BY NATE KOTISSO | THE MONITOR
EDINBURG — The Edinburg High Bobcats came into the 2017-18 season with a lot on their shoulders. Over the last three years, EHS’ resume includes a 28-win season and a district championship in 2016-17 but zero playoff wins. On top of that, the Bobcats were named the No. 1 team in RGVSports.com’s 2017-18 Preseason Top 10.
However, the discussion about the Bobcats these days isn’t about what they do on a basketball floor, but a dance floor.
The Bobcats were enjoying each other’s company during what the players call “Team Night” last Friday. During Team Night at senior Jayla Santa Maria’s house, the players typically shared a few laughs by engaging in a mock talent show. On this night, the Bobcats decided to recreate a dance-off scene from the 2004 film “White Chicks.”
“We just thought it was going to be a bunch of giggles and laughs,” Edinburg High freshman A’nnika Saenz said. “We’re usually so energetic during our Team Nights where we’d have these dance parties. It was supposed to be our little giggles thing.”
Saenz, along with Myra Olvera, Daysha Tijerina and the rest of her teammates, memorized the scene’s lines and choreography to a tee. The video was recorded and posted to Santa Maria’s Twitter account. The caption of the tweet read, “We aren’t your basic basketball team,” accompanied by a shrugging emoji and “#Bobcatbasketball.”
Through Thursday, Santa Maria’s video has been viewed more than 52,000 times in addition to being retweeted more than 650 times and liked more than 1,300 times.
“We just posted it because we thought it was funny,” Santa Maria said. “We finally put something together that reenacted the actual scene in the movie. I thought it would get a couple of retweets and a couple likes. We didn’t expect it to go the way that it did.”
The preseason expectations didn’t consume Edinburg High. The Bobcats (22-8) are a force once again armed with a 5-0 district record. EHS will travel to PSJA North (24-3, 5-0) in an important District 31-6A matchup at 7:30 tonight.
The video spoke volumes about the camaraderie of one of the Valley’s most talented teams.
“It doesn’t surprise me, because that’s the way the girls are,” Edinburg High coach J.D. Salinas said. “The girls are working hard, they’re doing interviews about the video, and then it’s right back to work. They have fun and joke around, but when we get down to working, they work hard.”