HARLINGEN — Harlingen South and PSJA North delivered an early playoff atmosphere in their District 32-6A regular-season finale Tuesday at Harlingen CISD Aquatic Center, as the Raiders won a hard-fought, back-and-forth battle 17-13 over the Hawks.
The victory sealed a district championship for PSJA North (9-1 district) in water polo’s first year as a sanctioned sport by the UIL. The Raiders’ team and head coach Leslie Richardson jumped in the pool together after the win to celebrate the district title victory.
“I know the hard work that these boys have put into this season and it was the best thing to enjoy that moment with them getting in the water,” Richardson said. “I told the boys just play your best, play smart and get out there and get those open shots.”
The Raiders will be 32-6A’s No. 1 seed in the postseason, while Harlingen South (7-3) will be the No. 3 seed. Playoff match details have yet be determined.
“I’m really proud of my team. We came out here and fought,” South head coach Hector Castaneda Jr. said. “We did a tremendous job and have improved so much. Like I told my team: we got playoffs and we can still show what we got in the playoffs. We can’t let this loss dictate the way we succeed in the playoffs. We take the defeat, we learn from it, we work hard and get ready for the playoffs that’s coming Monday and Tuesday.”
The Hawks held a slight edge at 13-12 early during the fourth quarter, but the Raiders rallied back with five unanswered points to pull away late. Kaleb Dallas, Josiah Padilla and Josue Rocha combined for PSJA North’s five consecutive goals during the fourth.
“We started talking as a team and started to play together, played strong, made good passes, good everything. That’s how we were able to pull through in the end,” Rocha said.
Frankie Rodriguez led the Hawks with six goals, Roman Zamora added three and Frank Pimentel had two goals. Obed Johnston and Austin Scogin also had one goal apiece.
Jayden Ybarra spearheaded PSJA North’s offensive attack with six goals while Rocha tallied five. Dallas scored three times, Padilla added two goals and Jonathan Davila scored once.
“It was all about heart,” Ybarra said. “This district championship means everything. We put ourselves at the top.”