By KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
SAN ANTONIO — Separated by 28 miles and Highway 77, Santa Rosa and San Perlita have proven to be among the Rio Grande Valley’s premiere boy’s basketball program regardless of classification.
It starts in Santa Rosa, where the Warriors are the only team in the Valley with multiple trips to the UIL State basketball tournament.
In fact, Warriors head coach Johnny Cipriano is in his 18th season and already has three trips to the state tournament to along with 15 straight district titles and countless trips to the regional tournament. The only other RGV boy’s basketball team to reach the UIL state final four was Lalo Rios and the Edinburg Vela Sabercats during the 2015-16 season.
Last year’s run to the regional tournament was probably Cipriano’s best work yet. Despite not making the state tournament, he led the Warriors to the regional tourney for a third straight year and did it with a young squad featuring zero seniors.
Cipriano’s work speaks for itself and along with his success come those who he inspires and elevates, including San Perlita, the other small program making a big splash as it is led by fifth-year coach Nataniel Garza.
“ He (Cipriano) has made it to state and those are our goals,” Garza said. “Who more to go to for advice; he is a hell of a coach. Obviously, he is one of the coaches I respect the most with the job that he does — he has had a lot of success. He and I have a great relationship. He has a great passion for his job and I have the same passion for what I do and we can relate a lot.”
Under Garza, the Trojans have gone three straight years with trips to the third round and last year, the Trojans got over the third round blues and punched their ticket to the regional tournament.
“ Nate and I talk a lot, we will call each other and talk and try and feed off each other and give each other ideas,” Cipriano said. “He is a great guy and a great coach. He has done well for San Perlita and I wish them well.”
There is a lot that the Warriors and Trojans share. In case you don’t remember, San Perlita is down highway 186 east bound towards Port Mansfield, in a small tight knit community that thrives on their basketball, much like their friends across highway 77.
It is also safe to say that both Garza and Cipriano have proven that small basketball programs can produce results and that fact has never been more evident than in the last five years.
Both the Trojans and Warriors have the pieces in play for another long postseason run, much like last year, where both San Perlita and Santa Rosa reached the regional tournament.
With Cipriano and Garza at the helm, you would have to like their chances to make more deep runs down the stretch.