By FREDDY GONZALEZ
Staff Writer
Rio Hondo’s Alas-Meza named Valley Morning’s All-STAR MVP of the year
Often described as a “once in a generation” type of soccer player, Rio Hondo’s Jose Alas Meza is a dynamic player with strength, speed and a great shot on goal. A lethal combination that helped the senior score 36 goals for the Bobcats this season, and a second trip to the playoffs. His efforts on the field did not go unnoticed as the senior was selected the district’s MVP.
For his prowess on the pitch, Alas Meza was also selected as this year’s Valley Morning Star’s All-STAR MVP.
“He has a certain quality to his play and it seems as if the game just slows down for him,” said Rio Hondo head coach Candido Ochoa. “He sees the next move before his opponent does. That combined with his speed and the fact that he gave it his all in every game is the reason why I think he was named the district’s MVP.”
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Q: What does it mean to you to be named this year’s MVP?
JOSE: I just have to say thank you to all the coaches for not giving up on this program and for making it possible for us to play the sport that we love; even though some people were against it, at the end thank you for making it possible. I feel honored to be named the MVP, because like my mom says “hard work, pays off” and I always try to give it my all on the field and never look down on the opponent.
Q: Your school just recently (last season) started a soccer program, what does it mean to you to actually have a chance to represent Rio Hondo on the pitch?
JOSE: It’s an honor to be one of the first ones to represent Rio Hondo soccer. It started as a club and we grew together and became a strong team with a lot of talent. I just want them to remember the first ones that made this possible for the rest. And even though we didn’t accomplish anything, we had fun and that’s all the matters.
Q: It’s your senior season what are you going to miss the most from your high school career?
JOSE: This season was one to remember. Being so close to winning the district title is something that I really wanted with all my strengths, but sometimes things don’t work out how we want them to. I’m going to miss my friends, friends that were always there to cheer me up. I wish you guys the best of luck and remember to always work hard because hard work pays off.
Q: What was the most memorable part of the season for you?
JOSE: I don’t have a certain memorable part because I loved the entire season. From the practices outside to those games at night, I love soccer and I am always going to have Rio Hondo in my heart.
San Benito’s Sierra earns All-STAR DPOY nod, South’s Torres grabs Newcomer award
San Benito’s Alan Sierra was selected as this year’s Valley Morning Star All-STAR Defensive Player of the Year. The senior was dominating force for the Greyhounds’ defensive backline and was acknowledged as a District 32-6A first team player.
Sierra and company helped San Benito to a 6-8 district record, nearly edging out Harlingen for the final playoff spot, but unfortunately the team fell to the Cardinals 2-1 in the final game of the year.
“Sierra is a great leader on and off the field,” said San Benito coach William Huerta. “He is the type of person that always strives to better himself as a student and athlete by studying hard and practicing hard. He is a true team leader which is why he was a captain for the 2017-2018 season. His great work ethic will give him a great future.”
HARLINGEN SOUTH’S LEO TORRES
Harlingen South’s Leo Torres may be humble, shy and not smile much, but the freshman’s talent was on full display all season long for the Hawks. Torres’ flashes of brilliance brought smiles to many Hawk soccer fans and made opponents take notice.
His efforts did not go unnoticed as the freshman was named District 32-6A’s Newcomer of the Year and this year’s Valley Morning Star’s All-STAR Newcomer of the Year.
“Leo had solid games against every team in the district,” said Harlingen South head coach Julian Robles. “Leo’s work offensively and defensively on the field as a true freshman is uncommon. He is a very talented player with a commitment to work hard and improve.”
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ALAN SIERRA, Senior
Q: What does it mean to you to be named Defensive Player of the Year?
ALAN: Being named Defensive Player of the Year means a lot to me. It motivates me to be a better defensive player everyday. It also means that all the effort the coaches put on us was worth it at the end and I’m very thankful for that.
Q: As a defensive player who’s the toughest player you’ve had to cover?
ALAN: As a defensive player the toughest player I’ve had to cover is the forward player from Brownsville Rivera (#11). I believe his name is Julian.
Q: Is there a pro athlete that you model your game after?
ALAN: There are honestly a lot of pro athletes that are really defenders, for example Carlos Puyol from Barcelona. He was a really amazing defender, but I honestly play what my mind tells me to do. I play in my own proper technique.
Q: What are you going to miss the most from your senior season?
ALAN: From my senior season, what I’m going to miss the most is the feeling of victory we had every time we would win a game. I know it was product of each of our efforts so we could come out with the win.
Q: Where is the craziest or most interesting place that you have played a game of soccer at?
ALAN: I believe the most interesting place I have played was at El Salvador. I remember how we used to play with a soccer ball made out of plastic which cost us like 35 cents.
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LEO TORRES, Freshman
Q: What does it mean to you to be named newcomer of the year?
LEO: Being selected as newcomer of the year means that all the hard work and dedication I put into Harlingen South’s soccer program and into my team made a difference. It also showed me that I still need to continue to work hard and improve myself further.
Q: You’re a freshman, what was the hardest part of adapting to the varsity game?
LEO: Physically, at the start of the season I wasn’t at the same level as my opponents. I noticed this because, despite my efforts, I was struggling to keep up with the level of play. But after the first couple of scrimmages, I realized the level I would need to play at to make a difference on the field.
Q: What is something that sticks out in your mind when you think of your first season?
LEO: When reflecting on my first season, one thing that comes to mind is when our coach sat us down and showed us what it took and what we had to change to be on varsity. This changed my mindset and pushed me to practice harder and better myself overall.
Cardinals land two players on the All-STAR team
The Harlingen Cardinal soccer program had a year to remember this season. After defeating their cross-town rivals, Harlingen South, for the first time in years, the Cardinals went on to clinch their first playoff berth in a decade after a nail-biting regular-season finale game against San Benito. For their successful 2018 season the Cardinals landed two players on the Valley Morning Star’s All-STAR team including Coach of the year Johnny Guillen.
Junior Jesus Berlanga was named Offensive Player of the Year while teammate Jacob Garza took home Utility Player of the Year. Together the duo helped guide the Cardinals to one of their most successful seasons in recent memory.
“Jesus is a game changer,” said Guillen. He is a player that teams have to prepare for. He led the team in goals and is a very competitive player. He is not just a goal scorer but gives his teammates the assists needed to be successful. He can run the midfield on his own and has the mentality that he will do wherever is needed to help the team be successful. He is very quiet person and lets his play on the field represent what type of athlete he is.
“Jacob is also a great all around athlete. He started at every position except goalie this year. He was one of the team’s captains as a sophomore. He’s just a great leader. He is also the kicker for the varsity football team, and he excels in the classroom as well. He is very humble and leads by example.”
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JESUS BERLANGA, junior
Q: What does it mean to you to be named Offensive Player of the year?
JESUS: It means a lot to be awarded this award and it also feels great to have accomplished something for the sport I love to play.
Q: This season was one of the best in recent memory for the Harlingen Cardinals, what made this season special?
JESUS: All the hard work we put in and all the fun we had made this year so special.
Q: You’re a junior, what are you going to do to improve your game in the off season?
JESUS: I’m going to start by learning how to rely on my teammates more and learn to communicate more.
Q: From this memorable season, which moment sticks out the most for you?
JESUS: The moment that sticks out the most to me would be when we beat the Harlingen South Hawks. It means a lot to me because it was something that hasn’t been done in years.
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JACOB GARZA, sophomore
Q: What does it mean to you to be named this year’s Utility player of the year?
JACOB: Being named utility player of the year means a lot to me. I feel proud of myself for achieving this great accomplishment.
Q: As a sophomore what do you plan on working on during the off season?
JACOB: This off season I plan on gaining more stamina. I want to be able to finish the game the same way I started and to accomplish that is tough in this sport.
Q: The Harlingen Cardinals had a great season, what was the team’s defining moment that turned things around?
JACOB: At one point during the preseason we all started to trust each other on the field of play and to me that turned things around for Cardinal soccer because trust was a big problem in the past.
Q: As everybody knows the World Cup starts in two weeks, who do you think will win and why?
JACOB: Brazil because they got dominate players for their starting 11 and they also have so much experience in the World Cup.