By STEFAN MODRICH, Staff Writer
Porter’s back line of Alan Romero, Rodolfo Armendariz and Jean Villegas has been one of the most effective in the Rio Grande Valley this season, allowing 0.63 goals per game for a Cowboys squad that stands at 17-4-1.
The trio caught the eye of second-year Jarvis Christian College coach Demetrio Hernandez, a Reynosa, Mexico, native who has been a fixture of the soccer scene in East Texas and the Rio Grande Valley for the last 30 years.
“When I need an athlete, Porter is the No. 1 or No. 2 school that I think about,” Hernandez said. “A lot of coaches, they go to different states. Seventy-five percent of my athletes, I know where I’m getting them. Right here, South Texas, the Valley. Not too many coaches come down here, and they don’t know that there is a mine of players down here.”
Porter coach Jose Espitia said his relationship with Hernandez extends to 2004. During that time, the Cowboys have won two University Interscholastic League Class 5A state championships, coming 10 years apart in 2006 and 2016.
“That’s a confidence booster for them,” Espitia said. “Not only that, but they know some of the Pace and Valley View players that are going to (JCC). The fact that (Hernandez) believes in them and likes the way that the (Rio Grande Valley) players play, I think that’s a plus for them to have that trust from their coach.”
Espitia noted the trio all started out as forwards or midfielders at first, but he and his staff sought to have players with their technical skills to anchor his defense.
Villegas, who is originally from Matamoros, Mexico, overcame academic struggles and his family’s financial issues to earn a scholarship to attend JCC.
“It’s just amazing, we’ve been playing together all this time,” Villegas said. “It’s a big opportunity for us to overcome all the things we’ve faced in the past. … I think it was a tough decision for me to make to be far away from my family and friends and loved ones. But hopefully we’re going to be rewarded, and being (at JCC) is going to open a lot of doors.”
All three players said they plan to major in criminal justice, which means they will likely spend plenty of time together both on and off the field. That was one factor that made the decision to begin their athletic and academic careers at JCC, which is located in Hawkins, 113 miles east of Dallas.
The Bulldogs compete in the Red River Athletic Conference within the NAIA.
The opportunity to play with his Cowboys teammates helped Romero decide to attend JCC over the University of Houston-Victoria.
“(I’m thankful) for all the support from my family,” Romero said. “And from my coaches at Porter and Coach Hernandez at Jarvis College.”
Armendariz said after Hernandez saw he and his teammates play at a tournament in Brownsville, it fueled his desire to elevate his game so that the three defenders could have a chance to play at the college level.
“The truth is, it was very good and that motivated me more,” Armendariz said. “With my teammates joining (JCC), that made the choice very clear.”