By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
The arrival of March means it’s time to start thinking about the UIL soccer playoffs.
Actually, two area boys teams — Hanna and Rivera from District 32-6A — clinched postseason berths with their victories Tuesday.
The 32-6A-leading Golden Eagles (9-1, 27 points) defeated Harlingen South 4-2, while the 32-6A runner-up Raiders (9-1, 26 points) downed San Benito 4-0.
It’s quite a feat in UIL soccer for a team to secure a playoff berth before the end of February. The two coaches for Hanna and Rivera view the accomplishments of their teams as a ticket to a journey in the postseason they hope will last a long time. In essence, it’s a guaranteed starting point on a path of opportunity in the playoffs.
The news of his team’s playoff qualification was a surprise to Hanna coach Reyes Prado on Wednesday because he really hadn’t given it much thought.
Meanwhile, Rivera coach Salvador Garcia had already done the math.
The Eagles and Raiders became among the first teams in the Valley — if not the first — to reach the UIL postseason in soccer.
“Wow, I truly did not know that,” Prado said when given the news. “It is a blessing being able to work with this team. Hard work pays off.
“Even though it is a blessing and making the playoffs is a privilege, the bar has been set way too high for us to be happy with just clinching a playoff spot,” Prado added.
The goal for the Raiders is to continue to improve before the bi-district playoffs start March 29, Garcia said.
“This gives us more time to work on the details that we need to fix with no pressure,” the Rivera coach said. “Hopefully the players can improve on their mentality and confidence going into the playoffs.
“We (coaches) would like to think that we are peaking at the right time,” Garcia added. “But there is still a lot of room for improvement.”
Two area girls squads are close to securing playoff berths by earning at least one point in their next matches on Friday.
The Los Fresnos Lady Falcons (9-1, 26 points) lead the 32-6A girls race and play host to fifth-place Hanna (4-6, 14 points) at 5:30 p.m. Friday. The same day, the District 32-5A-leading Pace Lady Vikings (9-0, 27 points) play host to last-place Mercedes (0-9, zero points) at 7:30 p.m.
THE RETURN OF CHICO
Jose Alfredo “Chico” Jimenez has left quite a legacy of coaching soccer in Brownsville at Lopez and then at Pace in addition to his time directing youth leagues.
Health issues slowed him down a few years ago and he last coached the Pace Vikings in 2014. He had coached at Lopez for four years before coming to Pace, where he spent 28 years coaching soccer and cross country.
“I had (recent) back surgery and my doctor told me I needed to coach soccer,” said Jimenez, 57. “The pains I had (in my back) are gone now and I’m enjoying myself. I have a relaxed atmosphere with my administrators (in McAllen ISD), especially at Rowe.”
“Chico” returned to high school soccer this season as the head coach at McAllen Rowe. He replaced the retired Eloy Moran, a former longtime Valley coach.
The Warriors play in District 30-6A.
“It’s a new challenge in my life,” Jimenez said. “I’m enjoying it. It reminds me of when I came to Pace from Lopez. We have some good players, but we’re dealing with inconsistencies in how we play. I see soccer in these players at Rowe. There’s talent in them, but they’re young. I have like six sophomores (starting). They’re learning my program and we’ll get there.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess