ROY HESS | Staff Writer
GEORGETOWN — Former Brownsville resident Gabriel Picazo drove from Dallas to Georgetown on Saturday to see the Porter Cowboys win their second Class 5A state championship in soccer at Georgetown ISD’s Birkelbach Field.
Picazo came with his wife, Cynthia Cortez, and neither of them, both 2009 Lopez graduates, had any second thoughts about making the nearly three-hour trip in heavy traffic after being there to witness the Cowboys prevail 10-9 in penalty kicks to earn a 3-2 victory against Frisco Wakeland in the Class 5A state final.
“I don’t live in Brownsville anymore, but as soon as I heard that (Porter coach) Jose Espitia’s team was playing for the state championship, I told myself I had to go support him,” Picazo said. “He was my cross country coach at Lopez (approximately a decade ago). He was an amazing coach for me and he’s a great leader.
“I really admire Coach Espitia, and he’s an example to follow,” added Picazo, who moved from Brownsville to Dallas two years ago. “I couldn’t miss this. I’m happy for him and his team. At this point, and for something like this, we should forget all the (intracity school) rivalries. Today we’re one city behind Porter, and I think that’s the example of a united Brownsville that we need to put out there.”
Cortez said she was equally as happy for the Cowboys, who finished with a 28-0-1 record.
“I’m so excited because this is the Valley (winning state), and we’re really proud of the Valley,” she said. “For them to come up here to Georgetown and play for the state title, it’s really an honor to see them win it.”
Porter also won the 5A state championship in soccer in 2006 under then-coach Jose Luis Zarate, now the golf coach at Brownsville Veterans Memorial.
Zarate said there was no way he was going to miss Saturday’s game.
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” Zarate said. “Porter has a great team made up of great players and great coaches. They’re bringing back another championship to Brownsville, which is where it belongs, right?
“I think this is the way Porter has played all season,” he added. “They’ve always believed in what they have done, and I told my brother (Sergio), ‘You know what? They’ve always found a way to win (this season).’ This is just something very awesome.”
Saturday marked the sixth UIL state championship in soccer for the Valley. Besides Porter’s previous title in 2006, the others were Lopez in 2004, Hidalgo in 2009, Sharyland High in 2012 and Rivera in 2015.
Also in attendance Saturday at Birkelbach Field was Joe Rodriguez, former coach and athletic director for Brownsville ISD and current school board member.
Rodriguez was on hand in Georgetown to witness Rivera’s Class 6A state championship with a 28-0 record just one year ago. He said seeing Brownsville teams bring home such title trophies is something that never gets old.
Porter was leading 2-1, but Wakeland scored a goal that went off the left post and bounced in to tie the score at 2 with 1:09 left in regulation. The match then went all the way to penalty kicks after overtime and the Cowboys prevailed 10-9 after 10 rounds (20 players) of PKs.
“I can’t breathe, man — this is the most exciting game I’ve ever seen,” Rodriguez said. “Winning another state title means a lot considering where we started (with UIL soccer in 1983). These kids have proved themselves as champions.”
The Porter Nation was well-represented at Birkelbach Field on Saturday along with fans from across the Valley and even from various areas of the state. They came to support Porter.
“My nephew (Diego Rivera) plays for Porter, so we’re very pleased and proud of him,” said Valentin Martinez of Galveston, a former Brownsville and Matamoros resident. “I came from Galveston over here to support Diego and the team. Even though it took a long time to get over here and there was lots of traffic, we’re going home very happy because of Porter’s win. It’s something we’ll always remember.”
There were many other fans who came all the way to Georgetown to support Lopez and Progreso as well. This year marked the first time the Valley had three teams at the state soccer tournament. On Friday, Progreso lost 1-0 in PKs in the Class 4A final and Lopez was defeated 2-1 in the Class 6A semifinals.
After the Red Ants and Lobos fell short of their goals to become state champions, the hope for a championship trophy going back to the Valley rested with the Cowboys on Saturday, and they came through.
“It was a long way over here and we just want to thank everyone who made the trip and came to support us,” said Alexis Armendariz, a junior forward who scored both of Porter’s goals in regulation and was named the 5A boys championship game MVP. “They believed in us and we believed in them.”