By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The Lopez Lobos, Porter Cowboys and Progreso Red Ants found out who their opponents will be in the state seminfal matches of this week’s UIL state soccer tournament when pairings were announced Sunday.

The state tournament begins Wednesday and runs through Saturday at Georgetown ISD’s Birkelbach Field.

Region IV-5A champion Porter (26-0-1) plays its Class 5A state semifinal against Region I-5A champion El Paso Eastlake (22-2-1) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The Porter-Eastlake winner will face the Region II-5A champion Frisco Wakeland (24-0-1) or Region III-5A Pflugerville Connally (19-5-2), who play their state semifinal at 5 p.m. Thursday.

The 5A state final is scheduled at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

“Well, at this point, every team will be tough,” Porter coach Jose Espitia said. “(El Paso) Eastlake is in the final four for a reason. I know El Paso is an area similar to Brownsville, so we expect to face a team very similar to us in style and ball-handling skills.”

Porter earned its berth at state by rallying to defeat Pace 2-1 in overtime in the Region IV-5A tournament final at Corpus Christi.

In the Class 6A division at state, Region IV-6A champion Lopez (21-2-1) goes against Region II-6A champion Austin Lake Travis (24-1) in a semifinal match at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The other 6A semifinal matchup has Region I-6A champion Coppell (22-0-3) facing Region III-6A runner-up Katy Cinco Ranch (18-2-5) at 5 p.m. Friday.

The 6A state final is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Lobos prevailed 1-0 in a closely contested match against San Antonio Reagan in the Region IV-6A tournament final at Brownsville Sports Park.

“Winning like this (with a late goal against Reagan) gives us motivation for where we’re going,” Lopez attacking midfielder Jose “Chevy” Echavarria said. “We know there are going to be some tough teams over there at state.”

“At this point, all the teams at the state tournament are going to be evenly matched,” Lopez coach Amadeo Escandon said. “We hope that these last two games (against Reagan and Schertz Clemens at the past weekend’s regional tournament) have helped prepare us for that particular style of play (that we expect from Lake Travis).”

Rounding out the field of three Rio Grande Valley teams at state is first-time qualifier Progreso, which came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Giddings 3-2 in the Region IV-4A tournament final at McAllen.

The Region IV-4A champs the Red Ants (21-5-2) play Region I-4A champion Argyle (19-1-2) in a Class 4A state semifinal at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The other 4A state semifinal has Region III-6A champion Palestine (28-1-2) playing Region II-6A champion Kilgore (19-1-7) at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

The 4A state final is set for 2:30 p.m. Friday.

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 Lopez Lobos are returning to the UIL state soccer tournament for the second time in three years.

And they’ve got some company.

For the first time, thanks to Saturday’s regional final victories, the Rio Grande Valley is sending three boys teams to state — Lopez in Class 6A, the Porter Cowboys in Class 5A and the Progreso Red Ants in Class 4A.

It also marks the first time for two Brownsville teams to advance to the state tournament in Georgetown during the same season.

After their numerous scoring chances were repeatedly turned away, the Lobos finally found the net with 3 1/2 minutes remaining Saturday to prevail against San Antonio Reagan 1-0 in the Region IV-6A Tournament final at Brownsville Sports Park.

It was one of the most difficult wins the District 32-6A champion Lobos (21-2-1) have recorded this season as they went against the taller, more physical and defensively sound District 26-6A champion Rattlers (22-2-4).

Still, capturing such a hard-fought victory and returning to state made it all the more satisfying for the Lobos.

“It’s one of the most beautiful feelings you can ever experience in your life,” said Benito Cazares, a senior central defender who played for the Lobos when they advanced to state in 2014. “It’s been my goal to go back since my sophomore year.”

Actually, this marks the Lobos’ fourth trip to state after advancing in 2004, 2009 and 2014. Lopez won the 4A title in 2004 and was the 5A state runner-up in 2009. Lopez lost in the 5A state semifinals in 2014.

“I feel great, we’re going to Georgetown,” said Jose “Chevy” Echavarria, the Lobos’ sophomore attacking midfielder. “That was our goal since the season started.”

Pairings for the UIL state tournament are scheduled to be announced Sunday. The tournament runs four days starting Wednesday at Georgetown ISD’s Birkelbach Field.

On Saturday, just when overtime and the possibility of penalty kicks appeared quite likely, the Lobos came through with the only goal they needed on a set play.

With a fairly strong wind blowing at his back, Lopez’s German Vera took a long free kick from midfield that carried into the goalmouth. The ball went off the shoulder of Lopez’s Ulysses Ortegon and on the deflection was tapped into the right corner of the goal from point-blank range by teammate Edson Solis. The Reagan goalkeeper, who had stopped everything up to that point, couldn’t make a play on the ball in time to prevent the score.

“My mind went blank and I just reacted (when the ball came to me),” said Solis, a junior forward. “I knew I had to put it in.

“We’re so happy,” Solis added. “We’ve worked so hard for this.”

Lopez advanced to Saturday’s match after rallying to defeat Schertz Clemens 3-2 on Friday in the regional semifinals. Reagan won its regional semifinal 3-2 Friday against Laredo United South.

“We saw Reagan play Friday and we saw that they have a very good defense,” Lopez coach Amadeo Escandon said. “We knew the scoring opportunities were going to be few. We told the players to just keep on trying. ‘All we need is one,’ is what we told them. We had a set play on our goal, and thanks to God, it worked.

“We’ve said since the beginning of the season that this is a special team,” Escandon added. “Now it’s a team that is going back to state.”

NOTE — San Antonio MacArthur scored a second-half goal to defeat San Antonio O’Connor 1-0 in the Region IV-6A Tournament girls final earlier Saturday at Brownsville Sports Park. It is now MacArthur’s first trip to state since 2008. MacArthur’s girls also advanced to state in 2005 and 2006.

In Friday’s regional semifinals, MacArthur defeated Del Rio 1-0 and O’Connor shut out Los Fresnos 2-0.

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

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

It took a comeback effort by the Lopez Lobos to reach the Region IV-6A Tournament final.

In Friday’s back-and-forth Class 6A regional semifinal soccer match at Brownsville Sports Park, the Lobos led 1-0 at intermission, then quickly fell behind 2-1 in the second half. Lopez eventually prevailed 3-2 against Schertz Clemens, thanks to a pair of goals from close range by Sebastian Benavides during a seven-minute span down the stretch.

“To help my team win with those two goals was very good,” said Benavides, a reserve sophomore forward. “It makes me feel very happy to get those opportunities (to score) and come through.

“When we fell behind (2-1) we were only thinking that we just needed to score,” he added. “We were going to fight to the very end to get those goals and win.”

The District 32-6A champion Lobos (20-2-1) advance to the regional final at 1:30 p.m. today at BSP against District 26-6A champion San Antonio Reagan, a 3-2 winner against Laredo United South, also Friday.

Prior to the boys final, the regional girls final will be played at 11 a.m. between San Antonio O’Connor and San Antonio MacArthur.

District 25-6A runner-up Schertz Clemens ended its season 21-6.

“We came out in the second half and scored right away, which is what we wanted,” Schertz Clemens coach Aaron Wong said. “And then we went up 2-1. It was a wide open game, and that’s the way we wanted it because that’s the type of game we play. Then it was 3-2 (in Lopez’s favor).

“The game was fun to watch for the fans, but not to coach,” Wong added. “Any time you lose, it’s not fun.”

The first half almost ended scoreless until with just under two minutes to go before intermission, Lopez’s Jose Echavarria dribbled in close from the right side and fired a strong shot on a narrow angle that hit the left post and richoted in.

At that point, the Lobos were feeling pretty good about their chances coming out of the intermission. But things quickly changed when Schertz Clemens’ Chase Billings tallied from the right side about 12 yards away just a minute into the second half to tie the score at 1.

Things became even more dire for the Lobos 10 minutes later when Schertz Clemens’ Michael Maldonado scored from close range to give the Buffaloes a 2-1 advantage.

“It took us by surprise when they scored that early (second-half) goal on us,” Lopez coach Amadeo Escandon said. “When they scored (to make it 2-1), we just pushed up (on the attack). We told every one of our guys that we were going to go for the win

(by stepping up our offensive pressure). Even after we tied (2-2), we still kept it up because we wanted to go for the win (in regulation play).”

Benavides wasn’t about to let his team lose. With 22 minutes remaining, he scored from inside the box to pull the Lobos even at 2.

Still, he wasn’t done.

The Lobos took a corner kick from the right side with 15 1/2 minutes left. The Schertz Clemens goalkeeper caught the ball off the corner kick and was trying to secure it when it somehow slipped out of his hands. Benavides immediately reacted and nudged the loose ball forward with his chest to account for the Lobos’ game-winning goal.

Friday’s win sends the Lobos to the regional final for the second time in three years.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The Los Fresnos girls played San Antonio O’Connor on fairly even terms Friday during the Region IV-6A Tournament semifinals, and it was just a couple of plays by the Lady Panthers that made the difference in their 2-0 soccer victory over the Lady Falcons.

The win at Brownsville Sports Park advanced O’Connor to Saturday’s 11 a.m. regional final against San Antonio MacArthur, a 1-0 victor against Del Rio earlier in the day.

One goal during each half lifted the District 26-6A runner-up Lady Panthers (17-5-3) to victory against the District 32-6A second-place Lady Falcons (24-7-1), who were trying to get back to the regional final for the second straight year.

“Overall, I was happy with the performance of our girls today,” Lady Falcons coach Patricia K. Hernandez said. “As a coach, I couldn’t have asked for anything more because they fought their hearts out.

“Regardless of the outcome of the game, like I told the girls, I’m excited for next season (with a majority of our players coming back),” Hernandez added. “We’ll take a week off and then start it all over again for next year (with our offseason program).”

The Lady Panthers jumped out to a 1-0 lead midway through the first half when Baye Polansky came attacking out of the midfield on a breakaway to create a 1-on-1 situation with the Los Fresnos goalkeeper. Polanasky, a sophomore midfielder, came through with a strong shot into the net from about 18 yards out to put her team ahead for good.

It remained 1-0 until just under five minutes to play when the ball was centered from the right side and O’Connor’s Alexia Maldonado, a senior forward, nudged it in from close range to make the score 2-0.

“It feels fantastic to get this win,” Lady Panthers coach Scott Stone said. “Los Fresnos gave us a great game. They were ready to play. They’re well-coached and they gave us everything they could.

“We worked our tails off to get the win,” he added. “It just feels good to make it back to the regional tournament.”

O’Connor qualified for the regional tournament this season for the first time in 17 years, Stone said.

“It’s been such a long time since we were here at this level of the playoffs,” Stone said. “Now we’re just very excited to be playing Saturday.”

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The Lopez Lobos see unity and faith as important factors that have brought them to this point of the soccer season.

“This team is unique,” said Ruben Sauceda, a senior midfielder/defender for the Lobos. “This team is made of faith and a belief in each other. It’s a team I wouldn’t trade for any other team.”

The District 32-6A champion Lobos (19-2-1) face District 25-6A runner-up Schertz Clemens (21-5) at 2 p.m. Friday in the Region IV-6A Tournament semifinals at Brownsville Sports Park.

The winner advances to play San Antonio Reagan or Laredo United South in the regional final at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

To get to the fourth round of the Class 6A playoffs, the Lobos prevailed against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 2-1 at La Joya ISD Stadium during Tuesday’s regional quarterfinals. It took a pair of second-half goals to get past the Huskies.

“It was a very tough game, but happily we played with a lot of heart and pulled through for the victory,” said Allan Ramos, a senior midfielder for Lopez. “Our goal is to get back to state. With the hard work we’re putting into practice and by taking it game by game, I feel we can reach our goal.”

The Lobos are trying to return to next week’s UIL state tournament in Georgetown for the second time in three years. They won it all as a Class 4A team in 2004 and finished as the Class 5A state runner-up in 2009. Lopez lost in the 5A state semifinals in 2014.

So far, it’s been another successful journey for Lopez.

“Our team is looking great and we’ve been showing our potential,” said German Vera, a senior defensive midfielder. “I strongly believe we still have even more to show.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be going back to the regional tournament,” he added. “We want to go far like we’ve done before.”

Vera, Ramos and Sauceda are team captains along with Benito Casarez, a senior central defender.

The remainder of the Lobos’ lineup consists of Andrew Flores at goalkeeper and Ulysses Ortegon and Ernesto Pulido as defenders. The midfielders include Alan Reyes and Jose Echavarria with Edson Solis at forward.

Leo Casanova is a starting defender who was injured against Juarez-Lincoln. His replacement in the lineup is expected to be Arturo Salazar.

Helping off the bench are Sebastian Benavides, Eloy Lozoya, Ezequiel Gonzalez and Jose Alviar.

A new arrival at Lopez four years ago, Casarez said the soccer team became his second family when he was in need of friendship.

“These guys are like my brothers,” Casarez said. “I didn’t know anyone (when I came to Lopez) and soccer gave me something good. The guys became my friends.

“I went to state (with this team as a sophomore), and it’s my dream to go back,” he added. “It’s one of the most beautiful experiences you can imagine. By working hard, God willing, we hope to do it again.”

Amadeo Escandon, now in his 19th season, is the Lobos’ head coach. He is assisted by Abraham Torres.

“This is an all-around, well-balanced team that works very hard, so I think it’s a team that is prepared to do well,” Torres said. “Some of the players have had family members, including uncles and maybe some older brothers who have played for past Lopez teams that have done well.

“The players have set the bar pretty high for themselves,” Torres added. “It’s a (winning) tradition, and they want to do well, too.”

Vera said faith provides motivation for the Lobos.

“We look for help from God every day, and I believe that’s the most important thing that is keeping us moving forward,” he 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, Staff Writer

Brownsville boasts three boys soccer teams in UIL regional tournament competition this weekend.

Having that many teams still going at such a high level of the state playoffs is believed to be a first in any sport for the city’s six public high schools.

All three squads — Lopez, Porter and Pace — play Friday along with the Los Fresnos girls, who are still alive in the postseason as well.

The Lobos and Lady Falcons play at the Region IV-6A Tournament at Brownsville Sports Park, while the Cowboys and Vikings participate in the Region IV-5A Tournament at Corpus Christi’s Cabaniss Field.

It will take a pair of victories this weekend to qualify for next week’s UIL state tournament in Georgetown, and of course, none of the Metro area teams want the season to end just yet.

With road victories Tuesday, District 32-5A champion Porter (24-0-1) and 32-5A runner-up Pace (18-7-3) qualified for the Region IV-5A Tournament. Porter plays District 27-5A champion Alamo Heights at 4:30 p.m. Friday and Pace goes against District 25-5A champion Austin Vandegrift at 6:30 p.m.

The Cowboys remember all too well what happened last year at the Region IV-5A Tournament at Cabaniss when they lost 1-0 in the regional semifinals to eventual 5A state finalist Georgetown East View.

The Porter players and coaches believe they didn’t play their best soccer that day. They see themselves as ready to return to Cabaniss and have a better showing. The Cowboys just played there last week and pulled out a 4-3 area-round victory in penalty kicks against Calallen.

“We are very excited to return to the regional tournament because that was one of our goals for this season,” Cowboys coach Jose Espitia said. “We had a very complete team last year, but our guys had never played at Cabaniss and it hurt us. This year we know what to expect and we hope we make that experience count.”

Under second-year coach Mario A. Zamora, Pace has returned to the Region IV-5A Tournament for the first time since advancing to the regional finals in 2006 and 2007 under then-coach Chico Jimenez.

“This is my first time to take a team to the regional tournament, and I’m ready for it,” Zamora said. “The team is ready for it, too.”

Also advancing to the Region IV-5A Tournament from the Rio Grande Valley are the girls teams from Sharyland High and Sharyland Pioneer, who are each returning to Cabaniss for the second straight year.

At Brownsville Sports Park, the District 32-6A champion Lobos (19-2-1) take on District 25-6A runner-up Schertz Clemens at 2 p.m. Friday. The other boys regional semifinal matches District 29-6A champion Laredo United South against District 26-6A champion San Antonio Reagan at 4 p.m. The regional final is scheduled at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at BSP.

Lopez last played at the regional tournament in 2014 when it was held at Blossom Athletic Center in San Antonio.

“It’s a feeling that never grows old on one (playing at the regional tournament),” Lobos coach Amadeo Escandon said. “We have been there many times, and it’s always a rejuvenating feeling.”

The 32-6A second-place Lady Falcons (24-6-1) go against District 27-6A runner-up San Antonio O’Connor at noon Friday at BSP. The other girls regional semifinal has 26-6A third-place San Antonio MacArthur playing 29-6A third-place Del Rio at 10 a.m. The winners battle for a berth at state at 11 a.m. Saturday at BSP.

The Los Fresnos girls earned their fifth trip in seven years to the regional tournament with Tuesday’s 1-0 regional quarterfinal victory at home against Harlingen South.

One year ago in the girls regional final at BSP, the Lady Falcons led 1-0 with 30 minutes to go before Reagan rallied to win 2-1. It was only the third time a Valley girls team made it to the regional final. No Valley girls soccer team has advanced to state in UIL competition.

Also this weekend, the Region IV-4A Tournament involving the boys teams of Progreso and Hidalgo is being played at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

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

Impressive playoff victories on the road have advanced Brownsville boys soccer teams Lopez, Pace and Porter to the coming weekend’s regional tournaments.

An equally impactful win at home by the Los Fresnos girls also is advancing the Lady Falcons to the fourth round of postseason play.

In Tuesday’s Class 6A regional quarterfinals, the Lopez boys prevailed 2-1 against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at La Joya ISD Stadium, while the Los Fresnos girls were 1-0 winners at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium against Harlingen South.

“Yes, that (stadium in La Joya) is such a tough venue, and Juarez-Lincoln is a very good team,” Lobos coach Amadeo Escandon said. “It took us a while to adapt to their style of playing, especially in the attacking third on our side of the field.”

In Tuesday’s Class 5A regional quarterfinals, Porter won 2-0 against Sharyland High at Mission’s Tom Landry Stadium, while Pace triumphed 2-0 at Valley View.

It was scoreless at halftime during each of the matches involving Lopez, Pace and Porter. Then good things began to happen for the Brownsville teams in the final 40 minutes.

District 32-5A champion Porter (24-0-1) and 32-5A runner-up Pace (18-7-3) move on to the Region IV-5A Tournament starting Friday at Corpus Christi’s Cabaniss Field to play District 27-5A champion Alamo Heights and District 25-5A champion Austin Vandegrift, respectively, at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

The District 32-6A champion Lobos (19-2-1) and 32-6A second-place Lady Falcons (24-6-1) will be playing at the Region IV-6A Tournament also starting Friday at Brownsville Sports Park against District 25-6A runner-up Schertz Clemens and District 27-6A third-place San Antonio O’Connor, respectively, at 2 p.m. and noon.

REPEAT OF HISTORY

Pace’s win at Valley View marked the second straight year for the Vikings to eliminate the highly regarded Tigers, who advanced to state in 2013 and 2014, from the 5A playoffs.

It was also a 2-0 result in Pace’s favor at Tiger Stadium one season ago as the Vikings eliminated Valley View in the bi-district round.

What made Tuesday’s victory even more remarkable was the fact that Pace was without two starters, Geovani Martinez and Jorge Perez, who had to sit out after receiving red cards during last Friday’s 1-0 area-round win against Laredo Cigarroa.

“I was waiting for this game since last season so we could advance to the regional tournament,” said second-year Pace coach Mario A. Zamora, whose team lost to Porter 2-1 in penalty kicks in the 2015 regional quarterfinals. “We weren’t ready last season. Now we’re ready.

“The environment (Tuesday at Valley View) was awesome thanks to our fans,” Zamora added. “Our team did a great job of managing the game, and our defense was solid at all times. Now we are looking forward to winning in the regional semifinals.”

Pace is returning to the Region IV-5A Tournament for the first time since 2007.

“The feeling (of winning Tuesday) was very important not only to me, but for the whole team,” said Abel Jaramillo, who scored Pace’s first goal on a header four minutes into the second half. “Now it’s on to the next level to pursue our goal (of going to state).”

Added teammate Benlly Galvan. whose goal on a free kick taken from 21 yards away made it 2-0, “I love wearing these (Pace) colors and I love my team. This is a great feeling.”

MAJOR STRIDES

Port Isabel’s boys and girls ended their seasons Tuesday following losses in the Class 4A regional quarterfinals.

The District 32-4A co-champion Tarpons lost to Hidalgo 1-0 in penalty kicks at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium after it took 14 players attempting PKs to determine a winner. The 32-4A runner-up Lady Tarpons were eliminated 6-0 by Rockport-Fulton in Kingsville.

Advancing three rounds in the playoffs was quite a feat considering neither the Tarpons nor Lady Tarpons had reached the postseason before. They each had the kind of playoff showings that will help their programs build for the future and make a name for Port Isabel soccer.

“The future looks good,” Lady Tarpons coach Jesus Cardenas said. “I have pretty much a full team of starters returning as I am only losing two defenders and possibly my goalie since she might be moving out of state. There is a good group of young girls competing for the vacated spots, which should help out our cause. Hopefully we get another handful of incoming freshmen who can maybe increase our depth as well.”

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

Roy Hess, Staff Writer

HIDALGO — The Pace Vikings pulled off another improbable upset against the Valley View Tigers in the Class 5A state soccer playoffs.

Pace won Tuesday’s regional quarterfinal 2-0 at Tiger Stadium, the same site the Vikings surprised favored Valley View 2-0 in bi-district last season.

After a scoreless first half, the District 32-5A runner-up Vikings tallied a pair of goals within an 11-minute span early in the second half en route to shutting out the District 31-5A runner-up Tigers and securing a trip to Friday’s Region IV-5A Tournament at Corpus Christi’s Cabaniss Field.

Pace will play Cedar Creek or Austin Vandergrift on Friday in the regional semifinals.

“I’m more than happy,” Pace coach Mario A. Zamora said. “We’ve been waiting for this since last year. It feels very good.”

Valley View, ranked No. 2 in the Rio Grande Valley by RGVSports.com, ended its season 24-2-2.

With four minutes gone in the second half, a long free kick from the right side by Pace carried into area around the goalmouth and was headed in by Abel Jaramillo, who was situated about 10 yards out on the left side. It gave the Vikings a 1-0 advatage.

Pace, unranked in the Valley Top 10, had an apparent goal waved off due to an offsides call just a minute later after its initial goal.

Then the Vikings’ Benlly Galvan sent a rocket of a shot from the right side off a free kick into the right corner of the net with 25 minutes left to play. It was a shot taken from 21 yards out.

The Vikings’ 2-0 lead stood up the rest of the way to send their fans home in a celebratory mood.

“Thanks to my teammates, our fans and everyone who came out to see us play,” Galvan said.

The closest the Tigers came to scoring was a shot that went off the right post with just under 29 minutes remaining.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Reyes Prado and Guillermo “Willy” Santos, longtime friends and Hanna graduates, meet as opposing soccer coaches when the Hanna Golden Eagles play the Laredo United South Panthers in the Class 6A regional quarterfinals.

Their third-round playoff match is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at Roma’s Gladiator Stadium with the winner advancing to Region IV-6A Tournament at beginning Friday at Brownsville Sports Park.

The Metro area had 14 teams participating when the UIL state playoffs began March 24. After two rounds, seven are still alive in the postseason and play Tuesday. They include boys teams from Hanna, Lopez, Porter, Pace and Port Isabel plus girls squads from Los Fresnos and Port Isabel.

Hanna and United South are familiar with one another after having scrimmaged in Laredo in late December.

This time, the stakes are considerably higher.

“United South is a good team with some good strikers and midfielders,” Prado said. “Actually, they have good players all over, and so do we. Every step (in the playoffs) gets tougher. We just beat a district champion (McAllen High 1-0 in the area round (Friday) and now we’re facing another district champion. We believe in ourselves and we like our matchup.”

Prado played for former Hanna coach Juan de Dios Garcia before graduating in 1989. Santos also played for Garcia and graduated a few years later in the 1990s. Prado helped out Garcia with the team when Santos played for the Eagles.

“Willy was an awesome midfielder,” Prado said of the United South coach. “We’ve been good friends (since then).”

Prado coached Hanna’s girls soccer team when Garcia retired in 2012 and he’s directing the Hanna boys since 2013, the year the Eagles advanced to the Class 5A state final.

Concerning Tuesday’s game, Garcia said his loyalties are split between his two former players.

“You don’t know who to go for,” Garcia said. “They both deserve it.”

The Lopez boys go against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at 7 p.m. at La Joya ISD Stadium with the winner also advancing to the Region IV-6A Tournament at Brownsville Sports Park.

The Los Fresnos Lady Falcons have a chance to reach the Region IV-6A Tournament for the second straight year if they can get past Harlingen South at 6:30 p.m. at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium in Los Fresnos.

The Lady Falcons, who reached the Region IV-6A final last season, beat South twice by scores of 2-1 earlier this year in District 32-6A competition. The two teams tied for second place in 32-6A with 10-4 records and 30 points.

The Class 5A regional quarterfinals find the Pace and Porter boys playing in the Upper Valley. Pace is at Valley View and Porter takes on Sharyland High at Mission’s Tom Landry Stadium. Both games start at 7 p.m.

The winners advance to the Region IV-5A Tournament Friday at Corpus Christi’s Cabaniss Field.

Port Isabel’s girls play Rockport-Fulton at 5:30 p.m. at Kingsville’s Mopac Stadium, while the Port Isabel boys go against Hidalgo at 7 p.m. at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, site of Friday’s Region IV-4A Tournament.

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

Advancing in the state playoffs becomes tougher with each passing round.

The Porter soccer team, ranked No. 1 in the Rio Grande Valley by RGVSports.com, was reminded of that fact Friday during its Class 5A area playoff match against Calallen at Corpus Christi’s Cabaniss Field.

Trailing early by scores of 1-0 and 2-1, the Cowboys reached deep within themselves to come up with the resolve to prevail against the determined Wildcats 4-3 in penalty kicks and move on to the third round of postseason play.

Since the beginning of the season, the Cowboys have talked about their desire to make a deep run in the playoffs and return to state for the first time since 2011.

Fortunately, after dodging a bullet against Calallen, the District 32-5A champion Cowboys (23-0-1) can continue to focus on their ultimate goal.

“First of all, I feel that we’re blessed,” said Uriel Sepulveda, Porter’s senior defensive midfielder and team captain. “We knew it was going to be a hard game, and we never stopped believing (that we would win). There’s always that faith that one brings to the field, and it takes over the whole team.

I told the guys we needed to maintain possession of the ball, keep pushing forward, and the results came in. A win like this one keeps us motivated to work harder. We’re going to get back on our feet, go to practice (today) and get ready for what’s coming next.”

The Cowboys resume their playoff quest against District 31-5A champion Sharyland High, ranked No. 3 in the Valley, in the Class 5A regional quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Mission’s Tom Landry. The winner advances to Region IV-5A Tournament on Friday at Cabaniss Field.

Enrique Soto, a senior midfielder and team captain, described Friday’s victory against Calallen as “a cardiac game.”

“It was a game that had a little bit of everything,” Soto said. “It was exciting, painful and everything. It was a wake-up call. We knew that powered by faith we could do it. If we believed, things were going to happen the way we wanted them to and we would succeed. I think this type of game was supposed to happen so it could wake us up. We didn’t want to stop here. The question for us now is ‘How bad do we want it?’”

The Cowboys triumphed despite not playing their best soccer.

They missed a penalty kick in the first half and had an apparent goal waved off due to an offsides call in the second half. With Porter leading 3-2 in overtime, a Calallen free kick skipped off a defender, which altered the trajectory of the ball away from the goalkeeper, and it went in for a score to tie the match at 3.

Then came the penalty kicks. It took 12 players — six from each side — to determine a winner. The Cowboys eventually prevailed 5-4 in PKs after the final attempt by Calallen’s John Schumacher hit the crossbar and bounced away from the goal.

“We thought we were unbeatable and we almost lost,” senior forward and midfielder Alexis Anzures said. “All the hard work we had done since the offseason was about to go in the trash. But God is good. He helped us. We have to learn from this game and keep moving forward. We all have this dream, and we don’t want it to end.”

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