FREDDY GONZALEZ | Staff Writer
The Rio Hondo boys’ soccer team is riding a wave of success this year. In their inaugural season, the Bobcats find themselves on top of District 31-4A with victories over Raymondville (7-3) and Brownsville IDEA Frontier (2-1).
In fact, the 2-0 Cats are far ahead of what is usually expected from a first-year team.
This week, the Bobcats face another tough challenge in La Feria, which is 1-1 in league play.
“The team is looking good and we have seen a lot of improvement from the beginning,” said Rio Hondo head soccer coach Candido Ochoa II. “The team’s work ethic is continuing to play hard and we’re ready for our big showdown this Friday against La Feria.
“This is the start to the season that I was hoping for and the kids have really come through. We had a hard workout today and we just have to continue to work hard to keep this going.”
A few notable standouts for the team are Jose Alas Meza, who leads the team with five goals in conference competition, goalkeeper John Salinas, Jimmy Weaver and Endi Gaytan.
RED ON A ROLL: After starting league play with a loss, the Harlingen Lady Cardinals have rattled off three consecutive wins since then.
With victories over Brownsville Rivera (3-0), Weslaco (2-0) and Weslaco East (4-3 in OT), the Lady Cardinals have moved into second place in District 32-6A, tied with the Harlingen South Lady Hawks at 3-1.
“The season has been going good,” said Harlingen head soccer coach Debra Hernandez. “We have been working really hard and we are looking forward to Friday’s game against Los Fresnos. We know that if we can at least contend with them then we have a chance, but for now we’re just taking it one game at a time.
“We have improved our communication on the field, and a lot more of our passion and team unity is starting to show compared to when we first started.”
Los Fresnos, which is 4-0, remains the team to beat in the conference. Harlingen South and Harlingen High are tied at 3-1, followed by Brownsville Rivera, Brownsville Hanna and Weslaco East at 2-2. Meanwhile, San Benito and Weslaco round out the standings at 0-4.