2016 HSSM March Issue

Soccer State Tournament Golf State Tournament April 13-16th April 25-28th Georgetown, Texas Austin, Texas

Special Edition

March 21, 2016

Two-Time Defending 5A State Champions Lancaster HS defeats Sabercats 79-58

>Edinburg Vela Sabercats Makes History

Competes in UIL State 5A Basketball Semifinals...

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High School Sports Magazine/March 21, 2016

04 Top-Ranked 24 Final Sabercats

Edinburg Vela Basketball team makes first UIL 5A State Tournament.

Standings

Take a look at the final boys and girls basketball standings.

19 Basketball 28 Baseball More Games

State Bid?

Boys teams advance in the University Interscholastic League State playoffs.

Which teams will make it to the UIL State Tournament in 2016?

21 OnThe

37 Reaching

High School Coaches show their coaching reactions on gamedays. HSSM captures the moment.

The 2016 Soccer Playoffs begins with Porter, McAllen, Valley View, Sharyland teams to watch.

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16

HSSM

Goals

Soccer State Tournament Golf State Tournament April 13-16th April 25-28th Georgetown, Texas Austin, Texas

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March 21, 2016

Teamwork Pays Off for Edinburg Vela HS Boys Basketball team.

26 HSSM

March Madness!

At Edinburg HS, students showed their spirit in the UIL State Basketball playoffs. (HSSMIMages/Alec Amador) Founded in 1995

FINAL Polls

Guess which team finished ranked No.1 in Boys and Girls Basketball.

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High School Sports Magazine, L. L.C.

Special Edition

Two-Time Defending 5A State Champions Lancaster HS defeats Sabercats 79-58

>Edinburg Vela Sabercats Makes History

Competes in UIL State 5A Basketball Semifinals...

OnTheCover Edinburg Vela HS Alec De La Cruz against Lancaster HS Nate Morris

For more on UIL State Playoffs

Edinburg Vela HS Ryan Garza looks up at the final score after their loss to Lancaster in the U.I.L. State 5A Semifinals as his teammates received

HSSM Basket

their semifinal medals.

No Other High School from the Rio Grande Valley has done it faster...The Sabercats did it within four years, after it opened its campus to make it to the UIL State Basketball Semifinals.

High School Sports Magazine/March 21, 2016

Edinburg Vela’s ro

Makin

tball State Basketball Playoffs/ UIL State 5A Semifinals Special Section Road To Final Four

See Story Next Page

ng History!

Team Opponents

By David A. Amador HSSM Sportswriter

Team Roster

oad to the Final Four...

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HSSM Basketball State Basketball Playoffs

Texas-Size! Lancaster HS Nate Morris (6’10”) towered senior, Edinburg Vela HS Luis Salinas at the UIL 5A State Basketball Semifinals on Thursday, March 10th. (HSSMImages/Alec Amador)

UIL State 5A Boys Basketball Tournament March 10-12th Alamodome, San Antonio

(San Antonio, Tx)-Edinburg Vela High School head basketball coach Lalo Rios knew that his team had one chance to experience the opportunity of a lifetime in 2016. He also believed that his Sabercats could take another step further by making it to the University Interscholastic League Basketball Tournament this season. “I told our team that we could make it to the state tournament as one team,” says Rios. That one team went all the way to play to the 2015 State 5A defending champions, Lancaster High School Tigers. March Madness had begun.

The Road to the Final Four started on November 17th with a win over La Joya Palmview High School with the Sabercats winning 62-48 but Rios would see that win end with a loss two days later against 26-6A San Antonio Roosevelt 57-55 at the North East ISD Basketball Tournament on November 19th. The Rough Riders ended their season 14-15 and missed the playoffs.

That loss spark a 17-game winning streak with impressive wins over Los Fresnos (71-65), Weslaco (55-50), Laredo Alexander (73-59), including Santa Rosa High School (90-56). These four teams also made the state playoffs, including Santa Rosa’s ride to the State 3A Regional finals, before losing to Aransas Pass 68-67. As a matter of fact, the

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Congratulations UIL State 5A Semifinalist!

6 High School Sports Magazine/March 21, 2016

The Road to the UIL State Tournament

We Made It! Edinburg Vela High School became the first 5A and 6A school to compete in the UIL State Basketball Tournament from the Rio Grande Valley. Pictured are junior guard from Vela HS Chris Ochoa (left) defended by Lancaster HS Darius Anderson. Sabercats senior, Hector Ruiz dribbles against Lancaster HS Ike Durham. (HSSMImages/Alec Amador)

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I told our team that we could make it to the state tournament as one team...

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Lalo Rios-Edinburg Vela H.S. Head Coach

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At the Alamodome-San Antonio, Texas! Lancaster HS Darius Anderson is pressured by Edinburg Vela HS Ryan Garza and Luis Salinas in the 5A State Semifinals on Thursday, March 10th.

(HSSMImages/Alec Amador)

High School Sports Magazine/March 21, 2016

The Road to the UIL State Tournament

UIL 5A Region IV Champions! Edinburg Vela High School (35-3) from District 31-5A defeated 29-5A Laredo Nixon High School (30-8) 58-48 at the Blossom Athletic Complex in San Antonio, Texas to advance to the 2016 UIL State 5A Basketball Semifinals. Pictured are (left) junior guard, Carlos Azubell going up against Mustang senior, Hector Castillo.

In middle photo, Ryan Garza is blocked by Rolando Ramos from Nixon HS; Sabercats Hector Ruiz dribbles past Jerry Garcia. (HSSMImages/Alec Amador) Road to the Final Four included 23 wins out of the 35 won, against teams that made it to the UIL State playoffs in 2016. “We played a tough schedule,”says Rios. “Our team was determined to get back to the UIL State 5A Region IV Tournament.”

The Sabercats played fearlessly throughout their season, scoring a season high 2,973 points in thirty-eight games, avergaing 78 points per game, while allowing just 54.0 points to its opponents. “That’s a lot of points scored,” added Rios. “I told our players that we needed to be strong on offense.” It was much stronger than what Rios talks about. He rotated sixteen players throughout each game with fiveman rotations. This stragedy paid off by wearing down opponents like McAllen (79-40), Harlingen (76-41), Sharyland (94-54), and Sharyland Pioneer Pioneer (100-69).

The Edinburg Vela HS Sabercats lived by their own stats too. De-

spite playing with only one player, which stood just 6’4”, Rios made sure that his tallest player would make a difference on gamedays.

Senior Luis Salinas led the team with almost 6.0 rebounds per game as the Sabercats netted almost 37.0 total rebounds per night. On offense, the Sabercats were just as strong. Led by juniors Ryan Garza (18.5 ppg) and Alec De La Cruz (14.0 ppg), the Sabercats ran wild throughout the season by breaking the ninety-mark, nine times. Senior Hector Ruiz (17.0 ppg) also made sure that his young team on the court would work hard throughout the weeks leading up to the playoffs. In thirty-games played, the Sabercats made 49% of their shots, with Ruiz nailing 78 3-pointers to lead his team.

In District 31-5A, the Sabercats won the title with a perfect 12-0 record and a second straight district title as well. The Sabercats have posted an impressive 35-5 in district play for the past three seasons.

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High School Sports Magazine

UIL 5A Region IV Semifinals Champions! Edinburg Vela High School (35-3) from District 31-5A defeated 27-5A Alamo Heights High School (24-10) 68-60 at the Blossom Athletic Complex in San Antonio, Texas to advance to the 2016 UIL State 5A Basketball Region IV Finals. Pictured are Alamo Heights HS sophomore forward, Evan Carcanagues getting tangled with Edinburg Vela HS Mike Garcia.

Tough Defense displayed by Sabercats as they defeated the Mules.

(HSSMImages/Alec Amador)

High School Sports Magazine/March 21, 2016

The Road to the UIL State Tournament Oh, So Sweet! Edinburg Vela High School (35-3) from District 31-5A, led by Ryan Garza, defeated 30-5A Victoria East High School 61-41 at Texas A&M Kingsville to advance to the 2016 UIL State 5A Basketball Region IV Tournament.

(HSSMImages/Alec Amador)

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The Road to State!

Opponents- Team

La Joya Palmview San An tonio Roosevelt San Antonio McCollum SA Northside Jay SA MacArthur Santa Maria HS Bro Veterans Memorial Mission Edinburg North Laredo Alexander La Joya Palmview McAllen PSJA Southwest St. Joe Academy Harlingen Los Fresnos Weslaco PSJA Southwest Santa Rosa McAllen Rowe Sharyland Pioneer Valley View Rio Grande City Mission Veterans Sharyland Roma Sharyland Pioneer Valley View Rio Grande City Mission Veterans Sharyland Roma

62-48 55-57L 66-44 78-71 39-26 82-30 67-61 82-49 65-54 73-59 77-55 79-40 86-45 65-45 76-41 71-65 55-50 85-38 90-56 65-66L 100-69 84-44 93-69 100-56 94-54 100-63 81-50 72-42 92-48 94-57 73-49 88-54

Jacob Morin Noah Sekinger Trey Chavana Carlos Azubell Alex Cisneros Ryan Garza Chris Ochoa Hector Ruiz Jesus Salas Jr. Alec De La Cruz John Rodriguez Michael Garcia Enrique Arrendondo Robert Arevalo Luis Salinas Vincent Olivarez

Sr Fr So Jr Sr Jr Jr Sr Sr Jr Sr Sr Jr Sr Sr So

Coaches Lalo Rios, Nicolas Lopez, Josue Sanchez, Patrick Shelby, Adan Moraida, Vito Chavana The UIL Playoffs Bro Porter 107-62 CC Flour Bluff 74-65 Victoria East 61-41 Alamo Heights 68-60 Laredo Nixon 58-48 5A State Semifinals

Lancaster HS 58-79L

Managers, Trainers, Statisticians Samuel Eureste, Noah Chavana, Joe Solis The Road To State Begins. Edinburg Vela High School (35-3) from District 31-5A defeated 32-5A Brownsville Porter 107-62 in the first round of the State 5A playoffs. (Top photo) Vincent Olivarez goes for two points as (bottom photo) Trey Chavana guards a Cowboys opponent. (HSSMImages/Alec Amador)

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The Road to the UIL State Tournament

Fist-Clinching Win! Going to State! Edinburg Vela High School (35-3) from District 31-5A proudly holds the 2016 UIL State 5A Basketball Region IV Chamnpionship trophy after defeating Laredo Nixon.

Sabercats head coach Lalo Rios cheers on. (HSSMImages/Alec Amador) “Our players work hard in the classroom and during practice,” says Rios. “They are dedicated.”

The playoffs started out with a Class 5A Region IV Bi-District title win over Brownsville Porter (107-62) from District 32-5A and a few days later, the Sabercats knocked off Corpus Christi Flour Bluff 7465 in the area finals. In the third round, Rios crinched his fists again as they defeated Victoria East 61-41 to record their second straight UIL 5A Region IV Tournament appearance. Wins over Alamo Heights and Laredo Nixon in the Region IV Tournament brought tears and plenty of emotions for Rios. At the UIL State 5A Basketball Semifinals, the Sabercats were paired against the defending state champions, Lancaster (36-2) Tigers. The Sabercats lost that day, but for Ryan Garza, he just stood proud as his principal Sylvia Ledesma placed the medal around his neck. “We’ll be back. This was great,” said Garza.

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Once the game was over, Edinburg Vela High School head basketball coach Lalo Rios immediately, went into the tunnels of the Alamodome looking for the one person that he wanted to hug the most, his wife. “She’s my rock,” says Rios, as he cried. “I am what I am today, because of her.” Those are the playoff moments that HSSM enjoys being part of the most. It’s the hard work that these coaches put in throughout the seasons, dealing with all sorts of adversity, win or lose. It’s a long, tough, road to get to the UIL State Championships.

It’s called team work.

Teamwork Pays Off.

2016 5A University Interscholastic League’s Semifinalist! The Edinburg Vela H.S. Sabercats Basketball head coach Lalo Rios pictured with his wife (Deborah) and Superintendent, Dr. Rene Gutierrez with principal Sylvia Ledesma, and athletic coordinator, Michael Salinas. (HSSMIMages/Alec Amador)

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Edcouch-Elsa YellowJackets 32-5A

Edcouch-Elsa Lady Jackets 2016 Bi-District Finalist www.eeisd.org Edcouch-Elsa ISD Athletic Director Christian Navarro

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Edcouch-Elsa High School Principal Miguel Castillo Edcouch-Elsa ISD Superintendent Dr. Richard Rivera

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HSSM Basketball State Basketball Playoffs

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The Playoffs. McAllen Nikki Rowe lost to Laredo Alexander in the Class 6A Region IV Quarterfinals. Alex Keith attempts to block Bulldog player, Marco Pena. (HSSMIMages/Montalvo)

McAllen Rowe Surprises; McAllen Memorial Ends State Title Run.

(McAllen, Texas)-Anytime a team defeats the Class 5A State Semifinalist (Edinburg Vela), and then loses to the Class 6A Region IV Finalist, Laredo United in the regular season, head coach Jose Yebra from McAllen Nikki Rowe can only smile when he looks at his young Warrior team. “We should only get better,” says Yebra. And he’s right too. The Warriors will have a nucleus of eight grade basketball players with plenty of height and experience from playing travelingleague ball.

In the playoffs, the Warriors upset District 31-6A champions, Weslaco High School in the area playoffs 65-55 before falling to 29-6A Laredo Alexander in the regional quarterfinals 73-53. Two other teams from McAllen also made the playoffs and fared well too. The McAllen Bulldogs, coached

by Ryan Flores lost to Laredo United in the first round while the McAllen Memorial Mustangs (27-7), District 30-6A Champions, also went three rounds like the Warriors before losing to, yes, United 52-44. All three McAllen schools lost to Laredo United in 2016.

One other team faring well in the playoffs were the Santa Rosa Warriors from District 32-3A. The Warriors, led by head coach Juan Cipriano, lost a heart-breaking, last shot heave, to Aransas Pass 68-67 from half court in the Class 3A Region IV Finals. One game away from qualifying for the UIL State Tournament. “That was heart-breaking. Words cannot explain how this feels,” said Cipriano. Despite being a small school with less than 300 students, the Warriors played Edinburg Vela (56-90), CC Moody (74-77), Edinburg North (61-66), and Brownsville Veterans (68-71). All nondistrict losses. All playoff teams.

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5A Bi-District Champions. Sharyland Pioneer High School, playing in its second season, made it to the UIL State Basketball Playoffs for the first time in school history under head coach Rene Gonzalez. The Pioneer Diamondbacks finished in second place from District 31-5A. In the playoffs, the Diamondbacks defeated PSJA 67-53 to win the bi-district title before falling to Corpus Christi Miller in the second round. Pictured are Pioneer players (left) Jorge Suarez and Michael Madrigal in their game against Corpus Christi Miller. Both players return next season. (HSSMIMages/Alec Amador)

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Mercedes HS

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Edinburg North HS

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McAllen HS

Jose Yebra

McAllen Nikki Rowe

Dale Whitaker

Sharyland HS

Zeke Cuellar

Edinburg HS

HSSM captures the frustrations, dedicated, competitive, head basketball coaches on the courtside at various games throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Coaches love this game of basketball and spend countless of hours with their teams to prepare for Gameday. Their expressions tells it all. (HSSMImages/Alec Amador)

ASHLEY MONCIVAIZ In her first two seasons, the Harlingen High School second-year head basketball coach has led the Lady Cardinals to the UIL State Girls Basketball playoffs. Most recently, she also led them to a perfect District 32-6A season, capturing back-to-back district titles. She has been named Coach of the Year twice. She also led the Lady Cardinals to the State 6A Region IV Quarterfinals Basketball Championships. (HSSMImages/File)

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Charging Chargers. The 32-6A runner-up, Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers (29-7) defeated Edinburg in the Class 6A Bi-District Championships 51-38. In the second round, the Chargers lost to Laredo United 51-29 to end their season. Pictured are Veteran Memorial players, Aaron Villareal (2) and Jermiah Meyers blocking out freshmen, from Edinburg HS, Matthew Cruz. (HSSMIMages/Alec Amador)

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Basketball State HEAD COACH: HSSM ZEKE RODRIGUEZ

Basketball Playoffs

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Tough Loss. The 31-6A Champions, Weslaco High School lost to 30-6A runner-up, McAllen Nikki Rowe in the second round of the UIL State 6A playoffs 65-55. “We just played flat,” said head coach Gabe Valdez. (HSSMIMages/Alec Amador)

Boys

Standings

District 32-5A Overall Brownsville Pace** 22-10 Mercedes* 20-13 PSJA* 14-21 Bro Porter* 14-16 Donna 8-16 Edcouch-Elsa 12-21 PSJA Southwest 5-19 Donna North 6-22

Region IV-Rio Grande Valley 21, 2016 AsMarch of Decemeber 26, 2015

District 30-6A Overall 25-5 12-0 McAllen Mem** 24-10 10-2 McAllen Rowe* La Joya Palmview* 18-16 6-6 16-16 4-8 McAllen 13-18 4-8 La Joya HS LJ Juarez-Lincoln 8-14 4-8 6-24 2-10 Mission HS

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District 31-6A Weslaco** Edinburg North* Edinburg* Weslaco East* PSJA North PSJA Memorial Economedes

Overall 26-7 11-1 25-9 10-2 16-13 7-5 22-11 7-5 17-15 5-7 2-20 1-11 8-22 1-11

District 32-6A Overall 27-7 Los Fresnos** Bro Veterans Mem* 26-6 22-7 Harlingen South* 19-13 Harlingen* Brownsville Hanna 13-19 Brownsville Rivera 13-19 Brownsville Lopez 11-21 6-21 San Benito HS

High School Sports Magazine/March 21, 2016

13-1 10-4 10-4 8-6 7-7 5-9 2-12 1-13

Dist 13-1 11-3 9-5 8-6 7-7 5-9 4-10 0-14

District 31-5A Overall 30-2 Edinburg Vela** Sharyland Pioneer* 21-11 19-16 Valley View* 14-18 Roma* 8-25 Sharyland HS 18-17 MissionVets 10-23 RioGrande City

Dist 12-0 9-3 6-6 6-6 4-8 3-9 1-11

District 32-4A La Feria** Hidalgo* Rio Hondo* Zapata* Grulla Progreso Port Isabel Raymondville

Overall 25-9 21-12 16-11 10-12 16-12 12-17 8-23 6-27

District 32-3A Overall 22-8 Santa Rosa** 12-10 Monte Alto* 21-12 Lyford* Brownsville Frontier* 10-16 0-13 Edinburg IDEA

Dist 12-2 11-3 10-4 8-6 8-6 5-9 2-12 1-13

District 32-2A Overall Dist Santa Maria** 24-7 12-0 19-13 10-2 San Isidro* 22-8 8-4 San Perlita* 11-17 5-8 La Villa* 8-12 4-8 Bruni 4-15 2-10 Lasara Rivera Kaufer 2-16 1-11

Dist 8-0 5-2 4-4 2-6 0-8

Overall Scoring Leaders L. Lara Santa Rosa 23.4 A. Cantu Edinburg 22.1 J. Salinas LJ Palmview 20.9 De La Cruz Los Fres 19.2 D. Gonzalez Bro Lopez 19.1 L. Garica San Isidro 18.8 A. Alanis LJ Palmview 17.0

HSSM Basketball State Playoffs

Rebound. The 30-6A Champions, McAllen Memorial High School Mustangs defeated Edinburg North High School in the Class 6A Area Championships. Johnathon Sanchez grabs a rebound for the Mustangs. (HSSMIMages/Alec Amador)

Girls

Standings

Region IV-Rio Grande Valley Final-March 21, 2016 As of Decemeber 26, 2015

District 30-6A **McAllen Rowe *McA Memorial *LJ Palmview *McAllen La Joya HS LJ Juarez-Lincoln Mission

Overall 23-10 21-13 22-10 13-21 16-18 09-24 02-30

District 11-1 10-2 9-3 6-6 4-8 2-10 0-12

District 31-6A Overall District 31-7 12-0 **Weslaco 30-5 9-3 *PSJA North *Edinburg High 28-10 9-3 *Edinburg North18-19 5-7 Weslaco East 17-20 4-8 Economedes 12-17 3-9 PSJA Memorial 11-22 0-12

District 32-6A Overall District 34-2 14-0 **Harlingen *Brownsville Vets 27-8 12-2 *Harlingen South 18-19 8-6 16-17 7-7 *Bro Rivera 21-13 7-7 Los Fresnos 17-19 5-9 Bro Hanna 14-18 3-11 San Benito 04-27 0-14 Bro Lopez

District 32-5A Overall District 26-10 14-0 **Mercedes *Brownsville Pace 20-13 12-2 16-17 9-5 *PSJA 14-18 8-7 *Edcouch-Elsa 11-22 7-8 Donna 12-21 2-12 Donna North 05-29 2-12 PSJA Soutwest 04-28 2-12 Bro Porter

District 32-4A Overall District 25-8 12-2 **La Feria 15-13 11-3 *Zapata 18-14 11-4 *Hidalgo 24-12 10-5 *Rio Hondo 12-20 5-9 Port Isabel Raymondville 10-17 5-9 12-20 3-11 Grulla 10-19 0-14 Progreso

District 32-2A Overall District **Santa Maria 12-1 12-0 *La Villa 17-7 10-2 *San Perlita 7-11 6-6 *San Isidro 14-16 5-7 Bruni 6-15 5-7 Riviera-Kaufer 3-10 3-9 Lasara 2-20 2-10

District 31-5A Overall District **Sharyland 26-10 10-2 *MissionVeterans 23-14 8-4 *Rio Grande City 23-12 7-5 *Edinburg Vela 20-19 8-5 Roma 13-20 7-6 Sharyland Pioneer 07-26 2-10 Valley View 10-22 1-11

District 32-3A Overall District **Lyford 20-15 8-0 *Edinburg IDEA 11-15 5-3 5-3 *Bro IDEA 5-6 *Santa Rosa 3-16 2-6 Monte Alto 3-11 0-8

Girls Overall Scoring Leaders B. Palacios, PSJA North 19.8 18.8 J.Muniz, Weslaco HS J. Amaya, RioGrande City 18.7 18.0 I. Garcia, Bro Lopez 17.9 A. Smith, Mission Vets 16.4 A. Martinez, Port Isabel 16.3 S. Perez, Economedes 16.1 M. Paz, Bro Hanna

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Congratulations District Champs!

FINAL RANKINGS!

POLLS

TOP10

As As of March 21, 2016 of Decemeber 26, 2015

Boys Rankings 1. Edinburg Vela 2. McAllen Memorial 3. Santa Rosa HS 4. McAllen Nikki Rowe 5. Sharyland Pioneer 6. Brownsville Veterans 7. Weslaco HS 8. Edinburg North 9. Los Fresnos 10. Hidalgo HS

Girls Rankings 1. Weslaco 2. PSJA North 3. Harlingen HS 4. Brownsville Veterans 5. Sharyland 6. Edinburg Vela HS 7. McAllen Nikki Rowe 8. Hidalgo 9. Mission Veterans 10. Rio Grande City

Going to State! Edinburg Vela head basketball coach Lalo Rios is lifted by his assistant after defeating Laredo Nixon in the 5A Region IV Championships. The win sent the fist-clinching head coach to the State 5A Tournament for the first time in his career. (HSSMIMages/Alec Amador)

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High School Sports Magazine/March 21, 2016

UIL BASKETBALL

HSSM Girls Basketball Highlights

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Teams Fall Weslaco, PSJA North, Harlingen, only two to advance three rounds.

(Pharr, Texas)-PSJA North (31-5) head coach Randy Bocanegra led his Lady Raiders to the third round of the Class 6A playoffs for the second straight season while Harlingen (34-2) went three rounds deep under second year head coach Ashley Moncivaiz. Only Weslaco took it one step further by qualifying for the UIL State 6A Region IV Tournament for the third time under head coach Griselda Fino. The Lady Panthers did it in 2013 against Converse-Wagner (58-33) and San Antonio Stevens in 2014 (63-46).

Against the Lady T-Birds, the Weslaco Lady Panthers did all that they could playing against a much-talented, much taller, team. The Weslaco Lady Panthers lost 60-35 to end their season.

Weslaco capped its season with a win over state-ranked No.4 Harlingen, in the third round of the playoffs.

Class 2A Bi-District Championships Refugio 53 La Villa 39 Port Aransas 66 San Perlita 34 Santa Maria 36 Agua-Dulce 37 Corpus Christi London 66 San Isidro 29 Class 3A Bi-District Championships Lyford 39 Banquete 42 Santa Rosa 42 San Diego 77 IDEA Frontier College Prep 20 Bishop 44 IDEA Quest College 51 Santa Gertrudis 33 Class 3A Area Championships IDEA Quest 28 Odem 42 Class 4A Bi-District Girls Championships La Feria 38 Beeville Jones 40 Rio Hondo 29 CC West Oso 49 Hidalgo 45 Rockport-Fulton 31 Zapata 47 Orange Grove 57 Class 4A Area Championships Crystal City 58 Hidalgo 47 Class 5A Bi-District Girls Championships Mercedes 37 Edinburg Vela 41 Sharyland 59 Edcouch-Elsa 32 Mission Veterans 55 PSJA 40 Rio Grande City 55 Bro Pace 33 Class 5A Area Championships Laredo Cigarroa 43 Rio Grande City 31 Flour Bluff 59 Mission Veterans 36 Sharyland 41 Victoria West 75 Victoria East 59 Edinburg Vela 52 Class 6A Bi-District Girls Championships Harlingen 88 Edinburg North 52 Laredo United 72 LJ Palmview 44 Weslaco 59 Bro Rivera 40 McAllen Memorial 63 Laredo United South 66 McAllen Nikki Rowe 33 Del Rio 37 PSJA North 66 Harlingen South 37 Laredo Alexander 82 McAllen 31 Brownsville Veterans 49 Edinburg 40 Class 6A Area Championships Harlingen 53 Laredo United 49 Weslaco 51 Laredo United South 46 PSJA North 52 Del Rio 40 Laredo Alexander 60 Bro Veterans 49 Class 6A Region IV Quarterfinals PSJA North 48 Laredo Alexander 55 Weslaco 56 Harlingen 46 Class 6A Region IV Semifinals Weslaco 35 Converse Wagner 60

2016 State Girls Basketball Champions

State Title Run Ends. The Weslaco HS Lady Panthers lost to Converse Wagner in the Class 6A Region IV Semifinals while PSJA North reached the third round for the second consecutive season. The Lady Raiders lost to Laredo Alexander. Both teams were from District 31-6A. (HSSMIMages/Montalvo)

Class 1A Lipan defeats Nazareth 54-43 Class 2A Weimar defeats Panhandle 52-47 Class 3A Wall defeats Brock 24-21 Class 4A Argyle defeats Waco La Vega 53-43 Class 5A Canyon defeats Frisco Liberty 41-34 Class 6A Duncanville defeats S.Dekaney 76-42

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UIL BASEBALL

State Bid? _______________

Hidalgo fell short of a State 4A Semifinals appearance in 2015. Can they rebound this year? Can one team go all the way like Harlingen South did in 2008?

(Weslaco, Texas)-Players like Nate Campos from Weslaco High School dream about playing in the University Interscholastic League State Baseball Tournament. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s site will be at Dell Diamond Field in Round Rock, Texas and the UFCH Disch-Falk Field at the University of Texas in Austin on June 8-11th. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a long road too.

Houston Cypress Ranch played 37 games before winning their State 6A title by beating Arlington Martin 3-0.

Like Martin, the Edinburg Bobcats traveled to San Antonio to play Johnson in the Region IV-6A semifinals and lost in two games, ending their bid for a state title. In Class 5A, Mission Veterans Memorial lost to Georgetown in the regional semifinals; the Bulldogs went on to the state tournament.

Hidalgo was just one-game away from clinching a spot in the Class 4A Tournament. A loss to El Campo (5-3 regional finals) ended their hopes of a state title for the second year in a row.

Campos would love to lead his Panthers to Dell Diamond in 2016. These are his dreams too.

Playoff Hopefuls. Weslaco HS Panther first baseman, Nate Campos looks to lead his team in 31-6A while Hidalgo, from 324A advanced to the 4A Region IV finals in 2015 before losing to El Campo 5-3.

(HSSMIMages/Alec Amador)

28

High School Sports Magazine/March 21, 2016

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HSSM Baseball Highlights The BallPark. The Edcouch-Elsa ISD athletic department unveiled the newly built baseball field. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has field turf, covered stands, new dugouts, restrooms, and concession stands,â&#x20AC;? says Christian Navarro, athletic director.

(HSSMIMages/Alec Amador)

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Here Comes the Patriots! Eddie Galvan from Mission Veterans Memorial is caught by Sharyland catcher, Jorge Longoria. The Patriots advanced to the Class 5A Region IV Baseball Tournament last season.

(HSSMIMages/Alec Amador)

32

High School Sports Magazine/March 21, 2016

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Goals Begin

Rio Grande Valley teams ready to compete in the University Interscholastic League Soccer Playoffs.

RGV Teams favored to advance to State Tournament in Georgetown, Texas.

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BY DAVID AMADOR _______________________________________________________________

UIL SOCCER PLAYOFFS

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Photograph by Alec Amador for HSSM

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DISTRICT CHAMPIONS! The McAllen Bulldogs enter the playoffs as the team to watch in Class 6A. The La Joya Palmview Lobos could surprise.

occer begins with one question in the minds of every team from the Rio Grande Valley. Which team will win the state title? “The road to the University Interscholastic League’s State Soccer tournament begins in the first two rounds of the playoffs,” says Damian Magallan, head coach from Valley View High School. “These teams will be tough to beat.”

Last season, Grulla High School advanced to the Class 4A Region IV semifinals with wins over Brownsville IDEA Frontier, Kingsville King, and Pleasanton. The Gators lost to Liberty Hill 2-0 in the semifinals. Hidalgo also made the trip to the tournament before losing to Fredericksburg 1-0.

In Class 5A, PSJA Southwest and Brownsville Porter both advanced to the regional tournament with only the Javelinas advancing to the Elite Eight round against Georgetown East View. The Javelinas lost its bid for a state title, losing to East View 4-2. The only team that found its way to Birkelbach Field in Georgetown, site of the UIL State Tournament, was Brownsville Rivera High School. The Raiders won High School Sports Magazine

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Girls Playoff Pairings March 24th-Thursday Class 6A Bi-District Harlingen South vs Edinburg North Bro Veterans at Economedes 7:30p McAllen Rowe vs Laredo United (De Leon Campus 6pm) Class 5A Bi-District Sharyland Pioneer vs Pace (at Bobby Lackey Stadium 7p) Bro Porter at Valley View 8p Ed-Elsa at Sharyland HS 6p Class 4A Bi-District Port Isabel at Raymondville 12n Lyford at Hidalgo 6:00p Progreso at Grulla 6:30p Friday, March 25th Class 6A Bi-District Bro Lopez at Edinburg HS 6p Los Fresnos vs PSJA North LJ Juarez-Lincoln vs Laredo United South (pending) McAllen vs Eagle Pass (pending) McAllen Mem vs Del Rio (pending)

the title with a semifinal win over North Mesquite (5-1) and then claimed the title with a 2-0 blanking of Katy Cinco Ranch. The Raiders went 28-0 for the season. But, that was last season.

The Raiders had to defeat Harlingen South in a playoff game, since both schools finished tied for fourth place in District 32-6A. With the win, all six Brownsville schools qualified for the soccer playoffs. “We need to beat PSJA Southwest and Brownsville Porter if we expect to make another state appearance,” says Magallan. Pace defeated Valley View 2-0 in 2015.

Class 5A Bi-District PSJA Southwest vs Mission Veterans at PSJA Stadium 6p Saturday, March 26th La Feria at Monte Alto 11 a.m.

Boys Playoff Qualifying Teams Thursday, March 24th Class 6A Bi-District Bro Hanna at Weslaco East 6p Economedes at Bro Lopez (at Sams Stadium 7p) Laredo United South at La Joya Palmview H.S. 7p Class 5A Bi-District Edinburg Vela at Porter 7p (at Brownsville Sportspark) Sharyland at Donna North 7:30p (at Bennie La Prade Stadium) PSJA Southwest vs Valley View 6p Bro Pace vs Roma Class 4A Bi-District Grulla HS at La feria 6:00 p.m.

IDEA Frontier at Hidalgo 8:00 p.m.

Friday, March 25th Class 6A Bi-District Championships Edinburg North at Bro Veterans 6p Bro Rivera vs PSJA Memorial LJ Juarez-Lincoln vs Laredo United La Joya vs Laredo LBJ McAllen vs Del Rio (pending)

State Title? Valley View High School Tigers Jose Pesina, hopes to lead his team back to the UIL State Tournament. They made two appearances in 2013 and 2014. The Tigers will play PSJA Southwest in the 5A Bi-District playoffs.

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(HSSMImages/Alec Amador)

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