By STEFAN MODRICH, Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — The Harlingen High boys and Weslaco High girls took the top spots in the team standings at the Harlingen Relays on Saturday at Boggus Stadium.

The Cardinals finished with 194 points, and the Lady Panthers finished with 160.

“We had a couple of guys that are a little injured right now,” Cardinals coach Efrain Ambriz said. “So we kind of would like to get on the mend. But not having everyone around to compete in every event, it was still a fairly good result.”

Harlingen High’s Geovany Cisneros won the 3,200 meter run with a time of 10.15.30, besting Harlingen South’s Idol Ramon by a second and a half.

“(Cisneros) is growing by leaps and bounds,” Ambriz said. “I’m really happy for the kid.”

Later on in the 1,600, they finished No. 1 and No. 2 again, but it was Ramon (4:40.57) who got the better of Cisneros (4:43.83).

The 1,600 relay also came down to the wire between the Cardinals (3:29.92) and the Hawks (3:30.15), with anchor Eric Quilantan edging South’s Sammy Ruiz in the final 50 meters.

“It felt almost like a replay of (last year’s District 32-6A meet),” Ambriz said, harkening back to the 2019 mile relay that allowed Harlingen High and South to tie atop the team standings and split last season’s district title.

Though the Cardinals lagged behind for part of the race, Quilantan said he knew he had to make his leg of the relay count.

“I knew I had to seal the deal to win the meet,” Quilantan said. “I passed (Ruiz) midrace, and I saw him come up on me. I just switched gears and finished strong.”

Quilantan (22.21) also took the top spot in the 200 for the Cardinals. While he usually runs the 400, the event that earned him a regional bid last season, the junior point guard for the Harlingen High basketball team edged teammate Pedro Luna in the 200 by a half second. He also competed in the 400 relay.

“It was my first time doing the 200,” Quilantan said. “I knew I just had to sprint the whole way and give it all I got. It’s what I do.”

Taking first place in the girls 3,200 was Weslaco High’s Destinee Longoria (12.04.87). She also won the 1,600 (5:27.61).

“(Longoria) wasn’t too happy with her cross country season,” Weslaco High coach Pablo Amaguer said. “She’s really bouncing back with her training, feeling really good about herself and getting her confidence back. She and (teammate Natalie Garcia) are training together, and they’re working hard together. For this time of year, we’re happy with her.”

Weslaco High’s Amity Ebarb (2:23.92) placed first in the 800 and the 400 (1:00.06).

“It was a good performance from (Ebarb),” Amaguer said. “She’s coming off a great sophomore year. … She’s got big things to do this year. Everybody’s going to compare what she did last year to this year. She’s got a little bit of pressure on her. I think ultimately she ran well today and did what she had to do to get through the day. I think she handled the (400 and 800) really well.”

Brownsville Rivera’s Julian Tavares (2:00.86) won the boys 800. The Raiders also took the top spot in the 800 relay (1:33.98).

Harlingen High won the boys 400 relay (42.49) and Weslaco High won the girls 400 relay (51.40), 800 relay (1:49.51), and 1,600 relay (4:08.22).

“All of our relays did a great job for us,” Amaguer said. “We don’t want things to be perfect right now, we’re not looking for perfection. We’re just looking for effort and positive attitudes, and I think we got that out of them today. We’re still a work in progress, and we’re just happy where we’re at right now.”

Hanna’s Jacqueline Mora (12.60) won the 100, and Harlingen High’s Pedro Luna (11.02) won the boys 100.

Harlingen South’s Pedro Arellano was the top finisher in the 400 (51.41), and right behind him was his Ruiz (51.67).

The Lady Hawks’ Natasha Hartman (26.71) won the 200.

Other individual winners included Harlingen High’s Sydney Portillo (17.55) in the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles (50.66), and Harlingen South’s Rhandall Lopez (15.99) in the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles (40.82).

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

PORT ISABEL — The Tarpon Relays got off to a lively start Friday at Tarpon Stadium with an electrifying display in the boys 3,200 meter race, featuring a late kick by Mercedes’ Lupe Reyes that allowed the senior to pull away for an easy victory in 9:53.41.

It was a battle between Reyes, Hanna’s John Abrego and San Benito’s Joaquin Medina for the first five laps. When Medina began to drop off the pace of the other two leaders, it went down to Reyes and Abrego, and the race seemed to be headed toward a photo finish.

That is, until Reyes turned on the jets as he headed around the last curve.

“(During) the last mile, I was starting to get tired,” Reyes. “(I told myself,) ‘Let’s go, one more lap,’ and the wind was kind of hard today. (I thought,) ‘Should I go now? Should I wait?’ And I just waited for the last 200 (meters) to kick, and I just felt good and started kicking all the way. … At the end, I just felt the adrenaline.”

Mercedes coach Pete Martinez has seen his top runner and Medina go head-to-head in several track and cross country meets, and Martinez added that the competition from Hanna has been another motivator for his team as well. The trio of Reyes, Abrego and Medina finished in the same order later in the 1,600, with Reyes clocking in at 4:31.33.

“You can tell (Medina) is a competitor, and Lupe is a competitor,” Martinez said. “They’re gonna go at it. (Reyes) looks forward to it. … He enjoys it. He likes for there to be some other top runners out there.”

The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers (128 points) and San Benito Greyhounds (82.50 points) placed first in the final team standings.

San Benito vaulted past Edinburg High off of the strength of its performance in the last event of the day, winning the 1,600 relay in 3:37.63. The Greyhounds were led by Adan Pina, John Castro, Marco Salinas and Medina.

Brownsville Veterans’ Valeria Gamez won the 3,200 meter race in the girls division with a time of 12:42.28, running alongside her teammate, Sofia Ramirez, the runner-up who spent most of the race on Gamez’s heels before Gamez began to widen the gap.

“It was definitely a good first race,” Gamez said. “It was our first time running together as a team, so we were there to push each other. I hoped I could find my pace better, because I need to work on that. And I need to work on my sprinting. But I think meets like this will definitely help me get there.”

She also won the 1,600 with a time of 5:54.13.

In the 100, Gamez’s teammate, Carolina Davila (13.30), was the top finisher.

Josiah Cantu (11.33) was victorious in the boys division of the 100.

Other individual winners from the East Valley included Port Isabel’s Mac Strunk (22.56) and Danaka Camacho (28.55) in the 200 and Porter’s Estrella Medellin in the 400 (1:04.3) and 800 (2:33.06).

La Feria’s Jose Domínguez was first in the boys 400 (51.94) and 800 (2:01.89).

Tarpon Relays

Friday

At Tarpon Stadium, Port Isabel

Girls 100 Dash Finals

1, Davila, Carolina, Brownsville Veterans, 13.30. 2, Zepeda, Alexis, Brownsville Lopez, 13.76. 3, Barrientes, Kat, Brownsville Lopez, 13.84. 4, Galindo, Anahi, Mercedes, 13.93. 5, Mantilla, Joana, Brownsville Lopez, 13.97. 6, Mena, Dominique, Brownsville Veterans, 13.98. 7, Lozano, Hailee, La Feria, 13.99. 8, Heavin, Leah, Hidalgo, 14.00.

Girls 200 Dash

1, Camacho, Danaka, Port Isabel, 28.55. 2, Medellin, Estrella, Brownsville Porter, 28.57. 3, Lozano, Hailee, La Feria, 29.29. 4, Vallejo, Malaya, Mercedes, 29.47. 5, Galvan, Lora, Port Isabel, 29.59. 6, Ochoa, Caitlynn, Port Isabel, 29.86. 7, Zepeda, Alexis, Brownsville Lopez, 29.92. 8, Esparza, Ashley, Brownsville Porter, 29.94.

Girls 400 Dash

1, Medellin, Estrella, Brownsville Porter, 1:04.30. 2, Villanueva, Marina, La Feria, 1:05.17. 3, Rodriguez, Kassidie, Mercedes, 1:05.53. 4, Ayala, Jazaline, Rio Hondo, 1:06.90. 5, Rodriguez, Analiza, La Feria, 1:08.46. 6, Cesenes, Marlyn, Port Isabel, 1:09.77. 7, Martinez, Alexa, Brownsville Veterans, 1:09.94. 8, Garcia, Danisa, Raymondville, 1:10.68.

Girls 800 Run

1, Medellin, Estrella, Brownsville Porter, 2:33.06. 2, Villanueva, Marina, La Feria, 2:34.53. 3, Rodriguez, Analiza, La Feria, 2:37.68. 4, Martinez, Alexa, Brownsville Veterans, 2:45.79. 5, Mancha, Leeanne, Hidalgo, 2:47.81. 6, Ramirez, Cynthia, Brownsville Veterans, 2:53.36. 7, Olivares, Clarissa, Brownsville Rivera, 2:53.88. 8, Sanchez, Ariana, Port Isabel, 2:57.27.

Girls 1,600 Run

1, G?mez, Valeria, Brownsville Veterans, 5:54.13. 2, Ramirez, Sofia, Brownsville Veterans, 5:58.64. 3, Aleman, Kristen, Santa Maria, 6:07.29. 4, Mancha, Leeanne, Hidalgo, 6:09.68. 5, Ruiz, Rosa, La Feria, 6:12.03. 6, Moreno, Lizbeth, Mercedes, 6:37.57. 7, Torres, Elizabeth, Port Isabel, 6:43.95. 8, Olvera, Alissa, Brownsville Veterans, 7:02.73.

Girls 3,200 Run

1, G?mez, Valeria, Brownsville Veterans, 12:42.28. 2, Ramirez, Sofia, Brownsville Veterans, 12:42.79. 3, Ramirez, Cynthia, Brownsville Veterans, 12:48.05. 4, Guzman, Bethany, Brownsville Rivera, 13:14.24. 5, Ruiz, Rosa, La Feria, 13:19.81. 6, Aleman, Kristen, Santa Maria, 13:21.60. 7, Pablo, Angelia, Brownsville Rivera, 13:23.35. 8, Moreno, Lizbeth, Mercedes, 14:00.84.

Girls 100 Hurdles

1, Hernandez, Miranda, Raymondville, 16.13. 2, Garcia, Jacqueline, Hidalgo, 16.81. 3, Gonzalez, Savanna, Rio Hondo, 18.04. 4, Richeson, Natalie, Brownsville Veterans, 18.68. 5, Rodriguez, Janette, La Feria, 18.72. 6, Velasquez, Jacqueline, Brownsville Veterans, 19.13. 7, Mata, Amy, La Feria, 19.30. 8, Salinas, Brittney, Raymondville, 19.69.

Girls 300 Hurdles

1, Hernandez, Miranda, Raymondville, 48.28. 2, Gonzalez, Savanna, Rio Hondo, 51.25. 3, Garcia, Jacqueline, Hidalgo, 51.92. 4, Troncoso, Camila, Brownsville Rivera, 55.07. 5, Romero, Catalina, Port Isabel, 55.08. 6, Velasquez, Jacqueline, Brownsville Veterans, 55.29. 7, Mendoza, Daisy, Rio Hondo, 56.12. 8, Rodriguez, Janette, La Feria, 56.89.

Girls 400 Relay

1, Brownsville Veterans Memorial A (Davila, Carolina, Mena, Dominique, Calzada, Aaliyah, Flores, Mia), 53.77. 2, Mercedes A (Rangel, Angelique, Flores, Katie, Galindo, Anahi, Rodriguez, Kassidie), 54.02. 3, Raymondville A (Lopez, Emmalee, Thompson, Aliceanna, Gamez, Audrey, Hernandez, Miranda), 55.55. 4, Port Isabel A (Aguilera, Karina, Reyes, Allyson, Ochoa, Caitlynn, Lagos, Emily), 55.85. 5, Brownsville Rivera A (Chavez, Kim, Guzman, Bethany, Tapia, Ashlyn, Lara, Faith), 56.97. 6, Rio Hondo A (Moreno, Charley, Campbell, Tzipporah, Guerrero, Caya, Herrera, Alizae), 57.19. 7, Vanguard Beethoven A (Perez, Jesslyn, Velez, America, Lopez, Kailey, Rios, Jahdaly), 1:00.92. 8, Vanguard Rembrandt A (Hinojosa, Janelle, Pacheco, Leslie, Mendoza, Samara, Hernandez, April), 1:02.09.

Girls 800 Relay

1, Brownsville Veterans Memorial A (Davila, Carolina, Mena, Dominique, Calzada, Aaliyah, Flores, Mia), 1:54.10. 2, Port Isabel A (Reyes, Allyson, Galvan, Lora, Ramos, Madison, Camacho, Danaka), 1:57.28. 3, Mercedes A (Vallejo, Malaya, Castaneda, Riley, Lara, Riley, Zamarripa, Valeria), 1:58.38. 4, Rio Hondo A (Garcia, Gladys, Lopez, Celeen, Gonzalez, Savanna, Guerrero, Caya), 1:58.45. 5, Brownsville Rivera A (Ramos, Kaylee, Tello, Eikka, Tapia, Ashlyn, Lara, Faith), 2:00.72. 6, Hidalgo A (Hernandez, Ashley, Heavin, Leah, Martinez, Victoria, Cerda, Katelyn), 2:01.74.

Girls 1,600 Relay

1, Mercedes A (Garza, Hailey, Castaneda, Riley, Rodriguez, Kassidie, Lara, Riley), 4:38.27. 2, Rio Hondo A (Mendoza, Daisy, Rodriguez, Mikayla, Lopez, Celeen, Lozano, Karly), 4:59.68.

Girls High Jump

1, Franco, Brianna, Brownsville Porter, 4-10. 2, Ramos, Madison, Port Isabel, J4-08. 3, Wood, Bethany, La Feria, J4-08. 4, Hernandez, Miranda, Raymondville, J4-06. 5, Serna, Emma, Rio Hondo, J4-04. 6, Sumaya, Valerie, Brownsville Veterans, J4-04.

Girls Pole Vault

1, Lozano, Karly, Rio Hondo, 9-06.

Girls Long Jump

1, Rodriguez, Kassidie, Mercedes, 15-10.50. 2, Franco, Brianna, Brownsville Porter, 15-03. 3, Lopez, Emmalee, Raymondville, 14-09.50. 4, Medellin, Estrella, Brownsville Porter, 14-07.50. 5, Calzada, Aaliyah, Brownsville Veterans, 14-05.50. 6, Zamarripa, Valeria, Mercedes, 14-03. 7, Lozano, Karly, Rio Hondo, 13-10.50. 8, Tapia, Ashlyn, Brownsville Rivera, 13-09.50. 8, Flores, Mia, Brownsville Veterans, 13-09.50.

Girls Triple Jump

1, Garcia, Jacqueline, Hidalgo, 35-05. 2, Medellin, Estrella, Brownsville Porter, 33-09.50. 3, Thompson, Aliceanna, Raymondville, 33-06. 4, Cabrera, Alma Sophia, La Feria, 31-04. 5, Chavez, Kim, Brownsville Rivera, 30-10. 6, Sumaya, Valerie, Brownsville Veterans, 30-07. 7, Contrata, Emanuelle Elena, La Feria, 30-04. 8, Garcia, Danisa, Raymondville, 29-10.

Girls Shot Put

1, Moreno, Irlanda, Brownsville Veterans, 35-05. 2, Silguero, Alyssa, Rio Hondo, 34-07. 3, Garcia, Monica, Brownsville Veterans, 33-06. 4, Villarreal, Lynette, Mercedes, 30-06.50. 5, Prater, Aaliyah, Brownsville Porter, 30-02. 6, Rodriguez, Klariza, Raymondville, 29-09.50. 7, Silguero, Faith, Rio Hondo, 29-06. 8, Herebia, Litzy, Brownsville Porter, 28-08.

Girls Discus Throw

1, Hernandez olguin, Kelay, Brownsville Lopez, 113-06. 2, Villarreal, Lynette, Mercedes, 112-07. 3, Puente, Ximena, Mercedes, 107-00. 4, Garcia, Monica, Brownsville Veterans, 102-06. 5, Chavez, Catarina, Raymondville, 100-03.50. 6, Prater, Aaliyah, Brownsville Porter, 85-05. 7, Moreno, Irlanda, Brownsville Veterans, 81-08.50. 8, Silguero, Faith, Rio Hondo, 81-06.

Boys 100 Dash

1, Cantu, Josiah, Mercedes, 11.33. 2, Padilla, Ethan, La Feria, 11.34. 3, Strunk, Mac, Port Isabel, 11.36. 4, Zavala, Giovanni, Edinburg High, 11.48. 5, Davila, Austin, Mercedes, 11.61. 6, Davila, Ulisses, Brownsville Hanna, 11.66. 7, Armendarez, ZaRaiVion, Raymondville, 11.68. 8, Sanchez, Evin, San Benito, 11.71.

Boys 200 Dash

1, Strunk, Mac, Port Isabel, 22.56. 2, Cantu, Josiah, Mercedes, 23.21. 3, Davila, Austin, Mercedes, 23.75. 4, Nino, Adrian, Port Isabel, 23.86. 5, Alvarado, Daniel, Rembrandt, 24.04. 6, Reyes, Chris, Brownsville Porter, 24.23. 7, Gonzalez, Gabriel, Brownsville Porter, 24.24. 8, Sanchez, Evin, San Benito, 24.31.

Boys 400 Dash

1, Dominguez, Jose, La Feria, 51.94. 2, Armendarez, ZaRaiVion, Raymondville, 53.27. 3, Nino, Damian, Brownsville Porter, 53.30. 4, Ortiz, Chris, Brownsville Porter, 53.73. 5, Pina, Adan, San Benito, 54.11. 6, Solis, Alec, Brownsville Veterans, 54.16. 7, Garcia, Eduardo, Brownsville Hanna, 55.00. 8, Salinas, Marco, San Benito, 55.70.

Boys 800 Run

1, Dominguez, Jose, La Feria, 2:01.89. 2, Botello, Santos, La Feria, 2:03.64. 3, Salinas, Marco, San Benito, 2:06.71. 4, Dominguez, Julian, La Feria, 2:07.61. 5, Hinojosa, Aaron, Brownsville Hanna, 2:08.31. 6, Garcia, Eduardo, Brownsville Hanna, 2:09.48. 7, Gonzalez, Cristobal, Brownsville Lopez, 2:09.65. 8, Fuentes, Julian, Mercedes, 2:11.75.

Boys 1,600 Run

1, Reyes, Lupe, Mercedes, 4:31.33. 2, Abrego, John, Brownsville Hanna, 4:35.92. 3, Medina, Joaquin, San Benito, 4:37.80. 4, Arteaga, Anthony, Edinburg High, 4:40.75. 5, Botello, Santos, La Feria, 4:45.77. 6, Gomez, Rogerio, San Benito, 4:47.73. 7, Fuentes, Julian, Mercedes, 4:48.83. 8, Marroquin, Edelmiro, Edinburg High, 4:48.89.

Boys 3,200 Run

1, Reyes, Lupe, Mercedes, 9:53.41. 2, Abrego, John, Brownsville Hanna, 10:02.24. 3, Medina, Joaquin, San Benito, 10:10.86. 4, Arteaga, Anthony, Edinburg High, 10:22.36. 5, Aguirre, Timothy, Edinburg High, 10:22.47. 6, Marroquin, Edelmiro, Edinburg High, 10:27.31. 7, Tellez, Marcus, Brownsville Hanna, 10:30.90. 8, Gomez, Rogerio, San Benito, 10:33.40.

Boys 110 Hurdles

1, Garza, Mauricio, Brownsville Veterans, 16.95. 2, Castro, John, San Benito, 16.98. 3, Serrato, Devon, Raymondville, 17.76. 4, Cavazos, Jarod, Raymondville, 17.94. 5, Munoz, Jonathan, Brownsville Lopez, 18.14. 6, Hernandez, David, Port Isabel, 18.43. 7, Pompa, Jarlen, Brownsville Hanna, 19.07. 8, Vasquez, Joshua, San Benito, 19.59.

Boys 300 Hurdles

1, Castro, John, San Benito, 42.88. 2, Cavazos, Jarod, Raymondville, 43.23. 3, Roel, Jacob, Hidalgo, 44.96. 4, Medina, Matthew, Raymondville, 45.30. 5, Hernandez, David, Port Isabel, 46.20. 6, Pompa, Jarlen, Brownsville Hanna, 46.70. 7, Serrato, Devon, Raymondville, 47.48. 8, Munoz, Jonathan, Brownsville Lopez, 47.70.

Boys 400 Relay

1, Brownsville Porter A (Ortiz, Chris, Reyes, Chris, Nino, Damian, Gonzalez, Gabriel), 45.58. 2, Raymondville A (Cabrera, Devin, Armendarez, ZaRaiVion, Pena, Jose, Smith, Justin), 46.18. 3, San Benito A (Avalos, Hector, Sanchez, Evin, Lopez, Jarrid, Silva, Ismael), 46.25. 4, Edinburg A (Gonzalez, Abraham, Zavala, Giovanni, Vargas, Andre, Hernandez, Kaden), 46.63. 5, Brownsville Hanna A (Amaro, Aaron, Camarillo, Abraham, Zavala, Esteban, Garcia, Adolf), 47.68. 6, Vanguard Rembrandt A (Martinez, Bryan, Navarro, Alejandro, Garcia, Anthony, Alvarado, Daniel), 47.76. 7, Hidalgo A (Martinez, Jacob, Solis, Eric, Lince, Kevin, Esparza, Marco), 49.03. 8, Rio Hondo A (Lopez, Efrain, Rios, Dreagan, Moreno, Joaquin, Lopez, Jose), 53.33.

Boys 800 Relay

1, Brownsville Porter A (Nino, Damian, Ortiz, Chris, Reyes, Chris, Gonzalez, Gabriel), 1:34.40. 2, Brownsville Veterans Memorial A (Gonzalez, Jessie, Garza, Mauricio, Hinojosa, Diego, Nohpal, Edgar), 1:35.84. 3, Raymondville A (Cabrera, Devin, Cavazos, Jarod, Pena, Jose, Smith, Justin), 1:36.50. 4, La Feria A (Diaz, Christopher, Padilla, Ethan, Saenz, David, Torres, Kian), 1:36.59. 5, Edinburg A (Alfaro, Robert, Rodriguez, David, Zavala, Giovanni, Cura, Devin), 1:36.93. 6, Mercedes A (Aguilera, Simon, Belcher, Nick, De la fuentes, Josue, Cisneros, Mike), 1:37.52. 7, San Benito A (Alvarado, Christian, Lopez, Jarrid, Guy, Bomani, Jimenez, Eddie), 1:37.93. 8, Brownsville Lopez A (Martinez, Alejandro, Munoz, Jonathan, Munoz, Kenitay, Vega, Damian), 1:39.92.

Boys 1,600 Relay

1, San Benito A (Pina, Adan, Salinas, Marco, Castro, John, Medina, Joaquin), 3:37.63. 2, Edinburg A (Hernandez, Kaden, Rodriguez, Gerardo, Rodriguez, David, Cura, Devin), 3:39.90. 3, Brownsville Hanna A (Garcia, Eduardo, Hinojosa, Aaron, Abrego, John, Zamora, Samuel), 3:42.12. 4, Brownsville Veterans Memorial A (Solis, Alec, Paredes, Marcos, Ampadu, Alez, Garza, Michael), 3:43.42. 5, Brownsville Lopez A (Leija, Lemuel, Gonzalez, Cristobal, Munoz, Kenitay, Vega, Damian), 3:47.48. 6, Port Isabel A (Ferrone, Christian, Oritz, Devin, Pardo-Garcia, Angel, Nino, Adrian), 3:53.67.

Boys High Jump

1, Salinas, Marco, San Benito, 5-06. 2, Ampadu, Alez, Brownsville Veterans, J5-06. 3, Saenz, David, La Feria, J5-06. 4, Ferrone, Christian, Port Isabel, 5-04.

Boys Pole Vault

1, Garcia, Samuel, Edinburg High, 12-00. 2, Ortega, Jonah, Rio Hondo, 11-06. 3, Medina, Matthew, Raymondville, J11-00. 4, Hernandez, Frank A., Rio Hondo, J11-00. 5, Hernandez, David, Port Isabel, 10-06. 6, Alvarado, Christian, San Benito, 10-00. 7, Davila, Austin, Mercedes, 9-00.

Boys Long Jump

1, Garza, Michael, Brownsville Veterans, 22-00. 2, Cantu, Josiah, Mercedes, 20-05.50. 3, Gonzalez, Gabriel, Brownsville Porter, J19-10.50. 4, Nohpal, Edgar, Brownsville Veterans, J19-10.50. 5, Amaro, Aaron, Brownsville Hanna, 19-05. 6, Alvarado, Christian, San Benito, 19-02.50. 6, Zamora, Jaime, Edinburg High, 19-02.50. 8, Castro, John, San Benito, 18-08.50.

Boys Triple Jump

1, Zamora, Jaime, Edinburg High, 42-08. 2, Cantu, Josiah, Mercedes, 41-07.50. 3, Fuentes, Josue, Mercedes, 41-06. 4, Hinojosa, Diego, Brownsville Veterans, 41-02. 5, Ortiz, C.J., La Feria, 39-09.50. 6, Ortiz, Chris, Brownsville Porter, 39-02. 7, Gonzalez, Jessie, Brownsville Veterans, 38-06. 8, Ramirez, Christian, Edinburg High, 38-04.50.

Boys Shot Put

1, Rodriguez, Luis, Edinburg High, 42-05. 2, Earhart, Dustin, Hidalgo, 41-11.50. 3, Atkinson, Scott, Rio Hondo, 40-08.50. 4, Morales, Orlando, La Feria, 39-10. 5, Hernandez, Saul, Hidalgo, 39-05.50. 6, Hernandez, Shayne, Edinburg High, 39-01. 7, Rosales, Eduardo, La Feria, 38-01.50. 8, Garza, Alan, Brownsville Veterans, 38-00.

Boys Discus Throw

1, Ramirez, Angel, Brownsville Veterans, 132-05. 2, Earhart, Dustin, Hidalgo, 124-01. 3, Cavazos, Luis, Rio Hondo, 120-06. 4, Ayala, Jordan, Edinburg High, 115-03. 5, Villa, Adan, Brownsville Lopez, 109-09. 6, Alvarado, Josue, Mercedes, 108-10. 7, Sanchez, Dominick, San Benito, 106-08. 8, John, Nathan, Brownsville Veterans, 105-08.

By STEFAN MODRICH, Staff Writer

Brownsville Veterans Memorial senior Nico Alvarez and junior Daniela Chapa competed in the preliminary round of the University Interscholastic League state meet held Friday at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin.

Alvarez advanced to today’s final round in the 1-meter dive, recording a score of 306.60 and moving one spot ahead of his original seed to 15th place.

“He came in seeded 16th, so he has already moved up,” Chargers diving coach Mark Schlatter said. “The divers were cut down to the top 16 and will complete the final three dives (today). I feel good about his chances to move up some more (today). The competition this year is definitely up from last year.”

Chapa, a junior, finished 24th in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:59.94.

“Daniela did not have her best race nor time,” Brownsville Veterans swimming coach Frank Sanchez said. “I believe nerves probably got the best of her. However, she went out and swam strong. It was a great experience for her and having one year left, she is excited about next year and what she needs to do to better prepare. I am proud of her, she accomplished a lot this year. I know she will work even harder next year.”

In Class 6A, Los Fresnos’ Jada Ashford (24.06) advanced to the final round in the 50-meter freestyle. She also placed 22nd (53.40) in the 100 freestyle.

The Lady Falcons’ 200 medley relay (1:59.71) finished 20th. The Los Fresnos girls were 22nd in both the 200 freestyle relay (1:46.94) and 400 freestyle relay (4:06.30).

Hanna’s Quinten Deysel competed in the 50 freestyle (22.26) and 100 freestyle (48.14), placing 21st and 22nd, respectively. His teammate, Matthew Lovett, swam in the 100 backstroke (58.47) and placed 24th.

The Golden Eagles (1:32.12) earned a 23rd-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay.

In the girls 1-meter dive, Harlingen High’s Amber Warner finished 21st (214.30). Los Fresnos’ Anapaula Hernandez (154.35) was 24th.

Harlingen South’s Jason Luckey (279.35) placed 23rd in the boys division.

The 5A swimming and diving finals are slated to begin at 9:30 a.m. today, followed by 6A at 3:30 p.m.

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

Quinten Deysel and Matthew Lovett are set to lead the Brownsville Hanna boys’ 200 freestyle relay to the University Interscholastic League state meet, a two-day event that begins with the semifinals today at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin.

Hanna captain Aaron Valdez, who will be traveling with the Golden Eagles’ qualifiers as a state alternate alongside Ricardo Najera, said he is proud of the way his teammates have performed this season.

“This year has been a great season for us,” Valdez said. “The boys have stepped up their game a lot, sophomores picking up their pace, juniors breaking records, Matthew breaking records. The relays are at their peak, they’re up there. … I’m really proud of these guys, and it’s going to be a good experience to go to state with them.”

Lovett broke a school record that he previously held in the 100 backstroke during the UIL Region VIII-6A championship Feb. 8 at the Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center.

“This year, specifically, has been really fortunate for me,” Lovett said after competing at the Region VIII-6A championship. “Each meet, I kept on improving, lowering my time and beating myself (and what I had done) previously. … I feel grateful for all the people that have supported me throughout — my coaches, my teammates, my family — everybody knew I could do it, I just needed to believe in myself.”

Also, Deysel will be competing in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle, and Lovett will swim in the 100 backstroke.

Sophomores Ricardo Rodriguez and Michael Kowalski are among those who have stepped up and benefited from a shuffling of the order in the 200 freestyle relay between the District 32-6A championship and the regional meet.

“So far, our relay has done really well this season,” Deysel said. “All the sophomores have been working really hard. These sophomores are moving up and becoming a really good part of the relay. With their help, we’ve been doing really good this year, and we’ve been dropping time and getting our goals (accomplished).”

Rodriguez is eager to make a good first impression when he competes in Austin.

“It’s awesome that we can go our sophomore years and then we can see how hard it is, compared to people up north,” Rodriguez said. “(Compared to) people who have been swimming longer and against better competition. … Hopefully we can go back again for our junior and senior year and do better.”

The Class 6A swimming & diving prelims are set to start at 5:30 p.m. Friday, and the 6A finals are slated to begin at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

LOS FRESNOS — Los Fresnos coach Jaime Perez has set a high bar for himself and his swimmers to eclipse year after year.

And yet, even after replacing talented swimmers like Sarah Villarreal and Luis Osuna who that made impressive runs to end their high school careers, it seems that stepping in and maintaining that level of performance by qualifying for the University Interscholastic League state meet is the only option.

The Region VIII-6A champion Lady Falcons have an opportunity to make a splash not only at this year’s meet in Austin, but are positioned to continue doing so for the long haul, thanks to freshmen Jada Ashford and Ariana Mancillas.

“It’s an honor to be going (to state) as a freshman,” Ashford said. “It’s another experience I’m going to have to adapt to. We have to keep our standards high.”

Traditionally, Los Fresnos has been a relay powerhouse. But it’s easy to understand why Perez refers to this year’s group as a “dream team.” After all, the Lady Falcons are sending their 200 medley, 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay teams to state.

Part of the secret to the program’s success has been the competitive spirit within it. No one’s spot is entirely safe, and the pipeline is stocked with swimmers eager to get their shot in a big meet.

“It goes all the way until the last meet (at the regional final),” Perez said. “As a coach, I have the opportunity to even make changes right before the race. Everybody is a freestyler, but we all have our specialties. … I take my strongest breastroker, freestyler and butterflier, and put them together based on who has the fastest times.”

Senior Emily Rodriguez intends to make her final trip to Austin a memorable one.

“Now that we’re all going to state, I feel like it’s a good opportunity for me to fully express my excitement,” Rodriguez said. “This is going to be my last race. … It’s really important for me to get the full experience.”

Ashford also qualified as an individual in the 50 freestyle and the 100 freestyle.

Anapaula Hernandez, the diver who made program history by becoming the first Lady Falcons athlete to qualify for state from the 1-meter diving platform, is set to make her state debut Friday.

“I’m really excited, and I’m really honored to compete against such great divers,” Hernandez said. “I really expect to watch them and learn from them, as much as I also want to go out there and do my best.”

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

Coming off of a top-10 finish in the 2019 University Interscholastic League Class 5A state meet, Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s Nico Alvarez will look to earn a spot on the medal stand in his second trip to Austin.

“I’m most excited to end (my career) off on a high note,” Alvarez said. “I’m not nervous, I’m mostly excited.”

The senior placed seventh out of 16 entrants to reach the Class 5A finals last season. Alvarez said he and Chargers diving coach Mark Schlatter have been working to improve his flexibility and technique in the hopes of retaining his spot on the all-state first-team, which includes the top eight finishers.

Schlatter believes consistency has been the hallmark of Alvarez’s success.

“Really, towards the end of last year, (Alvarez) just got to where he was so steady,” Schlatter said. “He really has maintained that, which is the key. A lot of divers are up and down in their scores and performance. He has just been steady. If he does poorly on one (dive), he just keeps going… The pressure doesn’t seem to bother him.”

Joining Alvarez in qualifying this year will be junior swimmer Daniella Chapa, who will be competing in the 500 freestyle and is the first girl to qualify for state in school history.

“I’ve been swimming since I was 8 years old,” Chapa said. “So it’s really cool to accomplish that.”

Chapa set a personal-best at 5:50.26 on Feb. 1 at the Region VIII-5A meet in Corpus Christi.

“She’s been really focused,” Chargers swim coach Frank Sanchez said. “Her training that she’s done has been to where she’s had some really tough sets. I think that made a big difference. Plus, she does some club and afterschool swimming, and that helped quite a bit.”

Sanchez said he knew when Chapa dropped three seconds off of her individual medley time at the regional meet that she was setting herself up for a big improvement in the 500 freestyle.

Chapa tried shorter events like the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle at the start of her high school career, but she soon realized her path to state qualification was better suited to the longer distance.

“I’ve always been better at long distance more than sprinting,” Chapa said. “I’ve always wanted to make it to state in the 500.”

The Class 5A swimming & diving prelims are set to start at 10 a.m. Friday, and the 5A finals are slated to begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

By STEFAN MODRICH

Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — Among the several Rio Grande Valley swimmers and divers headed to the University Interscholastic League state swimming & diving meet this week, the contingent from Harlingen High and Harlingen South features three seniors who may very well be some of the most seasoned competitors at the event.

Harlingen High diver Amber Warner is set to make her third trip to Austin, and Harlingen South diver Jason Luckey and swimmer Camille Conlu Lizada are each set to make their second appearance at the state meet.

Lizada, who is set to compete in the 100 butterfly, reflected fondly upon her first state competition, calling it “the greatest experience I’ve ever had.”

She missed the qualifying cut by finishing third, less than half a second behind the runner-up in the 100 butterfly at the regional meet during her sophomore year.

Lizada credited her parents for their role in helping her bounce back and said she looks forward to being surrounded by “a lot of good energy” at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin.

“They’ve been my No. 1 supporters since Day 1,” Lizada said. “Seeing their faces (after a race), no matter what the outcome, is what makes me do what I do every single day.”

Like Lizada, Warner and Luckey have benefited from a plethora of coaches and time spent practicing for club teams and in other settings.

But the tutelage of HCISD diving coach Yvonne Moran has been especially helpful to the boys and girls from South and Harlingen High.

“We support each other as much as we can, we’re always watching each other and we correct each other,” Warner said. “So it really does help.”

Warner has been focused on improving her technique this season in an effort to improve on last year’s performance to reach Saturday’s final.

“Watching (Warner) be better than me does motivate me,” Luckey said with a wry smile. “(Because) I don’t like her being better than me. I’m pretty competitive, so seeing anyone do better than me makes me want to do better.”

Moran has seen both of her state qualifiers progress since their first opportunities to compete on the state stage.

“(Competing at state) really helped him grow into the diver he is now,” Moran said.

Luckey’s easygoing approach appears to have played a part in his success, which helped him mentally through a tough spell after he broke his nose and missed time at the start of the 2019-20 season.

“I think it’s going to be even more fun,” Luckey said of his expectations for his second state bid. “All of the hype is going to be great, and it’s going to get me really motivated to do my best and hopefully to do their best. I think my whole family is going to go, and I’ve asked them specifically to go nuts even if I do terribly.”

Moran said Lizada has been a role model who has gained the respect of divers and swimmers alike, and who has influenced several younger swimmers and divers to pursue the sport at a higher level.

“Swimming, since I was 8 years old, really has directed me onto the right path,” Lizada said. “It helps me to stay on the right path with school and keeping myself in shape.”

By STEFAN MODRICH, Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — Winter’s last stand brought winds and steady rainfall that blanketed the Harlingen mini-stadium on a chilly Tuesday night, and with it, the soccer gods delivered another Bird Bowl marathon.

After neither side could muster a goal in regulation or 20 minutes of overtime play despite a multitude of chances, Harlingen High prevailed 1-0, 3-2 in penalty kicks, over rival Harlingen South to preserve its hold on the top spot in District 32-6A.

Gianna Munoz, Jacqueline Vargas and Serena Escobar all tallied goals for the Lady Cardinals (4-1 32-6A) in the shootout.

Sandra Lopez and goalkeeper Joanna Marquez scored on penalty kicks for the Lady Hawks (3-1 32-6A).

Harlingen High goalie Erianah Zapata turned in another strong performance, making diving saves on shots from South’s Korynne Reininger and Kimberly Torres to set up Munoz’s clinching goal.

“(I have to give) props to (Marquez),” Harlingen High coach Debra Galvan said. “It’s the Bird Bowl, it’s a (rivalry game) so (each) team (was) going to come out strong. I think both goalies really showed up for this game, and that’s why the score stayed 0-0.”

The Lady Cardinals made several runs during the second half and forced Marquez to stray far outside the box to clear the ball out of harm’s way, nearly ceding an open net when Harlingen High went on the attack.

“Our defense showed up for us, their goalie showed up for them,” Galvan said. “That’s why it had to come down to PKs, and whoever got the most shots won.”

With 8:45 to go in the second half, Zapata denied a close-range look from Caroline Grannum, one of the best scoring opportunities South had in regulation.

At the five-minute mark, Escobar’s shot narrowly missed the net, sailing just past the left post.

With 1:50 remaining in the first overtime, Monique Rodriguez had another shot that just missed the post from 20 yards out.

Both teams came maddeningly close to settling the game in the second overtime period, but Marquez made a point-blank, one-handed save on Kay-Lani Vasquez with 5:40 to go.

Less than two minutes later, Lopez tried a long shot for the Lady Hawks that barely cleared the crossbar from 35 yards away.

With 1:15 remaining, Vasquez and several other Lady Cardinals were in the mix after a shot and a rebound led to scramble in front of the net that was halted when the South back line ultimately cleared the ball away.

“We’re hoping that we can start finishing (our chances),” Galvan said. “We’re there, we’re knocking on the door, we’re just struggling getting them in again. We’re hoping we can fix that by the start of the next round (of district games).”

Next up for Harlingen High is a visit to Brownsville Rivera. Harlingen South will host Brownsville Hanna. Both games are set to kick off at 5:30 p.m. Friday.

By STEFAN MODRICH, Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — Daylon Hernandez and Joaquin Ovalle both scored during the first half and goalkeeper Luis Beadle recorded a clean sheet for Harlingen South in a 2-0 road victory over rival Harlingen High on Tuesday.

The Hawks (1-3 32-6A) picked up their first District 32-6A win in the process, setting up a battle between the Cardinals (2-3 32-6A) and San Benito for the final playoff spot.

“Coming in, we knew it was going to be a tough game,” Harlingen South coach Julian Robles said. “We knew (Harlingen High coach Johnny Guillen) was going to have them prepared, and they were prepared for us.”

Hernandez got the Hawks on the board quickly, striking at the 37-minute mark of the first half.

“We got a jump early with a goal,” Robles said. “Which was really lucky on our part. We had planned and trained for that, we had chances before but we hadn’t taken advantage of them, but (Tuesday night) we did.”

With nine minutes to play in the first half, Ovalle came through with an insurance goal to double the visitors’ lead.

Robles said his team’s main objective was to improve the way the players passed the ball and control the tempo of the game.

“First and foremost, we wanted to move the ball well,” Robles said. “They did an excellent job of moving the ball. … I told them, ‘If you control the tempo of the game, you’re going to take the crowd out of it, you’re going to settle down and keep your head in the game, and that’s all you have to do.’”

Things picked up for the Cardinals during the second half, but Harlingen High squandered several opportunities to exploit its set pieces, missing the mark on free kicks on a few occasions and having another chance negated by an offside whistle.

Next up for Harlingen High is a visit to Brownsville Rivera. Harlingen South will play host to Brownsville Hanna. Both games are set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

By STEFAN MODRICH, Staff Writer

LOS FRESNOS — The PSJA High girls came two weight classes shy of a clean sweep en route to winning the District 16-6A championship alongside the host Los Fresnos boys Friday at the Los Fresnos United dome.

“I was very happy with all of our wrestlers’ performances, especially our girls” PSJA High coach Joey Villanueva said. “We did the same thing last year. It’s all a credit to them, they put in the work. I just try to lead them their way, and they do what they do best.”

All but two seniors are expected to return to next year’s PSJA High squad, which featured gold medalists Karen Marroquin (102 pounds), Nayeli Hernandez (110), Teresa Solis (119), Priscilla Luevano (138) and Jessica Villanueva (185).

Villanueva was named District 16-6A coach of the year, alongside his counterpart in the boys division, Los Fresnos coach Kevin Nguyen.

“I’m very happy and excited for all the kids who placed,” Nguyen said. “We qualified the entire boys team to regionals, and the entire girls team qualified as well.”

The Los Fresnos boys were led by Roman Rodriguez (120), who improved to 23-1 with his victory by pinfall over PSJA High’s Maximiliano Barrera in 3:31.

“It was a little more strategic, but I had to be a little more aggressive, too,” Rodriguez said of his final match. “(Barrera) is a shooter, he goes for the legs a lot, so I would have to scramble out of it.”

Thiago Almieda (106) won one of the closest matches of the day in the final round, edging San Benito’s Ismael Lerma by a score of 12-11 and recording a fall in 1:30.

Other winners for the Falcons were Fabian Sosa (126), Ahram Solis (145), Noah Trevino (160), Sam Hernandez (195) and Leeroy Guerrero (220).

The Lady Falcons’ Karen Waters (215) clinched a regional berth with a 32-second pinfall victory over Dulce Perez of Donna North.

“I used the technique I always use,” Waters said. “I just had a lot more drive towards it. … I was ready for that district title. I put a little more effort in it, and I wanted to win.”

The San Benito Lady Hounds were led by Yamilex Perez (165), whose overall record now stands at 21-2. Perez beat PSJA High’s Arlette Recio to qualify for the regional meet.

“I was really proud of the amount of effort I was putting into everything,” Perez said. “I’m really excited for next week for (the regional meet).”

The Class 6A regional meet is scheduled to take place Feb. 14-15 at Littleton Gymnasium in San Antonio.