District 30-6A Tournament
At Shary GC, Mission
First Round

Boys

Team scores

McAllen High ‘A’ 315; McAllen Memorial ‘A’ 326; La Joya Palmview 347; Mission High 360; McAllen Memorial ‘B’ 361; McAllen High ‘B’ 394; McAllen Rowe 397; La Joya High 399; La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 420

Individual scores

Lucas Abbott, McAllen High 73; Tyler Pena, McAllen High 76; C.W. Phillips, McAllen Memorial 77; Vinny Zamora, McAllen High 78; Carlos Cano, McAllen High 81; Joseph Lopez, La Joya Palmview 81; Trevor Kucia, McAllen Memorial 82; Jonathan Guerra, McAllen High 83; Raul Gonzalez, McAllen Memorial 83; Colton Henderson, McAllen Memorial 84; Ross Gonzalez, McAllen Memorial 84

Girls

Team scores

Mission High ‘A’ 340; La Joya Palmview 365; McAllen Rowe 417; Mission High ‘B’ 454; McAllen High 456; McAllen Memorial 457; La Joya High 474

Individual scores

Leah Lerma, Mission High 76; Mia Lerma, Mission High 79; Briana Silerio, La Joya Palmview 83; Caroline Cerda, La Joya Palmview 83; Michelle Raya, La Joya Palmview 87; Silvia Barrientos, Mission High 90; Alexis Gutierrez, McAllen High 94; Laryssa Fuentes, Mission High 95; Andrea Laca, Mission High 96; Elizabeth Canchola, McAllen Rowe 96

District 31-6A Tournament
At Los Lagos GC, Edinburg
First Round

Boys

Team scores

Edinburg Vela 325; PSJA North ‘A’ 343; PSJA High 359; Edinburg Economedes 382; Edinbrug North 397; PSJA Southwest 442; PSJA Memorial ‘A’ 468; PSJA Memorial ‘B’ 575

Individual scores

Victor Gonzalez, PSJA North 78; Jacob Flores, PSJA High 79; Bryan Navarro, Edinburg Vela 79; Mathew Jasso, PSJA North 81; Ethan Galvan, Edinburg Vela 81; Jordan Olivarez, Edinburg Vela 82; Tyler Reynolds, Edinburg Vela 83; Pablo Hernandez, Edinburg Economedes 83; Gabriel Hernandez, PSJA High 85; Jacob Gil, Edinburg North 86

Girls

Team scores

Edinburg North 399; Edinburg High 410; PSJA High 425; Edinburg Vela 427; PSJA North 462; Edinburg Economedes 462; PSJA Southwest 519; PSJA Memorial 542

Individual scores

Kayla Quintanilla, Edinburg Vela 94; Beatriz Chavez, Edinburg High 95; Cameran Rodriguez, PSJA High 96; Vanessa Arevalo, Edinbrug North 97; Andrea Saenz,Edinburg North 99; Crystal Hurtado, Edinburg Economedes 99; Samantha Raygoza, PSJA North 99; Olivia Vela, Edinburg North 100; Deborah Chavira, Edinburg High 102; Jacqueline Ornelas, Edinburg Vela 102

District 32-6A Tournament
At Tony Butler GC, Harlingen
First Round

Boys

Team scores

Harlingen High 304; Harlingen South 328; Brownsville Hanna 330; Weslaco High 333; Los Fresnos 374; San Benito 394; Weslaco East 403

Individual scores

Dylan Martinez, Harlingen High 73; Santiago Garcia, Brownsville Hanna 73; Cole Charvat, Harlingen High 74; John Ortega, Harlingen High 75; Brandon Garza, Harlingen South 76; Bradley McCaleb, Weslaco High 77; Austin O’Brien, Brownsville Hanna 79; Nicholas Galvan, Harlingen High 82; Josue Ibarra, Los Fresnos 83; Aaron Arismendez, Harlingen South 83; Quinlan Vos, Wesalco High 83

Girls

Team scores

Los Fresnos 336; Wesalco High 360; Brownsville Hanna 360; Harlingen South 396; Weslaco East 432; Harlingen High 459

Individual scores

Briana Garza, Los Fresnos 73; Annkia Hovda, Weslaco High 74; Ana Islas, Los Fresnos 80; Micaela Leandro, Harlingen High 86; Kassandra Garcia, Los Fresnos 87; Alexis Rodriguez, Brownsville Hanna 88; Victoria Garcia, Brownsville Hanna 89; Kimberly Garcia, Brownsville Hanna 90; Anna Palacios, Weslaco High 91; Anica Arce, Weslaco High 92

District 31-5A Tournament
At Tierra del Sol GC, Pharr
First Round

Boys

Team scores

Sharyland High 320; Mission Veterans 342; Sharyland Pioneer ‘A’ 350; Roma 415; Rio Grande City 431; Laredo Martin 444; Laredo Nixon 449; Valley View 456; Sharyland Pioneer ‘B’ 462; Laredo Cigarroa 488

Individual scores

Jun Min Lee, Sharyland High 68; Feliz Gamez, Laredo Martin 77; Luis Chavez, Sharyland Pioneer 79; Diego Gonzalez, Roma 81; Victor Rodriguez, Sharyland High 81; Cordero Lopez, Sharyland High 83; Aaron Martinez, Mission Veterans 83; Steven Hinojosa, Mission Veterans 84; Daniel Branca, Sharyland High 88; Diego Hernandez, Mission Veterans 88

Girls

Team scores

Sharyland High ‘A’ 323; Sharyland Pioneer 367; Sharyland High ‘B’ 389; Mission Veterans 447; Laredo Cigarroa 498; Laredo Martin 503; Laredo Nixon 544; Roma 559

Individual scores

Linsey Garza, Sharyland Pioneer 76; Laura Rodriguez, Sharyland High 79; Raquel Flores, Sharyland High 79; Paulina Flores, Sharyland High 81; Carolina Cantu, Sharyland High 84; Maria Guajardo, Sharyland Pioneer 87; Isabella Carmona, Rio Grande City 93; Maialen Erana, Sharyland High 93; Klarissa Farias, Mission Veterans 93; Miranda Neagle, Sharyland High 95 District 32-5A

District 32-5A Tournament
At River Bend GC, Brownsville
First Round

Boys

Team scores

Brownsville Veterans ‘A’ 332; Edcouch-Elsa 372; Mercedes 399; Donna North 410; Donna High 415; Brownsville Pace 417; Brownsville Veterans ‘B’ 449

Individual scores

Tommy Zamorano, Donna North 77; Kevin Gomez, Brownsville Veterans 79; Canaan Vasquez, Edcouch-Elsa 82; Jorge Santillana, Brownsville Veterans 83; Michael Valle, Brownsville Veterans 85; Daniel Yznaga, Brownsville Veterans 85; Rey Jimenez, Brownsville Pace 88; Ryan Ruiz, Brownsville Veterans 93; Manny Lopez, Edcouch-Elsa 94; Nick Reyes, Edcouch-Elsa 95; Johnathan Del Bosque 95

Girls

Team scores

Brownsville Veterans 314; Brownsville Lopez ‘A’ 402; Edcouch-Elsa 434

Mercedes 465; Donna North 473; Donna High 512; Brownsville Lopez ‘B’ 521

Individual scores

Julie Lucio, Brownsville Veterans 71; Vanessa Campos, Brownsville Veterans 72; Fahtima Avila, Brownsville Veterans 83; Cristina Pullen, Brownsville Veterans 88; Cecilia Garza, Brownsville Veterans 91; Sarahi Turrubiartes, Brownsville Lopez 92; Maegan Nichols, Edcouch-Elsa 95; Johana Belmares, Brownsville Lopez 96; Kristi Villanueva, Donna North 99; Jaymee Gonzales, Mercedes 100

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

The RGVBCA Class 6A girls All-Star game was a back-and-forth affair.

Neither team pulled away immediately, allowing the drama to build toward the end.

The game at Weslaco East had great tension and excitement, but in the end the West team took it 52-44 over the East team on Sunday. The teams were populated exclusively by seniors as part of the rules of the game.

In the middle of the third quarter, Weslaco High’s Gabby Garza led a run by controlling the rebounding game on defense and scoring on offense.

“Garza is a hustler,” West coach John David Salinas (Edinburg High) said. “She does a great job around the basket. She doesn’t get pushed around or boxed out.”

Her effort earned her the MVP of the East team. But, the run she led in the third quarter fell short.

“We were able to counter that with some great play from Victoria Alaniz of McAllen High in the fourth quarter. We were able to play a little tougher against Gabby and control the rebounding game.”

The biggest advantage the West team had was its perimeter defense. The combination of Edinburg North’s Tiffany Chapa (West’s MVP), McAllen Memorial’s Victoria Izaguirre and Edinburg Vela’s Jaida Muhammad and Julissa Cuellar gave the East guards all they could handle and then some.

The excitement was amplified for Salinas, who was coaching his first ever All-Star game.

“I appreciate the association for giving myself and my assistant George Olvera the opportunity to coach the West team,” Salinas said. “There are a lot of quality coaches out there, and it’s the first time I have coached an all-star game as a head coach. It was fun.”

Salinas was excited when he saw his roster and even more excited when he was able to squeeze out some time for practices around the players’ busy spring schedules.

“You play against these kids all the time, you see them at tournaments,” Salinas said. “But now, you finally get to know them a little bit. It was very enjoyable. They are a great group of kids. They all represented their schools very well.”

FLIPPING THE SWITCH

The excitement continued in the boys game.

Again it was back and forth action throughout the game, but then it got very close at the end.

The West team had a pretty steady lead in the fourth quarter, until with just a few minutes left, the East team took a 71-70 edge. Once that happened, the intensity ratcheted up.

“Daniel (Sotuyo of McAllen Rowe) got a couple of steals and Ryan (Garza of Edinburg Vela) hit some big shots, as did Daniel,” West team coach Jose Luis Yebra (McAllen Rowe) said. “I think they saw ‘Oh we could to lose, they took the lead,’ and they stepped it up. I could see the competitiveness out there. And they got the lead and built it up.”

Once the West team regained the lead, they pushed it back up to about a 10-point margin and held onto the advantage for the rest of the game. The West team won 93-86 on Sunday at Weslaco East.

Yebra’s approach to building out the lineup and rotations was to focus on filling all of the positions first and then mix and match during the game.

“I had to make sure we had point guards and players at every position,” Yebra said “It didn’t matter who was starting, I wanted to make sure we had the right players at the right positions.”

The deadly backcourt combo of Sotuyo and Garza fueled the West team, but it was another facet of the game that Yebra pointed to as the biggest advantage.

“I think height was our advantage,” Yebra said. “We had a lot more height than the East did and we were able to control the boards.”

Garza and Sotuyo closed out the game by hitting a barrage of 3-pointers, and either one of them could have earned MVP, in Yebra’s opinion.

“They asked me if I had a pick, but I told (the RGVBCA staff on hand) Daniel is one of my kids so I don’t want to choose anybody,” Yebra said. “I told them to pick and they could do whatever they wanted. I just stayed out of it. So, they picked Ryan Garza.”

The game marked the end of two eras for the West team. Garza and Alec De La Cruz, both of Edinburg Vela, played their final high school game together. The two have played together for more than a decade.

Yebra also had one last ride with one of his players.

“It was fun to coach Daniel,” Yebra said. “It’s always fun to see your kids in the all-star game.”

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VALLEY-BASEBALL SCHEDULE

Friday, April 7

District 30-6A

McAllen High 4, La Joya High 2

La Joya Palmview 5, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 1

Mission High at McAllen Memorial, not reported

District 31-6A

Edinburg North 7, Edinburg Vela 6

Edinburg High 8, Edinburg Economedes 2

PSJA North 7, PSJA Memorial 5, 9 innings

PSJA High 1, PSJA Southwest 0

District 32-6A

Los Fresnos 7, Harlingen South 6

Harlingen High 4, Brownsville Rivera 1

Brownsville Hanna 5, Weslaco High 0

San Benito at Weslaco East, not reported

District 31-5A

Rio Grande City 4, Roma 0

Mission Veterans 7, Laredo Cigarroa 1

Sharyland Pioneer 10, Laredo Nixon 8

Laredo Martin 9, Sharyland High 4

District 32-5A

Edcouch-Elsa 9, Donna High 5

Donna North 7, Bronwsville Lopez 3

Brownsville Veterans at Mercedes, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Porter 14, Brownsville Pace 2

District 32-4A

Grulla 7, Hidalgo 4

Zapata 8, La Feria 1

Rio Hondo 4, Progreso 2

Raymondville 5, Port Isabe 4

Monday, April 10

District 31-5A

Mission Veterans at Sharyland Pioneer, 7 p.m.

Rio Grande City at Laredo Cigarroa, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, April 11

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial at McAllen High, 7 p.m.

McAllen Rowe at La Joya Palmview, 7 p.m.

District 31-6A

Edinburg High at Edinburg Vela, 7 p.m.

PSJA Memorial at Edinburg Edonomedes, 7 p.m.

Edinburg North at PSJA Southwest, 7 p.m.

PSJA North at PSJA High, 7 p.m.

District 32-6A

Weslaco East at Los Fresnos, 7 p.m.

Harlingen High at Weslaco High, 7 p.m.

District 31-5A

Sharyland High at Roma, 7 p.m.

Valley View at Laredo Martin, 6 p.m.

District 32-5A

Edcouch-Elsa at Brownsville Veterans, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Lopez at Donna High, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Porter at Donna North, 7 p.m.

District 32-4A

Hidalgo at Progreso, 7:30 p.m.

Zapata at Grulla, 7:30 p.m.

STANDINGS

District 30-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

McAllen High 18 2 6 0 —

La Joya Palmview 7 7 5 2 1.5

Mission High 8 10 4 3 2.5

La Joya High 8 10 4 3 2.5

McAllen Rowe 8 10 3 4 3.5

McAllen Memorial 11 6 2 5 4.5

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 2 14 0 7 6.5

District 31-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

PSJA High 16 3 6 1 —

Edinburg North 11 3 6 1 —

Edinburg Vela 10 4 5 2 1

Edinburg Economedes 9 6 4 3 2

PSJA North 10 7 3 4 3

PSJA Memorial 7 11 2 5 4

Edinburg High 6 12 2 5 4

PSJA Southwest 2 15 0 7 6

District 32-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Brownsville Hanna 11 6 6 1 —

Los Fresnos 14 3 6 2 .5

Harlingen High 11 5 6 2 .5

Weslaco High 7 10 5 3 1.5

Weslaco East 7 11 3 5 3.5

Brownsville Rivera 4 9 2 5 4

Harlingen South 3 9 1 6 5

San Benito 5 10 1 7 5.5

District 31-5A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Valley View 16 4 8 1 —

Mission Veterans 16 3 8 1 —

Rio Grande City 12 6 7 2 1

Roma 8 9 4 5 4

Sharyland High 8 12 3 6 5

Laredo Martin 6 11 3 6 5

Sharyland Pioneer 6 13 2 6 5.5

Laredo Cigarroa 3 15 2 7 6

Laredo Nixon 5 13 2 7 6

District 32-5A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Brownsville Veterans 10 5 7 1 —

Edcouch-Elsa 9 8 7 1 —

Brownsville Lopez — — 4 4 3

Brownsville Porter — — 3 5 4

Donna High 8 10 3 5 4

Mercedes 7 8 3 5 4

Brownsville Pace 6 7 3 5 4

Donna North — — 1 7 6

District 32-4A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Hidalgo 9 10 6 1 —

Zapata 8 8 6 1 —

Port Isabel 10 3 5 2 1

Grulla 7 8 4 3 2

Rio Hondo 9 8 3 4 3

La Feria 6 6 2 5 4

Progreso 7 8 2 5 4

Raymondville 2 15 1 6 5

District 32-3A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Santa Rosa 6 7 2 0 —

Lyford 4 6 1 1 1

Monte Alto 3 3 1 1 1

Edinburg IDEA Quest 0 4 0 2 2

District 32-2A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Riviera-Kaufer 13 3 9 0 —

Benavides 9 3 8 1 1

Bruni 5 3 5 2 2.5

Freer 4 5 3 2 3.5

Ben Bolt 3 10 3 5 5.5

San Perlita 3 5 2 4 6.5

Premont 0 4 0 4 8.5

Lasara 0 5 0 5 8.5

La Villa 0 6 0 7 8.5

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

SAN JUAN — The PSJA High Bears used to tease senior pitcher Marc Castillo, saying he had “warning-track power.”

That all changed in the bottom of the third inning on Tuesday. PSJA High trailed Edinburg North by a run after the Cougars plated two in the top of the inning. Castillo was up with two men on and two outs. He had struck out in his first plate appearance against North senior ace Giancarlo Servin. This time around, he took one pitch before blasting a towering shot over the fence in left-center field.

“It was the greatest feeling ever,” Castillo said. “I hadn’t seen (a ball go off my bat and over the fence) since I was younger. It made me feel really great.

“So, when I got back to the dugout, (my teammates) told me, ‘Hey, we can’t call you ‘warning-track power’ anymore.”

Castillo led the Bears to a huge 6-4 victory over the Cougars, moving PSJA High into a tie for first place with North. Both teams are 6-1 in highly competitive District 31-6A. This game was a bounce-back win for PSJA, which fell to Edinburg Vela by the same score of 6-4 on Friday.

“It’s a really big win,” PSJA coach Marco Guajardo said. “That is a hell of a team over there. I have a lot of respect for those guys. They have been killing everybody. But, our boys rose to the occasion. At first, after Friday’s loss, I told the boys, ‘We are still in the first half. We can turn things around.’ And they really came out to play today.”

Castillo added to his impressive offensive day by throwing 5 innings, allowing five hits and three runs, while striking out six and walking five.

“Marc did an awesome job,” Guajardo said. “Some guys were doubtful about him, but I said, ‘He’s our horse, and I’m going to give it to him. He’s a senior, he’s the captain. I’m going to give him the ball and let’s see what he does.’ He really wanted it and I said, ‘Hey, it’s yours.’ And he performed awesome.”

Edinburg North wasn’t going to quit, even after PSJA pushed the lead to 6-3. The Cougars continued to fight, their confidence bolstered by a tremendous relief appearance by junior Juan Almeida.

In the top of the seventh, senior catcher Saul Garza hit a leadoff double and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Junior Jaime Silva came up with Garza at third and one out. The count went full, but the scoreboard showed 2-2. A fourth ball came across, but the umpire, who had an inconsistent strike zone throughout the game, got mixed up and called the batter back to the plate. In the end, the call helped Edinburg North, because the fifth ball of the at-bat was another wild pitch, which allowed Garza to score from third. Garza finished the game 3 for 4 with two runs scored, two doubles and two RBIs.

Sophomore Trey Guajardo was the man tasked with closing the game out. He came on in the sixth and allowed two hits, two walks and the aforementioned run, while striking out four.

“I felt ready,” Trey Guajardo said. “I was pretty excited. Coach told me he needed me to go the last two. So, I stood up to the challenge. I went in and did my job, and the defense helped me out.”

One of the things that helps Castillo and the other Bears pitchers is the calming presence of sophomore shortstop Ariben Gutierrez. He often will take a quick walk to the mound and give the pitcher words of encouragement.

“He’s always into their heads, calming them down,” Marco Guajardo said. “He knows when they are a little nervous, and he goes out there and helps them out. He’s like another coach out there on the field. As a sophomore, he has a knack for the game. He knows a lot of the little things that you just can’t coach. You can’t coach that, when to slow things down, when to not. It’s just a big plus for us having that kind of leadership as a sophomore.”

Several times Tuesday, just after Gutierrez conferred with Castillo, Castillo would hit another gear and get a big out.

“Every time he comes over to me, he tells me just keep calm, breathe, relax and focus on what my job is and throw strikes,” Castillo said. “It helps me a lot. It helps me regroup and bring my focus back. … For him being so young, to look up to me and say, ‘We believe in you, I believe in you, I’m behind you, I got your back. That is a big difference maker.”

Castillo saw this matchup as a major one in the Bears district title push.

“This is a game we were looking forward to the whole season,” Castillo said. “We would say, ‘Alright, this is another win, but let’s get ready for Edinburg North. That is going to be the toughest game we play this whole season.’

“I believed in our team and I knew we had the strength to come through. … Thank God we came out with the win.”

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VALLEY-BASEBALL SCHEUDLE

Tuesday, April 4

District 30-6A

La Joya Palmview 7, McAllen Memorial 6

Mission High 5, La Joya High 4

McAllen Rowe 11, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 3

District 31-6A

Edinburg Economedes 7, Edinburg Vela 3

PSJA North 17, Edinburg High 5

PSJA High 6, Edinburg North 4

PSJA Memorial 14, PSJA Southwest 2, 5 innings

District 32-6A

Los Fresnos 10, San Benito 0

Harlingen High 11, Harlingen South 1

Weslaco High 11, Weslaco East 0, 5 innings

Brownsville Hanna 6, Brownsville Rivera 1

District 31-5A

Mission Veterans 6, Roma 3

Valley View 6, Sharyland High 1

Rio Grande City 5, Laredo Martin 1

Laredo Nixon 7, Laredo Cigarroa 4

District 32-5A

Edcouch-Elsa 9, Donna North 5

Mercedes 16, Donna High 3

Brownsville Veterans 5, Brownsville Pace 4

District 32-4A

Hidalgo 10, La Feria 0

Progreso 14, Grulla 10

Rio Hondo 10, Port Isabel 4

District 32-2A

San Perlita at Lasara, not reported

Friday, April 7

District 30-6A

Mission High at McAllen Memorial, 7 p.m.

McAllen High at La Joya High, 7 p.m.

La Joya Palmview at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 7 p.m.

District 31-6A

Edinburg Vela at Edinburg North, 7 p.m.

Edinburg Economedes at Edinburg High, 7 p.m.

PSJA North at PSJA Memorial, 7 p.m.

PSJA Southwest at PSJA High, 7 p.m.

District 32-6A

Harlingen South at Los Fresnos, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Rivera at Harlingen High, 7 p.m.

Weslaco High at Brownsville Hanna, 7 p.m.

San Benito at Weslaco East, 7 p.m.

District 31-5A

Laredo Cigarroa at Mission Veterans, 6 p.m.

Sharyland Pioneer at Laredo Nixon, 7 p.m.

Laredo Martin at Sharyland High, 7 p.m.

Roma at Rio Grande City, 7 p.m.

District 32-5A

Donna High at Edcouch-Elsa, 7 p.m.

Donna North at Bronwsville Lopez, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans at Mercedes, 7 p.m.

District 32-4A

Grulla at Hidalgo, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-2A

La Villa at San Perlita, 4:30 p.m.

VALLEY-BASEBALL BOX SCORE

Tuesday’s Game

District 30-6A

MISSION HIGH 5, LA JOYA HIGH 4

La Joya High 020 000 2 — 4

Mission High 210 200 X — 5

WP: Adam Solis (1-0), 7 innings, 5 strikeouts, 3 walks, 3 hits.

LA JOYA HIGH (4) — Luis Rincon 2 for 4, double; Oscar Flores 1 for 2; Carlos De Leon, 1 for 2, run.

MISSION HIGH (5) — Andy Martinez 3 for 3, double, 2 RBIs, 2 SB, 2 runs; Rick Delgado 1 for 2, double, run; Yayo Cardoza 1 for 3, triple, RBI.

RECORDS: Mission High 8-10, 4-3 in district; La Joya High not reported.

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

The district tournament for District 30-6A, starting April 10 at Shary Golf Course in Mission, is shaping up to be a hotly contested affair.

McAllen High and McAllen Memorial both shot a team round of 317, tying for first place, at the pre-district tournament on Monday. La Joya Palmview was 15 strokes behind, shooting a 332.

For McAllen High, the promise of Monday’s round is that, while playing well, the team still has room to improve.

McAllen High’s Vince Tavarez shot a 75 on Monday.

“He’s been a little up and down (this year),” McAllen High coach Greg Kiger said. “Vince has played some solid golf for us. Here of late, in the qualifiers, he struggled a little bit. So, it’s kind of a pleasant surprise to see him on his game again and to play as well as he did.”

On the other end of the spectrum, Vinny Zamora got a difficult round out the way, shooting 87, and Kiger hopes that means his best golf could come next week.

“There is no doubt Vinny Zamora will play better than he played today,” Kiger said. “Vinny is one of the hardest working players I have ever coached. He just had an off day today. So I look for him to play better in the district tournament. And he’s played better all year. He just kind of had an off day and had a couple of rough holes.”

Combine that with the dominant play of Lucas Abbott, and the Bulldogs are optimistic heading into district next week. Abbott shot a 68, four stokes better than the second-best score on Monday.

“Lucas has been playing extremely well this spring,” Kiger said. “Here as of late, in our practice and our qualifying rounds, Lucas has been playing extremely well. When Lucas is on his game, he’s just really consistent. He’s a good ball striker. He hit the ball well (Monday).”

Monday was the third time the Bulldogs got to play at Shary this year. They played once in the fall and once earlier this spring. In the fall, they put up their best round of the season so far. On the second day of the Sharyland Pioneer Invitational, on Nov. 12, McAllen shot a 303. Abbott shot a 70 on the par 70, and Tavarez added a 76.

“It’s not a course where you have to go out and bomb it. It’s a course where you have to keep the ball in play,” Kiger said. “This time of year, we always work extremely hard on the short game. The easiest way to take a stroke or two off your round is around the greens.

“It’s the district tournament, and we have shot a couple of good rounds on that course. We are just going to work hard this week and hopefully we will be playing our best golf come Monday and Tuesday of next week.”

TIME TO SHINE

Edcouch-Elsa senior Canaan Vasquez has always had to work hard at his golf game.

For his first three years playing varsity, just getting to the course was a challenge. The Yellowjackets’ home course, Monte Cristo golf course, is 16 miles from the school. That meant long bus rides from the school and rides from his parents to play golf.

“Over the years, he relied on the bus,” Edcouch-Elsa coach Bob Hernandez said. “If the bus didn’t go, then he couldn’t go.”

Now, as a senior with a car, he can drive to the course whenever he wants, and he has gotten more time to practice. That serves as a solution for him, but it doesn’t solve the problem for other golfers on the team.

Even off the tee, Vasquez has to work hard just to compete. He’s not a distance driver. Often times other golfers will zoom out to a 30- to 40-yard lead over Vasquez on a hole. But Vasquez has perfected his short game in such a way that he can erase that disadvantage once he gets closer to the hole.

“That’s what saves him,” Hernandez said. “These kids can hit driver, pitching wedge, while Canaan is hitting driver, 6-iron. On his 6-iron he might be short, but he’ll chip it on and one putt. That’s what his strength has always been — the short game.”

In Monday’s pre-district round, at River Bend golf course in Brownsville, Vasquez shot a 78 on the par-72 course, good for second place. Brownsville Veterans’ Kevin Gomez shot a 73.

“He had two hiccups, two double (bogeys),” Hernandez said. “He will fix that by district. It’s for him to win. The other kid, it’s for him to lose, because it’s his course and Canaan has to beat him on his course. Canaan just has to take it away from him.”

Vasquez ranks as the fourth best golfer in the Valley, averaging 75.8 strokes per round. Gomez is at 19th with a 79.6 average.

The District 32-5A tournament starts April 10 at River Bend. Vasquez has been consistently great all year and the district tournament could be the crowning moment of his career.

“Canaan is a kid that anyone would want,” Hernandez said. “Every day, he is at the golf course. Every day, he is chipping. Every day, he is putting.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — Friday night, under the lights, it was a heavyweight title fight.

Mission Veterans and Valley View each sent top pitchers to the mound. Veterans handed the ball to senior southpaw Noel Vela, while the Tigers countered with senior Chezzarre Gonzalez. The teams traded blows throughout, as only five half-innings didn’t result in a run scored for either team.

The Patriots came away with a 9-5 victory over the Tigers in the District 31-5A matchup. With the win, the Patriots are tied with the Tigers at the top of the standings with matching 7-1 district records.

“It’s exactly what we needed going into the second half of district,” Veterans senior Eddie Galvan said. “It was a big one. We still had the bad taste in our mouth from the Rio (loss). Huge win by the team, by everyone. It gets us going for the next game.”

Valley View scored first, plating two in the top of the second. Mission Veterans responded right away, scoring three in the home half of the second.

Vela came out firing in the third, striking out the first batter and working around a bunt single to turn in a scoreless frame.

“I was fired up. Getting the lead back got my confidence back up,” Vela said. “I just wanted to do my best to keep the lead.”

The Patriots saw their opening and added an insurance run in the third. Valley View would never catch up after that.

The Valley View bats gave Vela headaches, but he always avoided the big inning and got the outs when his team needed them most.

“That’s Noel, that’s his MO,” Veterans coach Casey Smith said. “He’ll get in some trouble, he’ll have some guys on, but he always does a good job of battling out of it. He got us through 5 1/3 and got it to Cris so we could get it over with.”

Valley View got as close as 6-5 in the fifth inning, but Smith made the call to turn to senior Cristian Ramos in the sixth. He kept the Tigers off the board.

That scoreless frame was huge for the Patriots, because the next inning, Gonzalez had to be pulled, and the Tigers couldn’t find a reliever.

Valley View started the sixth with junior Ricardo Sanchez on the mound. Eleven of his 12 pitches were balls, forcing Valley View coach Mario Gonzalez to make a switch. He put senior Rogelio Arratia on the mound to try to slow the Patriots. It was too late, though, as Veterans smelled blood in the water and went in for the knockout. Back-to-back-to-back hits from Galvan, junior Ricardo Llanas and senior Jacob Guerrero gave Mission Veterans a 9-5 lead.

“I was trying not to think too big,” Galvan, who went 3 for 4 with a double, run scored and an RBI, said. “Usually, when the wind is blowing out, I think, ‘Oh man, I want to hit a home run,’ But today, I toned it down and I said if its not your pitch, hit it up the middle. And it worked. I made good contact and got the job done.”

Ramos cleaned up with a scoreless seventh, and the Patriots got a huge win.

“Cristian did what he has done all year long, his whole career — he came in and threw strikes,” Smith said. “He’s going to come in and fill up that zone. The guy doesn’t walk anybody. He gives you a chance to make plays behind him.”

The excitement was there from both teams throughout. Just like a big fight, the crowd was back and forth with every blow. The players fed off that excitement, and they played a game worthy of the hype.

“This is my favorite type of game,” Galvan said. “The 10-0 games, the 15-0 games, those are fun, but I think these, win or lose, they are what make baseball so fun. This is what I love about the game.”

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VALLEY-BASEBALL SCHEUDLE

Friday, Mar. 31

District 30-6A

McAllen High 10, Mission High 8

La Joya High 2, La Joya Palmview 1

McAllen Rowe 6, McAllen Memorial 4

District 31-6A

Edinburg Vela 6, PSJA High 4

Edinburg High 6, PSJA Southwest 1

Edinburg North 15, PSJA Memorial 0, 5 innings

PSJA North 4, Edinburg Economedes 3

District 32-6A

Los Fresnos 9, Weslaco High 8

Weslaco East 18, Brownsville Hanna 8

Brownsville Rivera 3, Harlingen South 2

Harlingen High 8, San Benito 5

District 31-5A

Mission Veterans 9, Valley View 5

Roma 12, Sharyland Pioneer 8

Rio Grande City 8, Sharyland High 4

Laredo Nixon 14, Laredo Martin 3

District 32-5A

Edcouch-Elsa 5, Brownsville Porter 2

Brownsville Veterans 7, Donna High 3

Donna North 3, Mercedes 0

Brownsville Pace 11, Brownsville Lopez 9

District 32-4A

Hidalgo 13, Raymondville 0

Zapata 1, Rio Hondo 0

Port Isabel 8, Progreso 3

Grulla 6, La Feria 3

Saturday, April 1

District 31-5A

Mission Veterans 12, Laredo Martin 2

Sharyland Pioneer 5,Laredo Cigarroa 3

Valley View 7, Rio Grande City 6

Roma 12, Laredo Nixon 2

VALLEY-BASEBALL BOX SCORES

Friday’s Games

District 30-6A

McALLEN HIGH 10, MISSION HIGH 8

McAllen High 012 102 4 — 10

Mission High 100 610 0 — 8

WP: Rene Maldonado, 5 innings, 8 runs, 6 strikeouts, 3 walks, 5 hits.

MISSION HIGH (8) — Andy Martinez 2 for 4, 2 runs, 4 RBIs; Edgar Garza 1 for 3, 2 runs; Adam Solis 1 for 4, run.

McALLEN HIGH (10) — Keola Zamora 2 for 4, 3 runs, 2 stolen bases; Victor Valdez 2 for 3, double, 3 runs, 1 RBI; Aaron Nixon 3 for 5, double, 6 RBIs, run.

RECORDS: McAllen High 6-0; Mission High 3-3.

District 31-6A

EDINBURG NORTH 15, PSJA MEMORIAL 0, 6 INNINGS

PSJA Mem. 000 00 — 0

Ed. North (12)12 0X — 15

WP: Argelio Guajardo (3-0), 3 innings, 0 hits, 6 strikeouts.

EDINBURG NORTH (15) — Argelio Guajardo 3 for 3, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Saul Garza 2 for 3, double, triple, 4 RBIs, 3 runs; Carlos Servin 2 for 3, double, triple, 3 RBIs, 2 runs.

RECORDS: Edinburg North 11-2, 6-0 in district.

STANDINGS

District 30-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

McAllen High 17 2 5 0 —

La Joya Palmview 6 6 4 1 1

Mission High 7 9 3 2 2

La Joya High 7 9 3 2 2

McAllen Memorial 11 4 2 3 3

McAllen Rowe 6 10 1 4 4

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 2 13 0 6 5.5

District 31-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

PSJA High 15 2 5 0 —

Edinburg North 10 2 5 0 —

Edinburg Vela 9 3 4 1 1

Edinburg Economedes 8 5 3 2 2

PSJA Memorial 6 10 1 4 4

Edinburg High 5 11 1 4 4

PSJA North 8 7 1 4 4

PSJA Southwest 2 13 0 5 5

District 32-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Brownsville Hanna 10 5 5 0 —

Los Fresnos 12 3 4 2 1.5

Harlingen High 9 5 4 2 1.5

Weslaco High 6 9 4 2 1.5

Weslaco East 6 10 2 4 3.5

San Benito 2 6 1 3 3.5

Harlingen South 3 7 1 4 4

Brownsville Rivera 3 8 1 4 4

District 31-5A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Valley View 15 3 7 0 —

Mission Veterans 14 3 6 1 1

Rio Grande City 10 6 5 2 2

Sharyland High 8 10 3 4 4

Laredo Martin 6 6 3 4 4

Roma 7 8 3 4 4

Sharyland Pioneer 6 12 2 5 5

Laredo Cigarroa 3 14 2 6 5.5

Laredo Nixon 3 13 0 7 7

District 32-5A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Brownsville Veterans 8 5 5 1 —

Edcouch-Elsa 7 8 5 1 —

Brownsville Porter — — 3 3 2

Donna High 8 8 3 3 2

Mercedes 6 7 3 3 2

Brownsville Lopez — — 3 3 2

Brownsville Pace 5 6 2 4 3

Donna North — — 0 6 5

District 32-4A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Hidalgo 7 10 4 1 —

Zapata 6 8 4 1 —

Port Isabel 8 3 3 2 1

Grulla 6 7 3 2 1

Rio Hondo 8 7 2 3 2

La Feria 6 4 2 3 2

Progreso 6 7 1 4 3

Raymondville 2 13 1 4 3

District 32-3A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Santa Rosa 4 7 — — —

Lyford 3 4 — — —

Monte Alto 2 1 — — —

Edinburg IDEA Quest 0 2 — — —

District 32-2A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Riviera-Kaufer 11 2 7 0 —

Benavides 7 2 6 0 .5

Bruni 4 3 4 2 2.5

Freer 4 5 3 2 3.5

San Perlita 3 5 2 4 4.5

Ben Bolt 2 10 2 4 4.5

La Villa 0 5 0 4 7.5

Lasara 0 5 0 5 7.5

TOP TEN

Team Rec. Prev.
1. Mission Veterans 14-3 1
2. Edinburg North 10-2 2
3. McAllen High 17-2 3
4. PSJA High 15-2 4

5. Valley View 15-3 NR

6. Brownsville Hanna 10-5 6
7. Brownsville Veterans 8-5 5

8. La Joya Palmview 6-6 8

9. Edcouch-Elsa 7-8 9
10. Hidalgo 7-10 10