By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
The Brownsville Porter Cowboys and Cowgirls have reigned supreme over District 32-5A tennis this athletic year.
Brownsville Porter won its first team tennis district championship in the fall, and followed up that success by sweeping the team titles at the spring district meet played Tuesday and Wednesday.
“I told them at the beginning of the year it was going to be a talented year,” Porter coach Jaime Guillen said. “It was great to see them win (in the fall), and I told them, ‘Hey, it’s not over. We still got individuals and you guys have a chance at winning two more titles.’ And sure enough, they did it. It wasn’t easy. Now, it’s still not over. We have another tournament to go to.”
Every final match, whether a doubles or singles competition, featured a Porter player or pairing on one half of the court.
“It was great. The finals was a sea of blue because on every court it was all Porter playing against another school,” Guillen said. “It was pretty tiring because I had to go from one court to the other to the other making sure they were staying on top of their game and not getting down on themselves if they were down, and just keep them going.”
Lupita Suarez recovered from losing her opening set in the girls singles final to win in three against a player she faced and lost to earlier in the season. Guillen praised Suarez for being “able to pull it out when it counted” and advance to the regional tournament. Pablo Amaro finished second in boys singles after dropping a tough, three-set match to Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s No. 1 boy, Patricio Castaneda, who qualified for the regional with the win.
The boys doubles team of Jose Flores and Jesus Garza “had a heck of a time in the second set” of the final and battled for a win. Porter’s girls doubles team comprised of Elvia Cardenas and Maribel Ortega won their final in straight sets. Both pairings will be competing at the regional tournament.
The mixed doubles team of William Tanguma and Victoria Mendez came in second to advance to the postseason. Reyna Rico and Marisa De La Cruz comprised the girls doubles team that finished third and will be a regional alternate.
“When we had the drawing for the district meet, they were mostly all seeded as a first seed. You could say we had a target on our back, and they rose to the challenge to win their matches,” Guillen said.
Guillen expressed thanks to the administration for allowing the players to compete, and “more than anything” to the parents for trusting the staff to work with their children through the pandemic. When the team returned to school after the district tournament, Porter personnel met them and celebrated them for their strong performances.
“When we got to the school, administration and teachers that were on campus and didn’t have a class were at the front of the school and we were greeted by them,” Guillen said. “It was awesome for the kids, showing off their two trophies and their medals. We’ve had success and gone to regionals, but never with team titles. So it was a big year.”
The tennis district certification deadline is April 17. Regional meets will be held April 26-29 and the state tournament is scheduled for May 20-21 at Texas A&M University in College Station. The first- and second-place finishers at district and regional tournaments will advance to the next round.
The District 32-6A tournament is scheduled for April 13-15 at the Brownsville Tennis Center and Brownsville Hanna. Varsity teams will compete on the 13th. District 32-4A will have its meet April 12-13 at the Brownsville Tennis Center. District 31-3A is scheduled to compete April 10 at Lyford.