By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
The Rivera Raiders have a simple goal this soccer season. Actually, it’s perhaps not all that simple, but still something quite achievable.
“We expect to be playing in the last game of the entire season (at state),” said Rivera’s Salvador Garcia, coaching for the 24th year with the Raiders, including 17 as head coach.
With eight experienced players back, including RGVSports.com 2014 All-Valley boys soccer honorees Isidro “Chelin” Martinez, Hernan Cruz and Eliseo Ortiz, the Raiders again are expected to be one of South Texas’ top teams. They’re coming off their 22-3 record of one season ago in which they advanced to the regional final in San Antonio.
As always, it seems, the Raiders will be facing some tough competition within the Brownsville city limits and from other teams in District 32-6A as well.
“Playing in one of the strongest, if not the strongest district in the state, I honestly feel that our district is wide open,” Garcia said of 32-6A. “Regardless of what some teams did or didn’t do last year, we all are strong again.
“Once again,” he added, “it should be another good year for the (Rio Grande) Valley.”
According to UIL rules, the regular season begins Thursday.
Here is a team-by-team preview of boys squads in The Brownsville Herald’s Metro circulation area that includes Los Fresnos and Port Isabel:
RIVERA RAIDERS
All the main scoring threats for the Raiders are back, including Martinez in the midfield and forwards Alexis Herrera and Ortiz, the All-Valley newcomer of the year in 2014 who tallied a team-best 25 goals.
“The whole offense is back, so we should be scoring some goals,” Garcia said.
Along with Cruz, a defender switching to outside midfielder, other returning players with fairly extensive experience are central defender Jesus Torres, outside midfielder Eliezer Acero and center midfielders David Alexander and Ray Alvarez.
The Raiders expect a stern challenge in 32-6A from fellow Brownsville schools Lopez, Hanna and Veterans Memorial along with San Benito, Los Fresnos, Harlingen High and Harlingen South, which is coached now by former Porter assistant Julian Robles.
LOPEZ LOBOS
The Lobos always seem to field solid teams, and 2014 was no exception. They won district with a 15-1 record and advanced all the way to the UIL state tournament in Georgetown before losing 3-2 to eventual state champion Fort Bend Clements in the state semifinals.
Lopez finished 22-3-1 overall, making its third trip to state.
There are five starters back for Amadeo Escandon, now in his 18th year as coach.
They are forward Leo Martinez, goalkeeper Felix Nava, who previously played forward, and defenders Julio “J.C.” De La Garza, Arturo Salazar and Ulysses Ortegon. De La Garza was an all-tournament selection at state last season along with midfielder Kevin Maldonado, who graduated and is now playing in college.
Other returning lettermen are midfielder Sergio Rincon and goalkeeper Angel De La Cruz.
“Our strengths are team unity, faith and humbleness,” Escandon said.
HANNA GOLDEN EAGLES
Reyes Prado begins his third year coaching the Hanna boys with five starters back. They are goalkeeper Lalo Cazares, center midfielder Adrian Delgado, forward-midfielder Oscar Cordova and defenders Diego Acevedo and Jorge Serna.
Serna, Delgado and Cordova were all-district first-team players last season.
The goal for Hanna will be to get back to the playoffs and make some noise like 2013, when the Eagles advanced to the state final.
“Right now, it looks like a dogfight from start to finish (in 32-6A),” Prado said. “I hope everybody on our team can stay healthy and eligible. If we can have our compete team, I think we’ll be right there in the mix.”
BROWNSVILLE VETERANS MEMORIAL CHARGERS
Coach Alberto Vasquez believes his team can make it back to the playoffs this season with a nucleus of six starters coming back.
“I think we look pretty good this year, too,” Vasquez said. “I have high expectations.”
The returning starters are sweeper Jaime Martinez, stopper Hector Gomez, center midfielder Humberto Treviño, outside midfielder Jesus Muñiz and forwards Gabriel Montoya and Humberto Aguillon. Martinez, Muñiz and Treviño were all-district performers in 2014.
The Chargers will try to replace their two standout scorers of last season, Oswaldo Cortez and Diego Guzman, along with goalkeeper Livan Aguirre, who moved out of the Valley.
PORTER COWBOYS
It was a rare turn of events last season that saw the Cowboys miss the playoffs for the first time in recent memory.
While getting back to the postseason is definitely a goal for the Cowboys in 2015, they have their sights set on doing far more than just that.
With almost the entire starting lineup returning, there is plenty of optimism for Porter as it stays in District 32-5A along with Pace and will face a new group of district opponents since the other four Brownsville schools have moved up to 32-6A.
“I really like the discipline and work ethic of this group,” Porter coach Jose Espitia said of his players. “We experienced what it is like to be in the bottom (out of the playoffs), and we have unfinished business from last season. What concerns me is that we will be traveling more and facing teams (in district) that we are not familiar with.”
Besides Porter and Pace, other teams in 32-5A are Donna High, Donna North, Mercedes, PSJA High, PSJA Southwest and Edcouch-Elsa.
Players with starting experience back for the Cowboys are central defenders Anthony Cuellar and Brandon Flores, fullbacks Robert Briseño and Gabriel Trejo, center midfielders Reyes Saldivar and David Pacheco, wings Enrique Soto and Marco Don Juan, and forwards Alexis Anzures and Uriel Sepulveda.
First-team all-district honors last year in 32-5A went to Cuellar and Anzures (district-best 15 goals). Saldivar was the 32-5A utility player of the year and Briseño was the district’s newcomer of the year.
Also for Porter, eight other lettermen are returning.
PACE VIKINGS
Mario A. Zamora takes over for longtime coach Jose Alfredo “Chico” Jimenez at Pace. Previously, Zamora was the soccer coach at St. Joseph Academy for three seasons.
“We are doing our job to be a competitive team and achieve our goals, which are to be district champions, advance to the playoffs and win state,” said Zamora, a former standout player at Hanna. “I am very positive that we can achieve our goals with hard work and dedication.
“Since Day 1 as the new head coach at Pace, I have let all the players know that the door is open to earn a spot on the (varsity) first team, so day to day, practice to practice, I see all of them training at 110 percent,” Zamora added. “I believe that the environment of healthy competition in the program is one of the strengths of the team.”
Returning players who figure to be important contributors for the Vikings this season include Osvaldo Canales at forward, Benlly Galvan in the midfield and Edgar Martinez at defender. Canales and Galvan were all-district honorees last season.
An assistant coach for Zamora will be Juan Gamboa, a former standout goalkeeper for the Vikings who was a key member of four straight 32-5A championship teams at Pace from 2004 to 2007.
LOS FRESNOS FALCONS
The Falcons will have quite a few new faces in the lineup this season for coach Javier Navarrete as a number of key players have graduated from last year’s 20-7 team that went three rounds in the playoffs.
“This is a rebuilding season,” Navarrete said. “I lost 16 (seniors) from last year. It looks like a young team.”
The two starters back are goalkeeper Jesus Malerva and outside midfielder Martin Ornelas. Both earned all-district honors last season.
Key departures are Jonathan Valdez and Miguel Cruz, who are now playing in college.
ST. JOSEPH ACADEMY BLOODHOUNDS
The soccer season began in November for the Bloodhounds, who play in TAPPS and are coached by Tino Villarreal.
The Bloodhounds took a 6-0 record into a weekend district road match against defending TAPPS state champion San Antonio Central Catholic.
Key players for SJA are forwards Gerardo Moses and Mario Garcia, midfielders Gerardo Elizondo, Jose Kauachi and Andres Rico, goalkeeper Mario Ramirez and central defender Rodrigo Salinas, the team captain.
PORT ISABEL TARPONS
The Tarpons are again coached by Salvador Hernandez and this season will play in District 32-4A against La Feria, Progreso and IDEA Frontier of Brownsville.
Getting to the postseason hasn’t been a problem for the Tarpons. Their goal this year will be to win their first playoff game. They went 5-3 to take third place in their district one year ago.
Port Isabel players who earned all-district honors last season as underclassmen include Misael Nava (district defensive MVP), midfielders Nathan Berman and Brandon Perez, and defenders Leo Bravo and William Romero.
IDEA FRONTIER CHARGERS
Last season, the Chargers took fourth place in their district to advance to the playoffs, where they got beat by a very strong Valley View team.
Along with Port Isabel, IDEA Frontier’s goal will be to win in the playoffs for the first time.
Players expected to be key contributors for the Chargers this season include central defender Juan Tristan, defender/midfielder Jorge Suarez and attacking midfielder Eddie Cuello. Tristan received all-district honors one year ago.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess