BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
Entering the final week of the regular season, senior Diego Sanchez and the Edinburg North boys soccer team are close to capturing the District 31-6A title.
At 9-1, North has 25 points with two games remaining. The only team that can catch the Cougars is PSJA North, which has 23 points but only one game left on the schedule.
Edinburg North next plays Tuesday against PSJA Memorial — a team desperate for a win to move into playoff position.
“We can say this is the hardest game of the season, because we’re both looking for something,” Edinburg North coach Elias Moran said. “They’re looking for that fourth place in the playoffs, and we’re looking for that district championship.”
Moran said ball control and clock management have been the biggest keys to the Cougars’ success. With numerous players in their second or third year on varsity, North has become smarter about handling game situations.
Sanchez is the team’s captain and leading scorer, with about 8 goals in district play and 24 overall.
“Teams tend to put two or three kids shadowing him the whole time,” Moran said. “He’s a very smart player. … He’s been carrying the team all this season.”
Sanchez has proven to be multi-talented, adding double-digit assists to his team-leading goal total. He can take defenders one-on-one with speed, score off of free kicks or set up teammates with crosses after playing as a winger last season, Moran said.
CHIEFS ARE CHAMPS
After starting the District 32-5A season with a loss to Brownsville Porter, the Donna North Lady Chiefs ripped off 11 consecutive wins to secure a district title.
North pulled out a 2-1 win on Monday and officially clinched when PSJA Southwest beat Edcouch-Elsa 2-1 in PKs on Tuesday.
“That was always one of our goals,” Donna North coach Tony Garcia said. “We’re fortunate to have the type of athletes we have at Donna North. … We’re happy. We’re very, very happy.”
Garcia said the team refocused and rededicated after the early loss, and the commitment has shown in the results. He feels the Lady Chiefs are entering the playoffs at their best.
“You always want to hit that peak and then carry it on,” Garcia said. “Approach the playoff season as another stepping stone, and I feel the girls are ready for that playoff scenario.”
PLAYOFF PICTURE
The McAllen Memorial Lady Mustangs had their District 30-6A title put on hold with a 2-1 loss to McAllen High on Friday.
The defeat is the Lady Mustangs’ first of the district season, meaning the team will still win the title outright if it can get by La Joya Palmview or Mission High this week.
The Sharyland High girls have clinched the outright District 31-5A title, and the boys will do the same if they can defeat 1-10 Rio Grande City on Tuesday.
The District 31-6A girls title will likely be decided on Friday, when Edinburg North faces Edinburg Economedes.
Soccer standings through March 14
X – denotes playoff qualifier
Boys
District 30-6A
District
Team W L Pts
McAllen High-x 9 2 27
La Joya Palmview 7 3 21
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 6 4 19
Mission High 5 5 15
La Joya High 5 5 15
McAllen Memorial 4 6 11
McAllen Rowe 0 11 0
District 31-6A
District
Team W L Pts
Edinburg North-x 9 1 25
PSJA North-x 8 3 23
Edinburg Economedes-x 5 5 17
Edinburg High 6 4 15
PSJA Memorial 4 7 13
Weslaco East 2 8 7
Weslaco High 2 8 7
District 32-6A
District
Team W L Pts
Brownsville Rivera-x 13 0 39
Brownsville Hanna-x 10 3 30
Brownsville Lopez-x 7 6 22
Brownsville Veterans-x 7 6 22
Harlingen South 5 8 14
San Benito 4 9 12
Los Fresnos 3 10 9
Harlingen High 3 10 8
District 31-6A
District
Team W L Pts
Sharyland High-x 10 1 30
Valley View-x 9 2 27
Sharyland Pioneer-x 7 5 21
Edcinburg Vela-x 6 5 17
Roma 4 7 13
Mission Veterans 2 9 6
Rio Grande City 1 10 3
District 32-5A
District
Team W L Pts
Brownsville Porter-x 12 0 35
PSJA Southwest-x 8 4 26
Donna North 7 5 20
Brownsville Pace 7 5 20
Donna High 6 6 18
Mercedes 5 7 15
PSJA High 1 11 4
Edcouch-Elsa 2 10 6
District 31-4A
District
Team W L Pts
Hidalgo-x 6 1 18
Grulla-x 6 1 18
Zapata-x 3 4 9
Monte Alto 2 5 6
Raymondville 0 6 0
District 32-4A
District
Team W L Pts
Progreso-x 7 1 21
Port Isabel-x 4 4 14
IDEA Frontier-x 3 5 7
La Feria-x 2 6 6
Girls
District 30-6A
District
Team W L Pts
McAllen High-x 9 2 28
McAllen Memorial-x 9 1 27
McAllen Rowe-x 7 4 20
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 5 5 13
La Joya Palmview 3 7 10
Mission High 3 7 10
La Joya High 0 10 0
District 31-6A
District
Team W L Pts
Edinburg North-x 10 0 30
Edcinburg Economedes-x 9 1 27
PSJA Memorial 5 6 16
Edinburg High 6 4 16
Weslaco High 4 6 12
Weslaco East 2 8 7
PSJA North 0 11 0
District 32-6A
District
Team W L Pts
Brownsville Hanna-x 11 2 32
Los Fresnos-x 11 2 31
Harlingen South-x 10 3 30
Brownsville Lopez-x 8 5 25
Brownsville Rivera 5 8 16
Harlingen High 3 10 10
Brownsville Veterans 3 10 9
San Benito 1 12 3
District 31-5A
District
Team W L Pts
Sharyland High-x 11 0 33
Sharyland Pioneer-x 10 2 30
Edcinburg Vela-x 7 4 21
Roma-x 5 6 14
Mission Veterans 3 8 10
Valley View 3 8 9
Rio Grande City 0 11 0
District 32-5A
District
Team W L Pts
Donna North-x 11 1 32
Edcouch-Elsa 9 3 25
Brownsville Pace 8 4 24
PSJA Southwest 7 5 22
Brownsville Porter 7 5 21
Donna High 4 8 13
PSJA High 1 11 4
Mercedes 1 11 3
District 31-4A
District
Team W L Pts
Hidalgo-x 5 0 15
Raymondville-x 3 2 8
Grulla-x 2 3 7
Monte Alto-x 0 5 0
District 32-4A
District
Team W L Pts
La Feria-x 10 0 30
Progreso-x 7 3 21
Port Isabel-x 6 4 18
Rio Hondo-x 4 5 12
Lyford 1 8 4
IDEA Frontier 1 9 2