GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
GEORGETOWN — Looking to rest up before playing in the Class 4A state final against Palestine at 2:30 p.m. today, Progreso took it easy on Thursday.
The Red Ants ran through only a light practice in the morning, meeting for about an hour at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.
“It was nice, we had a short practice,” coach Margarito Jimenez said. “Very, very little ball handling. Just stretching, a brisk jog and very little soccer drills.”
From there, the team went back to the Hyatt Place Austin-North Central hotel to have lunch and watch McFarland, USA.
The food menu has been about the same as what the team usually eats in the Valley, typically including spots like Jason’s Deli, Whataburger and Pizza Hut, plus bananas, oranges and water or Gatorade, Jimenez said.
In the afternoon, Jimenez took the team on an informal tour of his alma mater, St. Edward’s University in Austin, before bringing the group back to Georgetown to catch Brownsville Porter’s Class 5A state semifinal against El Paso Eastlake.
“At the end of the day, our goal is for them to finish their schooling, and hopefully they can get inspired not just on the field, but off the field as well,” Jimenez said.
Progreso got a glimpse of today’s opponent on Wednesday, watching the end of Palestine’s win against Kilgore before the Red Ants’ match got underway.
Jimenez noticed that Palestine played a physical style of soccer, and senior defender Juan Puentes saw that the Wildcats like to attack with long passes.
“I know it’s going to be a physical game. It’s going to be tough,” Puentes said. “We’re going to give it our best to take the trophy back to Progreso.”
STATE JITTERS
Less than a minute into Wednesday’s state semifinal, Progreso gifted Argyle a prime opportunity at an early lead. What should have been an easy pass from one Red Ants defender to another missed the mark, giving the Eagles’ Chad Book a free run at goal.
“It did seem a little bit at the beginning that they were nervous, but it went away,” Jimenez said. “We told them since minute one, ‘You belong here.’ And it showed.”
Puentes said he felt a little shaky for the game’s first 20 minutes, given that he was playing at state for the first time in front of about 200 Progreso fans.
Senior Christian Chavez, who eventually scored the game-winning goal in overtime, was one of the players who helped the Red Ants maintain composure.
“Sometimes, some players tell us, ‘I’m nervous about the game,’” Chavez said. “We tell them, ‘Don’t be nervous. It’s just a regular game. You’ve been playing the game for 10 years, 15 years, or all of your life.’”
COMEBACK PLAYERS
The Red Ants have learned to play from behind in the playoffs, erasing deficits in each of the past two games. Although cruising through most of the season, Progreso faced a 2-0 deficit in the Region IV-4A final against Giddings and a 2-1 hole Wednesday against Argyle.
In both cases, the Red Ants came from behind to win.
“Like in Giddings, we never gave up,” senior Rogelio Zamora said. “We were down. This time, we were down, too, but we never gave up. We knew we could go all the way through.”
Chavez said the solution was simply staying the course — doing the same things that helped the Red Ants advance this far in the playoffs. Jimenez didn’t panic, keeping the tactics and formations the same.
“Just remain calm,” Jimenez said. “We knew we could score. It was just, ‘Stay calm.’ We knew the goals were coming.”