By ROY HESS | Staff Writer
The Harlingen South girls soccer team returns five starters from last season’s 23-4 Region IV-6A finalist squad.
“The Lady Hawks’ returning starters in 2020 are Sarah Garza, Caroline Grannum, Sandra Lopez, Olivia Olivarez and Korynne Reininger for coach Omar Pedroza, now entering his 24th season as the team’s coach.
“We’ll find out a lot about our team (as we open the season) at the Edinburg CISD Tournament this week,” Pedroza said. “We have talented players. We just lack (varsity starting) experience. We’ll have five or six new starters in the lineup.”
The Edinburg CISD Tournament opens today and runs through Saturday. The Lady Hawks begin tournament play today against PSJA High.
Pedroza enters the new season with 495 career coaching wins. McAllen High coach Patn Arney, who has also coached girls socceer in the Rio Grande Valley — all at McHi — for 24 years, acheived his 500th career coaching victory last weekend at a tournament kn McAllen.
Pedroza could reach win No. 500 at the Edinburg CISD Tournament this weekend.
“I’m at 495 (wins) right now, and that’s something,” Pedroza said. “I never thought I would reach this point.”
TASCO RECOGNITITION
The Texas Association of Soccer Coaches Organization (TASCO) has listed some Valley teams High in its preseason regional rankings.
The Class 6A boys Top 10 for Region IV is: 1. San Antonio Lee, 2. San Antonio Reagan, 3. Brownsville Rivera, 4. Austin Westlake, 5. Austin Lake Travis, 6. Brownsville Hanna, 7. San Antonio Johnson, 8. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 9. Schertz Clemens, 10. Harlingen South.
The 6A girls Top 10 for Region IV is: 1. Austin Lake Travis, 2. Austin Westlake, 3. San Antonio Reagan, 4. Northside Clark, 5. San Antonio Johnson, 6. San Antonio Lee, 7. Northside Brandeis, 8. Comal Smithson Valley, 9. Comal Canyon, 10. Harlingen South.
In 5A Region IV boys from the Valley, Valley View is ranked No. 1 and Brownsville Veterans Memorial is No. 2. Brownsville Porter is No. 3, Brownsville Lopez is No. 4 and Sharyland High is No. 5.
Only Brownsville Veterans from the Valley at No. 10 is listed in TASCO’s 5A girls Region IV rankings.
In the 4A boys Region IV rankings from the Valley, Progreso is No. 1 and Hidalgo is No. 8. There are no Valley girls teams ranked in the 4A Region IV Top 10 this year.
GOOD NEWS
The good news for the Valley is the Region IV-6A Tournament returns to Brownsville Sports Park for the second straight season April 10-11.
It was only last season when the Harlingen South girls had their best showing in 15 years by defeating Austin Westlake 2-1 in overtime in the regional semifinals before falling 3-0 to Austin Lake Travis in the regional final with a trip to state on the line.
Also this April, the Region IV-5A Tournament returns to Corpus Christi and the Region IV-4A Tournament is back in McAllen.