By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Hanna and Brownsville Veterans Memorial have advanced to the area tennis tournament by finishing third and fourth, respectively, behind the top two teams, Harlingen South and Harlingen High, in District 32-6A.
The Golden Eagles will face Weslaco High and the Chargers will face District 31-6A champion PSJA Memorial today in the quarterfinals of the tournament at Harlingen High.
The Hawks and Cardinals will face yet-to-be-determined opponents since there was a three-way tie for third place in District 31-6A.
The semifinals are later today in the afternoon, with the finals slated for Saturday.
Team tennis is comprised of nine boys matches and nine girls matches with a mixed doubles match, a total of 19 matches. The winner is the team that wins 10 of those matches.
Hanna has plenty of experience when it comes to postseason tennis, but Brownsville Veterans is competing in the postseason for the first time.
Hanna coach Terry Hoover said his team has improved as the season progressed.
“We’ve played 13 matches so far, and we’ve played some really good teams,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of experience from playing those stronger teams, and hopefully it’s going to carry us over. The kids have worked really hard to get to this position, and we’re excited to go to the area round and seeing how we can do. Weslaco High is second in their district, so we have our work cut out for us.”
The Eagles played Weslaco High earlier this season and expect an equally tough match this time around.
“We expect a competitive match,” Hoover said. “We expect nothing but their best so we going to have to get ready to play hard.”
But the longtime coach is excited about where the team is.
“The girls team has done very well this year, so we’re looking for big things from them,” Hoover said. “The boys team has got progressively better, they’re more experienced and we’re looking for them to step up at the same time.
“It’s going to have to be a complete team effort.”
The Chargers are new to the postseason but they are ready to face PSJA Memorial, whom they haven’t faced yet this season.
“We’re looking pretty strong, and we’re starting to peak right when we need to,” Brownsville Veterans coach Leo Casanova said. “I feel very good about our matchup.”
The school is getting behind the team, and Casanova feels all the support is bringing the program into the limelight. Regardless of the inexperience, Casanova feels his team is poised as it readies for the postseason.
“We have a pretty strong boys team, and our girls have gotten better,” he said. “We’ve lost a few girls due to injury, but they’re tough. The confidence level is pretty high.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.