By MARK MOLINA | The Brownsville Herald
Coming into this season, it had been 10 years since the Hanna Lady Golden Eagles had qualified for the state playoffs, and coach Luis Gonzalez knew he and his squad had what it took to end the drought.
Gonzalez and company would do just that, posting a 26-11 overall record en route to fourth-place finish in District 32-6A and the program’s first playoff berth since 2009.
For that reason, Gonzalez has been named The Brownsville Herald’s 2019 All-Metro Coach of the Year.
Earning the postseason accolade was a humbling experience for Gonzalez.
“ It is a great honor to be named coach of the year, especially in the area; I could name so many great coaches for both boys and girls,” he said. “It’s a great honor, but to be honest, it has nothing to do with me. It’s about my assistant coaches, especially coach (Paul) Penrod, who has been with me since Day 1, my family for their love and support that they’ve given me, and especially my teammates, because they’re the ones who compete.
“ Also the administration here at Hanna and coach (Mark) Guess,” Gonzalez added. “Finally, the entire Hanna athletic staff; we’re like a family here. We’re always supporting each other. They come to our games, and we go to theirs. I think we need all those puzzles to be working together to have a playoff team, and that’s exactly what we have here at Hanna.”
While Gonzalez was cheering on his team and drawing up plays, the players took notice at the work he put in as well.
Senior standout Mia Paz said Gonzalez has been one biggest reasons why she has enjoyed her time with the program.
“ I’m glad I played at Hanna because if I didn’t, I don’t think I’d have the same relationship that I have with Coach Gonzalez,” Paz said. “He earned (the award), and I’m so proud of him. He works hard for us, he’s never missed a practice and he’s always there on time.”
Like Paz, the players bought in to Gonzalez and the program, but rounding into a playoff team took some time, though it was a process Gonzalez enjoyed.
“ It was exciting because I’ve been here five years and we haven’t had success as far as playoffs,” Gonzalez said. “We were knocking on the door, and this year we were lucky enough to get in. I knew we had the talent at the beginning of the season, but they had to build the trust and work hard.”
After coming out hot and getting to 20 wins early in the season, Hanna ran into a bump, losing four straight games during the first round of district, including a 48-38 loss at San Benito.
Hanna rebounded, going 3-2 during the final five games, including a 38-36 win at Harlingen South to secure a playoff spot.
Gonzalez said it was after the San Benito loss that he and his team battled adversity.
It was adversity that ultimately brought them together.
“ These girls expected to win without working hard,” Gonzalez said. “After that game, I got together and came up with a plan because we weren’t going to let each other down more than anything. We lost, but these girls continued to work hard to achieve the goal of making the playoffs.”