GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
Even after losing 15 seniors from last year’s regional semifinalist, Hidalgo clinched a District 31-4A title last week with a sense of apathy.
“I was talking to one of my seniors and I asked him, ‘Hey, we won district,’” Hidalgo coach Zeke Morales said. “And he told me straight out, ‘Well, that’s not what we want, Coach. We want to go over there.’ Over there, referring to making it to the state tournament.”
Morales admits that the Pirates may not have the same talent as last year’s group, but he believes they make up for their shortcomings with team chemistry and a desire to make a deep playoff run.
Hidalgo has shown its readiness by breezing through District 31-4A play with a 7-0 record, outscoring opponents 28-2.
“I’m happy they weren’t jumping for joy and saying ‘Oh, we did it,’” Morales said. “I want them hungry. I want them to believe in themselves and know that they can do so much more.”
The Pirates’ offense will be the biggest key to the team’s postseason fate, Morales said. Marco Garcia, the lone returning starter from last year and one of six seniors in the lineup, leads the team with 10 goals. Jesus Niño, the running back for Hidalgo’s football team, provides speed on the outside. And the attack runs through ValleyView transfer Filiberto Sustaita, who last season played with Hidalgo’s junior varsity team.
“He’s just our anchor,” Morales said. “He runs the show for us.”
EASY TRANSITION
First-year La Joya High boys soccer coach Alex Davila didn’t meet his team until practice opened Nov. 30 — only about six weeks from the Coyotes’ season opener.
Ideally, he would’ve gotten started at the beginning of the school year, learning his players’ strengths and weaknesses while implementing his system during the athletic period. He cites the late start as the biggest challenge he’s faced in his first year on the job.
“The lack of time is still an issue, but given the commitment and how welcoming they were and how they embraced the change, that made things slightly better,” Davila said.
Even with the roadblock, La Joya High has emerged as a legitimate playoff contender in a strong District 30-6A.
As the season enters its home stretch, the Coyotes are in second place with 15 points and a 5-3 record.
“Did I expect to be in this spot right now?” Davila asked. “Yes, because their commitment, their skill and their work rate made me believe from the very beginning that we could do something special. But we’re not there yet.”
Upon taking the position, Davila’s first priority was to learn his players and fit the system to them, rather than forcing them to adapt to what he wants to run.
He found that he had a strong core of returners at his disposal, led by senior captains Ulises Gutierrez, Cesar Frausto and top scorer Julian Cortina.
“I have to be flexible,” Davila said. “Time was not there to implement everything I had in mind, so it was a mix of both. Adapting to what I inherited, and mixing it up with my ideas.”
RETURN TO FORM
For Weslaco East coach David Cordero, getting the season back on track wasn’t about inserting new players or making some grand schematic changes. More than anything else, the key was getting the bounces that had once been going the other way.
After enduring three straight losses to open District 31-6A play, Weslaco East has won five consecutive games to get back in the heat of the playoff race.
“I think in the beginning, we were unlucky,” Cordero said. “Now, I guess the luck has just changed.”
Despite a last-place finish in the 2015 district standings, the Wildcats entered 2016 with a wealth of experience and a new confidence. Still, the start of the season didn’t go East’s way. A miscommunication led to the only goal in a 1-0 loss to Edinburg North. Against PSJA Memorial, two miscues in the first five minutes built too big of a hole. And against Economedes, the Jaguars’ game-winning goal ricocheted into the net off one of their own players.
“Now, we’re trying to eliminate those mistakes,” Cordero said. “The other teams are making those mistakes, because we’ve got the same players, but the game has changed completely.”
VALLEY-BOYS SOCCER TOP 10
Rank/Team
1, Brownsville Porter
2, Sharyland High
3, Valley View
4, Brownsville Veterans Memorial
5, McAllen High
6, Brownsville Hanna
7, Brownsville Lopez
8, Harlingen South
9, La Joya High
10, Weslaco East
VALLEY-GIRLS SOCCER TOP 10
Rank/Team
1, Sharyland High
2, Sharyland Pioneer
3, Los Fresnos
4, Brownsville Lopez
5, McAllen High
6, McAllen Memorial
7, Harlingen South
8, Edinburg Economedes
9, Brownsville Veterans Memorial
10, Brownsville Porter