By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
A year after finishing 11th at the UIL state meet, PSJA Southwest’s Victor Pedraza will have an opportunity to nab one of the coveted top 10 medals.
The Javelinas senior won the UIL Region IV-6A championship on Monday at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, while helping his team place second in the boys division, to secure his fourth consecutive trip to state.
“He looked real strong. Stronger than ever,” Southwest coach Nyles Alvarez said of Pedraza, who had been dealing with hamstring issues. “He just said, ‘I’m going out there,’ and he conquered it. The past few days he was focused and he believed in himself. I told him, ‘You could do this and more.’”
Pedraza was one of two Valley athletes to win in their respective classes Monday. Edinburg IDEA Quest sophomore Valery Tobias placed first in the Region IV-3A girls division.
With Pedraza (16:38.3) and Edgar Barraza (17:02.1, 6th place) out front, PSJA Southwest collected 111 points, falling shy of first place behind Georgetown (107).
“Unity — that’s the one word I would use to describe it,” Alvarez said. “I just feel that they’ve come together as a team, like a family. They’ve been training hard since the beginning, and they’ve just been focused.”
Mercedes’ Jonathan Reyes (16:50.7, 3rd), Sharyland High’s Martin Gonzalez (16:59.1, 5th), Rio Grande City’s Hiram Rivera (17:02.4, 7th) and Brandon Garcia (17:06.0, 9th) and Edinburg Vela’s Jacinto Garza (17:06.2, 10th) will advance, as well, after finishing among the top-10 individuals unattached from state-qualifying boys teams.
The state championship is Nov. 7 at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.
In the Region IV-5A girls division, Edcouch-Elsa’s Krysta A. Martinez (19:47.7) finished third. Rio Grande City’s Ana Bautista (20:08.4, 5th) and PSJA Southwest’s Alma Villanueva (20:26.6, 7th) will join her at state.
The Valley did not any 6A teams qualify, but it will have several individuals compete. Edinburg North’s Tristan Peña (16:21.2, 3rd), PSJA Memorial’s Cruz Gomez (16:39.1, 6th), Edinburg High’s Rolando Ramon (16:45.4, 7th), La Joya Palmview’s (16:52.3, 8th), Edinburg North’s Aldo Nava (16:52.9, 9th) and La Joya High’s Ricardo Mendoza (17:06.8) qualified in the boys division.
Edinburg North’s Beth Ramos (19:23.4) finished third to lead all Valley Region IV-6A girls. In addition to Ramos, La Joya Palmview’s Brianna Robles (20:06.4, 6th), Edinburg High’s Vianney Sanchez (20:25.8, 12th) and Weslaco High’s Gloria Martinez (20:27.0, 14th) also made it.
Moises Campos (17:09.2) came in third place as an individual, providing a big lift for Hidalgo, which finished fourth among Region IV-4A boys teams.
The senior is coming off his third consecutive district title and will make his third trip to state.
“It’s been a special year for us,” said Hidalgo coach Zeke Morales, whose team is advancing to state for the first time since the early ’90s. “We’re very excited about the boys, especially Moises. He’s been instrumental in this. His commitment, dedication and leadership shows, and the kids are buying in.”
Progreso, which came in fifth in Region IV-4A, missed the cutoff for state. Still, the team will have a representative in sophomore Everardo Esparza (17:49.7, 14th).
In Region IV-3A, Tobias (12:11.0) beat Blanco’s Johanna Villarreal (12:18.4) to hoist the top crown.
La Villa’s Refugio Montelongo (19:06.4, 11th) was the area’s top finisher in Region IV-2A boys, qualifying for state.
As the lone area teams in their respective divisions, San Perlita’s boys finished 15th and La Villa’s girls 21st.