BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

RIO GRANDE CITY — On a chilly, windy Friday morning at Ringgold Middle School, the Sharyland Pioneer cross country teams turned up the heat, as the girls team finished first and the boys second at the District 31-5A meet.

“The kids, they really performed well today,” Pioneer coach David Munson. “The weather was nice for us, and we came out and did what we had to.”

The Diamondbacks used a pair of second-place individual finishes to kick off a strong district showing.

In the girls race, Pioneer sophomore Yanelly Garza took second with a time of 19:41.3 to set a new personal best, almost 7 seconds faster than her previous best.

“The race was pretty fast,” Garza said. “It was hard, but it was short.”

Laredo Martin junior Abril Escamilla finished first with a time of 19:18.5. Escamilla led for much of the race, but Garza was close behind looking for an opening.

“It was pretty close, but (Escamilla) went off,” Garza said. “She just had more left.”

Valley View junior Ashley Arteaga rounded out the top three coming in at 19:58.7.

For the boys, Rio Grande City junior Brandon Garcia continued a string of impressive showings with a first-place finish in 15:59.6. This win was his fourth win of the year and his sixth top-5 finish.

“I am just setting it up for regionals,” Garcia said. “It feels good winning at home. I wasn’t going to let anyone beat me.”

Coming in second was Pioneer sophomore Marcos Garza. Garza’s time of 16:09.6 is almost 11 seconds off of his personal best.

Valley View junior Diego Monjaras took third with a time of 16:15.7.

Pioneer used that momentum, combined with other strong finishes, to lock up spots at the Region IV-5A meet for both the girls and boys teams.

The top three teams and the top 10 individuals advanced to regionals, which will be held Oct. 29 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. For the girls, Sharyland Pioneer (38 points), Sharyland High (62) and Valley View (82) advance. For the boys, Mission Veterans Memorial (47), Sharyland Pioneer (56) and Rio Grande City (74) move on.

Sharyland Pioneer boys, Rudy Aranda and Wilberth Soberanis finished seventh and eighth, respectively. That was followed by teammates Angel Avila and Giovanni Rangel, who took 19th and 20th, respectively.

“They really haven’t run together much this year,” Munson said. “But, today, they knew the importance of this race. They didn’t let anyone get between them and they were working together.”

For the girls, Sharyland Pioneer’s Ana Hernandez and Brianna Garcia took fifth and sixth, respectively. Arianna Gomez and Nydia de la Garza placed 12th and 13th. All five athletes improved their personal best time in the race.

“When you put your top five out there and they all run a new personal best, you have to give those girls credit and you have to give the coaches credit,” Munson said. “Sandra Guerrero and Lisa Chapa have done an excellent job this year.”

sberrios-thomas@ themonitor.com

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — Edinburg North stumbled out of the gate this season.

The Cougars started with four straight losses. In that fourth loss to Edinburg Vela, however, North started to show signs of life. The things that went right continued.The Cougars opened District 31-6A with a win over PSJA Southwest and are in the postseason picture with a 2-2 record in district. The defense has been the key.

“In the last two games, we haven’t allowed a touchdown since the first drive of the game against PSJA North (two weeks ago),” coach Rene Saenz said.

Edinburg North’s defense is fourth in the district at 322.6 yards allowed per game. North primarily runs a 4-2-5 formation.

The linebackers have been a major part of the Cougars’ defense. Senior Javi de la Cruz leads the group. He is second on the team with 55 tackles behind safety Izaiah Valdez (64).

“I try to take the leadership role for the linebacker spot,” de la Cruz said. “I keep communicating with the D-line and the safeties. Every team that we have played, the offensive coaches have told us that we are one of the most physical defenses they have played against.”

Some of those younger linebackers are going to be forced to step up to finish out the year. Last week against Edinburg Economedes, senior linebacker Baldemar Hinojosa suffered a fractured leg and will be forced to miss the rest of the season.

The defense is particularly crucial because the offense has been up and down this year. They reeled off more than 300 yards against Vela and 300 rushing yards against PSJA Southwest, but in the two weeks since have only scored one offensive touchdown.

An emerging player for the offense has been senior receiver Justin Guerra. He has 20 receptions for 261 yards, and with depth issues in the backfield, he has also carried the ball quite a bit. He has 273 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries.

“We have played well, both rushing and passing,” Guerra said. “It’s been fun, especially in my senior year. I’m just trying to enjoy it.”

Tonight Edinburg North faces Edinburg High at 7 at Richard Flores Stadium, a game with major playoff implications. Edinburg High is third in the district at 3-1. Economedes, which beat PSJA Southwest on Thursday, is in fourth place 3-2, a half-game better than North at 2-2.

“It’s going to be intense, obviously,” Saenz said. “Any time Edinburg and Edinburg North play — that rivalry goes back to 1991. The stands will be packed, the crowd will be fired up and both teams will be fired up. So we are just looking to go out and have some fun, relax and just do the things that we do best.”

“We feel like we our getting into a groove,” Guerra added. “We just have to go out there and get that win.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
PHARR — The music blares over a speaker. Coaches are dancing and joking with each other, while the players are working hard on the field.
A typical PSJA North football practice is sometimes like a business party —fun, but also with a workmanlike mentality. The atmosphere is proof that first-year coach Marcus Kaufmann has made an impact.
“Last year, after practice, we were sore and we would say, ‘Man, we have to do this again?’” senior strong safety Raudel Alvarez said. “This year, we come in excited and are like, ‘I can’t wait to practice.’ It’s fun.”
There is good reason for the excitement. For all the fun and laughs, the Raiders are 7-0 overall, 4-0 in District 31-6A. The key is the defense, the best in the Rio Grande Valley, allowing 170.3 yards allowed per game.
That figure is staggering, considering last year the Raiders were one of the worst defenses in their district. But with a new coaching staff and a switch in philosophy, the Raiders have excelled at shutting down opposing offenses this season.
Last year, PSJA North employed a 3-3 stack defense — three linemen and three linebackers. This year, new defensive coordinator William Littleton, son of McAllen Memorial head coach Bill, and Kaufmann brought in the 4-2-5, with four linemen and two linebackers.
“They were blitzing a lot (last year), which ended up transitioning good for us because those kids were already used to attacking gaps and getting to the football as fast as possible,” Kaufmann said. “We really don’t blitz as much; we let them run to the ball. They are already used to being super aggressive and going to the ball, so it was an easy transition.”
“We are trying to get a little more sound and changing up the coverages,” Littleton said. “We try to be as multiple as we possibly can.”
The system allows the linebackers freedom to attack, and seniors C.J. Gaitan and Leroy Vazquez have made the most of the opportunity. Vazquez leads the team with 51 tackles, and Gaitan is third with 42. They have a combined nine tackles for loss.
“I see the improvement with the new formation,” Alvarez said. “Our linemen are taught to hit the offensive linemen and not let them get to the second level. The linebackers are making a lot of tackles right now. I am seeing the ball a lot more. We are not blitzing as much, so that’s a plus for us, because we get to read the ball. We play 11 hats to the ball, which is better for us.”
Alvarez has been a major factor in his final campaign. He has 44 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble. He’s also the leader of the unit, because of his experience and know-how.
“If I was allowed to, I’d hire him to coach for us right now,” Kaufmann said. “He’s that good of a leader. He’s a guy that studies the film. He goes in there and sometimes he sees stuff that we don’t see.”
Kaufmann said it’s often that Alvarez demands something out of a teammate, and the teammate responds with a ‘Yes, sir.’
“Raudel is the best leader I have ever been around,” Littleton said. “I have been around football for a long time, and he’s one of the best. He plays through anything. He does anything we ask. He’s the most physical football player we have. He’ just a great kid.”
Tonight, PSJA North faces its toughest test to date in Edinburg Vela, which has the best offense in the Valley. The Raiders host the SaberCats at 7 p.m. at PSJA Stadium.
“Every day we talk about wanting to be the best,” Alvarez said. “You have to beat the best to be the best, and that’s our task this week.”
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SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — With Saturday’s match against Sharyland High tied at 1 game, Sharyland Pioneer was up by five points in Game 3. Then Sharyland High won three straight points to push it to a two-point game.

Pioneer coach Laura Cavazos could have called a timeout, but decided against it. She got off the bench, gave some simple instructions to her team and, after a long volley, Pioneer picked up the next point and never looked back, moving into sole possession of second place in District 31-5A, while Sharyland High remains in third place.

Pioneer won the District 31-5A showdown 26-24, 23-25, 25-19, 25-14, one day after Pioneer’s football team beat Sharyland High for the first time ever.

In the first meeting of the season, Sharyland High (21-16, 9-4 in 34-5A) upset Pioneer (26-8, 10-3) in a closely-contested four set battle. But Rattlers coach Raul Castillo saw a Pioneer team that played better Saturday.

“I think they just figured us out, that’s it,” Castillo said. “They played a great game compared to last time. They just lined up correctly, made the right reads and got a lot of touches off the block.”

Cavazos spends most matches seated on the bench. During that moment in Game 3, she knew she had her whole team’s attention.

“It’s a new technique,” Cavazos said. “I used to stand, and I just feel, with the team that I have, they don’t need me to cheer on the sidelines for them. They need me to make adjustments and communicate to them. So, I guess, it does have more weight when I step off.

“They know to look at me during those circumstances, because I want to make an adjustment or I have something to tell them.”

It worked in this instance. Pioneer took seven of the next 10 points to seal Game 3.

Pioneer took that momentum into Game 4 and scored five quick points. Castillo was forced to call a timeout. Out of the break, the Lady Rattlers looked to be gaining some momentum, scoring three straight points, but Pioneer bounced back and got a quick win to seal the match.

Junior setter Audrey Smith was a major factor for Pioneer. She finished with five aces, eight kills, three blocks, 26 assists and 11 digs.

“Audrey’s always pretty consistent,” Cavazos said. “She did a great job serving them off the floor tonight.”

Senior outside hitter Savannah James and sophomore middle blocker Daizy Coronado each had 10 kills.

“Savannah did an incredible job of executing what we wanted to execute on the outside,” Cavazos said. “Daizy is our sophomore. It’s her first year on varsity and we have been working all season long to get her more involved.”

Sharyland High junior outside hitter Caleigh Hausenfluck had one ace and 36 digs. Senior opposite hitter Hannah Kirby notched 10 kills, six digs, three blocks and two aces.

Castillo was disappointed in the loss.

“Any other loss is hard,” he said. “But against your rival, sister school, it’s even harder to accept. We didn’t take advantage of certain situations we should have. Our service was a little off, but when we had good passes and digs we just didn’t take advantage.

“We took too many easy shots, instead of being the risk-takers that we usually are, that got us that first win.”

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