SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

The Progreso boys cross country team won the Class 4A Region 4 championship Oct. 29 in Corpus Christi.

The win advanced them to the state meet Saturday at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.

A strong performance from Progreso’s dynamic trio, juniors Everardo Esparza, Anthony Vasquez and Omar Anguiano, propelled it to the regional championship two weeks ago. Esparza and Vasquez ran personal bests. Esparza ran a 16:32.8, which earned him second place overall.

“Personally, I feel like I could have won the race,” Esparza said. “It was my mistake for giving up my lead. I tried to go at (winner Aubrey Stewart’s) pace, but we still had a lot more race to go. It was pretty close, about six seconds.”

Vasquez (16:55.2, ninth overall) and Anguiano (16:55.3, 10th) ran together and pushed each other the entire way.

“It gives us a lot of confidence going into the state meet,” Progreso coach Margarito Jimenez said. “I think we are heading in the right direction.”

This is nothing new for Progreso. For the eighth time in the last nine years, the Red Ants are competing at the state meet.

They had made it to state seven years in a row before falling short last year.

“Last year, we got fifth place and we didn’t make it to state,” Anguiano said. “We lost the streak. We were mad about that and disappointed. This year, we just ran harder, so that we could get back to state.”

Part of the strength of the team has been the chemistry between Esparza, Anguiano and Vasquez. The trio has been running together for four years. They have developed a bond that allows them to push each other and enjoy each other’s success.

“We feel like we are brothers,” Vasquez said. “We have been through good moments and bad moments. We don’t want to let each other down. We push each other through everything and support each other on everything that we can.”

It has shown in their times. At each meet this season, all three improved their times from the previous meet.

They all found the sport, however, in different ways. Anguiano had a cousin who also ran and told him to join the team. Vasquez was hurt playing football and Esparza suggested he try cross country. When a friend suggested Esparza try the sport, he took second place in his first race.

What unites them is when they joined, they ran together. That is how it worked when they were new to the sport and that is how it will work when they run against the best athletes in Texas on Saturday.

They take pride in representing Progreso.

“The community is always supportive,” Esparza said. “When we win titles and even through losses, they have always been supportive, no matter what. Bringing back a trophy, it’s not just for us, it’s for the community. It shows the community how hard we have worked this season, and what we are looking forward to.”

For Esparza, looking forward means looking at the best times in the state. Esparza believes he belongs in that group and his times justify his belief.

“(Esparza) has been one of the most important runners on our team,” Jimenez said. “He has been leading the team pretty much throughout the whole season. We expect great things from him at state.”

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SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — For McAllen High senior Julia Monday, playing college volleyball has been a life-long dream.

On Thursday, that dream became a reality, as Monday signed a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball for NCAA Division I Incarnate Word.

“It’s an incredible program,” Monday said. “I am so blessed to be a part of it. I am so excited, because I have been working so hard these past couple of years and it really has paid off.”

Making it even sweeter is that Monday’s first pick was UIW. Monday had to wait a little longer than expected to hear back from the Cardinals, but when she did she heard good news. She knew that it was worth the wait to join a top program not far from home.

“I’m so excited, because I’m not one to travel far from my parents,” Monday said. “It means a lot that I can be in their backyard, basically.”

McAllen High coach Paula Dodge was excited to see Monday’s dream come true. Dodger called Monday “an all-around special person” and said was a vital part of a team that is playing in this weekend’s Class 6A regional tournament in Edinburg.

“She is one of our leaders,” Dodge said. “She has been on the varsity team for four years. She is one of our captains. She leads on and off the court.”

The entire Lady Bulldog team was there Thursday afternoon to see Monday sign, further evidence of her impact on the team.

“It’s super exciting for her,” senior middle blocker Sydney Pemelton said. “I know she has worked really hard to achieve her goals. I am extremely proud she got to sign and gets to continue to play volleyball.”

SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

The McAllen Memorial volleyball team took a 10-point lead during the first set of its Class 6A regional quarterfinal match Tuesday and never looked back.

The Mustangs swept Laredo Alexander 25-17, 25-21, 25-21, to advance to the regional semifinals this weekend at UTRGV. McAllen Memorial plays San Antonio Reagan at 8 p.m. Friday as the second part of a doubleheader at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. McAllen High plays Brandeis in the regional semifinal at 6 p.m.

“We have been to the Sweet 16 before,” McAllen Memorial coach Lorena Lopez said. “But, we have never had the opportunity to play in front of a home crowd. That will help at that level.”

The Mustangs controlled the tempo early in Tuesday’s match to run away with it.

“The team played really well tonight,” Lopez said. “Coming in, we knew we had to serve aggressively and be ready to play defense. We did everything that we planned to do.”

The Mustangs were paced by sophomore middle hitter Lanie Nitsch, who provided 15 kills and six blocks. Nitsch was helped by the play of junior setter Alexia Kruse, who compiled 30 assists, two blocks and five digs. Another vital part of the offense was sophomore outside hitter Jocelyn Everage, who had 10 kills and four digs. Senior setter Taylor Marburger added six kills, eight digs and 10 assists.

Senior outside hitter Darin Ibara was a catalyst for the serving game. She amassed five aces, seven kills and 10 digs.

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

McAllen High is coming back the Rio Grande Valley to continue its postseason march.

The Lady Bulldogs advanced to this weekend’s Class 6A regional semifinals at UTRGV by sweeping Laredo United 25-21, 25-13, 25-15 in the regional quarterfinals Monday night in Alice.

McAllen High is 43-2 this season.

“This is the best game we have played all year,” McAllen High coach Paula Dodge said. “The first game was close. It was back and forth. They came back and we had to answer that.”

After a tight first set, it was smooth sailing for McAllen High. The Bulldogs were able to control the tempo and play at their pace.

“We were focused on one point at a time,” Dodge said. “One game at a time.”

The teams were fairly evenly matched in size. McAllen High was able to utilize its skill up front to dominate the game with blocks.

“We did a great job up front,” Dodge said. “They had to change up their attacks.”

Senior middle blocker Sydney Pemelton led the way with nine kills and five blocks. Senior outside hitter Julia Monday was a catalyst, providing 14 kills, seven digs and one ace. Junior outside hitter Victoria Rogers produced six kills, five digs and 2 blocks. Junior setter Carter Helmcamp was on point as well, finishing with 31 assists, two blocks, five kills, three aces and three digs.

McAllen High advances to face the winner of the Brandeis-New Braunfels match tonight at 7 p.m. in San Antonio.

Friday’s regional semifinals take place at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg, as McAllen ISD is hosting the tournament.

“We are very excited to play in our own backyard,” Dodge said. “We are just polishing up everything, and making sure we are prepared for the next team that we play.”

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Class 6A Regional Quarterfinals

Monday, Nov. 7

McAllen High def. Laredo United 25-21, 25-13, 25-15

Tuesday, Nov. 8

McAllen Memorial vs. Laredo Alexander, at C.C. King, 7 p.m.

Class 2A Regional Quarterfinals

TBD

Santa Maria vs. Freer

Class 6A Regional Semifinals

Friday, Nov. 11

McAllen High vs. Brandies-New Braunfels winner, at UTRGV, TBD

Class 6A Regional Quarterfinals schedule

Monday, Nov. 7

McAllen High vs. Laredo United, at Alice, 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 8

McAllen Memorial vs. Laredo Alexander, at C.C. King, 7 p.m.

Class 5A Area Round scores

McCollum def. Edcouch-Elsa 25-16, 25-14, 24-26, 25-17.

C.C. Tuloso-Midway def. Sharyland Pioneer 25-18, 25-12, 25-21

Calallen 3, Mission Veterans Memorial 25-19, 25-8, 19-25, 20-25, 16-14

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

HIDALGO — After Gilberto Villarreal quit as the Hidalgo volleyball coach in the middle of the 2014 season, the players started to give up, too. Hope was bleak.

Then, during the offseason, Kay Dee Benavidez was hired and things started to turn around.

“Now that we have a coach that believes in us, and doesn’t just throw away our future in volleyball, things are better,” senior middle hitter Karla Cantu said. “I feel like we owe her, because she has never given up on us before.”

Benavidez describes what she found when she came on board as a “broken team.” The Pirates had gone through three coaches in two years before she arrived.

However, she said she believed in the players and felt like she was the prefect fit to rebuild the program.

She said she just had to prove that she was different from the other coaches they had. One of the times she proved that was after Hidalgo missed the playoffs last year.

“It was a relief for her to stay, because we had a coach (Villarreal) that left mid-season because we kept losing,” Cantu said. “He was like, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ He basically gave up on us. So she doesn’t give up on us, regardless of if we are winning or losing.

“She just makes us work harder, so the next game it can be different. She showed that by staying, even after we missed the playoffs last year.”

One of the tactics Benavidez brought was a relentless commitment to getting the players stronger.

“Coach Benavidez takes us to the weight room two or three times a week,” senior setter Stephanie Ysasi said. “She thinks that the weight room is so important, and she is right, because I’ve seen the girls improve.

“She even brings the weights to the court and makes us jump with them and that has increased every girl’s vertical. Things I’ve never done with any other coaches, she makes us do, and it has a great impact.”

The vigorous weight training started right away. That was when the players first started to buy into Benavidez.

“They weren’t very trusting at first,” Benavidez said. “They had seen coaches come and go, so they needed to see if I was going to stay first. Once I got them in the weight room and they started seeing the results, they started to believe.”

Cantu thrived in the weight room. She now takes pride in being the strongest player on the team, but she takes more pride in how strong the rest of the team is.

“Right now, we are stronger, not just me,” Cantu said. “They have impressed me so much. I’m usually the one to bench press what they squat. I say, ‘You can’t just rely on me.’ With (Vivian Chavez), I make her put on more plates. I tell her, ‘You can do more than you think. Come with me and I will make you stronger.’”

Chavez, a senior outside hitter, has gained a lot of respect for Cantu because of the way she motivates.

“She is like the mother figure of the team,” Chavez said. “Every time we are down, she tries to pick us up. She is just always there for us.”

The hard work off the court has translated to success on it.

Hidalgo finished the season 19-3,10-4 in District 32-4A, which earned it a playoff berth. Hidalgo faces Orange Grove today at 6 p.m. at Bishop High School.

“We are very excited,” Benavidez said. “We haven’t made the playoffs here in a couple of years, and this is only my second year here, so we are very excited.”

For Cantu, it will be even sweeter to prove the doubters wrong.

“Everyone gave up on us,” Cantu said. “Now we can show them that they were wrong. So, it’s just exciting that we can reward Coach with something.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

Despite humid conditions on an already slow course for the Region IV races, Edinburg North junior Beth Ramos cruised to the Class 6A girls regional cross country championship on Saturday morning.

Ramos ran the 5,000 meters in 18 minutes, 46 seconds, about 43 seconds slower than her season best. She still won by 12 seconds at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

“It just shows that she is a very strong runner,” Edinburg North girls coach Carla Hernandez said. “No matter the weather, no matter the competition, she is going to compete.”

Ramos has qualified for state all three years of high school, but this is her first regional championship.

“She has been working really hard.” Hernandez said. “She has been doing her training with the boys. She worked very hard over the summer, so that she came into the season ready to compete.”

The top four teams and the top 10 runners not on those teams qualify for the state meet Nov. 12 in Round Rock.

Two other 6A girls from the Upper and Mid-Valley qualified for state.

La Joya Palmview junior Brianna Robles came in sixth with a time of 19:12.7. Edinburg High senior Vianney Sanchez (19:37.4, 13th) was the final athlete to qualify.

On the boys side, six local athletes qualified in the 6A race: PSJA Memorial’s Cruz Gomez (16:01.8, 4th), Weslaco East’s Luis Ramirez (16:12.7, 7th), Edinburg North’s Tristan Pena (16:17.5, 9th) and Joshua Doria (16:32.4, 13th), and McAllen Memorial’s Evan (16:34.7, 15th) and Trevor Williams (16:39.3, 17th).

In the 5A boys race, it was a familiar story for Rio Grande City junior Brandon Gracia.

Gracia has been measuring himself against Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway junior Ace Castillo all season. They have run meets together against each other this year and have two of the top three fastest times in 5A in the state. On Saturday, Castillo and Gracia ran well enough to race each other one more time.

“All year, Castillo had been taking the lead and not giving (Gracia) a chance to see if he could stay with him,” Rio Grande City coach Jose Ramirez said. “I said, ‘Let’s try to stay with Ace, and try to hang on as much as we can and see what happens.’”

Gracia started off strong, running close to Castillo and keeping the pace. About halfway through the race, Gracia saw Castillo start to pull away to finish second overall. Castillo ran a 15:49.9 and Gracia ran a 16:12.1.

Gracia also qualified for state last year. This year, his goals are higher.

“Top three,” Gracia said. “I want to get top three. I’ll try sticking close to Ace and see how long I can hang around.”

The only other boys 5A individual to qualify was Sharyland Pioneer sophomore Marcos Garza (16:31.5, 7th). Three teams advanced to state: Donna North finished first with 51 points, Donna High (137) took second and Mercedes (171) came in third.

In the 5A girls race, three girls qualified for state. Edcouch-Elsa’s Haley Villalpando (19:32.0, 4th), Sharyland Pioneer’s Yanelly Garza (19:39.1, 9th) and Edcouch-Elsa’s Leslie Alvarado (19:56.7, 13th) all qualified.

In the 4A boys race, Progreso finished first with 65 points and Hidalgo came in third with 147 points to earn a trip to Round Rock. Progreso junior Everardo Esparza came in second with a time of 16:32.8, a personal best, which was good enough to send him to state as well.

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — The Edinburg High football team is testing the theory that defense wins championships.

The Bobcats have the second-best defense in District 31-6A, allowing 250.3 yards per game, but their offense is the second-worst with 260.9 yards per game. To this point, it has worked for the Bobcats, who are 5-3 overall and tied for second in the district at 4-1.

“We are all united,” senior defensive lineman Tony Hernandez said. “We are getting better every game.”

With a 28-21 win over Edinburg North last week, Edinburg High clinched a playoff spot, its first since 2011. The Bobcats travel to PSJA Southwest tonight at 7. In the final game of the regular season next week, they host PSJA North at 7 p.m. These last two games will decide what seed Edinburg High will be for the playoffs. A pair of wins leaves them in second place.

The Bobcats’ five wins this season ties the total amount of wins they had the previous three seasons combined.

Building success on the field this year was a process that began when coach J.J. Leija, an Edinburg High alum, was hired in December.

“That all started back in the offseason, when we got here,” Leija said. “We went straight to work on our strength and our movement. These kids did a lot of stuff on their own. They are very dedicated to want to make themselves better.”

The success started to grow. It began to show on a bigger stage during their first scrimmage of the year against Roma.

“(It) really set the tone for the season,” Leija said. “We thought we could be a pretty physical defense. Our offense could move the ball.”

After struggling through non-district play, things finally clicked for the Bobcats entering their first district game against Edinburg Economedes. Edinburg High won 17-14 in what was then considered a significant upset over a team ranked in the RGVSports.com Top 10 poll.

“That was the turning point,” Leija said. “It gave these guys a lot of confidence. We have seemed to put it together since then.”

What clicked for the Bobcats was the defense, specifically the linebackers.

The defense uses multiple formations depending upon the offense. One of the formations primarily used is the 4-2, with four defensive lineman and two linebackers. The 4-2 has allowed two talented linebackers to flourish; senior Edgar Guerrero and sophomore James Champion.

Guerrero leads the team with 87 tackles.

“When we run the 4-2, it allows me and the other linebacker to read our keys easier,” Guerrero said.

He was also voted by his peers as team captain, along with Hernandez.

“I’ve got a great set of team leaders,” Leija said. “They carry this team. When we got here, we told them ‘This team is only going to get as far as you want them to go.’ They want the playoffs, and we are there.”

Champion, meanwhile, is one of the promising young talents.

Champion is second on the team with 70 tackles and has five sacks. He has recovered two fumbles and caused one. Champion describes himself as “one of the smaller linebackers you will see in the Valley.” He credits his defensive line with opening up holes for him to attack using his speed and agility.

“James has done a real good job,” Leija said. “We put those guys in the right place, and they are the ones that execute.”

They will need to execute tonight against the third-best offense in 31-6A, PSJA Southwest. Southwest brings in the top back in the district, Justin Corona, who has 1,007 yards and 15 touchdowns on 203 carries.

“They are a big running team,” Guerrero said. “We are just trying to stop the run. They have good backs in (Corona) and (Andrew Becerra). If we can stop them, hopefully we will get our offense the ball back.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

EDCOUCH — The setting around Edcouch-Elsa this season has been more representative of a hospital wing than that of a healthy volleyball team. But with a win over Brownsville Lopez on Saturday, the Yellowjackets forged ahead, nonetheless, to clinched the No. 2 in District 32-5A.

“It’s been a unique season,” Edcouch-Elsa coach Ofelia Griffith said. “No excuses. There are games we should have won — injury or no injury. Those are just obstacle we have to overcome.”

The Yellowjackets have had eight players injured. One of the biggest occurred almost a year ago. Middle blocker Alejandra Martinez, now a senior, suffered a major shoulder injury in January. There was doubt as to whether the team captain would be able to play this year. While she has fought through, she continues to endure plenty of pain.

Martinez remains a key component to the team’s success this year, totaling 127 total blocks, more than any of her teammates.

“She does a great job up at the net,” Griffith said. “During the game, she shuts down the hitter and slows downs the ball.”The nagging pain has limited her time on the court.”

“Right now, I have to take it easy,” Martinez said. “I’ve been having a lot of shoulder pains. I’ve had to sit out a lot, but I hope that once the playoffs come, I’ll be ready to hit the ball and I won’t have any pain.”

Junior Jackie Alvarado had a pulled hamstring string in tournament season. She is just now returning. Senior setter Jackie de los Santos is still recovering from two major knee operations. The past two years she has had all the ligaments in the knee repaired. After every practice or match, her knees require icing and treatment. Sophomore Neida Ybarra and freshman Megan Acevedo both suffered season-ending injuries. Sophomore Paloma Ybarra has been dealing with chin splints. Junior Ashley Galarza had a back strain that took her out for an extended period of time. Senior Alinah Rodriguez also had a back problem.

There is optimism, however. The team is finally starting to get healthy, and it couldn’t be coming at a better time. The last couple games have allowed the Yellowjackets to finally play with the squad they envisioned at the beginning of the season.

“We have finally got to the point where we are settling in to a roster and a rotation,” Griffith said. “We are beginning to pick up speed and our momentum is going in a good direction. They have all hung in there and stuck through it.”

“At the beginning it was really rough,” junior Maddie Acevedo added. “Now that our team is finally complete, we are doing much better.”

SOARING SIEANNA

After being diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma on Aug. 19, 2015, Sieanna Ortiz, vowed to fight to make it back onto the court. Through rigorous treatments, she was able to overcome the disease and is now cancer-free. She was cleared to return earlier this year and has been playing for the Lady Yellowjackets.

“I was so excited,” Ortiz said. “As soon as I got my release, I came back and started right away.”

Volleyball has helped her regain the normalcy of her life before the diagnosis.

“Sports help me a lot,” Ortiz said. “I remember what I went through, but with sports it’s not a constant reminder anymore.”

Her teammates were glad to have her back on the team.

“She has been an inspiration to her teammates,” Griffith said. “She has proved to them that anything can happen.”

“We were really happy when we found out that she would be back,” Martinez added. “Now we make her feel like she never missed out.”

UP NEXT

Edcouch-Elsa hosts Brownsville Porter at 7 tonight. It is the final match of the regular season. As the No. 2 seed in 32-5A, the Yellowjackets will face the No. 3 seed in District 31-5A, which will be determined based on the results of tonight’s matches.

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