McAllen High's Gabriela Estringel (16) watches her hit across the net against Mission Veterans in a game at McAllen High School on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in McAllen. (Joel Martinez | [email protected])
Following are reported scores and stats from Tuesday night’s high school volleyball matches. Coaches, please text your results – with your record and leading stats – after each match to (956) 821-3834 or email to [email protected].
Juarez-Lincoln def Donna North 25-23, 25-18, 25-18
J-L: Kimberly Reyna 9 kills, 3 blocks; Sophie Pena 6 kills, 1 ace; April Marroquin 22 assists, 6 aces; Alex Marroquin 5 aces, 2 blocks, 2 kills; Katelyn Garza 9 digs, 3 kills, 1 ace.
Sharyland Pioneer running back Dylan Tijerina (24) looks for a hole against Edcouch-Elsa in a bi-district playoff meeting Thursday night at Richard Thompson Stadium in Mission. (Andrew Cordero/Special to The Monitor)
PSJA High wide receiver Ryan Vallejo (2) carries the ball against Edinburg North in a District 31-6A regular season game at Richard R. Flores Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, in Edinburg. (Joel Martinez | [email protected])
Roma’s Ediel Garcia, left, runs past PSJA Memorial defender Caleb Pena, right, during a District 16-5A DII contest at PSJA Stadium Thursday, October 19, 2023 in Pharr. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])
Brownsville St. Joseph senior offensive lineman Diego De la Cruz and the University of Texas at El Paso head coach Scotty Walden during a visit at UTEP in El Paso. Photo Courtesy of Diego De la Cruz.
Members of the 2024 Harlingen High football team. (Andrew Cordero | Special to RGVSports)
HARLINGEN — Harlingen High’s 2023 campaign could be labeled a successful season by most program standards. The Cardinals finished 8-4 overall and advanced to the second round of the postseason for a fourth straight year.
The Cardinals aren’t just any other program, however, with district titles and deep postseason runs the standard.
A “down” 2023 season has this year’s group motivated to get back to that level, with the Cardinals opening the year as the No. 5 team in the RGVSports.com 5A/6A preseason poll.
“The mood has been good going into this year,” Harlingen High junior running back Noah Huerta said. “We’re trying to get revenge for the season after last year. We got a few losses we feel like we shouldn’t have had. We have a lot of people coming back, a lot of leaders. We’re just excited. We got that motivation, and we’re ready to get it this year.”
While the 2023 campaign could be viewed as a rebuilding year on the outside, for the Cardinals the season served as valuable experience.
The experience will be on full display on both sides of the ball, with a total of 13 starters (seven offense, six defense) returning for the 2024 campaign.
“We don’t believe in rebuilding years, but I understand the stigma,” Harlingen High senior linebacker Sterling Tomlin said. “We’re ready, though. We’ve done a lot of reloading. We’ve put people in different places and changed things up. We’re ready for whatever God throws our way. We’re just going to keep pushing.”
Offensively, the Cardinals return one of the area’s top backs in Huerta. The junior ball carrier exploded onto the scene after being forced into the starting role following an injury to the team’s starting back, rushing for 942 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Harlingen High running back Noah Huerta (22) stiff arms a defender during a non-district game against Laredo United on Sept. 23, 2023 at Gladiator Arena in Roma. (Joel Martinez | The Monitor)
He’ll have an experienced front five opening holes for him this season, led by senior Anthony De Leon and junior Steve Lopez.
Left to right, Harlingen High offensive lineman Anthony De Leon and Esteban Lopez. (Andrew Cordero | Special to RGVSports)
The biggest question mark for Harlingen High’s offense comes at the quarterback position, with the Cardinals graduating both their top options from a year ago. Senior Jonas Serna and freshman Hasaan Woolery are the likely candidates to take the QB1 role, both seeing action during the team’s scrimmages thus far.
Whoever lines up at quarterback will have a valuable weapon in sure-handed wideout Adam Sanchez. The senior receiver finished second in the district in receiving last year, hauling in 46 catches for 550 yards and three touchdowns.
Harlingen High wide receiver Adam Sanchez (1) attempts to break off a tackle during a non-district game against Laredo United on Sept. 23, 2023 at Gladiator Arena in Roma. (Joel Martinez | The Monitor)
“Our offense is going to be powerful,” Huerta said. “We feel like it is going to be one of the strongest in the game. Our quarterback, he’s going to ball out. He’s going to be good. You guys might not know who he is yet, but he’s going to show out. Just our whole offense is going to be good.”
The defense brings back its own set of playmakers at every level, beginning with first-team All-Valley linebacker Sterling Tomlin.
The hard-nosed linebacker enters Year 3 as a starter on the Cardinals’ defense and has established himself as one of the best at his position in the area, racking up 219 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, four sacks and two interceptions through 25 games.
Defensive end Jacob Ortiz (62 total tackles, 20 TFL, two sacks) adds a disruptive force in the trenches for the Cardinals, and the return of safety Julisses Garza (27 total tackles, two interceptions in four games played) from injury adds a ball-hawking weapon in the secondary.
Left to right, Harlingen High defensive end Jacob Ortiz, linebacker Sterling Tomlin and safety Julisses Garza. (Andrew Cordero | Special to RGVSports)
“I don’t want to say too much, but there has been some changes,” Tomlin said. “We’ve been practicing a lot and there has been a lot of consistency. We’ve had that consistency in our practicing, our plays and what we’re trying to do. To achieve our goals, we’re trying to stick to what we’ve been taught by our coaches. The defense is going to be stout. The offense is going to be stout. I say it every year, our offense is a sleeper. People don’t realize that. Often, we even lead the Valley in a lot of statistics, but people don’t see it because we’re known for our defense, but we’re going to be just as good on the offensive side of the ball.”
Harlingen High is set to open the regular season at home against a familiar foe in former district rival Weslaco High on Aug. 30 at Boggus Stadium, their first of three games at their home stadium to start the year.
The 32nd Bird Bowl against Harlingen South is set to follow the week after, with RGV powerhouse Edinburg Vela coming to town in Week 3. They’ll close out non-district play with games against Laredo United South, Mission Veterans and Cuero.
District play opens and closes with a bang for the Cardinals, who take on last year’s 5A DI state semifinalist Brownsville Veterans on Oct. 10 to kick off 32-6A play and finish the year at home with the Battle of Arroyo against San Benito on Nov. 8.
A 75-year-old man may have been killed by an aggressive bull after being found dead in rural Donna with abrasions all over his body, the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies were called to the 900 block of Anderson Road in Donna at around 3 p.m. Monday in response to a report of an unresponsive person, who was identified only as a 75-year-old Hispanic man.
A family member had found the man, who had gone missing after not returning home from feeding animals on the rural property.
He was found face down on the ground with scrapes on his hand and side, which the sheriff’s office said in a news release Tuesday that it may have been from being dragged.
A 4-year-old bull was also on the property and had shown “increased aggression over the past two months.”
The sheriff’s office believes it “may have attacked the victim,” who also displayed abrasions on “his arms, head, and back, indicating he may have been trampled.”
“Investigators also found fresh hoof marks near the victim’s body, further supporting the possibility of a bull attack,” the sheriff’s office said in the release, adding that the bull in question acted aggressively toward investigators.
An autopsy ordered by a local justice of the peace revealed that the man died from blunt force trauma to the chest, and from heart disease. His death was ruled accidental.
Anyone with information that could further help the investigation are asked to call the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office at (956) 383-8114, or assist anonymously by calling the Hidalgo County Crime Stoppers Hotline at (956) 668-TIPS (8477) or through the P3 TIPS app.
The McAllen man charged with purchasing and furnishing alcohol to a minor which resulted in the hospitalization of a Nikki Rowe football player asked his brother-in-law if his son could host a pool party at his residence, according to a police report.
Jaime De La Cerda Islas, 51, was jailed on a $30,000 bond and was released the following day. His son was also taken into custody and placed in the juvenile detention, according to the report.
The football player was identified as Adan De La Cruz.
At 2:09 a.m. on Saturday, McAllen officers were dispatched to 4705 N. Bentsen Road in reference to a disturbance. Communications advised officers that De La Cruz attempted to jump from a roof into a pool, but landed on the ground, hitting his head.
Communications also advised that De La Cruz was unconscious and “turning purple,” the report states.
As officers approached the residence, they were waved down by an unknown person standing by the south side gate entrance. Officers noticed that multiple vehicles began to leave the scene with numerous people inside.
“…multiple juveniles were rushing toward their vehicles and began leaving,” the report said.
The screams of numerous people could be heard coming from the back of the property. One unidentified juvenile girl ran toward an officer and said, “He’s over here,” pointing in the direction of De La Cruz.
Officers noticed that music was still playing, a disco light was on and several red plastic cups and open Michelob Ultra beer cans were tables.
Adan De La Cruz
De La Cruz was found unconscious, lying on the ground on his back and bleeding.
One juvenile was holding his head while another was conducting chest compressions, the report states.
De La Cruz was found to have sustained a laceration on the back of his head.
Police asked the juveniles to back away and began to provide De La Cruz with medical attention.
Shortly after, the McAllen Fire Department and Lone Star Ambulance Services arrived to assist.
Officers then learned that a man named Enrique Palacios, Islas and his son were at the McAllen Police Department to provide formal statements on what had occurred.
Palacios told authorities that his wife owned the residence and that Islas had asked him if his son could host a party at his residence, to which he agreed.
He added that it was his understanding that the son would only be inviting three juveniles.
Palacios said that Islas and his son arrived at around 6 p.m. and began organizing the party, adding that Islas was there at the beginning of the party and during the incident.
He also stated that Islas and his son knew there was alcohol at the party.
This photo show the aftermath of a party at a McAllen residence that resulted in a tragic accident that sent a Nikki Rowe football player to the hospital on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. (Courtesy: McAllen Police Department)
It was then that police determined that Islas and his son furnished alcohol to minors and the two were taken into custody, according to the report.
As the investigation continued, police learned that multiple digital fliers were posted on social media advertising the party. They were charging $10 tickets before the party or a $15 fee at the entrance, the report stated.
A Snapchat video of the incident was uploaded online. It depicts a male jumping off the gazebo roof which is located next to the pool.
De La Cruz walks toward the edge of the gazebo when his left foot slips. De La Cruz twists in a circular motion and lands head and neck first on the ground.
“[De La Cruz] does not appear to move when he lands on the ground,” the report said.
HARLINGEN — After a year on the job, Superintendent J.A. Gonzalez is landing a $10,000 pay increase after scoring high marks during his first evaluation.
Gonzalez’s first pay increase, going into effect Sept. 1, will boost his salary to $310,000.
In April, board members gave Gonzalez a one-year extension on his three-year contract along with a $10,000 pay increase after handing him high grades during his job evaluation.
“As I begin my 30th year in the field of education and my second with Harlingen CISD, and I am filled with gratitude for support from our board of trustees,” he said in a statement. “I am fully committed to serving our students, staff and community with dedication and integrity.”
Gonzalez counts his three children among his students.
“I’m grateful that my daughter and two sons attend Harlingen CISD, and I consider all 16,000 students my children,” he said. “I’m blessed to be able to lead appropriately 3,000 employees as we work hand-in-hand to ensure that each student in our district reaches their full potential. I will continue to put student safety and quality learning environments at the forefront of every decision.”
School Board President Greg Powers said Gonzalez is working to raise “the emotional quotient of the entire organization.”
“Dr. J.A. Gonzalez came to Harlingen CISD with a proven track record throughout his decades in education and the last nine years as a superintendent,” Powers said in a statement.
“Dr. Gonzalez has made discipline and order a priority while streamlining our instructional programs and has made raising the emotional quotient of the entire organization a top priority,” Powers said, adding he’s launched a new Guardians program aimed at bolstering safety at each campus.
“Dr. Gonzalez has worked alongside administrators across the district to create an expansion of student opportunities which have been instrumental in the development of our students as we prepare them for their future careers,” he said. “We look forward to the new school year with Dr. Gonzalez at the helm.”
In July 2023, the school board selected Gonzalez following an “extensive” search after past Superintendent Alicia Noyola, who was drawing a salary of $263,619, according to Govsalaries.com, announced her retirement after more than two years on the job.
After 27 years with the McAllen school district, Gonzalez said he was ready for his next challenge, following his mentor Arturo Cavazos, a former district superintendent who was drawing a $378,910 salary after seven years on the job.
In McAllen, Gonzalez climbed the ranks from a science teacher’s job to assistant principal, then worked his way from a principal’s position to associate superintendent for instructional leadership before landing the superintendent’s job about seven years ago.
That year, the American Association of School Administrators named Gonzalez a finalist for its National Superintendent of the Year award, George McShan, a former longtime Harlingen school board member, recalled.
This year, Texas A&M University-Kingsville named Gonzalez its Alumni of the Year.
Born in Laredo and raised in Hebbronville, Gonzalez holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Texas A&M University-Kingsville and a master of science degree in educational administration and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Texas-Pan American.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated for clarity.
Donna Mayor David Moreno, left, and Place 1 Councilman Jesse “Coach” Jackson, look at the city attorney during a Donna City Council meeting on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (Dina Arévalo | [email protected])
DONNA — After officials here on Aug. 5 chose to not call for a municipal election for the Place 2 and 4 seats on the Donna City Council, it was legal action brought on by the mayor’s brother that ultimately forced the city’s hand during a specially called meeting on Monday.
Manuel “Manny” O. Moreno, brother of Donna Mayor David Moreno, filed the petition on Aug. 13 seeking a writ of mandamus from the 13th Court of Appeals that would order Donna to call the election, court records show.
David Moreno had been the sole member of the council to vote against canceling the election.
Just three days later — on Aug. 16 — the appeals court would go on to decide that Manny Moreno had sufficiently proved his case and thus directed the city to order the election.
Donna complied with the court’s opinion on Monday, when the city council unanimously voted to hold an election on the uniform election date, Nov. 5.
And now Manny Moreno will be one of several people’s names on the November ballot.
But the city council’s decision to order the election didn’t come without some controversy or fireworks.
First came a question over how binding the court’s opinion was and what, exactly, a court “opinion” means.
“I believe it was an opinion. I believe we have (outside) counsel here,” Place 4 Councilman Oscar Gonzales said, referring to attorney Moises Flores, whom Donna had hired to represent the city in the mandamus hearing.
Gonzales is one of two councilmen whose seats are at stake in the upcoming election.
Both he and Place 2 Councilman Joey Garza Jr. have contended that their terms should span four years after Donna voters approved of a charter amendment that extended term lengths during a November 2021 election.
In that same election, voters also selected Gonzales and Garza to represent them at Places 4 and 2, respectively.
But, as Donna City Attorney Robert Salinas explained to them, that term extension didn’t apply to them because the ballot language didn’t specify that it would.
Instead, Salinas said, state law generally construes such legislative changes to be “prospective,” or applicable to future situations.
And since both Gonzales and Garza had been elected at the same time that voters approved Proposition A, their term lengths were still subject to the status quo that existed before the charter amendment was passed.
The city attorney further stated that he had given the same answer to former Donna Mayor Rick Morales ahead of the November 2023 election when he had similarly asked if his term — which began in November 2020 — was set to end in 2023, or if it could be extended to 2024.
Unsatisfied with Salinas’ answer — or a similar opinion from the attorneys at the Texas Municipal League — the city council moved to get another legal opinion from an outside attorney.
Initially, they hoped to engage Brownsville attorney and noted elections expert Gilberto Hinojosa for the task, but ultimately went with Flores at a rate of about $300 per hour, the mayor said on Monday.
Once his brother initiated the legal dispute, Flores’ rate jumped to $500 per hour for the time he spent in front of the appellate judges, David Moreno said.
Back at city hall on Monday, Salinas, Donna’s contracted city attorney, explained that a court opinion is not a suggestion, but a directive that must be followed lest the court hand down consequences.
“Failure to follow an order of a court of judicial competence is gonna be castigated by either a fine or jail,” Salinas said. “I don’t recommend to this commission that they disobey or not follow the mandates of the 13th Court of Appeals.”
But then the question arose of how to abide by the court’s opinion when deadlines for both ordering an election and filing to run as a candidate in that election occurred on the same day — in this case, on Monday.
“The issue is can we extend the filing deadline for other applicants that may want to run?” Place 3 Councilman Ernesto Lugo asked.
Flores, the third-party attorney, said that the mandamus simply required Donna to call for an election in accordance with its city charter, which ostensibly meant that potential candidates would have another 30 days to submit an application.
“Did the opinion indicate what date the election should be held? Does it have to be Nov. 5?” Lugo asked a moment later.
“It does not state that, commissioner,” Flores replied.
But Salinas disputed Flores’ interpretation of the court order.
Attorney Moises Flores speaks before the Donna City Council on at Donna City Hall on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, regarding a mandamus decision from the 13th Court of Appeals that directed the city to hold a November election. (Dina Arévalo | [email protected])
“Yes, sir, it does say that — three or four times,” Salinas said about the court’s intention for Donna to hold an election on Nov. 5, specifically.
“Again, counsel, with all due respect, you’re mistaken as to the facts, and you’re mistaken as to the law,” Salinas said.
Just as the two attorneys began a verbal sparring match, the mayor called for order and for a vote. This time, all five members of the council voted to order the election.
Speaking after the meeting adjourned, Salinas said the rift may have caused some political hopefuls to miss their chance to run for office this year.
“Because of the delay that was caused, I’m afraid that they are too late to file,” Salinas said.
But some candidates were able to file an application ahead of Monday’s statutory deadline. Two men have filed to challenge the incumbents.
Manny Moreno, the man who brought the legal challenge that forced the city’s hand, will challenge Oscar Gonzales for Place 4, the mayor confirmed.
David Moreno praised his brother for challenging the council’s previous decision in court.
“I think that he stepped up. He stepped up and is representing this community,” David Moreno said.
“The decision by the commissioners to not call the election, to me, has always been the wrong decision,” the mayor added.
And at Place 2, Joey Garza will face challenger Arturo “Art” Mendoza.
“I’m a newcomer to this. Trying to get my feet wet, see what I can do for the city of Donna,” Mendoza said when reached by phone on Tuesday.
Mendoza submitted his candidate application on Monday morning, he said.
Neither Mendoza nor Manny Moreno are entirely new to politics, however.
Mendoza has run once before, but lost in a three-way race for Place 1 in November 2023. That seat was ultimately won by Jesse “Coach” Jackson.
Both Mendoza and Manny Moreno also serve on Donna’s economic arms.
In January, the council appointed Mendoza to the Donna Economic Development Corporation (4A) board of directors. The council also approved the mayor’s suggestion to appoint his brother, Manny, to the Development Corporation (4B) board of directors.
Neither Gonzales, Garza nor Manny Moreno returned messages seeking comment for this story.
As for the mayor, he said he’s glad that Donna voters will now have a chance to decide on their representation.
“I think that the 13th Court of Appeals’ decision puts it in the hands of the voters, where it should be, and not with the commission,” David Moreno said.
A view of the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce on Friday, July 9, 2021, in Brownsville. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)
The Brownsville Chamber of Commerce has announced nominees for its board of directors for 2024-2027.
The board held a special meeting July 25 to approve the latest slate of nominees. The board’s nominating committee is tasked with filling six three-year-term vacant board seats, to serve from October 2024 to September 2027; one two-year-term vacant seat, to serve from October 2024 to September 2026; and one one-year-term vacant seat, to serve from October 2024 to September 2025.
The nominees for the three-year-term board positions are Georgette Betancourt-Medellin, district director for District 38 state Rep. Erin Gamez; Francisco Lopez, IBC Bank first vice president and commercial loan officer; Andrea Meneses, Courtyard by Marriott sale director; Constanza “Connie” Miner, chief administrative officer for the Brownsville Public Utilities Board; Jovanna Rangel, Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation chief administrative officer; and Antonio “Tony” Rodriguez, director of cargo services and business development/Foreign Trade Zone administrator for the Brownsville Navigation District (Port of Brownsville).
The sole two-year-term nominee is Mariana Tumlinson, director of communications and community engagement for Valley Regional Medical Center. Robert Daniels, Higginbotham business insurance, is the nominee for the the chamber’s one-year term board seat.
Since no additional nominee petitions were submitted to the nominating committee by the Saturday deadline, the existing slate of nominees will be declared elected by the board at its next regular meeting on Friday.
Ruben Gonzalez Cordoba, second from left, who is accused in the death of Jesse Harrison, a 13-year-old boy, stands trial as he sits with his attorneys inside the 197th state District Court at the Cameron County Courthouse on Monday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Brownsville. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)
BROWNSVILLE — A jury on Tuesday afternoon found a Willacy County man guilty of the lesser charge of criminal negligent homicide rather than murder after a week of trial over the 2021 death of a Sebastian teenager.
The jury began deliberations on Monday night on the fate of Ruben Gonzalez Cordoba, 39, over the Jan. 23, 2021 death of 13-year-old Jesse Harrison Jr.
Prosecutors had alleged that Harrison died from child abuse, including starvation. Gonzalez Cordoba’s attorney, Nat Perez, however, raised questions about Harrison’s sickly look — sunken eyes and a skeletal appearance — was due to the fact that the child had a coronavirus infection and sepsis in the days before his death.
A jury on Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 20, 2024, found Ruben Gonzalez Cordoba guilty of the lesser charge of criminal negligent homicide rather than murder after a week of trial over the 2021 death of 13-year-old Jesse Harrison Jr. (Allen Essex | Raymondville Chronicle)
The jury also found Gonzalez Cordoba guilty of one count of injury to a child. The jury found him not guilty on the remaining counts levied against him.
Harrison’s mother, Sabrina Loredo, 33, and grandmother, Antonio Villarreal Gonzalez, 56, are also charged with murder and several counts of injury to a child in the case.
They have pleaded not guilty and their trial dates are scheduled for later this year.
Harrison was not their blood relative, but they had care and custody of the child, who was a special education student at Lyford Middle School.
The jury began sentencing deliberations Tuesday afternoon, but were sent home. Deliberations continue Wednesday morning.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new information.
