By STEFAN MODRICH, Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — Harlingen South coach Omar Pedroza said he felt the leaps some of his young players made enabled his Lady Hawks to surprise some around the Rio Grande Valley in the followup performance to the team’s 2019 playoff run to the University Interscholastic League Region IV-6A Tournament final.
But junior sweeper Korynne Reininger’s steady defensive play and ascendance into a leadership role surprised no one with any familiarity of this year’s South squad.
Reininger helped lead a unit of new defenders that conceded a mere 11 goals in District 32-6A play. She is The Valley Morning Star’s 2020 All-STAR Girls Soccer Defensive Player of the Year.
“I was honored and extremely humbled that I was picked,” Reininger said. “Because there are a lot of tough players and talented players in the district this year.”
At the start of the season, Reininger was equally humbled when she found out she was appointed a team captain.
“It took a lot to learn how to truly lead a team, and thankfully people in my life gave me great advice about leadership,” Reininger said. “I think by the end of the season — because my teammates were so coachable and adaptable — being a captain became second nature.”
Her coach credits Reininger as being quite versatile herself.
“She’s very smart,” Lady Hawks coach Omar Pedroza said. “She’s an outstanding player. She’s very talented. She’s the one who controls everything back there and tells everyone what to do defensively. She’s … such a good athlete. She’s gotten better and better every year. We needed help and for her to play at a higher level, and she was able to do that.”
Reininger thanked defensive teammates Hailey Danner, Dell Davis, Gabbi Martinez and Samantha Pitts for stepping up to form one of the Valley’s most imposing back lines.
“I have played sweeper since my freshman year of high school, and I have learned a lot about the position through the years,” Reininger said. “I knew that I was to be the voice in the back. But what made it easy to be the leader of the defense this year was that (my teammates) were all so coachable and open to making adjustments to anything the team needed. I was truly blessed to have such a coachable team this year, especially (on) defense.”
The Lady Hawks had ambitions of returning to the regional tournament and making another deep postseason campaign, but the COVID-19 coronavirus has shelved those plans for the foreseeable future.
This experience has taught Reininger to seize every opportunity “to play every game with your absolute best effort and with the most joy.”
But she also lamented the missed opportunity for the team’s young players to experience the playoffs, which was invaluable to her as a sophomore in 2019.
“You never know when your last game is,” Reininger said. “Sadly, our last game was the end of district (play) this year. South soccer thrives in the playoff atmosphere, and those experiences really help a team mature. The playoff experience would have been a great training ground for this team since we are relatively young and are comprised of a lot of underclassmen.”
During the past month, since the UIL suspended all athletic activities, she and her Lady Hawks teammates are trying to stay positive as they come to grips with the notion that their season may soon come to an official end.
“We are all safe but very anxious to get back to playing the game of soccer that we love,” Reininger said. “We have virtual group meetings to compensate for the lack of in-person social interaction.”
While Reininger and South were appreciative of last year’s memorable run for what it signified to the Valley and the rest of the state, she and her teammates were eager for a chance to make history in 2020.
“The great memories from last year set the standards for what a Rio Grande Valley team could do during playoffs,” Reininger said. “But in the end every year is new. You have a new team, and you have to almost forget about what happened last year. You have to prove each year that the team is a force to be reckoned with on the field.
“Making it to the Elite Eight definitely inspired our mindset for this year, but coming into this season the South girls’ soccer team knew that everything from last year was that team’s success and it was time to prove what we could do with this year’s team.”
In lieu of the chance to compete in the playoffs, capturing the team’s first district title in 11 years and being a part of Pedroza’s 500th career win were useful milestones to help keep the team motivated, and in retrospect serve as reminders of what the program has accomplished.
“(Pedroza’s 500th win) was a way to really celebrate success with this 2019-2020 team,” We love (Pedroza) and we are so proud of him, and all the accomplishments he has and continues to have to this day.”
Reininger thanked Pedroza and assistant coach Monica Silva, as well as Harlingen South boys coach Julian Robles and his staff for working with her to improve her vision of the field and to perfect her skills.
“Not only do they coach us, they care about us far beyond the soccer field,” Reininger said. “They want to see us succeed in life and are very proud of us in every individual accomplishment, too. The coaches set the tone for how the players on the team treat each other. The coaches have helped me evolve as a player mentally and physically through the tough drills and practices we have. … I can honestly say that I would not be where I am today without all the coaches I have had.”