GEORGETOWN — Mission accomplished.
After seeing their season end in the regional semifinals last season, the Hidalgo Pirates set their sights on redeeming themselves and winning the state title.
Their journey didn’t come without challenges. The Pirates battled through a midseason coaching change, forfeited games and a player returned from a torn ACL. None of it mattered.
Hidalgo finished its mission Friday, sailing past Palestine 3-0 to capture the 2023 UIL boys soccer Class 4A state championship at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown.
The victory makes the 2023 Pirates the seventh RGV squad to capture the state title in the sport since Brownsville Lopez first did it in 2004. They join Brownsville Porter as the only other RGV team to win multiple state titles, also earning the Class 4A championship in 2009.
“I’ll be honest, it wasn’t easy,” Hidalgo head coach Esteban Alegria said. “At the end of the day, the boys are what keep me going. Them showing up every day to do everything. All the glory goes to them. I keep them going, and they keep me going. We fed off each other, and look where it got us. That is what it came down to, chemistry. We all just love each other. We got to get new uniforms with two stars on it now.”
It only took 20 minutes for Hidalgo to secure the state title, asserting dominance with three goals midway through the first period.
Hidalgo senior forward Rey Cantu got the team on the board three minutes into the contest on a left-footed shot from just inside the box.
Cantu wasn’t done. The superstar forward added to the Pirates’ lead two minutes later, delivering a booming free kick into the bottom right corner of the net to make it 2-0 just five minutes into the contest. Cantu’s two-goal performance earned him the game’s MVP award.
“Coach (Zeke) Morales told me before the game that I was going to be the one to score the goals,” Cantu said. “He told me I had to go for everything. I came out with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. I was just thinking I needed to make these goals quick to put it away quick, and thanks to God I was able to make it happen.”
The Pirates kept their foot on the gas despite the early two-goal lead, playing the aggressor and dominating possession for the majority of the contest.
The constant pressure led to a third score midway through the first half, with senior captain Joaquin Rosales firing a laser from outside the box to make it 3-0 before the break.
The shot all but ended the Wildcats’ hopes, leaving them deflated before halftime even came.
“I’m so happy for this moment,” Rosales said. “I told you in January after the Copa Frontera that the state champion was going to change this year. I knew it was going to happen. Thanks to God we are state champs again after 14 years. We’re going to wear this with pride. We are the Valley’s state champs this year.”
The 2023 season was full of obstacles for the Pirates before the season even started. Cantu, the team’s leading scorer for the previous two seasons, suffered an ACL tear during the Pirates’ postseason run last year, leaving him sidelined until January.
The Pirates’ season was delivered another blow just four games into district, with then-head coach Zeke Morales being relieved of his duties following a self-reported UIL infraction. The infraction also led to a self-imposed forfeit of four district contests.
None of that could slow the Pirates’ march to state. Cantu came back better than ever, netting a career-high 40 goals in 13 district games, the top mark in the RGV.
The team also rallied around head coach Esteban Alegria, with Morales still supporting the team from the stands throughout its postseason run.
“We’re brothers here and a great team,” Cantu said. “It didn’t matter what was going on within our community. None of that mattered. We knew our goal was to win, and we were going to fight with everything we had. Thanks to God, and with the work from our coaches — including Coach Morales who was always supporting us still — we were able to get here and become state champs.”
The Pirates finish the year with a 29-7-3 overall record. Hidalgo outscored its district opponents 101-8, finishing second in District 30-4A with a 10-4 mark. Their four district losses came as a result of the self-imposed forfeits.
They continued their dominance in the postseason, outscoring their seven opponents 26-7, including back-to-back shutouts in the Class 4A state tournament. Their postseason run included victories over five district champs, including reigning back-to-back Class 4A state champion Boerne in the Region IV-4A final.
Hidalgo’s state championship ends a seven-year drought by the RGV, becoming the latest team to win it all since Brownsville Porter did so in 2016.
“It is surreal,” Alegria said. “All the glory goes to the boys. All the hard work they’ve done and the backing from the community. Again, this is for the Valley. This is for back home. This is for everyone in the 956. I’m just without words at this moment.”
