By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

LOS FRESNOS — It was the perfect test for No. 25 Los Fresnos — a showdown with No. 22 McAllen High between two teams widely regarded to be the best in the Rio Grande Valley.

And on Saturday in a packed gym with two raucous student sections, the Lady Bulldogs (28-2) left no doubt about which team was going to carry the mantle, defeating the Lady Falcons (22-6) 24-26, 29-27, 25-15, 25-15.

McHi played without senior outside hitter Alexa Gonzalez, who missed the game due to a prior obligation. In her stead, the catalyst for the Lady Bulldogs was sophomore outside hitter Celina Saenz, who helped her team erase a 23-16 deficit and staved off several game points with three straight kills down the stretch to even the match at one game apiece and alter the direction of the contest.

“(Saenz) really came through for us,” McHi coach coach Paula Dodge said. “She’s got a lot of talent. It’s fun to see her really get going and hit the ball. She hit the ball hard today.”

Saenz also recorded a pair of aces in the third game. The Lady Bulldogs’ performance from behind the service line was pivotal during their comeback in the second game. With McHi trailing 23-17, sophomore middle blocker Ada Sadlier served during a stretch of four straight points, one of which came via an ace. Sadlier also chipped in three blocks.

“We don’t like to lose,” Dodge said. “We knew that we had to clean up the way that we were playing, making a lot of errors and playing a little bit conservative. We cleaned it up and got aggressive, and did what we needed to do.”

Senior middle hitter Jasmin Garcia (13 kills, two aces, one block) led Los Fresnos during the first game, opening up a 15-11 lead. McHi rallied to tie the game at 23, but the Lady Falcons closed the game out and went up 3-0 in the second game.

The Lady Bulldogs never trailed after the second game, opening up a 14-6 advantage in game three and closing it out on a kill by junior right side hitter Olivia Tite. McHi rolled to victory in the fourth game after getting out to a 5-1 start, and Los Fresnos never came within five points of the Lady Bulldogs for the remainder of the game.

Los Fresnos coach Becky Woods said the turning point of the match was late in game two, as the Lady Falcons’ lead began to slip away.

“If we would have won that second game, I think it would have made a big difference,” Woods said. “We had them at game point, we just couldn’t hold on. … When we’re ahead, we need to stay ahead. We can’t let anybody back into the game.”

Woods said her players needed to hone in on their responsibilities and stick to the game plan, but added it was a great experience for her team to measure itself against the top-ranked team in the Rio Grande Valley.

The Lady Falcons’ coach said she was pleased with her team’s serving and hitting, but felt that her team’s struggles resulted from ineffective passing.

“(McHi) is No. 1 for a reason,” Woods said. “They have a great group of girls, and so do we. At any time, I think any one of us could beat each other, just on any given day.”

STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

RAYMONDVILLE — In a matter of moments, La Feria went from staring down a 10-point deficit to what seemed to be a one-point lead heading into the locker room for halftime Friday night at Raymondville’s Burnett Stadium.

Then senior quarterback Dorian Hernandez decided being up one point wasn’t good enough.

With 30 seconds to play in the first half Hernandez scrambled for 20 yards, then on the next play he rolled out and fired a 22-yard bullet to Dereck Perez at the 1-yard line. Hernandez took the next snap and plunged the ball over the goal line himself as time expired to go up by eight in a 41-13 victory.

“We came out slow, but we had motivation from our sideline,” Hernandez said. “Once we get going, we’re an explosive team. Like they say, once the pride gets rolling, you ain’t gonna stop it.”

Chris Diaz (1 yard) and Perez (35 yards) also recorded rushing touchdowns for the Lions.

After surrendering an early touchdown to the Bearkats when Jarod Cavazos tossed a screen pass to ZaRaivion Armendarez, who took it 84 yards to the end zone untouched, the stout Lions defense only allowed a pair of field goals by Saul Garcia from that point forward, shutting out Raymondville in the second half.

Armendarez displayed his elusiveness as a receiver and a running back, reeling off a 46-yard run to put Raymondville in field goal range. But he also fumbled twice, which in once case led directly to another La Feria touchdown, Hernandez’s second keeper of the night.

Raymondville coach Frank Cantu said Armendarez was a bright spot in an otherwise lopsided affair.

“He is going to be something else,” Cantu said. “The kid’s electric. We’re going to find more ways to get him the ball. He’s special for us, and I think we saw flashes of that tonight.”

Andrew Rodriguez anchored the Lions’ defensive line, with a sack of Cavazos for a big loss in the first quarter. The junior starter tossed three interceptions in his debut for Raymondville, and La Feria forced six turnovers on the night.

Linebacker Erik Luna had two interceptions, both of which occurred deep in Bearkats’ territory, though the first was negated by the lone La Feria turnover of the night, as Dylan Ramirez came up with a pick of Hernandez to set up the game’s first score.

“(Luna) was amazing,” La Feria coach Oscar Salinas said. “He played really good last year, too. He had a hell of a game. A lot of kids showed up on defense and did a great job for us.”

Cornerback Evan Avila had an interception during the second quarter on a ball that was tipped when it reached the secondary.

“You can’t give La Feria six turnovers,” Cantu said. “You just can’t. They’re as advertised, very quick, very fast to the ball.”

Cantu said he was pleased by the team’s strong start, and expects to face a team of La Feria’s caliber in the playoffs.

“I know we’re going to learn from this,” Cantu said. “And we will be better for it.”

Aaron Trevino took over under center for the majority of the fourth quarter, and Dario Sanchez threw a touchdown pass to CJ Ortiz to put the Lions ahead by four touchdowns.

“We played well,” Salinas said. “I feel really good about where we’re at. The kids showed up tonight.”

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

A playlist comprised almost exclusively of Drake’s greatest hits pulsated in the background as players trickled out to the field at Rivera High School and began to warm up in the peak of the Wednesday afternoon sun.

Then, there is a whistle, and a reminder.

“We don’t walk here!”

The booming voice of Raiders defensive coordinator Hugo Ramirez is a crucial component of Rivera’s new formula, which involves a hypothesis that has been tested to some extent (in some cases with great success, as Tom Herman did in his brief stint as head coach at the University of Houston) at the highest levels of amateur and professional football: less yelling, more engaging.

Raiders head coach Beto Leal is well aware of the program’s failures in recent years, but he and his staff are embracing the clean slate they are operating with as they coach this year’s Rivera squad.

“The coaches are all upbeat,” Leal said. “Administration has been really supportive, as far as getting kids out here.”

The Raiders are not eschewing old-school discipline entirely. But their approach is radically different in a few key ways, most notably in cultivating the relationships between the players and the staff, like Ramirez (the former Lopez defensive coordinator) and David Torres, the offensive coordinator who mentored Victor Campos as the quarterbacks coach for Hanna.

Senior left tackle Josue Ramirez said that outreach has been noticeable with Leal at the helm of the program.

“They made it a community, they made it a family,” Ramirez said. “These coaches, they just took it to the next level with that brotherhood.”

Defensive end/tackle Jorge Perez has observed that the interactions between players and staff have been more collaborative under the new regime.

“With our old coaches it was: ‘Pay attention, keep your helmets on, shut up,’” Perez said. “If we have problems with our defense, we tell them, ‘hey coach, this isn’t working,’ and they’ll listen to us.”

Still, Rivera is emphasizing “energy and accountability” and trying to build a culture that allows players to have agency and collective responsibility for the successes and failures of the group, with principles that Leal says apply in interactions with trainers and staff on the field to demeanor and behavior in the classroom.

Leaders like wide receiver Elian Hernandez, one of the top wideouts in the Rio Grande Valley, could be pivotal in helping the Raiders execute their turnaround and set up the program for success in the long term.

Leal noted that defensive tackle Bryant Ponce will be out for tonight’s game against Brownsville Veterans with a shoulder injury, but he expects him to return in time for district play. The Raiders are solid defensively, with senior middle linebacker Gabriel Cuellar and senior cornerback Kevin Diaz anchoring the unit.

“We like being the underdog,” Leal said. “We’re going to turn some heads.”

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

RAYMONDVILLE — The Valley Morning Star’s Game of the Week pits two of the best 4A schools in the Rio Grande Valley in La Feria and Raymondville in a clash of defending district champions scheduled to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. from Burnett Stadium in Raymondville.

La Feria coach Oscar Salinas is looking forward to the challenge, one he said will help prepare his team for district and playoff games down the road.

One could be forgiven for feeling that the game itself seems to have postseason hype around it, even if it is taking place on the penultimate night of August.

“There’s a lot of excitement,” Salinas said. “We’re looking forward to the opportunity to come out and travel up to Raymondville and see where we’re at.”

The buzz around La Feria has been that the Lions are perhaps among the best teams in the entire Valley at any level. Bearkats coach Frank Cantu’s response? Bring it on.

“There are some crucial spots to fill,” Cantu said of his lineup, which will feature Thomas Zambrano shifting from defensive end to linebacker, among others. “And what a way to see where we’re at against somebody like La Feria, who’s very explosive and very quick and talented.”

Raymondville does have five returning starters on both sides of the ball, two of whom will be relied upon to be the go-to targets for junior quarterback Jarod Cavazos — running back Justin Cantu and junior wide receiver Zaraivion Armendarez.

La Feria’s biggest advantage on paper is its depth and experience, with nine returning starters on offense and seven on defense. The senior-laden Lions will be led by three-year starter Dorian
Hernandez, who will run their up-tempo offense under center.

Salinas is particularly fond of his defensive line, fronted by Andrew Rodriguez, who Salinas said had a strong camp and rebounded after an injury kept him out for part of last season.

“He’s got a great motor on him,” Salinas said. “He’s just a relentless kid, and we’re expecting big things out of him.”

The Lions’ defense will be a tough matchup for a young quarterback like Cavazos, which Cantu likens to a measuring stick for his squad to assess their progress at the beginning of the season.

“We still have enough weapons on offense to move the ball and move the chains and score,” Cantu said. “We’ve got a good offensive line, so we’re really excited to see how we can perform against a really tough defense in La Feria.”

Salinas is in a slightly more comfortable position, leaning on a secondary led by three seniors in corners Evan Avila and Isiah Vento and free safety Jaden Torres.

The two teams have played each other relatively closely in the last two seasons, with the Lions winning 17-7 in 2018 and the Bearkats taking the 2017 contest 22-12.

“Whether we’re in the same district or not, we take a lot of pride in (the rivalry),” Cantu said. “Just like they do. They’ve got a lot of numbers, we’ve got a lot of numbers, and it’s going to be competitive and something to watch.”

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — Not much went Harlingen High’s way Tuesday night, as the Lady Cardinals slugged their way through a home sweep at the hands of the Edcouch-Elsa Lady Jackets 25-19, 25-22, and 25-13.

Harlingen High volleyball coach Joslynn Torres said her team, and in particular her four seniors, turned in an uncharacteristically poor performance.

“I’ve never seen my team play like this tonight,” Torres said. “That was not my team on the floor today.”

Torres also said that while her seven newcomers were not adjusted yet to the pace of the varsity level, that the lack of experience to this point “was no excuse.”

Of those younger players, freshman outside hitter Juli Bryant again carried most of the load offensively for the Lady Cardinals.

After dropping the first game, Harlingen High quickly found itself down 5-0 and trailed 19-12 late in Game 2.

Then Bryant narrowed the margin to three at 19-16 with a kill. She came up big again with a loud block on Vida Ybarra, following that up with another kill to bring the score to 22-19. The Lady Cardinals were able to narrow the gap to 23-22, the closest the team came to an equalizer down the stretch.

Game 3 did not start out much better, as Harlingen High fell into a 13-4 hole that eventually became a 19-10 deficit.

“In situations like these, when we put ourselves in a hole, I expect my returners to pick it up,” Torres said. “I expect my returners to turn it around for me. And that did not happen.”

The heavy hitters in Edcouch-Elsa’s front row– Veronica Elizondo, Sarah Flores, and Meagan Acevedo – dominated play near the net.

Harlingen High also had a difficult time adjusting to the Lady Jackets’ unpredictable passing, which set up their hitters with good looks.

Torres exhausted her substitutions and was limited by a lengthy rotation that kept Bryant off the floor during a critical stretch of seven points, which made Tuesday night’s contest all the more frustrating to watch for her and Harlingen High.

Other than Bryant, bright spots for the Lady Cardinals were Callie Cervantes’s energy, diving to make several digs that helped extended plays. Gabriela Sema also showcased her ability to hit the ball hard above the net on sets from Elena Aguinaga. But Torres said her team needs to step up collectively to take the burden off of their freshman star.

“We commended (Bryant) in the locker room,” Torres said. “The last games she played were in eighth volleyball, and she was the one to bring the spark once again. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

The Lady Cardinals are next slated to play Raymondville at 11 a.m. Saturday at Cano Freshman Academy.

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

Dualities define many aspects of life in the Rio Grande Valley, from ties to family on either side of a physical barrier to the tradition of a storied rivalry told partly by geography and also shaped by events beyond residents’ control.

No contrast was more stark to E:60 producer Jeremy Williams than that of the tension enveloping Brownsville’s sister city, Matamoros, and the serene calm of those headed to nearby South Padre Island.

“When I was at the airport, there’s a lot of people with sandals and shorts on, ready to go to the beach,” Williams said. “Clearly they were on vacation. And it just struck me of how close they were to a world that they never knew existed — meaning cartels and poverty, where the minimum wage is seven dollars a day. They were so close to heartbreak and tragedy, and they were going on vacation to the beach.”

The veteran ESPN producer was at the helm for the creation of the E:60 episode “Southmost: Football and Life on the Border” which aired July 7 and chronicled the stories of Brownsville student-athletes, their families on both sides of the Rio Grande and the Lopez-Porter football rivalry.

After reading a 2016 Sports Illustrated article by Tim Rohan about the perilous lives many Brownsville students live, frequently crossing the border to visit family in Matamoros, Williams was compelled to pursue a story of his own. So he called Lopez coach/athletic coordinator Armando Gutierrez and Porter coach/athletic coordinator Carlos Uresti, and decided to head down to the Rio Grande Valley alone, with only his camera in tow.

“I basically just told these guys, ‘Hey, I’m not here to exploit you,’” Williams said. “‘I’m not here to shove a camera in your face. I just want to show the rest of the country what kind of people you guys are, and how strong you guys are.’”

The coaches at Lopez and Porter allowed Williams to set up shop, and he invited the players from both programs to share their stories, offering the protection of anonymity. Some who came forward declined to conceal their identities, saying they wanted the world to know who they were and what they were going through.

“We thought there would be one or two kids,” Williams said. “And there was a line out the door.”

His ambition — to tell a human interest story that transcended the politics that have engulfed the Rio Grande Valley and subjected the region to international scrutiny — was a daunting proposition, with headlines about conditions in migrant shelters and President Donald Trump’s shadow casting a pall of uncertainty around the fates of many families like the ones depicted in “Southmost.”

Williams had done his research and the legwork in the field two years in advance for the documentary. Then an idea from his ESPN bosses required a flight to Miami, three hours north of the southernmost point in the continental United States. There, he was to meet with renowned Univision host and reporter Jorge Ramos.

Williams and ESPN pitched the Mexico City native on the opportunity to tell a story from a unique angle and provide a thorough account of daily circumstances for some families that were unlikely to be seen prior by the average American viewer.

“(Ramos) was 100 percent all-in on it,” Williams said. “He’s a very busy man, and he was willing to put the time in to go down (to Brownsville) as many times as we needed him to. He was a dream to work with.”

Six months after shooting game footage of the 2017 Battle of the Southmost — a 35-7 Lobos victory — Williams met with his supervisors and colleagues to determine the fate of his E:60 project. ESPN made a “collective marketing push” to promote the story across all of its platforms, packaging it with a written feature by writer and producer Tonya Malinowski and unveiling the documentary on social media.

The visual component of the story took two years to complete, with much of the time spent cultivating the faith of the boys and the families whose stories are documented.

“You have to take that time to develop trust,” Williams said. “These kids are telling you stories that are really personal to their hearts.”

Williams grew up poor in Spartanburg, South Carolina, a town with an overall population that is nearly split 50-50 between black and white residents. Therefore, he knew he needed to go to Matamoros to tap into a culture that was distinct from what he had previously experienced.

“I had to be cautious, being a Caucasian telling a cultural story, without any prior examples,” Williams said. “I knew I needed to go to Matamoros to experience what these kids experience every single day.”

He said “Southmost” has all the elements of a quintessential American story — young men maturing very quickly to take care of their families in whatever way they could, no matter the toll it took on them mentally or physically.

Another layer to the story is the central characters’ devotion to service despite extraordinary hardship.

“You have a kid whose father was murdered by a drug cartel, an undocumented kid who swam across the (Rio Grande) six times and a kid whose mother was in prison for drug trafficking,” Williams said. “All three of those kids want to be in some level of law enforcement. People in this country are saying that these kids who don’t belong here, and here’s this kid who doesn’t have proper identification to be here and he’s going to die for his country? Come on.”

Because the political context of the border crisis has been on the forefront of the American conscience in 2019, Williams wanted to separate those elements from the story and instead hone in on the humanity behind the headlines.

“I wanted people on either side (of the immigration debate) to understand the facts,” Williams said. “Living on the border is not easy, and there’s really great people that are struggling and fighting. They are, quite honestly, some of the best Americans I’ve ever met.”

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

SAN BENITO— Right from the shotgun start, something was different about the 21st annual Dog Pound Invitational.

Cross country mainstays like Brownsville Hanna and Harlingen High were right in the thick of things again Saturday morning, but the Greyhounds took home their first title in the varsity boys division behind strong performances from Joaquin Medina (16 minutes, 45.12 seconds) and Marco Salinas (17:55.24) in the 5K race on the team’s multi-surface home course.

“We wanted to make history,” Medina said moments after triumphantly raising a purple “SB” flag atop a pole attached to his pickup truck. “We were telling each other, ‘Hey man, we can do this.’ We needed to just push our pace and have a good mentality.”

Said San Benito boys coach Mark Buddle, “That was huge. We had all five of our boys in the top 17, and that was a massive breakthrough for us. We haven’t had that ever before. And they don’t even want to go home.”

Buddle said his team’s historic day is a step in the right direction for the program to close the gap between the Greyhounds and the Golden Eagles and Cardinals.

“I kept telling them, ‘If we do that, we’re going to start winning some meets,’” Buddle said. “‘Well, gee, coach isn’t just blowing smoke, this is real.’ The cool thing is they worked hard, and then they had this success. I mean, I’ve been praying all week, it’s like I’ve been praying for it in tongues or something. But it happened, and we just thank God that he saw fit for us to run hard.”

Mercedes’ Lupe Reyes posted the fastest time of the day with a 16:36.81.

“I can’t really hold the pace by myself,” Medina said. “So I’m glad that (Reyes) was up there so that I could hold the pace.”

San Benito recorded 51 points to finish atop the standings, followed by Brownsville Hanna with 69 and Harlingen High with 87. The Golden Eagles’ trio of John Abrego (17:02.03), Felipe Parra (17:08.34) and Marcos Tellez rounded out the top five.

The Sharyland High girls took the top spot with 33 points, Weslaco High boasted the top two overall girls finishers, Amity Ebarb (19:59.15) and Destinee Longoria (20:12.34). The Lady Rattlers were paced by bronze medalist Danielle Salinas (20:21.31).

Harlingen South took third place with 87 points. Arianna Rodriguez (21:44.93) placed 13th overall to lead the Lady Hawks.

The top East Valley runner in the girls division was Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s Valeria Gamez (20:51.22), who finished fourth. Harlingen High’s Victoria Scarberry (21:03.12) and Brownsville Porter’s Estrella Medellin (21:07.84) placed seventh and eighth, respectively.

Buddle quipped that his runners were so excited that they didn’t seem in any rush to leave after the meet.

The Greyhounds were indeed a jubilant bunch, celebrating by blaring the Texas Tornados’ 1990 hit song “Que Paso (Hey Baby)” from Medina’s truck in the parking lot.

“Today we showed up with a strong mindset and good effort,” Medina said. “We made a good showing today.”

BOYS

Team results

1. San Benito, 51; 2. Brownsville Hanna, 69; 3. Harlingen High, 87; 4. Sharyland High,128; 5. Brownsville Lopez, 159; 6. Los Fresnos 178, 7. Brownsville IDEA Frontier, 242

Individual results

1. Lupe Reyes, Mercedes, 16:36.81; 2. Joaquin Medina, San Benito, 16:45.12; 3. John Abrego, Brownsville Hanna, 17:02.03; 4. Felipe Parra, Brownsville Hanna, 17:08.34; 5. Marcos Tellez, Brownsville Hanna, 17:29.53, 6. Geovany Cisneros, Harlingen High, 17:40.15; 7. Ivan Montante, Harlingen High, 17:50.88; 8. Marco Salinas, San Benito, 17:55.24; 9. Isaiah Hernandez, Mercedes, 17:57.40; 10. Juan Salinas, Brownsville Pace, 18:00.50; 11. Julian Juarez, Brownsville Lopez, 18:09.91; 12. Issac Rodriguez, San Benito, 18:12.37; 13. Roy Gomez, San Benito, 18:14.21; 14. Jorge Guttierrez, Sharyland High, 18:15.81; 15. Michael Paredes, Los Fresnos, 18:17.98; 16. Nick Robles, San Benito, 18:22.31; 17. Bryan Santiago, Weslaco High, 18:26.00; 18. Aaron Hinojosa, 18:26.50, Brownsville Hanna; 19. Marcos Paredes, Brownsville Veterans, 18:31.94; 20. Victor Leos, Brownsville IDEA Frontier, 18:45.34

GIRLS

Team results

1. Sharyland High, 33; 2. Weslaco High, 74; 3. Harlingen South, 126; 4. Brownsville Veterans, 126; 5. Harlingen High, 143; 6. Brownsville Hanna, 157; 7. Los Fresnos, 169

Individual results

1. Amity Ebarb, Weslaco High, 19:59.15; 2. Destinee Longoria, Weslaco High, 20:12.34; 3. Danielle Salinas, Sharyland High, 20:21.31; 4.Valeria Gamez, Brownsville Veterans, 20:51.22; 5. Andrea Gallardo, Sharyland High, 20:54.34; 6. Delilah Vega, Sharyland High, 21:03.12; 7. Victoria Scarberry, Harlingen High, 21:03.12; 8. Estrella Medellin, Brownsville Porter, 21:07.84; 9. Arianna Gomez, Sharyland High, 21:12.66; 10. Carolyn Tudor, Sharyland High, 21:33.28; 11. Jasmine Ponce, Los Fresnos, 21:37.00; 12. Kenya Gonzalez, Brownsville Lopez, 21:42.84; 13. Arianna Rodriguez, Harlingen South, 21:44.93; 14. Madison Myers, Harlingen South, 21:46.50; 15. Bethany Guzman, Brownsville Rivera, 21:46.96; 16. (name not provided), 21:47.21; 17. Alex Perez, Harlingen South, 21:48.46; 18. Natalie Garcia, Weslaco High, 21:52.81; 19. (name not provided) 22:02.78; 20. Magali Osnaski, Brownsville Hanna, 22:04.28

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

LYFORD — Rio Hondo’s defense showed its mettle and then some in a strong performance in their final scrimmage against Lyford Friday.

The visiting Bobcats surrendered just two first downs ⸺ one of which resulted from a roughing the passer penalty ⸺ in a 20-7 win over the Bulldogs. It was Rio Hondo’s last tune-up before it opens the regular season at home against Juarez-Lincoln at 7:30 p.m. next Friday night.

“Defensively, I thought we did a great job,” said Rio Hondo head coach Rocky James. “Overall, the defense played very well. (Lyford) is a very good team and they’re very well coached, they’ve got some great coaches over there. I know they’ve got a great quarterback over there also, and so I was happy with the way we played.”

The Bobcats largely contained and consistently pressured Lyford starting quarterback Cayleb Klostermann, except for a 30-yard touchdown that came late in the third quarter after Klostermann scrambled outside the pocket and found an open man to salvage a broken play.

Rio Hondo cornerback Isaac Rodriguez came up with an interception on Lyford’s first offensive series. Defensive lineman Chris Atkinson tipped a pass that was nearly a strip-sack, and defensive back J.R. Barajas also recorded a sack as the clock ran out to conclude the first half.

Barajas also spent time at quarterback along with starter Zechariah Rios, a sophomore taking the reins of the Bobcats’ offense.

Rios marched Rio Hondo down the field and set up sophomore Ismael Rodriguez, a sophomore who took a snap out of the Wildcat formation at the goal line and walked into the end zone standing up for the game’s first score at the 5:16 mark of the first quarter.

Ethan Reyna hauled in a touchdown catch on a bullet pass from Rios on a 2-yard slant in the closing seconds of the first quarter to put the Bobcats ahead 13-0.

Another development from Friday’s scrimmage was Jonah Ortega’s emergence as a big-play threat. Ortega caught a deep ball from Rios in the third quarter and juked his way past Lyford secondary for 20 additional yards after the catch.

At the start of the fourth quarter, he showed his speed and evasiveness again with another 20-yard gain on a screen pass.

The big play set up running back Fabian Torres, who had a 10-yard rushing touchdown on the next play to bring Rio Hondo’s lead to 20-0 with just under four and a half minutes to go in the third quarter.

Klostermann and the Bulldogs’ offense did show flashes of life against a stout Bobcats front seven. He connected with a Lyford wideout for a 39-yard gain to set up the Bulldogs at midfield.

Lyford on the board finally after Klostermann threw a 30-yard touchdown pass that, following the point after, made it 20-7 Rio Hondo with 3:18 to go in the third quarter.

James said the defense was well on its way to being where he and his staff would like it to be to allow Rios and the five other sophomores starting alongside him to mature on offense.

Rios did throw two interceptions, one into heavy traffic, which James said is part of the growing pains of learning football’s toughest position.

“I don’t think the moment is too big for them,” James said. “We were wanting to find out in these scrimmages if these guys were going to be as good as they were as freshmen. (But) Friday nights are completely different. Those kids have all stepped up for us and done a tremendous job.”

James attributes this to the summer work put in by the players under the supervision of offensive coordinator Victor Sauceda, who has been the top signal-caller after 10 years as a defensive coach.

“I think we’re ahead of where we were last year at this point,” James said.

COUGARS SHARP IN FINAL SCRIMMAGE

The Santa Maria Cougars came away feeling good after their final scrimmage Friday night at Premont.
Santa Maria won the controlled portion 7-0 and the two live quarters 14-7.

The Cougars’ ground game led the way, as sophomore Erick Castellanos found the end zone twice. Santa Maria also scored through the air on a pass from Jesse Ortiz to Giovani Diaz.

Santa Maria allowed just one score on the night. Coach Israel Gracia was pleased with the performances from linebackers Marco and Gus Sandoval, as well as the pressure brought from defensive ends Rudy Flores and Nathaniel Rodriguez.

Santa Maria opens the regular season at 7:30 p.m. next Friday at home against Marine Military Academy.

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

BROWNSVILLE— Brownsville Veterans Memorial coach David Cantu’s main objective in Thursday’s scrimmage with Weslaco High was twofold – keep the starters healthy and give his backups reps against a 6A squad that made one of the deepest playoff runs of any team in the Rio Grande Valley last season.

While the Panthers left Sams Stadium with a 14-0 victory, Cantu was pleased with his squad, which features a deep bench of returning players with experience at the varsity level.

“(We accomplished) exactly what we wanted to accomplish,” Cantu said. “Our ones, our skill kids on offense played maybe 10 plays during the entire scrimmage, and that’s what we wanted. We looked at our twos and our threes and our fours and we wanted to stay healthy. We went against a 6A team that made it to the third round of the playoffs and for the majority of the night we were right there with them.”

Senior starting quarterback Liam Longoria did not see action beyond the early portion of the controlled scrimmage, which Cantu said was by design.

“When he was in there with the skill guys, it was exciting,” Cantu said. “We moved the ball real well, we just couldn’t get it in. In my opinion, Liam Longoria is one of the top two or three quarterbacks in the whole Rio Grande Valley, and that’s just how I feel about him.”

Nonetheless, junior running back Marlon Montelongo and junior wide receiver Nate Fernandez shared the duties for the Chargers under center most of the night, and Fernandez connected with Montelongo for a highlight-reel grab. Fernandez found Montelongo on a short fade along the near sideline, and Montelongo hung on to make a leaping catch while being shoved out of bounds.

Meanwhile, the Brownsville Veterans defense had its hands full trying to contain Panthers quarterbacks Jacob Cavazos and Rodney Garza, both of whom were at ease outside the pocket and frequently scrambled for first down yardage. Weslaco High receivers K-Jay Jones and Peyton Knaub gave the Chargers’ secondary fits, both hauling in touchdown catches Thursday night.

Linebacker Jesus Rosas made several big hits, and safety Angel Rodriguez nearly came up with a diving interception off of Garza in the red zone.

Cantu said he was impressed by sophomore standout Jose “Houston” Moreno, a dual-threat running back and roving free safety who is well-positioned to have a breakout season.

“He’s an exciting player on either side of the ball,” Cantu said. “He’s really stepped it up as far as our young kids. He’s a legit guy with varsity experience.”

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — While it is often said that the best lessons are learned through failure and defeat, sometimes a stern warning can be all the motivation a team needs to kick itself back into gear.

Such was the case Tuesday night for Harlingen High volleyball and coach Joslynn Torres, who guided her squad to victory in four games 25-27, 25-21, 25-15, 25-15 over Donna High.

The first game was a wakeup call for the Lady Cardinals, who blew an early 11-4 lead before freshman middle blocker Juli Bryant led Harlingen High’s turnaround during the next three games.

“It’s really just about protecting home court,” Torres said. “I just told them to have some pride in wearing that jersey, have some pride in playing here and having a crowd here tonight. If you don’t want people to come here next Tuesday, then continue to play how you (played in the first game). If you want people to come to your games, show some passion, show some excitement, some pride in what you’re doing.”

The sluggish start seemed to briefly carry over into the second game, as Donna High got out to a 9-6 lead.

“We’ve been in our heads a little bit,” Torres said. “We’re trying to get out of that inconsistency that goes on. Literally, it’s all mental. We have a great team. We saw it in Game 2, 3 and 4. So being able to come out strong and stay on that high is, for some reason, extremely difficult for us.”

Torres said she expects her younger players to emulate senior outside hitter Elaine Coronado and her steady presence.

“(Coronado) was the only one that consistently continued to attack,” Torres said. “A lot of my other players, when it’s a tight game, they send a free ball over, or they make it easy for the other team to put it back in play. Elaine showed that (determination) and continued to attack regardless if we were down, up, whatever.”

A kill by Gabriela Serna helped to get the Lady Cardinals out of their funk, rallying back to bring the deficit to two points at 13-11. A leaping block up front by Alexandria Ramirez and another sequence of well-placed shots forced Donna High to hit the ball out of bounds and put Harlingen High up 17-15.

But it was Bryant who ignited the Harlingen High crowd with her strong play.

“She has been the spark that we need, when we need it,” Torres said. “But at the end of the day she is a freshman and she does lack confidence sometimes, but the team and everyone makes her feel welcome and makes her believe in herself. She really picked it up for us, and whenever she does something awesome, you can hear the support and feel the energy from the entire team.”

Once Ramirez delivered another clutch block to maintain the two-point advantage at 23-21, Harlingen High did not trail again for the rest of the match.

Setter Elena Aguinaga’s chemistry with Bryant and Callie Cervantes was evident, as she placed the ball in great position for the Lady Cardinals’ strong outside hitters to punish the ball.

Harlingen High continued to pour it on in the fourth game, going up 8-0 and leading by as much as 12 during the final game of the match. Bryant recorded kills at three key moments, including a tip that put the Lady Cardinals ahead and a deflection that landed for the match-winning point.

Harlingen High is slated to play next at Sharyland High at 6:45 p.m. Thursday.