By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
A new day in boys soccer has dawned for the Los Fresnos Falcons.
They’ve captured their first district title in school history at any classification this season. They won District 32-6A with an 8-2 record and 24 points. They are 20-8-2 overall.
Now, in the wake of the latest University Interscholastic League ruling that has pushed back the start of the state playoffs until at least May 4, the Falcons see a distinct possibility that the sun may be setting prematurely on their memorable season.
They take pride in what they’ve accomplished, and they just want to play again in 2020 to finish out their stellar campaign.
Obed Sepulveda and Jose “Chepo” Casanova are senior captains for the Falcons. They are grateful to be a part of the boys soccer team that has made history at their school.
“What we went through by going from not even making the playoffs last year to winning district for the first time this season is something special,” said Sepulveda, a midfielder/forward. “It’s hard to put into words just how good it feels to be a part of this championship team. I’m very happy.”
Casanova said the Falcons have formed a brotherhood of soccer.
“For starters, this is a really good team,” said Casanova, a defender. “We’re part of a family of Falcons. We’re pretty much brothers, because most of us have been here (together) since we were freshmen and sophomores. We know each other very well, and we have a good relationship between each other.
“Winning the district title shows how much we’ve worked,” Casanova added. “We’ve been working super hard, and we have the spirit and the passion for the game. We’ve been communicating very well on the field and focusing on scoring a goal.
“I feel we have the potential to go far in the playoffs (if we get a chance to play). We just need to keep doing what we’ve been doing. Whatever it takes (to do well), we’re going to try our best.”
Besides Casanova and Sepulveda, other members of the Falcons’ starting lineup are goalkeeper Alexis Gonzalez, defenders Edwin Segovia, Jorge Hernandez and Adrian Longoria, plus midfielders Annderson Rocha, Thomas Sauceda and Humberto “Tito” Trinidad, and forwards Joe Garza and Angel Mancillas.
Important contributors off the bench include forward Dante Esqueda, defender Gilberto Garza and midfielder Marco Moreno.
Gonzalez allowed 0.95 goals per game in 10 district matches with five shutouts. Mancillas led the Falcons with five goals in district. He’s scored 10 goals on the season and had four assists despite being injured for much of the Falcons’ non-district schedule.
Michael Miller, who came to the Rio Grande Valley from Minnesota in 2014, is in his first season as the Falcons’ coach. He said the belief he had that the Falcons would be fielding a strong team in 2020 was reinforced to him during his squad’s second 32-6A game Feb. 4. The Falcons went ahead 3-0 at Brownsville Rivera and eventually prevailed 3-2.
“If you go into Rivera and you go up 3-0 on them, you know you’ve got a pretty good team,” Miller said. “I had been part of the program here for two years coming into this season, and I knew we had the talent here, and even last year, too. To take a 3-0 lead at Rivera, we knew we were headed in the right direction (as a program).
“From Day 1 after I moved down here, I could see we have some unbelievable soccer here,” he added. “I look at these (Valley) coaches, and I think it’s just an honor to be able to coach here.
“There’s so much history and tradition here (in high school soccer). For us to accomplish what we’ve accomplished is beyond my wildest dreams. To have the boys buy into this program and have this kind of success, it’s just an amazing feeling. It’s incredible to be part of the first district champion in boys soccer at Los Fresnos. The community is embracing us, and, if possible, we want to keep going. We’re happy, but we’re not satisfied.”
If the playoffs do take place, it appears the Falcons would go against Weslaco East or Edinburg North in bi-district. The Wildcats and Cougars are in contention to be the fourth-place finisher from District 31-6A with one conference game pending on their regular-season schedules.