s Estrella Medellin, Pace’s Megan Villelda, Brownsville Veterans Memorial‘s Carlos Rodriguez, Port Isabel‘s Ava Gomez and Brownsville IDEA Frontier’s Sabrina Garcia.
IDEA Frontier’s boys and girls also qualified as teams for the regional meet.
HEADED TO STATE
St. Joseph Academy is taking 16 runners to the TAPPS state meet Saturday in Waco.
For the girls, the runners include Carolina Del Pozo, Tania Garcia, Macarena Garza, Melissa Torteya, Gaby Garza, Ceci De La Garza, Carolina Gomez and Sophia Douglas.
Making the trip for the SJA boys will be Ricardo Marroquin, Gustavo Ramirez, Antonio Salum, Jose Luis Almazan, Alejandro Juarez, Daniel Martin, Marte Rodriguez and Mauricio Rodriguez.
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

Lady Lobos prevail over Lady Vikings

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The Lopez Lady Lobos refuse to let their volleyball season end.

The Lady Lobos rallied to prevail 19-25, 25-17, 25-20, 23-25, 16-14 in a marathon match Tuesday against the Pace Lady Vikings.

The Lopez win at the Pace gym left the two teams tied at 6-8 for fourth place in District 32-5A on the final night of conference play.

The Lady Lobos and Lady Vikings now are scheduled to have a “play-in” match at noon Saturday at Pace to determine which of them will advance to the postseason as the fourth-place squad from 32-5A. Also headed to the playoffs from 32-5A are Brownsville Veterans Memorial, Edcouch-Elsa and Donna High.

Lopez coach Jacquelynn Touchet was pretty thrilled about her team’s comeback performance against the Lady Vikings. Neither team ever took much of a commanding lead in any of the games.

“This is so amazing,” Touchet said. “I’m beyond proud of these girls that they fought from the beginning of Game 1 and even into Game 5. We were down and we came back. I’m beyond proud of these girls. It was all them.”

The two teams played on Oct. 1 at Lopez during the opening round of district and Pace won 27-25, 26-24, 25-19.

Tuesday’s rematch was every bit as close.

The third game was particularly a back-and-forth affair with 16 ties, the last deadlock coming at 19-19 before Lopez surged ahead to score six of the next seven points to take the set 25-20 and go ahead in the match 2-1. A well-placed tip by the Lady Lobos provided the final point in the third game for the 25-20 victory.

Pace trailed by five points, 21-16, in the fourth game before rallying to win it 25-23 and send the match to a deciding fifth set.

The Lady Vikings were up 4-1 in the fifth game before Lopez again battled back. There were nine ties in the fifth game, the last of which came at 14-14 when the Lady Vikings hit the ball out of bounds. Pace had been up 14-12, but the Lady Lobos wouldn’t fold. Unforced hitting errors by Pace on the last three points enabled Lopez to take the fifth set 16-14 and capture the match.

Saturday’s Lopez-Pace winner will advance to next week’s bi-district playoffs to face the District 31-5A champion.

by Roy Hess

Final night of volleyball district play on tap Tuesday

By ROY HESS/Staff Writer
The final day of volleyball action in Districts 32-6A and 32-5A has arrived, and there is still a lot to be determined regarding playoff berths.
Tuesday’s schedule in 32-6A has district champion Los Fresnos (13-0) at Weslaco High (3-10), Weslaco East (2-11) at Hanna (7-6), Harlingen High (7-6) at San Benito (9-4) and Rivera (9-4) at Harlingen South (1-12).
Los Fresnos is trying to complete another undefeated district campaign, while Rivera and San Benito are tied for second place and could still be deadlocked after Tuesday.
“We have to play to our fullest potential now to prepare for the postseason,” Los Fresnos coach Becky Woods said recently.
Hanna and Harlingen High are tied for fourth place in 32-6A and one of the two teams will take the district’s final playoff spot. The Lady Golden Eagles and Lady Cardinals also could wind up tied after Tuesday’s matches.
It’s possible there may be seeding and play-in matches later in the week to finalize things in 32-6A as Los Fresnos, Rivera and San Benito already have secured postseason berths.
“We are approaching this match (at South) the same way as any other district match,” Rivera assistant coach Richard Guerra said. “Yes, we have to do our part and then see what happens elsewhere in the district. One of the goals of the season for us was to get back into the playoffs (after a two-year absence). We have done that. We just have to do our thing on Tuesday.”
In 32-5A, district champion Brownsville Veterans Memorial (13-0) is attempting to complete conference play with an undefeated record for the first time. The Lady Chargers play host to third-place Donna High (9-4) Tuesday.
“I feel really proud,” Lady Chargers coach Lisa Mares said. “Our girls have come a long way. It’s exciting.
“We still need one more win (to go unbeaten in district), and anything can happen,” she added. “We just need to keep working hard and work on little things here and there.”
The remainder of Tuesday’s schedule in 32-5A has Lopez (5-8) at Pace (6-7), Porter (2-11) at second-place Edcouch-Elsa (10-3) and Donna North (4-9) at Mercedes (3-10). With a win, Pace clinches the fourth-place playoff spot from 32-5A behind Brownsville Veterans, E-E and Donna High. A Lopez victory forces a play-in match with Pace later this week.
TRAVELIN’ FANS
Los Fresnos fans like to follow their Lady Falcon volleyball team and always seem to show up in good numbers for road matches.
“I would like to thank our fans for coming out to every match — home and away,” said Jackie Kingsbury, the Lady Falcons’ standout senior outside hitter/all-around player.
There should be a good crowd of Los Fresnos supporters on hand Tuesday at Weslaco High as the Lady Falcons go after another 14-0 finish in district, a feat they achieved last year in winning 32-6A.
CORRECTION
It was incorrectly reported in last week’s volleyball notebook that St. Joseph Academy completed its first varsity season this year. Actually, it was the Lady Bloodhounds’ first junior varsity season and they will be playing their first varsity season next year. The Herald regrets the error.
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

Halloween Hysteria a successful first swim meet for area preps

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Los Fresnos finished second to McAllen High in the boys team standings at Saturday’s Halloween Hysteria swimming meet, and under the circumstances, Falcon coach Albino Cisneros was OK with the result.

McHi won the boys division of the two-day meet at Brownsville’s Margaret M. Clark Center with 357 points, while Los Fresnos came next with 288 points. Sharyland Pioneer was third with 231.

“I was happy with our finish,” Cisneros said. “McHi is the defending regional champion (for the boys), so it doesn’t bother me at all that we were second to them. We didn’t have a full squad and we beat everyone in our district (so I was pleased about that).”

McHi’s boys were boosted by double-winner Shaine Casas, who placed first in the 100 breaststroke and 500 freestyle. Also winning individual events for the Bulldogs were Joe Williams (200 individual medley) and Thomas Wilkins (100 backstroke). McHi won two of the three relays as well.

“Winning this meet is a good confidence booster for us right now,” McHi coach Jared Kaminski said. “It’s early in the season and we’re trying to get ready for a couple of big (out-of-the-Valley) meets that are coming up, so being able to perform well and succeed against good competition today means a lot to our guys.

“(It was good to see) especially because we were trying out a lot of swimmers in new events,” Kaminski added. “For them to perform the way they did, it’s definitely a good confidence booster for all of them. I think our (strong) effort was the thing I was most pleased about. Our swimmers had an extra fight in them today and they were willing to race well, which was good to see.”

Besides Casas, the only other double-winner for the boys was Adrian Fierro of Brownsville Veterans Memorial. The St. Joseph Academy transfer won the 50 and 100 freestyles.

Other individual event winners for the boys were Mission High’s Luciano Farias-Ramirez (200 freestyle), La Joya High’s Eddie Barrera (1-meter diving) and Roma’s Ahren Trevino (100 butterfly).

The girls team title went to McAllen Rowe with 304 points. McHi was second with 280 points and Hanna was third with 241. SJA had a strong showing with 208 points for fourth place in the girls standings.

Rowe was led by Shaena Reyes’ first-place finish in the 100 backstroke.

“This (girls team title) actually motivates us to want to do better,” Rowe coach Amy Gallegos said. “This is our second time to win a big meet so far this year, and I know the girls that I have right now (at this meet) are underclassmen because all my seniors were taking the ACT. My top guns weren’t here for this meet, so to see that my younger girls were able to carry the team the way they did today was really amazing. I’m really proud of them.”

Double-winners for the girls included Hanna’s Maya Athena Imperial (200 individual medley and 500 freestyle), SJA’s Jessie Hainley (50 and 100 freestyles) and McHi’s Shelby Swanson (200 freestyle and 100 butterfly).

SJA also won two of the three relays and Hanna took the other one.

Other individual event winners for the girls were Mission High’s Sandra Valdez (1-meter diving) and Harlingen South’s Lola Garza (100 breaststroke).

The next major meet at the Clark Center will be the Brownsville ISD Fall Festival Nov. 4-5.

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

Port Isabel handles Progreso for district victory

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

PORT ISABEL — The Port Isabel Tarpons continued their winning ways against the Progreso Red Ants on Friday at Tarpon Stadium.

According to Tarponfever.net, Port Isabel held a 30-0 all-time edge in its football series with Progreso going into Friday’s District 16-4A Division II game.

Make that 31-0.

The Tarpons (7-1, 2-1 district) scored on their first five possessions to build a 35-0 first-half lead en route to a 35-8 triumph over the Red Ants (1-6, 0-3).

Omar Silva, the Tarpons’ standout senior running back/quarterback, scored the first four times he carried the ball. His touchdown runs came on plays of 8, 28, 5 and 11 yards. Also in the first half, Silva lined up at QB and tossed a short pass to wide receiver Dante Damato, who took off down the sideline to complete a 56-yard scoring play.

It was 28-0 after one quarter and 35-0 at intermission. Progreso scored with three seconds left in the game to avoid a shutout.

“We wanted to come out, execute and take care of business,” Port Isabel coach Monty Stumbaugh said. “We did that in the first half. We just wanted to get out of here healthy. We did what we wanted to do by coming out and taking care of business.

“Progreso’s kids played hard,” he added. “Their team is a little short on numbers, but they’re not short on heart. They played extremely hard. We needed to take care of business to beat them, and we did.”

The Tarpons missed two scoring opportunities in the second half.

They marched to the Progreso 8-yard line in the third quarter before an interception by the Red Ants’ Ray Garcia just outside the end zone ended the drive. Also, the Tarpons missed a 19-yard field-goal attempt midway through the fourth period.

A 5-yard run by Justin Sifuentes with three seconds remaining put Progreso on the scoreboard. Quarterback Joshua San Roman passed to Garcia for the two-point conversion, accounting for the final score.

Silva played sparingly in the second half as Port Isabel gave its stable of running backs an opportunity to get on the field. Silva led all rushers in the game with 11 carries for 83 yards. Silva topped the 1,000-yard rushing plateau last week with a 305-yard, four-TD effort against Orange Grove.

Friday’s performance now gives him 15 rushing TDs on the season.

“Omar has done a great job,” Tarpons offensive coordinator Al Senteno said. “He was banged up and injured earlier in the season. Now that he’s healthy, he’s doing very well. Our line is doing a good job and Omar knows how to follow their blocks. Omar has great vision and speed. Our receivers are blocking, too, and even the quarterback is blocking for him, so we’re all on the same page.

“I’m very proud of Omar,” Senteno added. “He’s giving us 100 percent every time. He’s one of the best I’ve ever coached.”

When Port Isabel and Progreso played last year at Tarpon Stadium, the Tarpons won 33-13.

District action continues next Friday for both teams as the Tarpons play host to Raymondville and the Red Ants will be at home against West Oso.

A win against the Bearkats will clinch a playoff spot for the Tarpons.

by Roy Hess

Swimming season opens with Halloween Hysteria

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The first big swimming meet of the new school year in the Rio Grande Valley takes place Friday and Saturday at Brownsville’s Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center.

The Halloween Hysteria meet begins with diving at 11 a.m. Friday. Swimming competition starts at 10 a.m. Saturday.

“There have been some meets already (this school year) with teams from one end of the Valley at one site and teams from the other end of the Valley at another site, but this will be the first big meet with teams from all over the Valley at the same location,” Clark Center director Monica Rosales said. “We’re expecting around 25 teams (to participate).”

She said Upper Valley teams will be coming from as far away as Roma, Rio Grande City and La Joya. The meet is also expected to include teams from Brownsville, Harlingen, Weslaco, McAllen and Mission.

McAllen Memorial won the girls team title at last year’s Halloween Hysteria. Hanna and McAllen Rowe finished second and third, respectively.

Sharyland High is the meet’s defending boys team champion. PSJA Southwest and McAllen Memorial were second and third, respectively, for the boys a year ago.

Rosales, a former swimming coach in Brownsville ISD before becoming the administrator at Clark Center, said coaches will use this weekend’s competition as a chance for new additions on their varsity squads to see just how things work at a major meet.

“It’s an appetizer for what is to come in future meets,” Rosales said. “I think the coaches will use it as a way for their newcomers to understand and get a feel for the format (and competition at meets like this one).”

Rosales said the Halloween Hysteria meet pretty much signals that the high school swimming season is officially underway.

“I think everyone — coaches, swimmers, divers and parents — we’re all excited for the start of another season,” she said.

Another swimming event in Brownsville that is expected to attract a number of teams is scheduled Nov. 4-5 at Clark Center. It will be BISD’s Fall Festival meet.

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

Metro-area Cross Country Notes: Teams ready for District 32-5A meet

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Runners from four Brownsville schools will compete in Friday’s District 32-5A cross country meet in Donna.

Brownsville Veterans Memorial, Lopez, Pace and Porter will be running over a 5,000-meter course in the varsity divisions on the Donna High School campus. Also competing in the 32-5A meet will be Donna High, Donna North, Mercedes and Edcouch-Elsa.

Teams from 32-5A had an opportunity to run on the same course to be used for Friday’s district meet at the Donna Invitational on Oct. 8.

“It’s a good, wide-open course,” said Brownsville Veterans coach Jorge Medina, whose boys and girls were among those competing at the Donna Invitational. “The runners can see where they’re going. I don’t think the course is going to have anything to do with it (as far as which runners do well). It’s going to be up to the runners and how well they run and how well they place themselves (in contention) in the race. Hopefully we can come through.”

Medina especially likes the chances of his boys at district. They finished fourth as a team at the Donna Invitational with 140 points. Donna North, pretty much considered the top boys team in the Valley this season, won the Donna Invitational with 80 points. Class 6A schools Harlingen High and La Joya Juarez-Lincoln were second and third with 118 and 137 points, respectively.

Top finishers for the Chargers at the Oct. 8 meet were Carlos Rodriguez (22nd), Joe Michael Lopez (28th) and Camilo Callejas (29th). The field included 6A runners and runners from other 5A districts.

“Our boys ran well and I was real proud of them,” Medina said. “We’re hoping to repeat what we did that day (or do better) at district. We think they have a chance at regionals. The boys are confident, they’re running well in practice and they’ve had a great attitude all season. They’re fired up and they want a trip to the regional meet really bad.”

The top 10 individuals and top three teams at district qualify for the Region IV meet on Oct. 29 in Corpus Christi.

Team favorites in the 32-5A meet look to be Donna North for the boys and Edcouch-Elsa for the girls.

Individual favorites figure to be Mercedes teammates Jonathan Reyes and Dominic Cavazos for the boys and E-E teammates Haley Villalpando and Kelly Aguinaga for the girls.

32-3A UPDATE

The District 32-3A meet was held Wednesday at Delta Lake near Edcouch.

Brownsville IDEA Frontier’s boys and girls each captured second-place team finishes to qualify for the regional meet. Also, Frontier’s Sabrina Garcia won the girls varsity race. She was a state qualifier individually last year along with the Frontier boys team.

“Congratulations to all our runners,” Frontier coach Albert Alanis said. “They’ve worked extremely hard all season, but we still have one more goal, and that’s qualifying for state once again. Short and sweet (that’s our goal).”

Team winners at Wednesday’s 32-3A meet were Falfurrias for the boys and Santa Rosa for the girls.

32-4A UPDATE

Ava Gomez was the only runner from Port Isabel to qualify for regional competition at last Saturday’s District 32-4A meet in Raymondville. The Lady Tarpons junior finished 10th in the girls varsity race.

The 32-4A team titles went to Progreso for the boys and La Feria for the girls. Hidalgo’s Jesus Guerrero won the boys race while La Feria’s Tina Sierra was first in the girls race.

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