high school sports magazine-february 2007 issue

Feburary 27-March 31, 2007Volume 3 Issue 1

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Oh So Sweet!B Y D A V I D A. A M A D O R

HSSM SPORTSWRITER

U.I.L. State Basketball TournamentThe Boys Final Four begin March 9-10th. For tickets, log on to the www.uil.tx.edu for more information. Pictured is Francisco Rodriguez of Weslaco scoring against Jonathon Landry of San Antonio Madison.

(HSSM Images)


U.I.L. STATE 5A BASKETBALL

See Story On Next Page

Oh So Sweet!State-ranked Weslaco Panthers (32-5) forward Edgar Segura dribbles past Madison’s Cody Lara. Segura scored 13 points in his final game of his career Madison. (HSSM Images)

Region IV SemifinalsClass 5A

Weslaco Panthers 34SA Madison 68

Class 4ARoma 37

New Braufels Canyon 67Class A

La Villa 56Thorndale 72


(San Antonio, Texas)-The Weslaco Panthers (32-5) came to San Antonio with one thing in mind: win the Class 5A Regional Basketball Tournament. From the get go, balls were bouncing off the rim; the Panther’s big man, Francisco Rodriguez got into early foul trouble in the first four minutes of play; and star player, Edgar Segura was feeling sick to his stomach…litterly. San Antonio Madison (35-4) ended Weslaco’s state-title hopes with a 68-34 victory in the teams’ Region IV semifinal game on Friday at the University of Texas-San Antonio Convocation, played before some 4,000 fans. A disappointed Panther head coach, Gabe Valdez expressed his thoughts after the game by stating that “we could have played better” but also added that his team was not connecting from the start. “Madison is a great team. The first four minutes set the

trend for the rest of the night,” added Valdez, who guided Weslaco to its first regional tournament in school history. Madison’s Travis Smith broke loose on the court and raced to the opposite side and slamed a towering dunk, drawing cheers from the Mavericks fans. Weslaco inbounded the ball, Smith again, took the ball down court for another back-to-back “Air-Jordan” dunk. This time, the Mavs bench came off the bench waving their towels and high-fisted arms, cheering on Smith. With the dunks, Madison took a 35-13 lead into intermission. The Mavs had three steals in the first minute of play as the Panthers had trouble breaking the press. The Panthers were 2 for 10 by the end of the first eight minutes of play. It did not help that Weslaco was nine of 26 from the charity stripe in the game. Senior post Francisco Rodriguez was in early foul trouble and scored

only 11. Rodriguez and Segura were only one of five Panthers to score in the game. Danny Ryan (7), Eddie Cantu (2) and Sotuyo were the other three. Ten different Mavericks scored in the game led by Roshan Jackson (18) and Travis Smith (14). In other Regional Semifinal action, it was Roma losing to New Braunfels Canyon

67-37 at St. Mary’s University, while La Villa lost to Thorndale 72-56 in Austin on Friday night. For the Panthers, this ended their win streak of 17 in a row after going undefeated in 32-5A. The Roma Gladiators improved from last year’s winless season to make it the Class 4 Regional Tournament.


State 5A Regional QuarterfinalsState 5A Regional Quarterfinals

Season Ends for MustangsSeason Ends for Mustangs“I’m real proud of my team. We kept fighting back...” Sam Cortez, McAllen Memorial head coach “I’m real proud of my team. We kept fighting back...” Sam Cortez, McAllen Memorial head coach


State 5A Bi-District Championships

Season Ends for MustangsSeason Ends for Mustangs“I’m real proud of my team. We kept fighting back...” Sam Cortez, McAllen Memorial head coach “I’m real proud of my team. We kept fighting back...” Sam Cortez, McAllen Memorial head coach (HSSM Images)

(See Story-Next Page)


Loose Ball. SAI Pina (22) of McAllen Memorial tries to get the basketball along with teammates Mark Masso (1) and Rene Vela (5).Weslaco’s Robert Trejo wins the battle as the Panthers defeated the Mustangs in the third round of the State 5A Regional Quarterfi-nals. Weslaco will play San Antonio Madison in the State 5A Region IV Tournament. (HSSM Images)

(McAllen, Texas)-An emotional McAllen Memorial head basketball coach, Sam Cortez hugged his players one by one in the locker room after their 46-32 loss to Weslaco in the State 5A Regional quarterfinals game. “This was tough tonight. We tried everything but things did not go our way. I’m still proud of my Mustangs,” added Cortez. Weslaco’s Francisco Rodriguez led the Panthers on the court with his biggest night of the season by scoring 21 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks to lead his team. Panther head coach Gabe Valdez could only shake his player’s hands as time expired. “I thank God for tonight. He has guided me this season with this team,” says Valdez. Weslaco (32-4) will now meet San Antonio Madison on Friday in the opening round of the four-team Region IV-5A tournament on the campus of Texas-San Antonio. The Panthers took control from the start before a sellout crowd of more than 2,300 fans with Rodriguez slapping the ball back into the stands

after blocking a shot by Chris Pallagi. The Mustangs (21-13) struggled against the Panthers’ full-court press, and when they did manage to break the pressure, Rodriguez made sure he was there for another rejection. In total, the Mustangs made 20.6 percent (14-

of-54) of their attempts from the field and connected on just 14.3 percent (3-of-18) of their attempts from beyond the arc. Weslaco held a 12-7 lead after the opening quarter and then watched as Rodriguez went to work down low for nine of his game-high points during the second quarter. After Segura (eight points, 11 assists, three rebounds) dished off to an open Tommy Sotuyo (eight points) for a jumper, the Panthers took a 25-12 advantage into the break. Senior center Lazaro Perez netted a team-high nine points for Memorial, with teammate forward Chris Pallagi had a team-high eight rebounds. Weslaco went undefeated in 32-5A.

“This was tough tonight. We tried everything but things did not go

our way. I’m still proud of my Mustangs,” Sam Cortez, head coach


Great Year. Roma Gladiator forward Luis Nova led his team to the State 4A Regional IV semi-finals. (HSSM Images)

State 4A Regional Quarterfinals

Gladiators Surprise(Roma, Tx)-Don’t tell the Roma Gladiators that they were not suppose to advance past District 32-4A or even make the playoffs in 2007. Last year, seven players were suspended from the team for violating school policy and because of the infractions, the Gladiators went winless in 2006. What a difference a year makes. Roma defeated Port Lavaca Calhoun 52-45 in the third round of the Class 4A State Basketball playoffs. The Gladiators (22-11) will now meet New Braunfels Canyon (30-4) at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio this weekend. Against Port Lavaca, Luis Nava scored 20 points and teammate Mario Garza added 18 as both players led an offensive 3-point attack and a tough full-court press. Second year head coach Homer Garr watched his team enter the final quarter down by one point 41-40. The Gladiators will be making their second trip the Regional semifinals since 1984.

State A Regional Quarterfinals

La Villa Advances(La Villa, Tx)-The La Villa Cardinals (26-3) are back in the Regional semifinals since 1991 after a thrilling 54-52 win over Sabinal. The Cards were led by Mark Bernal with 22 points followed by Luis King who had a double night scoring 19 points and hauling in 12 rebounds. La Villa will play Thorndale in Austin. The Cards led at halftime by eight-points.

2007 HSSM ONLINE.net 12

State 5A Regional IV Bi-District finals: McHi 48 Laredo United 61

McHi Bulldogs Drop Close One

Back in the Playoffs. The Bulldogs made the playoffs for the first time since 1997 after placing second in 30-5A. (HSSM Images)

(McAllen,Tx)-McAllen High School head basketball coach Roy Swift traded places by coming from District 32-5A to 30-5A over the summer after accepting the head coaching position with the Bulldogs. “This was a great move for me and my family,” said Swift, the former head coach at Weslaco. With the move, he led the Bulldogs with, at times, three freshmen players in the starting line up to a second place finish in 30-5A and a playoff appearance in the State 5A playoffs in 2007. The Bulldogs (17-15) played Laredo United in the first round of the state playoffs losing 61-48 but Swift is anxious to begin the season. “We have four

starters back and it should be exciting,” added Swift after the game. McHi led 20-17 at the end of the first half with 6’5” freshmen J.J. Avila and 6’0” senior Anthony Wilkerson giving the Bulldogs a one point lead at the half 29-28. In the second half, the Bulldogs came out cold scoring 19 points in both quarters while Joe Firova scored a game high 20-points to lead the Longhorns. Corey Pace led all McAllen scorers with 14 points with Wilkerson adding eight points followed by Nick Garza with seven. Mike Vela added 16 and Greg Munoz scored 12 points for the Longhorns. “It was a great year,” says Swift.


HSSM BOX SCORES Regional Quarterfinals Class 5A WESLACO HIGH 46, McALLEN MEMORIAL 32 At McAllen Memorial WH 12 13 12 9 — 46 MEM 7 5 5 15 — 32 WESLACO HIGH (46) — Daniel Ryan 1, Marcus Cabrera 4, Francisco Rodriguez 21, Tommy Sotuyo 8, Edgar Segura 8. McALLEN MEMORIAL (32) — Robby Salinas 2, David Morales 4, Scott Schneider 4, Chris Palagi 4, Lazaro Perez 9, Rene Vela 3, Sai Pena 4, Alex

Gomez 2. RECORDS: Weslaco High 32-4; McAllen Memorial 21-13

Class 4A ROMA 52, PORT LAVACA CALHOUN 45 At Texas A&M-Kingsville PLC 13 11 17 4 — 45 ROMA 9 17 12 12 — 52 PORT LAVACA CALHOUN (45) — Chris Baldera 3, Tyler Mecasce 5, Marcus Blevins 6, Corey Barrientos 2, Carlos Cortez 7, Jackson Gayle 1, Josh Daniel 21. ROMA (52) — Luis Nava 20, Tony Alanis 5, Angel Garcia 5, Tyler Garcia 2, Mario Garza 18,

Jesus Andrade 2. RECORDS: Port Lavaca Calhoun 20-14; Roma 22-11. Class 2A SAN ANTONIO COLE 70, SANTA ROSA 56 At Calallen SR 11 8 22 15 — 56 SAC 10 19 22 19 — 70 SANTA ROSA (56) — Casario Ojeda 17, Ruben Vela 16, Michael Lopez 7, Ralph Lara 5, R.J. Alaniz 5, Jacob Garcia 3, Bo Garza 3. SAN ANTONIO COLE (70) — Jerome Walters 24, Trey Griffith 14, Patrick Newcomer

13, Paul Parker 11, Mike Cornett 4, Aaron Bailey 4. RECORDS: Santa Rosa 19-17; Cole 24-5. Class A, Division I LA VILLA 54, SABINAL 52 At Orange Grove SAB 9 13 17 13 — 52 LV 10 20 13 11 — 54 SABINAL (52) — Nathan Alejandro 19, Jeff Seott 5, Stevie Rodriguez 11, Steven Sanchez 6, Dalton Haughey 4, Joseph Juarez 7. LA VILLA (54) — Luis King 19, Rey Perez 3, Mark Bernal 22, J.D. Cisneros 11. RECORDS: La Villa 26-3.

Season Ends for Raiders. The PSJA North Raiders head coach Jaime Gongora is pictured with Noe Garcia. The Mustangs stuffed the Raiders in the State 5A Area Championships. (HSSM Images)

State 5A Regional IV Bi-District finals: PSJA North 64 Los Fresnos 60

Raiders Win In OT; Lose in Area(Pharr,Texas)-All season long the PSJA North Raiders (28-8) managed to rebuild one game at a time and it paid off in overtime as the Raiders downed the Los Fresnos Falcons 64-60 in in the first round of the State 5A basketball bi-district playoffs. The 31-5A district runners up moved on to the second round where they lost to McAllen Memorial 59-50. “This season was all about rebuilding. This team had a lot of heart,” added PSJA North head coach Jaime Gongora. The Raiders managed to stay within reach, trailing the Mustangs in McAllen 38-34 headed into the fourth quarter. The Raiders pressed and applied pressure defense all night long but the Mustangs kept breaking their plans by fast breaking down the court with an injured Neo Sanchez trying to keep up with the opposing team. The Raiders were led by Ricky Garcia, with 14 points and junior guard Neo Sanchez adding another 13 points. Sanchez played with a lot of heart despite being injured with a possible torn medial collateral ligament. He averaged 24 points per game. The Raiders will return eleven lettermen, with Hector Jasso listed as the only senior graduating this year.


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standings

finalDISTRICT BY DISTRICT

32-5AAAAA 1. HANNA2. RIVERA3. WESLACO4. SAN BENITO5. LOS FRESNOS6. BRO PACE6. BRO PORTER 6. BRO LOPEZ

31-5AAAAA1. HAR SOUTH2. HARLINGEN3. ECONOMEDES4. EDINBURG5. PNORTH6. PSJA7. ED NORTH8. PSJA MEM

32-4AAAA1. WES EAST2. MISS VETS3. MISSION4. VALLEY VIEW5. ED-ELSA6. MERCEDES7. ROMA

32-3AAA1. HIDALGO2. LA FERIA3. PORT ISABEL4. PROGRESO5. RIO HONDO

31-3AAA1. SAN DIEGO2. RAYMONDVILLE3. ZAPATA4. FALFURRIAS5. LYFORD

2006-07 BASKETBALL GIRLS FINAL STANDINGS

32-2A1. HEBBRONVILLE2. FREER3. BISHOP4. PREMONT5. BANQUETE6. SANTA ROSA7. RIVIERA

32-1A1. LA VILLA2. BEN BOLT3. BRUNI4. BENAVIDES5. SANTA MARIA6. AGUA DULCE

Note: The top four teams from every district in Class 5A now advance to the state playoffs.

14-010-4

9-58-67-75-9

2-121-13

28-318-1118-1516-1213-2013-19

4-2610-21

SEASON DISTRICT

26-723-1115-1212-1716-1512-1712-19

12-010-2

6-65-74-84-8

1-11

SEASON DISTRICT

7-310-3 4-7 4-6 3-7 3-70-10

6-05-14-23-32-41-50-6

SEASON DISTRICT

27-724-1018-1319-1520-1611-218-242-25

14-012-2

8-67-77-7

4-104-100-14

SEASON DISTRICT

29-421-1111-149-165-20

8-06-23-52-61-7

SEASON DISTRICT

11-1 6-4 7-2 3-5 2-7 1-8

5-04-13-22-31-40-5

SEASON DISTRICT

30-5AAAAA1. MCALLEN1. SHARYLAND3. MCA MEM4. MCA ROWE5. DONNA6. LA JOYA6. RGC

31-624-9

17-1615-2114-18 7-23 0-18

12-010-2

7-57-53-93-9

0-12

SEASON DISTRICT

15-1114-1316-15

8-172-24

6-26-26-22-60-8

SEASON DISTRICT

HSSM All-South Texas Coach of the Year: Teresa Casso, McAllen High School HSSM All-South Texas Team of the Year: McAllen High School Lady Bulldogs HSSM All South Texas Player of the Year: Ellieen Pruneda, Brownsville Hanna H.S.

presented by

BEGINSSEASON2007 Baseball & Softball

1. PSJA North2. La Joya3. Harlingen South4. Raymondville5. San Benito6. Harlingen7. Weslaco8. Brownsville Porter9. Weslaco East10. Sharyland

1. McAllen H.S.2. Harlingen South3. Weslaco H.S.4. La Joya5. Sharyland6. Harlingen7. Valley View H.S.8. Brownsville Porter9. Rio Grande City10. Edinburg

HSSM TOP 10 RankingsSoftball...

Baseball...


B Y D A V I D A. A M A D O RHSSM SPORTSWRITER

(Pharr, Texas)-Sometimes playing tournament games prior to the regular season can prove to be rewarding or even devastating, like it did for the San Benito Lady Greyhounds (17-5, 3-0). An early favorite to return to the Class 5A Region IV tournament, they are hoping that they can now survive the district after losing both starting pitchers a few weeks ago. “Now we have only one pitcher and she’s a freshmen,” says head coach Elias Martinez of San Benito. But that was then and the Lady Greyhounds are off to an early lead in the district race behind freshmen pitcher JoAnn Herrera. Her sister, Jackie, also a pitcher was hampered by an elbow injury is now back.

www.HSSMONLINE.net 16 2007 HSSM ONLINE.net 16

Also plagued by early pitching losses are the Brownsville Porter Lady Cowgirls (11-6, 2-1), who also advanced to the Regional tournament in 2006, but with pitching ace Alicia Guevara off the mound, Porter has struggled to find a starter in 2007. “It will be tough to replace her,” says Luis Guevara. In 2006, the Lady Greyhounds finished as 32-5A District runner-ups and surprised every team they faced in the state playoffs by advancing to the Class 5A Region IV semifinals, along with Porter. Both teams fared well, but both programs ended their state title run, losing to San Antonio Taft (San Benito 8-4, 9-4) and Spring Branch Smithson Valley (Porter 9-1). Smithson Valley defeated Taft in the Regional finals 4-0. This leaves the PSJA North Lady Raiders (12-5, 3-0) as the second team to beat in South Texas with ace pitcher back on the mound, Roxanne Rodriguez. “This will be a tough district,” says Johnny Medrano, head coach of the Lady Raiders. “With both Harlingen Schools now in our

Lady Cards are back. The Harlingen Lady Cards will be competing in District 31-5A, along with Harlingen South. Pictured on the left photo is El Paso trans-ferDeserae Guevara, starting pitcher for the Lady Hawks. (HSSM Images)

2006 HSSM Football Playoffs 17 2007 HSSM ONLINE.net 17

district, it will be very competitive,” he adds. Last year, Edinburg North, PSJA North, Edinburg, made the playoffs, with both Harlingen schools staying home. In 2007, the Harlingen Lady Cardinals (11-6, 1-2), and Harlingen South Lady Hawks (10-8, 3-0), have fared well in tournament and district play. South Hawks coach, Judy Smith is excited about this year’s squad. “This will be fun. This district will be very competitive,” she adds. So who’s No.1? The La Joya Lady Coyotes are picked as HSSM’s No.1 Team in the Valley and head coach Carlos Rodriguez knows that his team is loaded with talent. “We have a great team. These players have worked together for a long time,” he adds. The Lady Coyotes (15-4, 2-0) captured the 30-5A title in 2006 and advanced to the Class 5A Regional quarterfinals, losing to Brownsville Porter 9-0, 11-6. Leading the team is Vianca Villasenor in the outfield along with Clara

Top team. The La Joya Lady Coyotes are ranked No.1 in South Texas by High School Sports Magazine in the pre-season polls. On the right, San Benito pitcher, Jackie Herrera missed several weeks on the mound due to an injury and now she’s back. (HSSM Images)


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Navarro and Aysha Soliz, Gina Villarreal, and Vanessa Barrera. Against McAllen Nikki Rowe, pitcher Monica Rodriguez (7-2) gave up one hit while striking out seven. In District 32-4A, the Mercedes Lady Tigers (13-4, 1-1) should be the team to beat, but after struggling in district play (loss to Mission Veterans); head coach Betty Morrell will have her hands full in 2007. “I’m excited about this team and we hope to take it a step further in the state playoffs”, she adds. In 2006, the Lady Tigers won the title and advance to the Regional quarterfinals

Hawks Ranked No.2. The Harlingen South Hawks will be favored to win the 31-5A title after upsetting Class 4A state champion, Calallen in McAllen. (HSSM Images)


in Class 4A, losing to Gregory Portland (1-0. 5-0). Both Edcouch-Elsa (13-6, 2-1) and Mission Veterans Memorial (9-4, 3-0) also captured playoff spots but lost in the opening rounds of the State 4A playoffs. Another team that could contend for the 32-4A title will be the Weslaco East Lady Wildcats (2-0 in district). If capturing the Brownsville I.S.D. Tournament shows any indication that the 32-3A Raymondville Lady Bearkats (11-4) are headed in the right

by downing host Sharyland 7-5, after building a 7-0 lead, and then went on to capture the tournament championship with a win over surprising McAllen Nikki Rowe 13-5. The Panthers are ranked No. 3 in the HSSM Baseball Polls due to the fact that the Harlingen South Hawks defeated the Panthers in the McAllen Baseball Tournament earlier. Panther players to watch are Mark Ortiz, Arnold Rivera, David Martinez, and Jason Cavazos. However, if last year’s fourth round playoff exit

High Fives. The No.3 Weslaco Panthers will now compete in 32-5A and are favored to capture the title. Weslaco recently won the Sharyland Diamondback Classic. Pictured is Mark Ortiz (6) with Fabrian Cuellar (21). (HSSM Images)

direction, don’t tell this to head coach Pete Soria. Instead, he would love to get another State 3A playoff rematch with Crystal City (0-1, 8-2, 8-4). “We made too many mistakes. We could have played better,” added Soria. Despite last year’s set backs, the Lady Bearkats defeated Weslaco 3-2 to win the 2007 BISD Tournament. Also making the state playoffs were the La Feria Lady Lionettes (8-7, 1-0), and Lyford (9-4).

(McAllen, Texas)-Now make it two tournament championships in a row for the Weslaco Panthers (13-2) and if this is any indication that the purple and white will breeze through District 32-5A, the only thing left for this district are playoff slots two through four. The Panthers captured their own Weslaco A.N. “Tony” Rico Mid-Valley Baseball Invitational by blanking Laredo Nixon 9-0. The next week, the Panthers proved that they were the better team in the Sharyland PEN Baseball Classic

2007 Baseball Preview

Panthers, Bulldogs, Hawks Teams To Beat


Up and Over!Up and Over!RGV Track & Field Highlights

Valley To Field More State Qualifiers?(Mission, Texas)-With the Meet of Champions Track and Field Meet just a few weeks away, Pole Vaulter Chase Riley has leaped to 13’1” to remain as one of the best vaulters in the region along with Jesus Soto, who has already topped his mark at 13’9” recently. Both vaulters compete in District 30-5A and 31-5A respectively. At the Stark Relays held at Sharyland High School, Soto won the event, while Riley finished second. At the state meet in Class 5A, Jason Colwik of San Marcos won the title with a vault of 16’06”. In the eighth place, David Cochran crossed the bars at 13’06”. The Meet of Champions Prelims will be held at McAllen Memorial Veterans Stadium on March 30th and 31st. This event will feature the best of the best

track and field competitors from South Texas. Already making another run at a possible State 5A gold medal, last year’s bronze medalist Mike Sanchez of Sharyland H.S. caught the wind and threw his discus a whopping 174’8” along with a shot put toss of 58’0 at the Stark Relays. Sanchez threw a season best in Austin at the State 5A Meet of 177’0, which ranks him first in his heat in 2007. State 5A Champion Chris Cralle of College Station A&M won the gold with a throw of 187’03”. Challenging Sanchez in this event will be Stephen Saenz of Rio Grande City and Oscar Barrera of McAllen High School. Both discus throwers have surpassed the 160’0” mark. In running events, the Region IV Champion in the 4x400 Meter Relay team from Weslaco will


Chase Riley of Sharyland High School gets over in the Pole Vault held during the Sams Relays in Brownsville. (Alec Amador/HSSM Images)

be looking to better last year’s eighth place finish in state with a time of 3:25.94. So far, the team made of up of Mishak Rivas, Jorge Rojas, Mike Garza, and Gerardo Espinoza have posted a time of 3:24.22, one second less than last year’s performance. Panther track coach David Fuentes knows that this time will have to improve if the Panthers expect to win the state title. “It’s going to be tough. Last year’s winning time was 3:11.99 from Fort Bend Marshall,” he adds. Also vying for another state meet appearance will be Mishak Rivas. He placed fourth in the Class 5A long jump event as a sophomore with a jump of 23’5” but he knows that one mark should have been over twenty-five feet. “I fell back on one jump that was well over twenty-five feet. My hands touch

backwards on one jump,” says Rivas. To date, he holds a Valley’s best of 22’6”. Only Oscar Garcia of Edinburg trails him with a jump of 21’6”. Will Rio Grande City’s Andrea Guerra fair better than she did at the State 5A long jump event? She finished with a mark of 16’11” at state, and so far she is being pushed by teammate Kendra Alanis who holds a Valley best of 17’7 ½” with Guerra closing in at 17” 1 ¾”. A third teammate making headlines is Vanessa Sanchez who has jumped 17’1” this season. At the McAllen Rowe Relays, Kendra won the long jump event with a better jump of 17’8 ½”. She also participates in the discus, 100m dash, and relay teams. All three Rio Grande City long jumps are making bids for a state meet appearance. In


The Cats Relays will take place on March 24th at the Edinburg Football Stadium featuring some of the top distant runners. Pictured below is long jumper Van-essa Sanchez of Rio Grande City.HSSM Images)

2006, Sonetria Mayfield of Round Rock won the title with a jump of 19’05”. Another Lady Rattler showing hopes of posting a fast time in the 100m dash is Andrea Guerra. The Rio Grande City lady speedster has a Valley best time of 11:99, good enough to have placed eighth overall at the state meet. The winning time at the Class 5A State meet was 11:46 by Erica Alexander of Friendswood Clear Brook. In the 100m hurdles, Kassie Larios of Harlingen South is already showing signs of making a trip to state with her time of 15:23; this mark would have placed her seventh overall in Austin. The winning time was 13:83. McAllen Memorial’s long distant runner Tricia Terry is improving her times in the 3200m run with hopes of making another bid for a possible state medal. Last year, Terry placed sixth with a time of 11:19:93. To date, her best time is 11:27.03 but she easily ran past her previous best with a winning time of 11:09.09 at the Stark Relays held recently in


Lupe Martinez of Brownsville Hanna H.S. tips one hurdle but finishes the 300m event. (HSSM Images)

2007 Track & Field ScheduleMarch 23rd

Roma Gladiator RelaysWeslaco Meet

March 24thCats Relays-Edinburg

Red Ant Relays-ProgresoMarch 30-31

Meet of Champions-McAllenApril 27-28

Region IV Meet-San AntonioMay 11-12

State Meet-UT Austin

Sharyland. Terry would need to improved her time to 10:25.33 if she expects to contend for a state title in 2007 at Austin, Texas. Also trying to make another return to the Class 4A 3200m run is Bianca Alvarez of Mission High School who placed eighth overall with a time of 12:08.95. She has improved her time by a time of 12:01.56. The top 100m dash runners are Marco Adriana of Edinburg North (10.70) followed by Danny Reyes of PSJA North (10.77), John Regino of PSJA (10.86),

Jaoquin Martinez of Mission Veterans (10.90), and Fernando Ruiz of Santa Maria (10.90). In the 400m, Trent Milby of Hanna leads with a time of 50.65. As the season winds down with track meets slated for Roma (March 23), Weslaco Meet (March 23), Cats Relays (March 24), and the Red Ant Relays (March 24), with weather permitting, the influx of Valley athletes making a sound appearance at the State Meet in Austin this May 11&12th will probably be the best field the Valley will feature in a longtime.

Oscar Barrera of McAllen High School gets ready for his Shotputtoss. (HSSM Images)


loss to Corpus Christi Moody (9-2) isn’t still fresh in the minds of every returning Harlingen South Hawks baseball player, you better think again. Head coach Tony Leal fields a returning team that will compete for the 31-5A title along with PSJA North, Edinburg, Harlingen, and PSJA. Last year, the No.2 Hawks competed in 32-5A and won the title but with the new realignments, this will be an even tougher district to contend with in 2007. In the State 5A playoffs, the Hawks defeated Laredo Martin (4-2, 9-2) to advance to the Regional quarterfinals game where they also downed stated-ranked Sharyland in one game, 4-2. Than was then, this is now. In the McAllen Tournament, the Hawks proved that they were destined to make a run at a possible state title as they defeated the 2005 State 4A Champions and last year’s Regional finalist, Corpus Christi Calallen. In La Joya, the Hawks would finish fourth overall in the championship bracket. The HSSM Top Ten 2007 teams from the Rio Grande Valley feature at No.1 McAllen, followed by Harlingen South, Weslaco, La Joya, PSJA North, Mission, Rio Grande City, Sharyland, Harlingen, and Valley View High School. Of the ten teams mentioned, only Rio Grande City and PSJA North did not make the post season in 2006. The Panthers took third place last year in 31-5A and won their first round playoff game against Pace before losing to Laredo United in a best-of-three series, (5-4, 6-5). “Those two games really hurt last year because we had our chances,” said Eddie Serna, head coach of the Weslaco Panthers. With baseball tournaments already making headlines across

the state, the No.1 ranked HSSM team in the Rio Grande Valley, the McAllen Bulldogs are turning heads in South Texas, especially with the pitching ace, Joaquin Hinojosa who threw a no-hitter in the championship game against Harlingen South at the annual McAllen Baseball Tournament. At the Corpus Christi Tournament, the Bulldogs defeated Gregory-Portland 10-2 and then lost to Corpus Christi Moody 2-1. Head coach Eliseo Pompa has kept quiet throughout the preseason knowing that early games really don’t mean much until you reached the playoffs. Last year, the Bulldogs lost in the first round to Laredo Martin in two games 2-1, 2-1. At No. 4, “Baseball Town U.S.A.”, the La Joya Coyotes, featuring a pro-like baseball stadium with “Take Me To The Ballpark” themes played throughout the game, will give the Bulldogs a run for the 30-5A title. In 2006, the Coyotes captured the Bi-District title with shutout games (3-0, 4-0), over Laredo Alexander before falling to PSJA in three games (9-4, 1-5, 11-9). The Coyotes finished first in the their own La Joya Invitational ahead of Laredo United, Sharyland, and Harlingen South. And finally, the Valley View High School Tigers defeated Mathis 8-2 in the area playoffs before losing to Sinton 9-4, 7-6 in the Class 3A Region IV Quarterfinals. They will contend for the 32-4A title with Mission. Here are “Touchdown Dave’s District Predictions: 32-2A: Santa Rosa; 32-3A: Port Isabel; 32-4A: Valley View H.S.; 30-5A: McAllen; 31-5A: Harlingen South; and 32-5A: Weslaco High School.

Cont’ from Pg 19

Hi, My Name is Adam,I want you to join me in my walk with diabetes. I have TYPE 1 Juvenile Diabetes. Eventhough my walk with diabetes at this time is permanent, our walk together may lead to new discoveries. The America Walk can improve the lives for thousands of childrenlike me. By walking on my team, together we can raise money and support research thatsomeday will change the lives for millions of children.I Love playing Soccer everyday, please make a donation today.

ADAM’S TEAMDonate to

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Support Adam’s Walk in the amount of_____$25_____ $50_____ $75_____$100

To Mail a Donation, make checks payableto the American Diabetes Association

and send to:

Adam Bieker423 Nolana West

McAllen, Texas 78504956-457-8688

http://main.diabetes.org

Anyone can also go to Adam’s Website and Sign Up or Make a Donation to Adam’s Walk Team

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high school sports magazine-february 2007 issue

Documents

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