By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Athletes such as Irving Perez and Jose Echevarria are the lifeblood of the Lopez Lobos’ sports program.

Throughout the school year they participate in athletics, including football, soccer and track.

Right now their focus is on soccer.

The Lobos opened District 32-6A competition Tuesday with a 2-0 victory against Los Fresnos at Sams Memorial Stadium. Echevarria, a sophomore midfielder, scored both goals to highlight the victory. Perez, a junior defender, helped Lopez secure the shutout.

The Lobos are expected to face a strong challenge during their next district game at 7:30 p.m. Friday against Harlingen South at Boggus Stadium.

Lopez boys soccer coach Amadeo Escandon said it’s a plus to have players who have improved as athletes through their participation in another sport.

“These fine student-athletes bring (to soccer) the tactical discipline and power and strength that football gives them,” Escandon said. “It is an absolute blessing to work with athletes like ‘Chevy’ (Jose) and Irving, for not only are they enamored of ‘futbol’ (soccer), they live it.”

Actually, Echevarria is a rare athlete with two nicknames. He first acquired the nickname “Sandy” before picking up his second nickname of “Chevy” sometime around his middle school days. He said of the two nicknames, he prefers “Chevy,” which apparently is a derivative of his last name.

Echevarria has mixed feelings about his football season. He received newcomer of the year honors as a slot receiver who made plays running and catching the ball. He also punted and sometimes was the team’s kicker. He was one of the bright spots for the Lobos in football. Now he wants to give his best effort in soccer, too.
“I felt good how it went for me (individually), but I didn’t feel that great because we didn’t go far (as a team),” Echevarria said. “I wanted to win more games than what we won. There’s always next year.

“(In soccer,) the chances are that we have a great team that can go far,” he added. “We know each other from outside (the field) and from years ago, so I think those are reasons we’re going to do well.

“These guys have a lot of heart for the team with a lot of passion for the sport and everything. That’s a great thing to have.”

Perez, a starter at cornerback on the football team, appreciates the opportunity to participate in multiple sports for the Lobos just like his teammate.

“It helps you have discipline, and every season it gets me ready for the next one,” said Perez, who missed most of his junior year of football after suffering a dislocated elbow during the Lobos’ opening district game. “Football didn’t go as well as I expected, but I was still there for my team (after my injury). I’m OK now even though it still hurts a little when it’s cold, but you just have to live through it. I’ll be ready for football next season.”

Having had his football campaign cut short due to injury, Perez wants to make the most of his time in soccer. He sees success this season for the Lobos.

“We’ve got a good team, and I think we’re headed to the playoffs,” he said. “Everybody motivates everybody, so it’s a good team. I just want to defend well and give good passes to my teammates.

“Our coaches tell us that you have to go 100 percent on every play. It doesn’t matter (what might happen). You’ve got to keep going forward.”

Football followed by soccer followed by track. Neither of the two Lopez athletes would have it any other way.

“You don’t get to rest (between seasons) and, yes, you get tired, but if you’re going to be successful then you’ve got to be like that,” Echevarria said. “I just thank the coaches for having trust in me.”

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 area schools are used to having their district swimming & diving meets in Brownsville.

But things are changing as more school districts in the Rio Grande Valley build indoor aquatic facilities.

For the first time, this week’s District 32-6A meet will be competed at the recently opened Harlingen CISD Aquatic Center.

The $7.88 million state-of-the-art facility next to Boggus Stadium was scheduled to be the site of last year’s 32-6A meet but it wasn’t quite ready to open. As a result, the 32-6A meet returned to Brownsville’s Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center.

The Harlingen facility is now ready to go and already has been the host of several events, including a pre-district meet Jan. 8 and 9.

“I like it,” Los Fresnos coach Albino Cisneros said of the new Harlingen swim center.

Cisneros said his boys and girls have competed there twice so far this swimming season.

“It’s set up really well,” he said. “Whoever designed it knew what they were doing. Our swimmers are familiar with competing there. I wish we had one like it.”

Actually, the construction of an indoor swimming and diving facility has been approved by Los Fresnos CISD. Still, Los Fresnos, as it has done in the past, braved cold weather conditions this week and trained at its outdoor pool for district.

The 32-6A meet begins at noon Friday with diving. Swimming competition begins at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. The top six finishers in each event advance to the Region VIII-6A Meet on Feb. 5 and 6 at Clark Aquatic Center.

Los Fresnos has been the dominant team in the district, winning the past six titles for the boys and past three for the girls.
“We’re definitely ready to go,” Cisneros said.

Leading the way for the Los Fresnos girls is Ivana Besteiro, who went to state in two events last season. Other Los Fresnos swimmers expected to do well at district include Andrea Moreno, Sarah Villarreal, Kendall House, Carlos Paredes, Daniel Escamilla, Luis Osuna and Ari Morales.

Rivera, Hanna and Brownsville Veterans Memorial aim to challenge Los Fresnos for a district championship, either in the girls, the boys or both.

“We’ve been working really hard, and we should have some very good individual swims,” Rivera coach Ryan Shea said. “This will be our second time to swim (in Harlingen). It’s nice to have a (district) meet there. It’s something new for our swimmers. We’ll be back on our home turf for the regional meet (next week at Clark Aquatic Center).”

Those who figure to do well for Rivera include Adrian Flores, Pablo De Los Santos, Stephanie Castillo, Ximena Gonzalez, Sofia Gonzalez and Fernanda Rodriguez.

Hanna is expected to have a strong showing at district as well, particularly with its girls. Among the ones to watch for the Lady Golden Eagles are Maya Athena Imperial, Natalia Davila, Tahliya Martinez and Gloria Orta. Imperial went to state in two events one year ago. Leading the way for the Hanna boys is Hugo Arredondo.

“It’s that time,” Hanna coach Sam Perez said. “This is the big moment, and it helps put the whole season in perspective for us.

“We just had a dual meet against (Brownsville) Veterans, and everyone is feeling good because we swam really well (and it gives us momentum going into district),” he added. “Now our swimmers are excited and rejuvenated to do their best.”

Brownsville Veterans also has a swimmer with an opportunity to return to state in Jonathan Ashford. He went to Austin in two events last year, like Besteiro and Imperial.

Other athletes for Brownsville Veterans who are expected to have strong showings at district include Daniel Flores, Juan Andres Sanchez, Phillip Taboada and Tonnih Ruiz.

“I feel pretty comfortable (about our chances),” Brownsville Veterans coach Frank Sanchez said. “Hopefully we’ll hit a good taper right at district time and hopefully see our best swims. That’s what I’m looking for.

“Yes, being in a different pool (at Harlingen) could make a difference, but I think what’s more important is the mindset level of our swimmers going into the meet,” Sanchez added. “To me, a pool is a pool, and maybe for the swimmers it might be a little different, but I think they’ll be all right.”

Lopez should be strong in girls diving with Thadey Diaz, who recently topped a 300 score at a meet in McAllen.

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

Anyone not believing this season’s District 32-6A boys soccer race is going to be one of the most balanced it has been in years top to bottom should have attended Tuesday’s district opener between Hanna and San Benito, or for that matter, any of the other three 32-6A boys openers the same night.

While Hanna has received a nod from several informed sources as a district favorite, it’s accurate to say San Benito has entered the new season somewhat under the radar.

Still, when the teams met Tuesday for their 32-6A opener at San Benito’s Bobby Morrow Stadium, it was the Greyhounds who led 1-0 with a goal midway through the second half. Somehow, Hanna rallied during the final 18 minutes or so with a pair of goals by Oscar Cordoba and one by Juan Alexis Hernandez to win 3-1.

Hanna coach Reyes Prado said the match was anything but easy.

“It was, as anticipated, a tough game,” Prado said. “San Benito is very well-coached and was ready to play against us. After San Benito went up on the scoreboard, our team showed more desire and willingness to take over the game. We scored three goals in a lapse of 10 minutes or so to regain control of the game.

“We have heard that our district is one of the toughest in the state. Well, the results of the first night of games prove that,” Prado added. “People think that just because Brownsville schools have set the bar way up high that the other teams are going to lay down and we should have easy games. On the contrary, every team is out to get points against the BISD teams.

“You will see more grey in the hair of Brownsville coaches by the end of the season, but we always enjoy a good match against every good team like the ones in our district.”

In other 32-6A boys matches Tuesday, Lopez received all the battle it could handle in defeating Los Fresnos 2-0, Rivera edged Harlingen High 1-0 and Brownsville Veterans Memorial prevailed against Harlingen South 2-1 in penalty kicks.

PACE TEAMS SHINE: It was a successful District 32-5A season debut at home for the Pace boys and girls Tuesday.
Going against Mercedes, the Vikings won 2-0 and the Lady Vikings triumphed 7-0.

After a scoreless first half in the boys match, Pace’s Efrain Gutierrez and Abel Jaramillo each tallied a goal to lift the Vikings to victory.

“It is always good to start (district) with a win, especially playing at home,” Vikings coach Mario A. Zamora said. “Now we are focused on getting a ‘W’ against Donna (High) on the road (Friday).”

The Lady Vikings were up 3-0 at halftime and won handily thanks to three goals each from Kryssie Rivera and Alexis Guajardo. JoAnn Sanchez added one goal.

“Having a win in the district opener gives us the confidence we need to keep on working hard,” Lady Vikings coach Jesus O. Villarreal said. “We are not going to make any assumptions (about winning) for any team nor any game. We are trying to stay balanced in all lines on the field, and last night proved that we are much better at it.

“The girls are practicing very hard and following instructions,” Villarreal added. “They are playing as a team as well, which is something very important for accomplishing our planned objectives.”

GOOD START FOR RAIDERS: Instead of pointing toward April 18, like last year, the Rivera Raiders had been focusing on Tuesday’s first district game.

They came away from their opening 32-6A match on the road Tuesday against Harlingen High with a 1-0 victory thanks to a first-half goal by Eliezer “Chaii” Acero with an assist from Julian Espinoza.

“It feels good to start on the right foot in district competition,” Raiders coach Salvador Garcia said. “We knew it was a vital game for our goal (of returning to the playoffs), and we needed the three points. It should help us to keep improving.

“It seems to me, or maybe it’s just wishful thinking, that things are turning around in our favor,” Garcia added. “By Friday we are getting some key players back from grades and injuries, and that should help.

“Defensively (Tuesday), we had a good game with Hernan Cruz being our leader in the back.”

PORTER UPDATE: The Porter Cowboys, the Rio Grande Valley’s top-ranked team by RGVSports.com, opened 32-5A action Tuesday with a 5-0 victory at Donna North with goals by Marco Don Juan (two), Ricky Vidal, Alexis Armendariz and Jose Pardillo.

The Cowgirls weren’t quite as fortunate, losing 1-0 at Donna North.

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

To look on the bright side, at least it wasn’t raining.

Yet, chilling winds blowing from the north made it feel pretty uncomfortable, even without the wet stuff, as the Lopez Lobos won their District 32-6A soccer opener 2-0 on Tuesday against the Los Fresnos Falcons at Sams Memorial Stadium.

There were some raindrops that fell sporadically at Sams earlier in the evening when the Los Fresnos and Lopez girls played the first game of a 32-6A doubleheader, but the drizzle didn’t carry over into the boys match.

Jose Echevarria, a sophomore midfielder for the Lobos, scored one goal during each half to highlight the win.

“It feels great because we got the win as a team,” Echevarria said. “I got to score two goals and I hadn’t scored in a while, so it feels good.”

The first tally came during the 16th minute on a medium-range shot from the left side. Echevarria’s second goal happened just two minutes into the second half and resulted when the ball was kicked into the net from close range out of a crowd.
Lopez coach Amadeo Escandon was bundled up in a warm jacket, and the victory to start off conference play seemed to make the cool conditions a little easier to endure.

“It’s always good when you start district on a positive note, so this feels good,” Escandon said. “We had a good rival in front of us — Los Fresnos is a good team — so thank God that everything worked out the way we planned.”

The Lobos next play Friday at Harlingen South. Los Fresnos also continues 32-6A action Friday at home against San Benito.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The Lopez Lady Lobos made the most of their soccer rematch with the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons on Tuesday at Sams Memorial Stadium.

Having lost to the Lady Falcons twice at the 17th annual Brownsville ISD Tournament earlier this month, including in the championship match, the Lady Lobos were determined to enjoy a change of fortune during the two teams’ third encounter.

The Lopez girls came through with Tuesday’s 3-0 victory in a District 32-6A opener.

It was a fairly chilly evening with strong winds from the north and scattered raindrops, but those less-than-ideal conditions didn’t prevent the Lopez girls from putting together a solid outing that leaves them 1-0 in 32-6A with demanding tests against Harlingen South and Hanna just ahead.

“I think this game went really good,” said Carla Gracia, a junior forward for the Lady Lobos who scored her team’s second goal on a second-half penalty kick. “We had faced them twice already, and we had been training for this. Yes, we lost, but we didn’t lose (our motivation) on the field. We showed that today.”

Samantha Ruiz, the Lady Lobos’ senior center midfielder, scored the first and third goals for Lopez. Her first tally was a crossing shot into the net from the left side with six minutes to go before halftime that made it 1-0 at intermission.

Gracia converted her PK during the 54th minute to boost the lead to 2-0. Ruiz blasted in a rocket from 30 yards during the 59th minute for a 3-0 advantage.

“This feels good,” Ruiz said after the game. “(Considering) all the hard work we implemented in practice and to be showing it in the game, I’m just proud of my team. It was a hard game because I know what a competitive team Los Fresnos is, but I think a win like this just motivates us.”

The Lady Lobos even had a fourth goal waved off with three minutes remaining.

“It’s really early in the district race,” Lopez coach Alex Macias said. “Los Fresnos just had a bad game. They didn’t do as well as they did in our two previous games with them, but they’re a team you can never underestimate. They have a strong program, and they have a strong team.”

The best scoring opportunity for the Lady Falcons came during the 22nd minute when they had a clear shot from about 18 yards go off the left post.

The Los Fresnos girls can look to last year for consolation, as they opened district one season ago with a loss to Lopez before going on a winning streak and capturing the 32-6A title.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

If anything, the District 32-6A boys soccer race of 2016 promises to be nothing quite like last season’s unimpeded march to the conference championship and beyond by the Rivera Raiders.

Marking the most successful season put together by a UIL team in Rio Grande Valley history in any sport at the highest level, the Raiders went 28-0, including a 14-0 showing in 32-6A, en route to capturing the inaugural Class 6A boys state title in soccer.

A season like that is rare indeed, and considering the overall strength and balance of the boys teams in 32-6A this season, what Rivera did in 2015 seems unlikely to happen again very soon, at least this year anyway.

What appears more reasonable to expect in 2016 is a tight, even boys race that is characterized by back and forth surges with the 32-6A winner eventually coming out with one or two losses, or possibly even more, because the district seems so equitable.

Earlier this month when the season began, the boys from Hanna, Brownsville Veterans Memorial and Lopez were mentioned by some coaches as 32-6A favorites. And now at this point going into the start of district Tuesday, each of those teams has shown some signs of vulnerabilities, which gives hope to the others. Teams such as Harlingen South, Harlingen High and Los Fresnos are proving they shouldn’t be overlooked in the 32-6A race along with San Benito, and of course, Rivera, which has qualified for the playoffs 23 of the past 24 years.

“I believe that this year will be tougher than ever (in 32-6A),” Hanna boys coach Reyes Prado said. “I know it sounds too common to say, but all the teams from our district have a shot at the playoffs. From what I have seen so far there’s no weak team.

“I believe our team has a chance to be right there at the top if we can avoid injuries and stay focused and humble,” Prado added. “I think that whichever team has the ability to stay (the most) focused and hungry will make the playoffs, go far and represent our 6A district very well. God willing, we get a few breaks here and there, and we can perform up to our potential.”

Those sentiments are echoed by Lopez coach Amadeo Escandon.

“I think the (boys) district race is going to be wide open,” Escandon said. “We can’t discard the Harlingen schools, Los Fresnos, and obviously everyone else. It’s going to be very wide open. In our district on any given night, anybody can beat anybody.

“I’m just glad we have a little momentum going into district with a win (4-3 against McAllen Memorial on Friday),” Escandon added. “It was against a good team. We’re just going to keep fixing things and focus on the positives we have going for us.”

All in all, it figures to be quite an interesting district race in 32-6A for boys and girls beginning Tuesday. The district has returned to varsity doubleheader matches at the same site with the girls playing at 5:30 p.m. and the boys to follow at 7:30 p.m. for the first half of 32-6A play. The times will be reversed for the second round.

Tuesday’s schedule of girls-boys doubleheaders has Los Fresnos vs. Lopez at Sams Memorial Stadium, Harlingen South at Brownsville Veterans Memorial, Hanna at San Benito and Rivera at Harlingen High at the Cardinals’ Mini Stadium.

Due to field conditions at their respective schools, home matches for Rivera and Lopez will be played at Sams.

On the girls side, if the 32-6A race is anything like it was last season, it should be a heated battle that goes down to the final night of conference play.

The Los Fresnos girls, district champions four of the past six seasons, look well-suited to defend their title from one year ago. Besides the Rivera boys, the Lady Falcons wrote some history of their own in 2015 by recording a school-best 27-4 season, advancing five rounds in the playoffs and becoming only the third Valley girls team to reach the regional finals in UIL soccer competition.

“We’re going to take it one game at a time, and our end goal is to make it to state,” said Patricia K. Hernandez, now the Lady Falcons’ main coach after two seasons as an assistant. “We have the talent and discipline to get us there, so don’t count us out.”

Last season the Lady Falcons were challenged by Hanna, Harlingen South and Lopez for the 32-6A title, and those same teams figure to be the favorites in district again. Other squads that are expected to be improved this year include San Benito, Brownsville Veterans and Harlingen High.

“Our district is very challenging, very difficult,” Lady Golden Eagles coach Jose Morales said. “Getting a (1-0) win against McAllen Memorial (last Tuesday) gives us a lot of confidence going into district.

“I feel we’re going to be a very offensive team,” he added. “We’re set in the back (with our lineup), and we’ve even been able to switch out some of our defensive players and allow them to play in the midfield and even up front (at forward). We’re going to be offering a lot more variety this year, a lot more variations.

“Our seniors are working hard for their last year. For them, there’s no tomorrow. They realize that and they want to leave a good legacy behind for the freshmen.”

Not only does 32-6A start Tuesday, but District 32-5A matches involving Porter and Pace begin, too. There will be girls-boys varsity doubleheaders at the same site also this year for 32-5A teams with the girls playing at 6 p.m. and the boys at 8 p.m.

District 32-5A doubleheaders involving Brownsville schools Tuesday have Mercedes at Pace and Porter at Donna North.

The Cowboys go into their district schedule ranked as the No. 1 in the Valley by RGVSports.com. Two weekends ago they won a championship at the Brownsville ISD Tournament for the third straight year.

“It feels good (to have won one of the two brackets at the BISD Tournament) because we faced some very tough teams,” Porter coach Jose Espitia said. “At the same time, we know it was just a preseason tournament (and the most important matches are now ahead).”

District 32-4A, which includes area boys and girls teams Port Isabel and IDEA Frontier, won’t begin district competition until early February.

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 was almost the ideal tuneup for next week’s start of District 32-6A soccer competition.

The key word is almost.

The Lopez Lobos scored early and were looking pretty good with a 4-1 lead against McAllen Memorial during Friday’s non-district match at Sams Memorial Stadium.

Then the Mustangs scored a pair of goals during the final 26 minutes to take the Lobos out of their comfort zone as Lopez prevailed 4-3.

McAllen Memorial and Lopez are ranked No. 7 and No. 8, respectively, this week in the Rio Grande Valley by RGVSports.com.

“We had a good start, and then I don’t know what happened the last 20 minutes or so,” Lopez coach Amadeo Escandon said. “I think we had a little letdown or something. They pressed us and scored on us.”
Lopez had just lost to the Mustangs during tournament play earlier this month in Mission.

“More than seeking revenge or anything like that — Memorial is a great team — we were just trying to get ready for district, which is coming up next Tuesday,” Escandon said. “That’s mainly what we were looking for. Hopefully we can tweak a few things here and there (and we’ll be ready).

“One is never satisfied with a game that turned out like this one because they scored three goals on us,” he added. “That means we have to fix a few things. But I saw a lot of positive things tonight, so we’ll continue to work on what we have to fix and focus on the positives.”

A goal by Alan Reyes barely 90 seconds into the match made it 1-0 for the Lobos. Then came goals by teammates Jose Echevarria and Allan Ramos to boost the lead to 3-0 just nine minutes into the action.

McAllen Memorial’s Luis Cardenas caught the Lopez goalkeeper out of position away from the net and put his team on the scoreboard during the 12th minute, which accounted for the 3-1 score at intermission.

A converted penalty kick by German Vera after a tripping violation enabled the Lobos to go ahead 4-1 during the 50th minute. Cardenas and Leo Saavedra added the Mustangs’ final two goals during the 54th and 62nd minutes, respectively, with Cardenas’ second tally coming on a penalty kick.

“This was a great tuneup (for District 30-6A) for us against a great Lopez team,” Mustangs coach Eduardo Calderon said. “We need to work on our set plays, but this match was a good thing because it’s a learning process, and we’re going to (eventually) get there and be where we want to be.

“This is my third year (as coach) and these are basically the same players I’ve had for three years now, “ Calderon added. “We have a few new freshmen, but it’s really the same team. They’re just a lot better now.”

Lopez next plays its 32-6A opener at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Sams against Los Fresnos.

The Mustangs have one more non-district match at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Sharyland Pioneer before beginning 30-6A action at home against La Joya High at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The District 32-5A swimming & diving meet brought a pleasant repeat for the Roma girls and a new experience for the PSJA Southwest boys as each team captured a championship Friday at Brownsville’s Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center.

The two-day event involved 10 schools with diving at the Sharyland ISD Aquatic Center on Thursday before the swimming finals took place the following day in Brownsville.

The Roma girls won decisively with 172 points compared to 121 for runner-up Sharyland High and 85 for third-place Sharyland Pioneer.

PSJA Southwest prevailed in the boys competition with 114 points, edging runner-up Roma, which had 110 points. Sharyland High came in next with 104 points.

It marked the third straight district title for the Roma girls, but the PSJA Southwest boys lifted a 32-5A championship trophy for the first time in the sport.

After it was all over, the coaches for the two teams, the Gladiators’ Calvin Snyder and the Javelinas’ Jonathan Landero, willingly went into the pool in street clothes, came out drenched and neither complained, well at least not too much anyway.

“I’m cold, somebody turn on the heater,” said a smiling Snyder, who is mainly responsible for turning the Roma aquatic program into a South Texas power at its classification in recent years.

“Our girls went into this meet favored, and they performed very well, set several district records and swam some personal bests, so I’m super proud of them,” the Roma coach said. “Our boys (who finished second) went into the meet (an estimated) 20 or 30 points behind (the favored team), and they wound up getting beat by only four points, so I’m very proud of them, too.

“There was tremendous competition at this meet. All the teams had fabulous swims. The Brownsville schools (Porter and Pace) were a credit to themselves. I’m just glad it’s over. I’m glad to see another title go back to Roma. The credit goes to our kids. They did all the work.”

Winning events for the Roma girls were Jocelyn Martinez (200 and 500 freestyles), Isabella Gonzalez (200 individual medley) and Marianna Canales (100 breaststroke). The Roma girls also won the 200 and 400 freestyle relays with Martinez, Gonzalez, Canales and Robin Castillo participating.

Landero said Friday’s victory marked an important step for the Javelinas.

“We started this program from scratch, and this is my third year as coach,” he said. “The key today was making sure we set up everybody (to do well). We were able to spread everyone out in the different events (to give ourselves a better chance). We felt that we were top heavy (in certain events) and that we needed to spread them out in this really tough district meet.

“When we didn’t take the 200 free relay (and placed second) it made me a little nervous, but we followed through and our guys did great,” Landero added. “Some of the ones who don’t normally win really stepped up and came through, giving us some extra points that we very much needed, so it was an awesome team effort.”

Earning first places for the Javelinas were double-winners Joseph Velasquez (200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke) and Joshua Velasquez (100 butterfly an 100 backstroke). Those two swimmers combined with Luke Singh and Zack Garza to win the 200 medley relay.

Another individual double-winner Friday was Mission Veterans Memorial’s Andrea Valdez (50 and 100 freestyles).

The top six finishers in each event at district qualified for the Region VIII-5A Meet on Feb. 5 and 6 in Corpus Christi.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Things have come pretty much full circle for Pace coach Selina Gilman as she prepares her swimmers for Friday’s District 32-5A Meet at Brownsville’s Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center.

Gilman is a product of Brownsville youth swimming programs who competed for Hanna under then-coach Monica Rosales before graduating in 2000. She later received her college degree from the University of Texas at Brownsville.

It wasn’t all that long ago that Gilman was swimming laps herself and preparing for district competition. Now she’s close to completing her first season as Pace’s swimming coach, and she’s letting her athletes know what to expect at district.

“It’s exciting because we’re a young team and we’re rebuilding,” Gilman said. “A lot of these kids have come to the program to learn how to swim. We’ve taken the ones who were in the program before and grouped them with the new ones, so it’s been a learning experience for myself as the coach and the kids as well. They’re finding out about the world of competition that is high school swimming.”

The 32-5A meet actually begins at 1 p.m. Thursday with diving competition at Sharyland ISD Aquatic Center. The meet continues at noon Friday at the Clark Aquatic Center with swimming events.

The top six finishers in each event at district advance to the Region VIII-5A Meet on Feb. 5 and 6 at the Corpus Christi ISD Natatorium.

Rosales, now the Clark Center director, said Roma and Sharyland High figure to be among the teams to beat at the district meet, which will include Porter and Pace. The Brownsville 5A teams have no divers this year.

“I think this meet’s going to be a fast meet,” Rosales said. “There are some teams that are very impressive even though they are 5A schools. Roma and Sharyland look strong, and even Edinburg Vela and PSJA Southwest.

“These next few weeks we’ll be finding out who’s the cream of the crop (in the Valley in 5A and 6A),” she added.

The District 32-6A Meet is scheduled to be held Jan. 29 and 30 in Harlingen.

Gilman said the goal for her swimmers Friday is to record their best times so they can have a strong standard to set for themselves next season. She said the group has pulled together and is enjoying what it means to be a team.

“They have spaghetti nights, and they help tutor each other,” Gilman said. “It’s a unity that transfers beyond the pool.”
Some of the swimmers who have a chance to do well for Pace include Victor Reyes, Jose Hernandez, Denis Espinoza, Aldair Soto, Itza Ibarra, Mariana Cardenas and Anelisa Gonzalez.

“We’re up against schools like the Sharylands and Roma, so we know that the competition is fierce,” Gilman said. “The goals that we’ve set for ourselves include dropping times, and of course trying to advance to the regional meet. Some of our swimmers know their times aren’t yet good enough to advance, but they want to achieve their best times now so they’ll have a starting point to build on next season. That’s what our real goals are.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity that I’ve been given to take over this program and to coach a sport that is very near and dear to me,” she added. “I appreciate that.”

Swimmers expected to lead the way for Porter include Jorge Banda, Angel Villanueva, Manuel Avalos, Jerry Limas, Chris Sandoval, Sandy Mendoza, Martha Sanchez, Joleen Carrizales, Bianca Araguz, Fernanda Marin and Susan Ramirez.

“Honestly, our expectations for this meet are very basic,” said Porter coach Roman Ortega, a veteran of 30-plus years at his post. “I want each and every swimmer to make sure we get our best times. If we can do that and get our individual best times, we’ll be content.

“It’s very difficult to try to place (high) with our personnel at this particular time,” Ortega added. “We need to make realistic goals, and our goals are to swim better meet by meet as we stated from the beginning (of the season). It’s a work in progress, and they’re improving quite a bit. We have a lot of dedicated, hard-working kids, so that helps.”

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

With district competition just around the corner, Rio Grande Valley soccer teams are gearing up for the next phase of the 2016 season.

That was the idea behind Tuesday’s non-district girls matchup between Hanna and McAllen Memorial at Hanna. The Lady Mustangs are ranked No. 3 in the Valley by RGVSports.com and Hanna is No. 10, so the game figured to be a solid predistrict test for each team.

McAllen Memorial and Hanna have met in the playoffs during each of the past two seasons with the Lady Mustangs winning by narrow scores both times.

This time, it was a victory for Hanna as the Lady Golden Eagles converted a late second-half goal to triumph 1-0. A high ball from the right side by Hanna’s Giselle Pina bounced in with seven minutes remaining to determine the outcome.

The next games for each team will be district openers as Hanna starts 32-6A play next Tuesday and McAllen Memorial begins 30-6A play Jan. 29.

“I think our girls played a lot harder,” Hanna coach Jose Morales said. “They played with their hearts, and they wanted to get this win at home, especially because Memorial got us last year (1-0 during the second round of the playoffs). It was going to be a little battle.

“A win is always very welcome before starting district,” Morales added.

After a scoreless first half, things became somewhat more active on the offensive ends during the final 40 minutes, particularly for Hanna.

However, the Lady Eagles had to fend off a flurry of opportune shots by the visitors five minutes into the second half. Then Hanna began to make its presence felt more decisively at the other end of the field.

During the minutes leading up to Pina’s goal, Hanna came up just short on several promising opportunities with time winding down.

It was a match each team was eager to play.

“We had been wanting to play Hanna (in non-district action) since last year (because of the quality of the two teams),” Lady Mustangs coach Matthew Kaiser said. “Coach Morales and I set it up. We would have liked to have had a few more days coming off our tournament last weekend (in Corpus Christi) because we’re definitely banged up.

“We had a couple of girls who are normal starters that didn’t play tonight and another one who was a game-time decision tonight that didn’t play,” Kaiser added. “Two more went off the field (injured) tonight and didn’t come back, so we’re pretty banged up.

“We do have some time off now, so hopefully we can get healthy again before it counts (in district). If everybody gets healthy and we can put the lineup that we have on the field, we feel good about having a strong team and having a chance at making another run.”

The Lady Mustangs, defending 30-6A champions and Region IV-6A Tournament qualifiers last season, were coming off a third-place finish at their tournament last weekend in Corpus Christi.

The Lady Eagles reached the championship quarterfinals of last weekend’s 17th annual Brownsville ISD Tournament at Brownsville Sports Park.