By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

LOS FRESNOS — Coming off last week’s 500th career victory for Los Fresnos’ Kim Edquist, the Lady Falcons put win No. 501 in the books for their coach Tuesday with a 35-22 District 32-6A triumph at home against the San Benito Lady Greyhounds.

Yet for Edquist, now in her 26th year as a coach, the victory in district Tuesday meant a whole lot more to her than reaching the 500-win plateau or even moving on to No. 501.

“It wasn’t 501 (that was so noteworthy), it was just getting that one district win tonight that was the most important thing,” Edquist said. “Really, like I said earlier, 501 is just a number, while this game was very important for us (district-wise).

“Our girls came out like troopers and just nailed it, especially on defense, so I’m excited for them,” Edquist added. “We just stepped up our game tonight.”

The victory kept the Lady Falcons undefeated in 32-6A at 2-0. They are 13-6 overall.

San Benito slipped to 10-6 and 1-1.

The Lady Greyhounds had just beaten Los Fresnos 45-38 in the consolation championship of the McAllen Border Bash tournament Nov. 21.

The Lady Greyhounds had far more success shooting from the outside in that earlier matchup with the Lady Falcons. Los Fresnos’ strong showing on defense Tuesday frustrated the visitors.

“I knew we might have trouble with their zone (defense) because we hadn’t been shooting all that well,” San Benito coach Abel Moreno Jr. said. “We shot 70 percent from the field the other night against Hanna, but we’ve been struggling (with our shots) from the field (lately). We were hot and cold, and we just couldn’t hit tonight.”

Los Fresnos never trailed. The Lady Falcons led 10-5 after one quarter and 18-11 at halftime. They took a 31-12 advantage into the final period after outscoring San Benito 13-1 during the third quarter.

The Lady Falcons’ biggest lead of 19 points, 31-12, came with 10.3 seconds left in the third period as Cristi Garza sank the first of two free throws.

Meanwhile, San Benito didn’t register its first field goal of the second half until the 5:59 mark of the fourth quarter when Emilee Barraza scored on a drive to make it 31-14.

Los Fresnos point guard Lynette Duran led all scorers with 11 points, including a 3-pointer. Kelsi McDonough, Cassie Parra and Amy Ruiz each added four points.

San Benito was led by Barraza’s nine points. She had a pair of 3-pointers. Mikayla Garcia added seven points.

Edquist picked up her 500th career win last Friday at Lopez with a 70-44 district-opening victory over the Lady Lobos. The veteran coach was honored for reaching that milestone prior to Tuesday’s game.

District action continues at 7:30 p.m. Friday as Los Fresnos is at home against Harlingen South and San Benito plays at Harlingen High.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The St. Joseph Academy soccer team is taking an undefeated record into the holiday break.

The Bloodhounds are 4-0 overall and 2-0 in TAPPS district play after rallying to defeat San Antonio Antonian 2-1 on Saturday in San Antonio.

The Bloodhounds are defending district champions. They have some tough competition in their district as Antonian was the TAPPS Division I state champion three years ago, and San Antonio Central Catholic, another district foe, was the state champion two years ago.

Antonian is now 6-4-1 and 1-2 after Saturday’s defeat. Central Catholic is 7-1 and 3-0.

The Bloodhounds, who opened their season last month, play host to Central Catholic in their next match at 2 p.m. on Jan. 2.

SJA coach Tino Villarreal said his squad is displaying some good play at times but is not yet back to its level of last season when the Bloodhounds went 16-4-2 and reached the TAPPS state semifinals.

“Things are shaping up, and there have been moments that show what this team could be,” Villarreal said. “We just need to play more games. Our (district) opponents have played a lot more games.

“The match against Antonian was played in wet conditions with a drizzle,” he added. “It was a sloppy win, but any time you beat a San Antonio team in San Antonio, it’s huge.”

On Saturday, Antonian went up 1-0 during the 11th minute off a corner kick play.

“We had much better runs and plays (develop) in the second half,” Villarreal said.

After an SJA goal had been nullified when the referee called a pushing foul on the Bloodhounds in front of the goal during a corner kick, Jose Kauachi got his team on the scoreboard with a header during the 59th minute as SJA tied the tally at 1.

Another SJA goal was nullified on an offsides call before Mario Garcia scored for the Bloodhounds during the 71st minute to provide the eventual game-winner.

The Bloodhounds were coming off a 5-0 win at home against San Antonio St. Anthony’s on Dec. 5.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

By his own admission, had Jonathan Ashford not won his two individual swimming events at this weekend’s Brownsville ISD Pre-Regional Showcase, it would have felt like a big disappointment.

The Brownsville Veterans Memorial standout has high expectations for his senior season after qualifying for the UIL state meet as a junior in the 100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke.

Ashford came through with victories in the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke Saturday to highlight the Chargers’ participation in the Pre-Regional event at Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center. The two-day meet attracted 29 teams and approximately 600 competitors.

“I was satisfied with the two (victories) I got,” said Ashford, who went to state as a freshman and then again as a junior. “Now I see where everybody else is at (as far as competition), so I’m hoping for the best.

“I feel I could have done better,” Ashford added. “At the beginning of the meet (Saturday) my body was at a high (level) and I got some good times in our (200 medley) relay (that finished third), but my times weren’t where I really wanted them to be (in my individual events). This was a pre-regional meet, so by regional time (in early February), we’ll see how much I improve.”

Besides McAllen Rowe’s Abraham Rodriguez, who captured both diving events, Ashford was the only double-winner among the boys.

Brownsville Veterans coach Frank Sanchez said that, yes, Ashford probably could have done better, but added he still was encouraged by his standout senior’s showings.

“I think Jonathan had some very good swims, especially with his freestyle, and he looked real strong in the water,” Sanchez said. “His breaststroke wasn’t too bad. That’s an up-and-down kind of stroke where you can look real good at one meet and a little slower at other meets.

“I think the thing with Jonathan is that when he has someone next to him (who provides strong competition), that’s really going to push him. When he looks to both sides and no one is there (with him), it just doesn’t seem to give him that extra edge to really want to push it a little more. When there’s competition right there next to him, he kicks it into another gear.”

Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway captured the boys team title with 288 points. McAllen High, missing a couple of its key swimmers, finished second with 207 points and Sharyland High was third at 167.

“Yes, we were missing some of our guys for this meet, but I think we’ll be fine,” McHi coach Jared Kaminski said.

The McAllen Memorial girls were team champions with 290 points. Laredo Alexander was second with 196 points and Los Fresnos finished third with 186.

“We did very well today, but we’ve got to keep working,” Mustangs coach Timothy Nelson said. “We have to keep fighting, working hard and everything. This (showing) gives me an idea of where to put our people (for the upcoming district and regional meets).

“(I would just say) have fun, and go Mustangs,” he added.

The McAllen Memorial girls boasted a double-winner in Stacia Benitez, who took first in the 100 butterfly and the 100 backstroke. The only other double-winner for the girls was Roma’s Jocelyn M. Martinez, who captured the 100 and 200 freestyles.

The Los Fresnos girls won the 200 freestyle relay and received second-place finishes from Andrea Moreno (100 butterfly) and Ivana Besteiro (200 individual medley).

“My girls did all right, but I wasn’t too happy with my (10th place) boys,” Los Fresnos coach Albino Cisneros said. “I wish I had a few more girls. We had eight (girls) qualify for the finals, and four of them were for individual events and the others qualified on a relay.

“We just have a lot of work to do,” he added. “I’m planning for the future.”

The Hanna girls enjoyed some strong showings as well. Maya Athena Imperial won the 500 freestyle, and teammate Natalia Davila was second in the 100 freestyle and third in the 50 freestyle. The Lady Eagles also took second in the 200 freestyle relay and third in the 400 freestyle relay.

Lopez’s Thadey Diaz earned second-place finishes in both girls diving events.

St. Joseph Academy turned in another strong showing at a big meet with Adrian Fierro taking second in the boys 100 freestyle and Jessie Hainley placing third in the girls 100 freestyle.

Rivera’s Adrian Flores finished third in the boys 200 individual medley.

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

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The Brownsville ISD Pre-Regional Showcase got off to a strong start Friday, especially for Lopez diver Thadey Diaz.

The two-day event has attracted 29 teams with approximately 600 swimmers and divers to Brownsville’s Margaret M.Clark Aquatic Center.

Swimming finals start at 10 a.m. today. Prelims in swimming events were held Friday.

Finals in 3-meter diving are scheduled for 9 a.m. today.

Friday’s only event with final results was the 1-meter diving.

Diaz, a sophomore and a state qualifier last season, recorded her best score so far this season by placing second in the girls 1-meter diving. Sharyland High’s Sandra Valdez won the event with a 338.20 score, and Diaz came next at 299.85. Corpus Christi King’s Kelley Ward was third with a 292.00 score.

Diaz’s career-best score in the 1-meter event was a 304.35 that got her to state at last February’s Region VIII Meet, also at the ClarkAquaticCenter.

She appears to be on course to top 300 points again during the coming new year.

“It’s just doing the dives over and over again in practice (that is helping me get better),” said Diaz, who won the 1-meter event last weekend at the Harlingen CISD Winter Splash Bash Invitational. “Practice makes perfect, right?

“It gives me more confidence (to do well at this meet),” she added. “You want to be the best, and you always have to work at it. The more, the merrier (with so many competitors here).”

Lopez coach Ray Martinez Jr. said he was proud of his standout diver’s showing. She’s scheduled to compete in the 3-meter diving Saturday.

“This was probably one of her best performances, so she did well,” Martinezsaid. “She’s added two new dives with higher difficulty. She’s working on those dives, and she’s getting better as we go along throughout the year.”

For the boys, McAllen Rowe’s Abraham Rodriguez was the winner of the 1-meter diving with a 350.25 score. Weslaco High’s Adolfo Pacheco was second at 323.20, and La Joya High’s Eddie Barrera was third at 293.70.

Several local swimmers reached today’s finals. The top eight finishers in the prelims Friday qualified for the championship finals, and the next eight finishers were designated for the consolation finals.

Rivera’s Stephanie Castillo and Adrian Flores were among the local competitors reaching the finals.

Castillo was seventh in the 100 backstroke and ninth in the 200 freestyle. Flores finished first in the 200 individual medleyand ninth in the 100 butterfly.

“I guess I could have done better (Friday). I’ll try to do better (today),” Castillo said. “We’ll see how it’s going to be later on at regionals (in February).”

Corpus Christi King’s boys and girls are the defending champions of the Pre-Regional Showcase.

Girls 200 Medley Relay

1, McAllen Memorial A (Benitez, Stacia 15, Bradford, Hannah J 15, Guerra, Avia 15, Aleman, Sarah J 17), 1:59.41. 2, Los Fresnos A (Besteiro, Ivana, Villarreal, Sarah, Moreno, Andrea, House, Kendall), 2:02.72. 3, Rivera A (Castillo, Stephanie, Rodriguez, Fernanda, Gonzalez, Ximena, Gonzalez, Sofia), 2:07.46. 4, McAllen High A (Smith, Tammy, Moore, Elaine E, Rodriguez, Lauren, Swanson, Shelby), 2:08.04. 5, St. Joseph A (Aponte, Miren J, Fierro, Diana, Hainley, Jessie, Varela, Paulina), 2:10.08. 6, Gregory Portland A (Farrow, Silver, Gibbens, Elisse, Abraham, Caroline, Kocik, Veronica), 2:10.71. 7, Harlingen South A (Watson, Jessica 17, Haley, Aransas L 16, Garza, Lola D 14, Kruse, Lexie 16), 2:13.79. 8, Roma A (Canales, Rebecca 15, Canales, Marianna 16, Perez, AnaMariella 16, Saldana, Briseida 17), 2:14.01. 9, Edinburg Vela A (Pena, Ashley, Meador, Keily, Arteaga, Cassandra, Guerra, Christa), 2:14.14. 10, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway A (Alonzo, Nicole 16, Turner, Rianna 16, Land, Abigail 16, Vela, Celeste 17), 2:14.15. 11, Brownsville Veterans MemorialA (Saldahar, Nadeen 16, Garza, Adriana 18, Ruiz, Tonnih 16, Sanchez, Megan 18), 2:15.05. 12, McAllen High B (Moreno, Baylee, Crocker, Margot, Guzman, Sydney C, Lizzotte, Mel), 2:15.60. 13, Sharyland Pioneer A (Thomas, Sydney, Gardea, Julieta, Lerma, Tatiana, Lara, Dana), 2:18.20. 14, Gregory Portland B (Velasquez-Kelly, Lila-Bianca, Meitzen, Haeli, Lopez-Cadenas, Rosario, Forsythe, Tyler), 2:18.32. 15, Laredo United A (Casanova, Melissa, Escamilla-Elizondo, Maria, Hernandez, Mahali, Ramos, Jacqueline), 2:18.82. 16, McAllen Rowe B (Wyna, Megan, Gonzalez, Daniela, Garza, Maddy, Cueva, Raquel), 2:18.97.

Boys 200 Medley Relay

1, Laredo Alexander A (De La Parra, Alex F 16, Villarreal, Danny 14, Martinez, Oscar 17, Martinez, Luis), 1:49.98. 2, Corpus Christi King A (Ferniz, Darell 14, Camacho, John 14, Murdock, Nathaniel 14, Hinton, Isaiah 14), 1:50.22. 3, Edinburg Vela A (Destefano, Santiago, Destefano, Arturo, Rivera, Justice, Garza, Eloy), 1:50.33. 4, Brownsville Veterans MemorialA (Sanchez, Juan A 17, Ashford, Jonathan 17, Mena, Angel 18, Flores, Daniel R 18), 1:51.52. 5, McAllen High A (Saenz, Max, Forthuber, Garrett G, Garza Rodriguez, Jorge A, Wilkins, Thomas), 1:51.84. 6, Sharyland High A (McCormick, Brandon, Rivera, Marco, Chapa, Carlos, Suarez Moreno, Javier), 1:52.80. 7, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway A (Garza, Tyler 15, Alaniz, Anthony 17, Soza, Izzy 15, Vargas, Caiman 17), 1:54.78. 8, McAllen Memorial A (Gates, Cooper 14, Garza, Caden, Garcia Sandoval, Humberto 16, Trevino, Ruben D 16), 1:55.03. 9, St. Joseph A (Vega, Cesar I, Gonzalez, Esteban, Davila, Luis S, Fierro, Adrian), 1:55.23. 10, Weslaco High A (Wells, Daryl L, Manning, Nolan C, Rebolloso, Gilberto, Cano, Nicholas C), 1:55.43. 11, Alice A (Hinojosa, Aaron, Mercer, Robby, Perez, Aaren 14, Lara, Matthew 15), 1:56.21. 12, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway B (Carter, Wilson 17, Flores, Tate T 16, Ramos, Jacob 15, Saucedo, Tristian 17), 1:58.30. 13, Harlingen South A (Lopez, Jose R 17, Hopkins, Zachary D 17, Valdez Jr, Leonel 16, Hinojosa III, Andres 17), 1:58.93. 14, Roma A (Lozano, Luis 17, Tello, Manuel 16, Barrera, Sergio 15, Trevino, Ahren 16), 1:59.30. 15, Rivera A (De Los Santos, Pablo, Flores, Adrian, Cardenas, Deven, Santos, Jose), 1:59.70. 16, Gregory Portland A (Geldenhuys, Johannes, Mireles, Jordon, Dykehouse, Caleb, Overton, Asher), 2:02.73.

Girls 200 Freestyle

1, Mohammed, Ayeesha C, Laredo Alexander, 2:00.74. 2, Martinez, Jocelyn M, Roma, 2:03.26. 3, Imperial, Maya Athena, Hanna, 2:04.49. 4, Bradford, Hannah J, McAllen Memorial, 2:05.57. 5, Croman, Claire, Corpus Christi King, 2:05.99. 6, Moreno, Andrea, Los Fresnos, 2:06.81. 7, Archer, Brittany, Laredo United, 2:07.80. 8, Swanson, Shelby, McAllen High, 2:07.82. 9, Castillo, Stephanie, Rivera, 2:08.89. 10, Perales, Danielle, Laredo United, 2:09.59. 11, Garza, Abby, Sharyland High, 2:11.87. 12, Fierro, Kenya, Laredo Alexander, 2:16.56. 13, Alonzo, Nicole, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 2:18.75. 14, Garza, Clea, Sharyland High, 2:20.05. 15, Thomas, Sydney, Sharyland Pioneer, 2:21.52. 16, Aponte, Miren J, St. Joseph, 2:21.86.

Boys 200 Freestyle

1, Farias-Ramirez, Luciano, Sharyland High, 1:52.08. 2, Fierro, Adrian, St. Joseph, 1:54.47. 3, Chang, Ryan, Corpus Christi Ray, 1:55.43. 4, Wilkins, Thomas, McAllen High, 1:55.73. 5, Duarte, Alberto g, Laredo United, 1:56.09. 6, Davila, Luis S, St. Joseph, 1:58.40. 7, Muniz, Israel, Laredo United, 1:58.59. 8, Gonzalez, David, Laredo United, 1:59.12. 9, Paredes, Carlos, Los Fresnos, 1:59.31. 10, Escamilla, Daniel, Los Fresnos, 1:59.73. 11, Baldeschwiler, Collin, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 2:00.56. 12, Hinojosa, Aaron, Alice, 2:00.87. 13, Garcia, Dominic, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 2:03.21. 14 Camacho, John, Corpus Christi King, 2:03.86. 15, Benavides, David, Sharyland Pioneer, 2:04.58. 16, Destefano, Arturo, Vela, 2:04.64.

Girls 200 IM

1, Besteiro, Ivana, Los Fresnos, 2:21.59. 2, Schuster, Gwyneth H, Corpus Christi Ray, 2:22.66. 3, Santos, Daniella, McAllen Rowe, 2:25.13. 4, Te, Ina, McAllen Rowe, 2:26.27. 5, Mohammed, Ani C, Laredo Alexander, 2:29.03. 6, Villarreal, Sarah, Los Fresnos, 2:29.34. 7, Gonzalez, Isabella, Roma, 2:30.81. 8, Aleman, Sarah J, McAllen Memorial, 2:30.84. 9, Boyd, Elle, Corpus Christi King, 2:32.88. 10, Chemas, Regina, Laredo Alexander, 2:34.44. 11, Fuentes, Chelsea A, Laredo Alexander, 2:36.19. 12, Salazar, Frida, VCHS, 2:37.29. 13, Flores, Sarah, Harlingen High, 2:38.01. 14, Orta, Gloria, Hanna, 2:39.81. 15, Blevins, Megan, McAllen Memorial, 2:40.63. 16, Gardea, Julieta, Sharyland Pioneer, 2:40.81.

Boys 200 IM

1, Flores, Adrian, Rivera, 2:10.84. 2, Saenz, Max, McAllen High, 2:11.07. 3, Rivera, Marco, Sharyland High, 2:14.14. 4, Villarreal, Danny, Laredo Alexander, 2:14.22. 4, Soza, Izzy, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 2:14.22. 6, Destafano, Santiago, Vela, 2:14.42. 7, Martinez, Oscar, Laredo Alexander, 2:17.06. 8, Williams, Joe, McAllen High, 2:17.43. 9, Silerio, Isaias, Laredo United, 2:18.29. 10, Velador, Eddie, Vela, 2:19.25. 11, Perez, Aaren, Alice, 2:19.49. 12, Garza, Tyler, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 2:19.57. 13, Rivera, Justice, Vela, 2:19.63. 14, Ferniz, Darell, Corpus Christi King, 2:23.73. 15, Lizarraga, Daniel i, Laredo United, 2:23.84. 16, Vallejo, Tyler, Sharyland Pioneer, 2:24.35.

Girls 50 Freestyle

1, Abraham, Caroline, Gregory Portland, 25.74. 2, Besteiro, Ivana, Los Fresnos, 25.95. 3, Hainley, Jessie, St. Joseph, 26.05. 4, Davila, Natalia, Hanna, 26.22. 5, Martinez, Mikaela, Alice, 26.36. 6, Leeton, Maegan, Corpus Christi King, 27.74. 7, Smith, Tammy, McAllen High, 27.95. 8, Meador, Keily, Vela, 28.03. 9, Valdez, Andrea, Sharyland High, 28.09. 10, Canales, Rebecca, Roma, 28.31. 11, Ruiz, Tonnih, Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 28.40. 12, Martinez, Tahliya O, Hanna, 28.48. 12, Canales, Myrnalejandra, Laredo United, 28.48. 14, Aponte, Miren J, St. Joseph, 28.53. 15, Haley, Aransas L, Harlingen South, 28.99. 16, Gonzalez, Sofia, Rivera, 29.01.

Boys 50 Freestyle

1, Cardenas, Deven, Rivera, 22.62. 2, Fisher, Reily, Corpus Christi Ray, 23.25. 3, Suarez Moreno, Javier, Sharyland High, 23.54. 4, Calk, Noah, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 23.67. 5, Morales, Ari, Los Fresnos, 23.70. 6, Vargas, Caiman, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 23.84. 7, Hinton, Isaiah, Corpus Christi King, 23.91. 8, Garza, Eloy, Vela, 24.02. 9, Dykehouse, Caleb, Gregory Portland, 24.25. 10, Flores, Daniel R, Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 24.37. 11, Cortez Padilla, Gerardo, Sharyland High, 24.44. 12, Ashford, Jonathan, Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 24.58. 13, Alaniz, Anthony, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 24.76. 14, Sanchez, Juan A, Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 24.78. 15, Lee, Kevin, Laredo Alexander, 24.79. 16, Garcia, Roman, McAllen Rowe, 24.84.

Girls 100 Butterfly

1, Benitez, Stacia, McAllen Memorial, 1:00.98. 2, Te, Ina, McAllen Rowe, 1:01.04. 3, Moreno, Andrea, Los Fresnos, 1:04.71. 4, Gonzalez, Isabella, Roma, 1:07.33. 5, Fierro, Kenya, Laredo Alexander, 1:07.34. 6, Guerra, Avia, McAllen Memorial, 1:08.89. 7, Hayslip, Hannah, Alice, 1:09.17. 8, Rodriguez, Lauren, McAllen High, 1:10.12. 9, Gonzalez, Ximena, Rivera, 1:10.30. 10, Boyd, Elle, Corpus Christi King, 1:11.79. 11, Canales, Myrnalejandra, Laredo United, 1:12.61. 12, Guzman, Sydney C, McAllen High, 1:14.52. 13, Gardea, Julieta, Sharyland Pioneer, 1:14.85. 14, Cumpian, Melanie, Harlingen High, 1:15.38. 15, Lopez-Cadenas, Rosario, Gregory Portland, 1:16.71. 16, Morales, Caro A, Laredo Alexander, 1:16.87.

Boys 100 Butterfly

1, Calk, Noah, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 55.55. 2, Wells, Daryl L, Weslaco East, 56.18. 3, Martinez, Oscar, Laredo Alexander, 56.32. 4, Trevino, Ahren, Roma, 56.55. 5, Carreon, Victor, FBS, 56.85. 6, Perez, Aaren, Alice, 56.89. 7, Saenz, Max, McAllen High, 57.45. 8, Chang, Ryan, Corpus Christi Ray, 58.01. 9, Flores, Adrian, Rivera, 59.29. 10, Davila, Luis S, St. Joseph, 59.92. 11, Rivera, Justice, Vela, 1:00.12. 12, Garza Rodriguez, Jorge A, McAllen High, 1:00.76. 13, Williams, Joe, McAllen High, 1:02.07. 14, Robles, Carlos, McAllen Rowe, 1:02.59. 15, Iglesias, Ivan, McAllen Rowe, 1:04.49. 16, Mena, Angel, Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 1:04.52.

Girls 100 Freestyle

1, Martinez, Jocelyn M, Roma, 56.65. 2, Davila, Natalia, Hanna, 57.24. 3, Hainley, Jessie, St. Joseph, 58.16. 4, Martinez, Mikaela, Alice, 59.48. 5, House, Kendall, Los Fresnos, 59.57. 6, Valdez, Andrea, Sharyland High, 1:01.11. 7, Turner, Rianna, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 1:01.34. 8, Leeton, Maegan, Corpus Christi King, 1:01.64. 9, Santos, Daniella, McAllen Rowe, 1:01.74. 10, Chemas, Regina, Laredo Alexander, 1:01.75. 11, Delias, Ayanna, McAllen Rowe, 1:02.55. 12, Castillo, Robin, Roma, 1:02.60. 13, Mendiola, Claudia A, Laredo Alexander, 1:02.73. 14, Aleman, Sarah J, McAllen Memorial, 1:02.97. 15, Saldana, Briseida, Roma, 1:03.06. 16, Meador, Keily, Vela, 1:03.49.

Boys 100 Freestyle

1, Fierro, Adrian, St. Joseph, 51.42. 2, Carreon, Victor, FBS, 52.37. 3, Dykehouse, Caleb, Gregory Portland, 52.48. 4, Soza, Izzy, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 52.91. 5, Hinton, Isaiah, Corpus Christi King, 53.19. 6, Fisher, Reily, Corpus Christi Ray, 53.38. 7, Trevino, Ruben D, McAllen Memorial, 53.41. 8, Wells, Daryl L, Weslaco East, 53.84. 9, Garcia, Roman, McAllen Rowe, 54.19. 10, Barrera, Sergio, Roma, 54.29. 11, Escamilla, Daniel, Los Fresnos, 54.33. 12, Silerio, Isaias, Laredo United, 54.38. 13, Martinez, Luis, Laredo Alexander, 54.39. 14, Gonzalez, David, Laredo United, 54.84. 15, Enriquez, Sam, La Joya High, 54.95. 16, Garcia Sandoval, Humberto, McAllen Memorial, 54.96.

Girls 500 Freestyle

1, Imperial, Maya Athena, Hanna, 5:30.50. 2, Croman, Claire, Corpus Christi King, 5:34.25. 3, Archer, Brittany, Laredo United, 5:37.39. 4, Swanson, Shelby, McAllen High, 5:38.54. 5, Mohammed, Ani C, Laredo Alexander, 5:48.54. 6, Guerra, Avia, McAllen Memorial, 5:52.32. 7, Garza, Abby, Sharyland High, 5:56.71. 8, Fuentes, Chelsea A, Laredo Alexander, 5:59.93. 9, Salazar, Frida, VCHS, 6:07.81. 10, Alonzo, Nicole, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 6:13.65. 11, Flores, Sarah, Harlingen High, 6:16.67. 12, Moreno, Baylee, McAllen High, 6:17.67. 13, Thomas, Sydney, Sharyland Pioneer, 6:20.34. 14, Kocik, Veronica, Gregory Portland, 6:22.21. 15, Hernandez Belleza, Luisa, McAllen Memorial, 6:24.05. 16, Blevins, Megan, McAllen Memorial, 6:27.06.

Boys 500 Freestyle

1, Duarte, Alberto g, Laredo United, 5:08.51. 2, Garza, Caden, McAllen Memorial, 5:09.23. 3, Smith, Noah, Harlingen High, 5:22.43. 4, Muniz, Israel, Laredo United, 5:25.24. 5, Lozano, Luis, Roma, 5:25.54. 6, Wilkins, Thomas, McAllen High, 5:26.12. 7, Paredes, Carlos, Los Fresnos, 5:26.79. 8, Osuna, Luis, Los Fresnos, 5:31.34. 9, Garcia, Dominic, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 5:31.60. 10, Cortez, Alan, McAllen Memorial, 5:35.63. 11, Velador, Eddie, Vela, 5:37.10. 12, Vallejo, Tyler, Sharyland Pioneer, 5:44.21. 13, Flores, Daniel R, Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 5:46.15. 14, Rodriguez, Richard, McAllen Memorial, 5:47.70. 15, Santos, Jose, Rivera, 5:53.21. 16, Reyes, Victor, Pace, 5:55.29.

Girls 200 Freestyle Relay

1, Los Fresnos A (Moreno, Andrea, House, Kendall, Villarreal, Sarah, Besteiro, Ivana), 1:48.23. 2, Hanna, A (Imperial, Maya Athena, Martinez, Tahliya O, Orta, Gloria, Davila, Natalia), 1:50.07. 3, McAllen Rowe A (Te, Ina, Reyes, Shaena, Delias, Ayanna, Santos, Daniella), 1:50.28. 4, Roma A (Castillo, Robin 15, Gonzalez, Isabella 15, Martinez, Jocelyn M 18), 1:51.76. 5, St. Joseph A (Fierro, Diana, Douglas, Sophia, Aponte, Miren J, Hainley, Jessie), 1:53.49. 6, Laredo United A (Perales, Danielle, Escamilla-Elizondo, Maria, Canales, Myrnalejandra, Archer, Brittany), 1:54.09. 7, McAllen Memorial A (Bradford, Hannah J 15, Blevins, Megan 15, Blevins, Paige 17, Benitez, Stacia 15), 1:55.86. 8, Gregory Portland A (Kocik, Veronica, Lopez-Cadenas, Rosario, Farrow, Silver, Abraham, Caroline), 1:55.89. 9, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway A (Alonzo, Nicole 16, Auzenne, Hayley 14, Vela, Celeste 17, Turner, Rianna 16), 1:56.23. 10, Brownsville Veterans MemorialA (Saldahar, Nadeen 16, Garza, Adriana 18, Sanchez, Megan 18, Ruiz, Tonnih 16), 1:56.60. 11, Alice A (Hayslip, Hannah 13, Cruz, Aryssa 13, Ramon, Alyssa 13, Martinez, Mikaela 14), 1:57.81. 12, Harlingen South A (Haley, Aransas L 16, Garza, Lola D 14, Anderson, Bobbie J 16, Watson, Jessica 17), 1:58.11. 13, Corpus Christi King A (Croman, Claire 14, Tolentino, Isabella 15, Boyd, Elle 14, Leeton, Maegan 15), 1:58.29. 14, Sharyland High A (Garza, Abby, Nava, Cristina, Suelto, Samantha, Valdez, Andrea), 1:58.52. 15, Roma B (Canales, Marianna 16, Perez, AnaMariella 16, Trevino, Leanza 14, Rivera, Jennifer G 15), 2:00.56. 16, Harlingen High A (Duncan, Darlene, De Leon, Paloma, Cumpian, Melanie, Flores, Sarah), 2:00.87.

Boys 200 Freestyle Relay

1, Sharyland High A (Farias-Ramirez, Luciano, Ibarra, Guillermo, Cortez Padilla, Gerardo, Suarez Moreno, Javier), 1:34.03. 2, Corpus Christi Ray, A (Fisher, Reily 16, Thau, Jay 16, Nguyen, Orion 16, Chang, Ryan 17), 1:36.50. 3, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway A (Baldeschwiler, Collin 17, Alaniz, Anthony 17, Vargas, Caiman 17, Calk, Noah 17), 1:37.57. 4, Roma A (Tello, Manuel 16, Barrera, Sergio 15, Lozano, Luis 17, Trevino, Ahren 16), 1:38.22. 5, Laredo Alexander A (Villarreal, Danny 14, Martinez, Oscar 17, Martinez, Luis, Lee, Kevin), 1:38.62. 6, Brownsville Veterans MemorialA (Sanchez, Juan A 17, Mena, Angel 18, Flores, Daniel R 18, Ashford, Jonathan 17), 1:39.36. 7, St. Joseph A (Fierro, Adrian, Lee, Jorge H, Gonzalez, Esteban, Davila, Luis S), 1:40.09. 8, Los Fresnos A (Espinoza, Javier, Osuna, Luis, Escamilla, Daniel, Morales, Ari), 1:40.66. 9, Corpus Christi King A (Hinton, Isaiah 14, Camacho, John 14, Ferniz, Darell 14, Murdock, Nathaniel 14), 1:40.76. 10, McAllen High A (Williams, Joe, Crocker, Evan, Moore, Mikey, Garza Rodriguez, Jorge A), 1:41.22. 11, Rivera A (De Los Santos, Pablo, Flores, Adrian, Cardenas, Deven, Santos, Jose), 1:42.64. 12, Laredo United A (Muniz, Israel, Duarte, Alberto g 17, Gonzalez, David, Silerio, Isaias 16), 1:42.69. 13, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway B (Flores, Tate T 16, Saucedo, Tristian 17, Garcia, Dominic 15, Carter, Wilson 17), 1:43.58. 14, McAllen Rowe A (Garcia, Roman, Uribe, David, Iglesias, Ivan, Robles, Carlos), 1:43.72. 15, Weslaco High A (Cerda, Francisco J, Bloomquist, Brock A, Rebolloso, Gilberto, Wells, Daryl L), 1:44.15. 16, Harlingen South A (Hinojosa III, Andres 17, Hopkins, Zachary D 17, Velarde, Erick 14, Lopez, Jose R 17), 1:44.95.

Girls 100 Backstroke

1, Mohammed, Ayeesha C, Laredo Alexander, 1:00.60. 2, Benitez, Stacia, McAllen Memorial, 1:02.60. 3, Schuster, Gwyneth H, Corpus Christi Ray, 1:04.26. 4, Abraham, Caroline, Gregory Portland, 1:04.47. 5, Bradford, Hannah J, McAllen Memorial, 1:05.60. 6, Perales, Danielle, Laredo United, 1:08.09. 7, Castillo, Stephanie, Rivera, 1:08.68. 8, Fierro, Diana, St. Joseph, 1:10.40. 9, Watson, Jessica, Harlingen South, 1:11.23. 10, Rodriguez, Lauren, McAllen High, 1:11.31. 11, Hayslip, Hannah, Alice, 1:11.36. 12, Garza, Clea, Sharyland High, 1:11.61. 13, Farrow, Silver, Gregory Portland, 1:12.77. 14, Mendoza, Christina N, Laredo Alexander, 1:12.79. 15, Smith, Tammy, McAllen High, 1:13.08. 16, Douglas, Sophia, St. Joseph, 1:14.53.

Boys 100 Backstroke

1, Farias-Ramirez, Luciano, Sharyland High, 57.08. 2, Baldeschwiler, Collin, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 1:02.19. 3, Garza, Caden, McAllen Memorial, 1:02.36. 4, Villarreal, Danny, Laredo Alexander, 1:02.65. 5, Destafano, Santiago, Vela, 1:03.51. 6, Garza, Tyler, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 1:03.52. 7, Murdock, Nathaniel, Corpus Christi King, 1:05.82. 8, Osuna, Luis, Los Fresnos, 1:06.08. 9, Lopez, Jose R, Harlingen South, 1:06.54. 10, Vega, Cesar I, St. Joseph, 1:06.79. 11, Guerra, Gilbert, McAllen High, 1:06.94. 12, De Los Santos, Pablo, Rivera, 1:07.22. 13, Sanchez, Juan A, Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 1:07.23. 14, De La Parra, Alex F, Laredo Alexander, 1:07.46. 15, Gates, Cooper, McAllen Memorial, 1:07.68. 16, Barbosa, Christopher, Mission High, 1:09.43.

Girls 100 Breaststroke

1, Escamilla-Elizondo, Maria, Laredo United, 1:16.31. 2, Mendiola, Claudia A, Laredo Alexander, 1:17.36. 3, Haley, Aransas L, Harlingen South, 1:17.87. 4, Moore, Elaine E, McAllen High, 1:18.00. 5, House, Kendall, Los Fresnos, 1:18.03. 6, Rodriguez, Fernanda, Rivera, 1:18.49. 7, Turner, Rianna, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 1:19.19. 8, Garza, Lola D, Harlingen South, 1:19.44. 9, Villarreal, Sarah, Los Fresnos, 1:19.67. 10, Blevins, Paige, McAllen Memorial, 1:21.31. 11, Gibbens, Elisse, Gregory Portland, 1:21.90. 12, Gonzalez Hernandez, Balbina, McAllen Memorial, 1:22.27. 13, Crocker, Margot, McAllen High, 1:22.34. 14, Meitzen, Haeli, Gregory Portland, 1:23.72. 15, Orta, Gloria, Hanna, 1:24.22. 16, Garza, Adriana, Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 1:24.81.

Boys 100 Breaststroke

1, Ashford, Jonathan, Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 1:03.14. 2, Camacho, John, Corpus Christi King, 1:07.24. 3, Voung, Henry, Laredo United, 1:07.99. 4, Ferniz, Darell, Corpus Christi King, 1:08.28. 5, Robles, Carlos, McAllen Rowe, 1:09.19. 6, Arredondo, Hugo, Hanna, 1:10.07. 7, Destefano, Arturo, Vela, 1:10.35. 8, Alaniz, Anthony, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 1:10.91. 9, Thau, Jay, Corpus Christi Ray, 1:10.95. 10, Forthuber, Garrett G, McAllen High, 1:10.98. 11, Martinez, Luis, Laredo Alexander, 1:11.40. 12, Lee, Kevin, Laredo Alexander, 1:11.67. 13, Flores, Tate T, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway, 1:12.23. 14, Gonzalez, Esteban, St. Joseph, 1:13.48. 15, Hinojosa, Aaron, Alice, 1:14.49. 16, Lizarraga, Daniel i, Laredo United, 1:15.01.

Girls 400 Freestyle Relay

1, Laredo Alexander A (Chemas, Regina, Mendiola, Claudia A 18, Mohammed, Ani C 16, Mohammed, Ayeesha C 17), 4:01.25. 2, Corpus Christi King A (Boyd, Elle 14, Leeton, Maegan 15, Tolentino, Isabella 15, Croman, Claire 14), 4:04.08. 3, Hanna, A (Imperial, Maya Athena, Martinez, Tahliya O, Orta, Gloria, Davila, Natalia), 4:06.68. 4, Sharyland High A (Garza, Clea, Chandler, Sarah, Garza, Abby, Valdez, Andrea), 4:12.46. 5, Rivera A (Castillo, Stephanie, Mata, Claudia, Gonzalez, Ximena, Gonzalez, Sofia), 4:15.06. 6, McAllen High A (Smith, Tammy, Moore, Elaine E, Rodriguez, Lauren, Swanson, Shelby), 4:17.77. 7, McAllen Memorial A (Blevins, Paige 17, Aleman, Sarah J 17, Blevins, Megan 15, Guerra, Avia 15), 4:25.53. 8, Harlingen High A (Duncan, Darlene, Cumpian, Melanie, De Leon, Paloma, Flores, Sarah), 4:31.35. 9, McAllen High B (Larson, Bailey K, Pizzano, Gabi, Gonzalez, Sofia, Moreno, Baylee), 4:36.20. 10, McAllen Rowe A (Garza, Maddy, Gonzalez, Daniela, Lam, Marianna, Cueva, Raquel), 4:36.90. 11, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway A (Auzenne, Hayley 14, Rodriquez, Audrey 15, Feagans, Holly 15, Land, Abigail 16), 4:37.87. 12, McAllen Memorial B (Garza, Vanessa 15, Cueva, Emilia 15, Garza, Mikaela 14, Hernandez Belleza, Luisa 16), 4:46.44. 13, Roma B (Trevino, Leanza 14, Rivera, Jennifer G 15, Canales, Marianna 16, Garcia, Ana P 15), 4:47.40. 14, Hanna, B (Davila, Mariana, Garcia, Carolina, Hinojosa, Ariana, Gomez, Destiny), 4:48.98. 15, Weslaco High A (Parker, Morgan D, Cruz, Charlie A, Castillo, Elaine M, Horta, Larisa M), 4:51.50. 16, McAllen Rowe B (Smith, Falon, Torres, Italia, Underwood, Rebecca, Rowland, Tabitha), 4:53.08.

Boys 400 Freestyle Relay

1, Sharyland High A (Cortez Padilla, Gerardo, Rivera, Marco, Ibarra, Guillermo, Farias-Ramirez, Luciano), 3:36.92. 2, Roma A (Lozano, Luis 17, Barrera, Sergio 15, Tello, Manuel 16, Trevino, Ahren 16), 3:37.12. 3, McAllen High A (Williams, Joe, Crocker, Evan, Wilkins, Thomas, Saenz, Max), 3:37.20. 4, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway A (Soza, Izzy 15, Garza, Tyler 15, Calk, Noah 17, Baldeschwiler, Collin 17), 3:39.72. 5, Corpus Christi Ray, A (Fisher, Reily 16, Nguyen, Orion 16, Cavazos, Jonathan, Chang, Ryan 17), 3:39.83. 6, Los Fresnos A (Escamilla, Daniel, Paredes, Carlos, Espinoza, Javier, Morales, Ari), 3:41.89. 7, Laredo United A (Trujillo, Alan 16, Sanchez, David e 16, Lizarraga, Daniel i 17, Duarte, Alberto g 17), 3:54.20. 8, Sharyland Pioneer A (Vallejo, Tyler, Herrera, Jae, Martinez, Jacob, Benavides, David), 3:54.56. 9, McAllen Memorial A (Gates, Cooper 14, Moore, Zachary 14, Pena Sanchez, Patricio, Garza, Caden), 3:56.28. 10, McAllen High B (Moore, Mikey, Guerra, Gilbert, Perera, Santiago, Forthuber, Garrett G), 3:56.56. 11, Mission High A (Barbosa, Christopher, Moreno, Jesus 15, Salinas, Diego 16, Hernandez, Ricardo 14), 3:57.92. 12, Harlingen High A (Fredrickson, Ian, Green, Theodore, Castillo, Aaron, Flores, Ephraim), 3:58.95. 13, Weslaco High A (Cano, Nicholas C, Trevino, Daniel R, Bloomquist, Brock A, Cerda, Francisco J), 3:59.43. 14, McAllen Memorial B (Garcia Sandoval, Humberto 16, Gomez, Adrian Francis 15, Rodriguez, Richard 14, Cortez, Alan 14), 3:59.53. 15, Laredo Alexander A (Trevino, Antonio A 15, Cardenas, Aaron D 14, Navarez, Alex A 15, De La Parra, Alex F 16), 4:02.72. 16, Los Fresnos B (Gonzalez-Padron, Jesus Oswald, Galindo, Gerardo, Roblero, Jesse, Wells, Robert), 4:08.23.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Rio Grande Valley swimmers and divers have an opportunity to compete this weekend in the last big meet before the holiday break at Brownsville’s Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center.

It’s the Brownsville ISD Pre-Regional Showcase with swimming prelims today and finals Saturday. Diving is scheduled both days as well.

The event is attracting 29 teams from the Valley, Corpus Christi and Laredo with an estimated 600 competitors participating.

Swimming is a sport that spans much of the school year. The most important meets of the season, which include district and regional competition, take place in late January and early February with the UIL state meet set for Feb. 19 and 20 in Austin.

With those meets in mind, swimmers and divers are gearing up for what the new year will bring competition-wise.

“We’ve got a young team, and a strong team (particularly with our girls),” Hanna coach Sam Perez said. “We’re anxious to see what we can do. Our boys are a small, young group with two (exchange student) swimmers from Germany. It’s a small group that’s been swimming specialized strokes.”

Added Hanna swimmer Gloria Orta, a sophomore for the Lady Eagles, “I’m focusing a lot right now on leg power and getting a really strong kick, plus getting really good turns off the wall and nice starts (for upcoming competitions).

“I see a lot of potential for us,” added Orta, who mostly swims the 200 individual medley and 50 freestyle plus relays. “We’re working hard, we’re competitive and we support each other a lot, so I think that’s going to get us through it and help us do a good job.”

Today’s three warmup sessions for swimmers are scheduled at 9:15 a.m., 10 a.m. and 10:45 a.m., with times assigned to the participating schools. Swimming prelim competition and diving warmups start at 11:30 a.m. today.

On Saturday, swimming warmups are at 9 a.m. with finals competition starting at 10 a.m. Also Saturday, the divers warm up at 8 a.m. with finals competition at 9 a.m.

Teams at this weekend’s meet hope to return good numbers of their swimmers and divers for the Class 6A Region VIII Meet on Feb. 5 and 6 at the Clark Aquatic Center.

Regarding the Pre-Regional Showcase, Clark Aquatic Center director Monica Rosales said, “It’s definitely a good indicator of how things might shape up (at the regional meet in February). It’s a good feeler for which teams might do well.”

Rosales said McAllen High’s boys appear to be a favorite at this weekend’s meet along with Laredo United’s girls and Roma’s girls.

“Roma’s swimming program has come a long way under coach Calvin Snyder,” Rosales said.

The Roma girls and McHi boys were team champions at the BISD Fall Festival on Nov. 13 and 14 at the Clark Aquatic Center.

Corpus Christi King’s boys and girls are defending team champions of the BISD Pre-Regional Showcase.

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

There’s no question the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers will miss senior quarterback Marcus Castillo.

A reliable and productive performer on the football field as a passer and runner, he’s been the Chargers’ starting signal caller for three years. This season he guided them back to the playoffs for the first time since 2012.

“You could say this is the end of a chapter (in Brownsville Veterans football),” Chargers coach David Cantu said. “Some chapters are short, but the chapter about Marcus is a long one with a good finish.

“I’m just proud to be his coach,” Cantu added. “I’ve coached some really good quarterbacks (at the high school level in Los Fresnos and Brownsville), and he’s right up there with them.”

Castillo culminates his senior season of football for the 7-4 Chargers as The Brownsville Herald’s 2015 All-Metro Offensive MVP.

“This is truly a blessing to me and it really means a lot,” Castillo said of the All-Metro Offensive MVP award, which is the same honor he received on the All-District 32-6A team this season.

“As a teammate (to the guys on this squad) I knew I had to be (more) vocal and step up as a leader (this season),” he added. “When we were in tough situations, I’d look into the crowd and I could see my parents and family, and they just brought a smile to my face. If we were down by so many points, my mom (Flora Cavazos) would tell me (from the stands), ‘Pick it up right now! Pick it up for your team!’ and I would be like, ‘Yes Ma’am, I will.’

“Playing for my friends and family just meant so much to me.”

Through 11 games this season, Castillo, 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, rushed 201 times for 1,303 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also completed 121 of 220 pass attempts for 1,387 yards and 14 TDs along with 13 interceptions.

“Marcus is an athlete with poise, maturity and a positive attitude who believes in his teammates,” Cantu said. “ He’s at his best in the fourth quarter. He’s a tremendous player who can spearhead a comeback. He did that against Harlingen South, Hanna and Weslaco East.”

During the Chargers’ Class 6A Division II bi-district playoff game Nov. 12 on the road against Weslaco East, Castillo led his team on a 99-yard scoring drive to pull within one point of the Wildcats, 21-20, with 12 seconds left. The Chargers came within a missed two-point conversion of advancing to the second round.

“It was pretty special for this group to get back into the playoffs,” Castillo said. “It meant a lot to me to experience it for the first time. Our coach set it up and gave us the message by telling us we were going to do great things. Throughout the season we stayed together. We told ourselves that we would get there (to the postseason), and things fell into place.

“When we got the ball at the 1-yard line (against East with time winding down), I told myself, ‘We’re going to go (score), we’re going to keep on fighting and pushing,’ and sure enough, we did,” he added. “I just wish things had turned out differently (on that missed two-point conversion).”

Despite such a tough loss, Castillo, who played through an injury toward the end of the season, said he is grateful for his coaches, teammates and family during a senior year to remember.

“At the beginning of the season I was very satisfied (with my play),” he added. “All my hard work was finally paying off.

“Yeah, I did get hurt, but I wasn’t the only one playing with an injury,” he added. “You just have to play through it and just keep fighting, and that’s what I did. Playing for this team meant a lot, and the memories will always be there.”

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 St. Joseph Academy Bloodhounds are blessed with a football player in Kai Money who can basically do it all.

The standout sophomore’s skillset includes kicking and punting. He is called upon to play in the defensive secondary at times, and on top of it all he’s pretty good at quarterback, too.

Money, 5-foot-10 1/2 and 160 pounds, is The Brownsville Herald’s 2015 All-Metro All-Purpose Player of the Year.

Just one season ago, as a freshman, he was chosen the All-Metro Newcomer of the Year.

This marks Money’s second straight season as a QB to top 1,000 yards in both rushing and passing yardage.

“It’s very fulfilling to coach a talented player such as Kai who has a humble attitude and a love for his teammates,” said SJA coach Tino Villarreal, who believes his young QB’s poise and smart play greatly contributed to the Bloodhounds’ 8-3 season.

“These awards are great for our school,” Villarreal added. “We don’t really play for personal accolades and we’re big on playing for the team, so I think Kai and I both consider these things as kind of a team award, even though it is an individual accolade. We’ll just take it for the Bloodhounds as a team.

“Some people were wondering if Kai was going to go through a sophomore slump, and I think he answered that with the way he prepared in the offseason. Everybody knows when they play St. Joe they have to stop No. 12. Kai has done an excellent job, even with that target on his back. You see it when you look at the number of yards he’s accumulated, his (pass) completion percentage and the lack of turnovers. With his smart play getting us into the end zone, we’ve averaged 51 points a game. He’s showing he’s willing to step up to the challenge (of leading the team).”

As a freshman, Money passed for 1,295 yards and 13 touchdowns with six interceptions, and he rushed for 1,087 yards and eight TDs.

He improved this season, completing 65.2 percent of his passes (133 of 204) for 1,666 yards and 23 TDs with only two interceptions. He also rushed 177 times for 1,602 yards and 23 TDs, averaging 9.1 yards per carry. He fumbled the ball away only once, meaning he only committed three turnovers all season, which included 11 games.

“I just have a lot of great teammates and coaches around me that have given me the opportunity to do my best to receive this (all-purpose) award,” said Money, also voted TAPPS all-district punter this season. “It’s a great honor.”

When asked what factors contributed to the improvement he showed during his sophomore season, Money said he and his teammates put in a lot of hard work during the offseason to get better and added he attended some quarterback camps during the summer, such as the Manning Camp, and those things have helped him elevate his game.

The talented sophomore also has a wealth of football experience to draw upon from his father, Phillip Money, who was an All-Valley quarterback at Edinburg High in the late 1970s before going on to play the position four years at Rice University (1980 through 1983).

“My dad has a lot of great advice for me, and I go to him for almost everything,” the young QB said. “He’s taught me almost everything I know about the game. Whenever I have a question about something, I’ll go to him as my first opinion so he can tell me how to improve my play.

“All my coaches and my dad tell me that there’s always room for improvement,” he added. “They say to never be satisfied because there’s always some way to get better. That’s the mentality that I have right now. I look forward to the next two years so I can continue to get better.”

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

Describing the importance of Joe Cavazos III to the Hanna football team requires only a few words, Golden Eagles coach Rene Medrano said.

“He’s a keeper,” said Medrano of Cavazos, a sophomore wide receiver who is The Brownsville Herald’s 2015 All-Metro Newcomer of the Year.

Not only did Cavazos catch 45 passes for 811 yards and seven touchdowns as a newcomer to the varsity during the season just completed, he also returned punts and kickoffs for the Eagles. Medrano said the standout sophomore didn’t quite make it all the way to the end zone but still had returns of 30 yards or more at least four or five times.

It was quite a strong start to Cavazos’ varsity football career as he averaged 18.9 yards per reception.

“At the beginning of the season I really didn’t think I would get that many catches and yards, but after my first game (that included a 35-yard TD catch), I was feeling pretty confident that I would keep up my (receiving) percentages,” said Cavazos, a 5-foot-7, 145-pounder. “I’m pretty fast and I have quick feet, so that’s good for running my routes.

“Every day after school (as a freshman during the offseason) I would go out and catch passes from (quarterback) Andy (Lopez),” Cavazos added. “He would help me with my routes and tell me what I was doing wrong and how to run them (so I could) catch the ball and do what I could do.”

Medrano said Cavazos’ success is a byproduct of playing just like he practices.

“Joe had a great season because he puts in the time (it takes) to have a great season,” the Hanna coach said. “He puts in the extra time and the extra work you need to invest to do something like that.

“We saw it through the offseason that he was developing really well, and we felt he could be a player that would make an impact,” Medrano added. “He has a business-like approach to practice. He’s really all about hard work and doing things right all the time. I know he has fun doing what he does, but he takes a serious, business-like approach that he’s not going to waste any reps out there in practice and he gets the most that he can out of it.

“I’m really happy for him. We knew through the offseason that if everything went well, he could have an exceptional year, and as it turned out he did. We’re really fortunate to have him in the program and have him coming back. It’ll be exciting to see what kind of team we can put together with him (in the lineup) next season.”

Cavazos began playing competitive athletics as a 7-year-old, and he appreciates the support and instruction he has received from his parents, Joe Jr. and Gloria Cavazos, and from his coaches all the way back to the very beginning.

“My dad has always worked a lot with me, and he’s always been supporting me since I was 7,” Cavazos said. “He’s always been there for every single one of my games, and my mom, too. I thank them and all my coaches, even the ones I had in Little League.

“Getting an award like this one (for All-Metro) just pushes me to work harder and harder every day,” he added. “If something (good) is to happen in the future, I know God has a plan for 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

It was a beautiful day for soccer and a perfect time to win a district opener.

Playing with sunny skies overhead and quite pleasant temperatures in the 70s, the St. Joseph Academy Bloodhounds erupted for four goals within an 11-minute span of the first half Saturday en route to capturing their TAPPS district opener 5-0 against San Antonio St. Anthony’s at Canales Field.

“It’s very important for us that we started 1-0 in our district,” said Andres Rico, a senior midfielder for the Bloodhounds. “I think we’re sending a message to the rest of our district that we’re out there and we’re going for the district title again.”

SJA went 16-4-2 last season and reached the TAPPS Division I state semifinals after winning a district championship in soccer for the first time.

After several frustrating near misses early Saturday, the Bloodhounds (2-0 overall) found their range 10 minutes into the contest, and it soon became 4-0.

“We’ll correct those (early) misses in practice,” Rico said. “The goals will come by themselves. We just have to practice our shots and get ready for our next game.”

All of SJA’s goals during the match were tallied from close range. SJA’s ability to bring the ball in so close with such frequency gave the Yellowjackets’ goalkeeper fits, although he did a better job of stopping shots during the second half.

Back-to-back goals by Mario Garcia and Gerardo Moses within a 28-second span during the 10th minute gave the Bloodhounds a 2-0 advantage. Six minutes later, Moses appeared to nudge the ball into the net with his shoulder to make it 3-0. During the 21st minute, Garcia fired in another shot while situated in the goalmouth to boost the lead to 4-0.

“A win is always good, but we missed a lot of scoring opportunities today,” SJA coach Tino Villarreal said. “We definitely have to work on our shots on goal.

“I think we started off (too) excited and (too) eager,” Villarreal added. “It’s early in December and here we are already in district, so we came out just a little too eager and took quicker shots than needed.

“We definitely left a lot of goals out there, and that’s what we have to improve on if we want to (successfully) defend our district championship “

The Bloodhounds made an 11-player substitution during the second half and finished the match with their reserves on the field.

With five minutes remaining, Anuar Atiye emerged with the ball from a group of players just in front of the goal and sent it into the net for the Bloodhounds’ final tally against the Yellowjackets (3-4, 0-4 district).

“I just want to thank all those in the crowd (who came to support us),” Rico said. “It was a good win.”

SJA continues TAPPS district play at 3 p.m. Saturday at San Antonio Antonian.

“We always know that (San Antonio) Central Catholic and Antonian have good teams, so next Saturday should be interesting for us,” Villarreal said.

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