GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
PHARR — The PSJA Southwest Javelinas boys soccer team was not shy about outlining its goals for the 2015 season. They typed them out bolded, underlined, and in all caps on an 8 ½ by 11 sheet of paper and taped them to the wall of the locker room.
Underneath marks for goals scored and goals against — totals the team missed by only a sliver — is “32-5A DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP”. Indeed, the Javelinas claimed a district title for the first time this year, albeit when Brownsville Porter forfeited a pair of wins after the season.
Next up is “REGION 4 CHAMPIONSHIP”. That, too, would be a program first, but one the Javelinas have been on the precipice of the past two seasons. PSJA Southwest’s next step is a regional quarterfinal against Donna High at 8 tonight in Pharr’s PSJA Stadium.
The experience of making deep runs the past two seasons has the Javelins feeling that this could be the year they break through.
“We played with our hearts and everything (the first two years), but we didn’t have that taste of the playoffs, how it really was,” defender and team captain Uriel Garcia said. “How intense the games were. Now, with that experience, we’ve been modifying our mistakes from every single year to make a better team.”
Southwest played its first varsity season in 2012, narrowly missing the playoffs with a group of only freshmen and sophomores. In 2013, the Javelinas made what coach Jesus Palomin and his players describe as a “Cinderella” run to the fourth round.
Southwest came back even stronger last season, charging all the way to the regional semfinals before losing 1-0 to Georgetown. Palomin remembers how close Southwest was in that game, putting 24 shots on goal.
“We improved to five rounds deep, but still we were hungry for more,” Garcia said. “This year, we’re pretty much heading for state. That’s what we’re aiming at.”
Approaching those goals required Southwest to change its style. With 6-foot-2 midfield stalwart and leading scorer German Beltran graduated, the Javelinas had to become a quicker, more finesse team. Beltran used to be the go-to safety valve, Palomin said, and now Southwest relies on quick passing after just one or two touches.
The new approach, and an extra season of experience, has brought the team closer together.
“Last year, we had touch, but not all of the team would touch the ball,” left wing Miguel Vasquez said. “We had a little more individualism. This year, all of the team touches the ball. One or two touches, and then we pass. There’s no individualism this year. That makes us better.”
“Before, everything was different,” Garcia added. “We wouldn’t talk to each other. Now, we’ve come together. We became a family.”
Palomin has seen the Javelins mature in a multitude of areas.
Southwest has developed leadership — players who don’t feel jitters in the playoffs.
The Javelinas have added speed, training with parachutes and ladders during the offseason.
The team has built a culture at Southwest. Palomin’s players must always sit in the front of their classes, and on game days they wear their Sunday best.
Luis Escudero, the team’s leading scorer, has learned not to hang his head after a missed shot.
And with two playoff runs under their belt, the players are already battle-tested.
“The experience that we have has helped us a lot, because we know how to control the game, not get desperate and wait for our chances,” Garcia said. “We take every opportunity we have, and we score.”
If Southwest can get past Donna tonight, they’ll be one step closer to the fifth and final goal on their preseason sheet: “STATE CHAMPIONSHIP.”
“Anything is possible,” Palomin said. “The boys do believe in it. And that’s the main thing. If you believe, anything can happen. That’s what we try to install: That there are no limits here at Southwest.”