BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
Despite being confined to a boot by last month’s season-ending tendon tear, McAllen Rowe senior Deanna Spear on Tuesday had one last chance to appear in a match.
During the final home game of her Rowe career, against Mission High, Spear limped to the service line and sent the ball over to begin play. Although she never entered the court, Rowe won the point five-on-six.
“Knowing that she’s not going to be able to set foot on the court during the playoffs, for her, that was the world,” Rowe coach Magda Canales said.
Canales said she stood side-by-side with Spear on the corner of the serving area to ensure that the ball didn’t come her way.
After the Lady Warriors won the first point, Canales handed the ball back to Spear, who again sent it over the net. The second point went to the Lady Eagles, allowing Spear to sub out of the match.
“She teared up,” Canales said of the moment. “She didn’t say very much. She just said, ‘Thank you, coach,’ and she started crying. She hugged all of the other girls and the other seniors.”
Canales said she’d done this with another player, Jessica De Los Santos, when a similar injury situation arose about four years ago. On Tuesday, she cleared the move with the parents, medical staff, officials and opposing coaches.
Despite being unable to play, Spear still regularly attends practice and travels to road matches.
“She’s helping from the bench,” Canales said. “She’s not on the court, but she’s an active participant from the sidelines.”
Rowe went on to win the match 25-23, 25-20, 25-19. Coupled with McAllen High’s win against McAllen Memorial on the same night, the victory sets Rowe up to secure a District 30-6A title if it can avoid a colossal upset Saturday against La Joya High.
“For the kids, the seniors I have right now, it’s a huge accomplishment for them,” Canales said. “With it being senior night, and to top it off with news that we had a share of the district title, that was just amazing. That was a very good sight. I just sat down on the bleachers and enjoyed the kids celebrating. It’s huge.”
GEARING UP
When PSJA Memorial and Edinburg North meet at 4 p.m. Saturday, the Lady Wolverines will have a chance to force a three-way tie atop the District 31-6A standings.
“The mentality of the team right now is we’re going in guns blazing,” Memorial coach Angie Gonzales said. “We’re going to hustle on every play and not give up.”
If the Lady Wolverines win, then PSJA Memorial, Edinburg North and Edinburg High will all have two losses. The teams have split the two matchups with each other while sweeping the rest of the district.
Gonzales said she reviewed film from Memorial’s first meeting with North, a four-game loss, to come up with a slightly different approach.
The Lady Wolverines have also tweaked their lineup down the stretch, all the while focusing on communication. Gonzales called her team fearless, and said she’s only briefly discussed the pressure of playing in a big match. Last season, the Lady Wolverines finished outside the playoff picture at 5-7.
“They don’t get nervous,” Gonzales said. “They don’t feel too much pressure. They go out, they have fun, they enjoy the game, they savor the moment, and they play the best that they can.”
PLAYOFF PUSH
Grulla is in fifth place at 4-8 in District 32-4A, but the Lady Gators will have a match against fourth-place Rio Hondo on Saturday. A win would move Grulla into a fourth-place tie.
“We’re still trying to stay in the same routine,” coach Cita Jimenez said. “As far as handling pressure, we’ve done pretty good coming into it.”
Rio Hondo took the teams’ first matchup in three games, but Grulla played that match on the road and with key player Delma Ozuna still recovering from an ankle injury.
“Now, she’s coming in a little more confident,” Jimenez said.
RGVSports.com Top 10
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