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McHi girls, Weslaco East boys win second straight meet

By
Ivan Palacios
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McALLEN — More than 50 teams from across the Coastal Bend, Laredo and RGV took centerstage under the lights Friday, all gathering at the McAllen Sports Complex for the Bulldogs Friday Night Light Cross Country Invitational.

Two teams stood out among the loaded group, with McAllen High’s girls and Weslaco East boys taking home the team trophy for their second straight overall victory to start the 2024 season.

The Bulldogs had three athletes finish among the top five in a field that featured 185 total runners. Senior Dana Rojas Vazquez led the group, clocking in at 17 minutes, 42.5 seconds for the individual win. The victory marked her second straight of the year, while also breaking the sub-18 mark for a second time this season.

Fellow senior Kenzi Ramirez joined Rojas Vazquez in the top five, coming in fourth with a time of 19:14.5, followed by freshman teammate Sophia Simpson in fifth with a time of 19:34.3. Simpson has now finished in the top five during each of her first two varsity meets.

McAllen High’s Dana Rojas Vazquez and Ava Barreda receive instruction prior to their race Friday. (Joel Martinez | The Monitor)

In the boys division, the Wildcats had their top five runners all finish inside the top 25 to secure their second straight team victory. Senior Adrianno Gonzalez paced the way with a sixth-place finish, clocking in at 15:59.4. Octavian De La Serna (15th), Aaron Nava (16th), Aron Martinez (19th) and Alexander Nava (21st) rounded out the Wildcats top five runners.

While the Wildcats took home the team trophy, the Lions dynamic junior trio stole the show, with the group taking the top three spots during the race.

Anthony Morales cruised to first place with a time of 15:00.3 during his first meet of the 2024 season, followed by his twin sibling Armando in second (15:10.5) and Nathan Salinas in third (15:36.0).

La Feria junior Anthony Morales crosses the finish line in first during the Friday Night Lights XC Invitational on Friday at the McAllen Sports Complex. (Joel Martine | The Monitor)

With the trio leading the way, the Lions finished in third in the overall team standings, with Eagle Pass taking second.

For full results from this weekend’s cross country action, click here.

[email protected]

RGV HS Cross Country Results – 08/16 – 08/17

By
Ivan Palacios
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WRITER’S NOTE: Coaches, please report corrections and updates to [email protected].

VALLEY HS CROSS COUNTRY RESULTS

FRIDAY’S MEETS

Friday Night Lights Bulldog Invitational

McAllen Sports Complex

McAllen, TX

Individual

Boys

1. Anthony Morales, La Feria, 15:00.3; 2. Armando Morales, La Feria, 15:10.5; 3. Nathan Salinas, La Feria, 15:36.0; 4. Zachary Lamar, Harlingen High, 15:53.9; 5. Roehl Rodriguez, McAllen Memorial, 15:53.9; 6. Adrianno Gonzalez, Weslaco East, 15:59.4; 7. Raphael Rosas Garcia, Eagle Pass, 16:02.3; 8. Steven Guillen, Edinburg High, 16:09.8; 9. Juan Manuel Aguinaga, Edcouch-Elsa, 16:14.4.

Girls

1. Dana Rojas Vazquez, McAllen High, 17:42.5; 2. Zaddie Santacruz, Laredo Nixon, 18:58.5; 3. Sophia Sandoval, Laredo Nixon, 19:11.12; 4. Kenzi Ramirez, McAllen High, 19:14.5; 5. Sophia Simpson, McAllen High, 19:34.3; 6. Yazmin Guerra, PSJA Southwest, 19:34.9; 7. Alessa De La Garza, Laredo Nixon, 19:37.2; 8. Juliana Garcia, Harlingen High, 19:42.4; 9. Dana Rodriguez, Edinburg Vela, 19:42.8; 10. Sofia Lauren Garza, Sharyland High, 19:46.6.

Team

Boys

1. Weslaco East, 77; 2. Eagle Pass, 103; 3. La Feria, 108; 4. Harlingen High, 153; 5. McAllen High, 166; 6. Laredo Nixon, 200; 7. Laredo Alexander, 251; 8. Edcouch-Elsa, 271; 9. Laredo Johnson, 287; 10. Laredo United, 305; 11. Edinburg Economedes, 305; 12. Donna High, 325; 13. McAllen Memorial, 357; 14. Harlingen South, 372; 15. Eagle Pass Winn, 406; 16. Corpus Christi Ray, 424; 17. Edinburg Vela, 435; 18. Progreso, 447; 19. Sharyland Pioneer, 449; 20. Laredo United South, 469; 21. McAllen Rowe, 499; 22. La Joya Palmview, 505; 23. Hidalgo, 532; 24. Mission Veterans, 563; 25. Valley View, 719.

Girls

1. McAllen High, 68; 2. Laredo Nixon, 98; 3. Laredo United South, 139; 4. Laredo United, 191; 5. Harlingen High, 197; 6. Edinburg Vela, 203; 7. Edinburg High, 209; 8. La Feria, 211; 9. Edinburg Economedes, 218; 10. Harlingen South, 225; 11. Eagle Pass, 230; 12. Laredo Alexander, 289; 13. Sharyland Pioneer, 299; 14. Weslaco High, 365; 15. Mission Veterans, 423; 16. McAllen Rowe, 430; 17. PSJA Memorial, 433; 18. PSJA North, 438; 19. Donna North, 450; 20. Sharyland High, 454; 21. McAllen Memorial, 482; 22. PSJA High, 617.

 

SATURDAY’S MEETS

Mission Fly Like An Eagle Invitational

Kenneth White Middle School

Mission, TX

Individual

Boys

1. Thomas Tamayo, Los Fresnos, 16:48.6; 2. Josue Cisneros, Mission High, 17:11.4; 3. Raul Delgado, IDEA Pharr, 17:27.4; 4. Gilberto Mares, IDEA Pharr, 17:57.9; 5. Sergio Vargas, Mission High, 18:20.0; 6. Ryan Aguirre, Mission High, 18:23.9; 7. Anthony Picazo, Mission High, 18:40.5; 8. Omar Castillo, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 18:45.4; 9. Tristan Saenz, PSJA North, 18:46.6; 10. Jose Ibarra, Mission High, 18:47.5.

Girls

1. Asante Stewart, La Joya High, 22:09.0; 2. Namoi Cotero, IDEA Pharr, 22:43.6; 3. Delilah Martinez, Los Fresnos, 23:19.3; 4. Chelsea Ibarra, Mission High, 23:42.1; 5. Bella Sanchez, IDEA Los Encinos 23:56.2; 6. Delia Lozano, IDEA Pharr, 24:09.8; 7. Arianna Mares, Mission High, 24:15.0; 8. Ariadna Gonzalez, IDEA Pharr, 24:22.9; 9. Indra Ibarra Mission High, 24:53.5; 10. Mryna Chaidez, Los Fresnos, 25:26.2.

Team

Boys

1. Mission High, 30; 2. IDEA Pharr, 55; 3. Los Fresnos, 68; 4. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 97; 5. La Joya High, 140; 6. PSJA High, 142; 7. PSJA North, 143.

Girls

1. Los Fresnos, 40; 2. Mission High, 43; 3. IDEA Pharr.

TSTC alumnus flourishes in career at area auto body shop

By
Special to MyRGV.com
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TSTC Auto Collision and Management Technology alumnus Daniel Ledesma is a collision center manager at Hacienda Collision Center. (Courtesy: Texas State Technical College/TSTC)
TSTC Auto Collision and Management Technology alumnus Daniel Ledesma is a collision center manager at Hacienda Collision Center. (Courtesy: Texas State Technical College/TSTC)

HARLINGEN — Texas State Technical College alumnus Daniel Ledesma has turned his love of automobiles into a fulfilling career.

Ledesma became interested in the automotive field after being introduced to it by his father, who had studied Automotive Technology at TSTC. Ledesma followed his father’s lead and graduated with a certificate of completion in Auto Body Repair from TSTC’s Harlingen campus in 2015. He earned an Auto Collision and Management Technology Generalist Specialist certificate a year later.

“My father used to work on the family’s automobile engines when I was 8 years old,” Ledesma said. “I knew that I wanted to pursue an automotive career. Years later I grew an interest in repairing automobiles. I loved seeing the auto body process with sports cars.”

Now Ledesma is a manager at Hacienda Collision Center in Harlingen.

“I oversee the operations of the shop, provide training and I-CAR (Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair) certifications to our technicians, and handle other duties,” he said.

Ledesma said he enjoys the work culture at the collision center.

“I work with a great team of repairers who work hard on the vehicles,” he said. “Since I have a passion for automobiles, it doesn’t feel like a job.”

Rick Navarro is a general manager at Hacienda Collision Center.

“Daniel started in our company as a porter, where he was later promoted to an estimator, and now is the center’s manager,” Navarro said. “His knowledge and skills have benefited our company. He’s always willing to learn new things to improve his team.”

TSTC Auto Collision and Management Technology alumnus Daniel Ledesma, middle, is a collision center manager at Hacienda Collision Center. (Courtesy: Texas State Technical College/TSTC)

Jose Vasquez is TSTC’s Auto Collision and Management Technology program team lead in Harlingen.

“Daniel was a focused student who wanted to learn and was coachable,” he said. “His journey in our program is a true testimony of a person that pays his dues to the industry.”

Ledesma credits much of his career success to his former instructors at TSTC.

“I was committed to the career field, and the instructors’ knowledge improved my skills,” he said. “I had a great experience in the program because I wanted a better life for myself.”

According to onetonline.org, automotive body and related repairers in Texas earn an average of $48,330 a year. The website projected that there would be a 14% increase in the number of such jobs in the state from 2020 to 2030.

TSTC offers Associate of Applied Science degrees in Auto Collision and Management Technology with refinishing and repair specializations at its Harlingen and Waco campuses. Certificate options also are available.

Registration for TSTC’s fall semester is underway. For more information, visit tstc.edu.

RGVSports.com Top 30 Football Player Countdown (No. 16-20) 

By
Bryan Ramos
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The 2024 high school football season is officially underway, with teams hitting the practice field across the Rio Grande Valley.

With Week 1 of the regular season looming, the RGVSports.com staff compiled a list of the top 30 returning RGV football players for the 2024 season.

Our list continues with two of the area’s top linebackers leading the Mission Veterans and PSJA North defenses, two breakout weapons primed for big seasons offensively at Donna High and PSJA Memorial and a receiver-turned-quarterback in Lyford.

Be sure to check back every Wednesday and Saturday as we announce more players from the list leading up to the reveal of the top five players in the 2024 RGVSports.com Football Tab on Aug. 28.

Donna High receiver Xavier Rodriguez scoring the game-winning touchdown against Edcouch-Elsa in a non-district game Friday at Bennie La Prade Stadium in Donna. (Andrew Cordero/Special to The Monitor)

No. 16: WR Xavier Rodriguez, sr., Donna High

2023 Stats: 73 receptions, 1,143 yards, seven touchdowns; 13 carries, 106 yards, one touchdown

Notes: Rodriguez is a big-play waiting to happen as the receiver possesses 4.4 40-speed and the ability to turn WR screens and deep balls into touchdowns. Donna is creative in the ways it schemes touches for Rodriguez, and the senior has shown a tendency to make the most of his opportunities.

Mission Veterans defender Aiden Uribe (23) reaches for the ball carrier in a non-district against Harlingen High at Tom Landry Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023, in Mission. (Joel Martinez | [email protected])

No. 17: LB Aiden Uribe, sr., Mission Veterans

2023 Stats: 165 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception

Notes: Uribe is the latest of a lineage of standout linebackers in the middle of the Mission Veterans defense. He’s an instinctual player in finding the football and laying the hammer when he gets there. His toughness and leadership as a three-year letterman will be leaned upon to set the tone for the Patriots’ “Blue Dawg Defense.”

PSJA North’s Jesse Montez. Photo Courtesy Jesse Montez Max Preps.

No. 18: LB Jesse Montez, sr., PSJA North

2023 Stats: 114 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, two fumbles recovered, one interception

Notes: Montez is a tackling machine that flies to the ball from sideline to sideline. He’s racked up more than 100 total tackles each year with 343 stops across his first three seasons. Montez is a disruptive force that plays every snap full speed as a mainstay in PSJA North’s “Blackshirt Defense.”

No. 19 ATH Adrian Chavez, sr., Lyford

2023 Stats: 45 receptions, 858 yards, five TDs, 26 carries, 188 yards, 10 TDs, 43 total tackles, one interception

Notes: Chavez was a stud at receiver and safety last season, but he’ll make the transition to quarterback his senior year while still seeing some time defensively. The athleticism that made him one of the top pass catchers in the RGV and a lethal rusher will allow him to hurt defenses through the air and on the ground while leading the Bulldogs’ offense.

PSJA Memorial’s Emiliano Colunga poses at McAllen Memorial High School on Saturday, July 27, 2024, in McAllen. (Joel Martinez | [email protected])

No. 20 Emiliano Colunga, sr., PSJA Memorial

2023 Stats: 139 carries, 1,305 yards, 12 TDs

Notes: PSJA Memorial relied heavily on its rushing attack to move the ball, and Colunga was at the center of it. He averaged nearly 10 yards per carry and displayed the ability to turn any touch into six. He’ll be the primary ball-carrier again for the Wolverines and is set up for a big senior campaign.

Head for the beach — and be sure to scour the wrack line for treasures

By
Anita Westervelt
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Sea heart, hamburger bean, starnut, almond and Troolie palm drift seeds (Courtesy: Anita Westervelt)
Sea heart, hamburger bean, starnut, almond and Troolie palm drift seeds (Courtesy: Anita Westervelt)

Hundreds of miles offshore, floating oceanic debris accumulates in giant swirling eddies, gets swept along by currents, tumbled around in wave action, shoved aground, ending as tidewrack on a beach.

A wrack line is that line of tidewrack left on the beach by high tide. It is a most excellent place to look for sea beans.

Also called drift seeds, sea beans are seeds, nuts, fruits and pods of tropical and rainforest trees and vines. The fruits or seeds fall from the plants into waterways and end up in the ocean where they begin their tumultuous journey, eventually coming to rest sometimes thousands of miles from their homeland.

Savvy beachcombers pick through the jumble of sea grasses, ocean debris, shells, corals, driftwood, rubbish and abandoned objects at the wrack line, searching for sea beans.

Sea beans are hard and buoyant, capable of surviving long ocean journeys that might have begun off the west coast of Africa, the Amazon Basin, South America, Central America and islands of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.

Any object floating on the surface of the ocean is at the mercy of wind, waves and ocean currents; violent action during storms at sea can also churn up matter from the ocean floor and deposit it on distant shores.

The more turbulent the weather, the more action in the ocean; the more action in the ocean, the better the pickings on the beach. Calm seas are also apt to deposit sea beans in reach of a beachcomber.

A few varieties found on local beaches are described below with the scientific name of the plant that produces the seed.

Troolie palm, Manicaria saccifera, seeds are the more commonly found sea beans. The palm grows in swampy areas in Central and northern South America and south to Peru. They are also called golf ball sea beans; their size and shape are similar to that moniker. The seed has a single scar, like a bellybutton; its reddish-brown to black vegetative covering sheds in layers.

Tropical almond, Terminalia catappa, sea beans are blond, fibrous and almond-shaped, from an almond tree native to tropical Asia and introduced throughout the Tropics.

Sea heart sea bean (Courtesy: Anita Westervelt)

Sea hearts are from the monkey-ladder vine, Entada gigas, a species of flowering liana. Lianas are woody vines rooted in the ground with long stems that travel through tree canopies seeking sunlight. The vine is in the pea family and native to Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Africa. The beans are just over two inches with a heart shape indentation or not.

Hamburger beans, Mucuna urens, (red) and Mucuna sloanei (brown) are seeds of tropical rainforest vines native to the American Tropics and West Indies. The beans are about the size of a quarter and resemble a dark hamburger patty, sandwiched between a lighter shade bun.

Donavan’s brain sea bean (Courtesy: Anita Westervelt)

Donovan’s brain, also called brainfruit or brain bean, Andira galeottiana, is fruit from a leguminous tree in the pea family native to southern Mexico. The dark bean is oblong, three inches long and two and one-half inches thick.

Starnut palm, Astrocaryum species, are black teardrop shaped, one inch in length. Lengthwise ridges are typical and easy identifying marks. They are the seeds of the starnut palm which grows in rainforests of Central America in the basins of the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers.

Sea walnut (Courtesy: Anita Westervelt)

Sea walnuts, Juglans nigra, are round, an inch and a half in diameter, grooved, like a pumpkin, slightly peaked at one end and rounded at the other. Black walnut trees are common from Texas to New York; beached nuts likely washed down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico.

Box fruit from the fish poison tree (Courtesy: Anita Westervelt)

Box fruit (fish poison tree), Barringtonia asiatica, is a rare find, a large seed pod from a decorative shade tree from islands of the Indian Ocean to tropical Asia.

American lotus, Nelumbo lutea, seed pod is a fun find. It is the pod of an aquatic flowering water lily plant that grows in lakes, swamps and river edges in North America and the West Indies. The pod breaks away from the plant in the fall. The seeds mostly fall to the waterbed as the encasings shrink; the seeds are not buoyant, but the pods are.

American lotus seed pod drift (Courtesy: Anita Westervelt)

Information like this and other mysteries of the seas are addressed in presentations during meetings of the Port Isabel-South Padre Island Shell Club that meets at 1 p.m. the fourth Sunday each month from September through April at Saint Andrew’s By the Sea Episcopal Church, at 1022 N. Yturria St. in Port Isabel. Meetings are free and open to the public.

These sources were helpful in writing this article: seabean.com, tpwd.texas.gov, kindred-spirit.net, “Florida’s Living Beaches” by Blair and Dawn Witherington; “Sea-Beans from the Tropics” by Ed Perry IV and John V. Dennis’ and “The Little Book of Sea-Beans and other Beach Treasures” by Cathie Katz and Paul Mikkelsen.

Anita Westervelt is a Texas Master Naturalist.

Harlingen South Hawks start at No. 9 in preseason 5A/6A poll

By
Bryan Ramos
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The Harlingen South Hawks at RGVSports.com Lower Valley Media Day at Harlingen South High School on July 31, 2024. Photo by Andrew Cordero - Special to RGVSports.com.

HARLINGEN — Harlingen South starts the season ranked No. 9 in the RGVSports.com 5A-6A Top 10 Poll after breaking through with playoff success to end its 2023 campaign.

The Hawks finished last season 8-4 overall with a bi-district playoff victory over McAllen Memorial, the program’s first postseason win in 11 years. Now, the Hawks are hungry for more entering 2024.

“We’re just excited to get on the field with a new roster and see what we can do this year,” senior running back Alvin Edwards said.

The Hawks return 12 starters, with seven on offense and five on defense, giving fourth-year head coach Israel Gonzalez a good group to work with.

The South offense will revolve around its lead back, Alvin Edwards, a senior rusher who ran for 576 yards and seven touchdowns on 86 carries in 2023. He shared the load last season but is ready to handle the majority of the touches out of the South backfield.

Harlingen South running back Alvin Edwards (14) runs the ball during a Region IV-5A DI area round contest against Victoria West on Saturday at Cabaniss Stadium in Corpus Christi. (Andrew Cordero | Special to RGVSports)

“It’s a big moment for me because I’m finally stepping up and being the main running back,” he said. “It’s a lot of pressure, but after your first Bird Bowl, all the pressure is off you. We got some new up and comers that I’m excited about, too.”

The Hawks also return two options at quarterback with senior Dylan Anaya (436 passing yards, five touchdowns; 610 rushing yards, seven touchdowns) and junior Austen Shroyer (546 passing yards, seven touchdowns; 161 rushing yards), both of whom have shown they can move the ball through the air and on the ground.

Junior linebacker Marcus Garza (102 total tackles, two interceptions) will man the middle of the South defense, and senior defensive backs Luis Orozco (29 tackles, one interception) and Joaquin Romero (46 tackles, one interception) patrol the secondary.

Harlingen South quarterback Dylan Anaya (8) carries the ball in a non-district game against Weslaco High at Bobby Lackey Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023, in Weslaco. (Joel Martinez | [email protected])

South will be in a tougher district in 2024 thanks to the latest UIL realignment, however. The Hawks have their work cut out for them with 15-5A DI matchups against Corpus Christi Flour Bluff, Corpus Christi Veterans, Donna High, PSJA Memorial, PSJA North and Weslaco East — all playoff teams from a season ago.

“I think a team can only get better by playing tougher teams,” Edwards said. “I’m excited to play against those teams that people consider harder teams. I think it’s going to be different because now we’re going in as underdogs and I think it’s going to change their perspective in how they try to play us, but I think we can stick with them either way.”

South is slated to open the regular season Aug. 29 at McAllen Rowe before playing host to crosstown rival Harlingen High in the Bird Bowl on Sept. 6. The Hawks then kick off District 15-5A DI action in Week 3 on the road against Flour Bluff.

Become a Texas Master Gardener

By
Ashley Gregory
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A farmer plants a tomato seedling in a garden (Adobe Stock)

What is a Master Gardener? Maybe you’ve heard the title or attended one of their programs, but what does it really mean? And how do you become a Master Gardener?

The Texas Master Gardener Program is a volunteer development program offered by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. The volunteers are highly trained and provide proven, research-based educational programs to the citizens of Texas. As of 2022, there are 7,754 Texas Master Gardeners across the state; the largest corps of Master Gardener volunteers in the nation.

While Texas may currently have the largest group of “Master Gardeners,” the term was originally coined in the early 1970s to describe a new Extension program in Washington State. At the time there was an overwhelming demand for horticulture information and Dr. Sam Cotner, Extension Vegetable Specialist with Texas A&M suggested a new volunteer program from Washington. In 1979 the first Master Gardener class was held in Montgomery County and by 1987 five other counties had adopted the program and A&M made an official commitment to the program by hiring a statewide coordinator. The program was very successful and has continued to grow year over year.

Today, there are more than 85 counties in Texas with Master Gardener Associations and the program continues to be as popular as ever, with Master Gardener across the state volunteering 564,669 hours of service in 2022.

Though Texas Master Gardeners are united in name, the program’s strength lies in its ability to meet the diverse needs of the individual communities it serves. Hidalgo County Master Gardeners are committed to educating our local community and in 2023 alone they hosted over 22 educational programs providing 1,359 contact hours on topics that are relevant and important to our area. Additionally, they volunteered 2,975 hours working on projects, doing research, and maintaining our teaching gardens.

In the Lower Rio Grande Valley there are two local Master Gardener Associations that you can join: the Cameron County Master Gardener Association and the Hidalgo County Master Gardener Association.

Participants of the Master Gardener Volunteer Training must complete 50 hours of instruction and 50 hours of volunteer service before they receive the title of Master Gardener. To keep the title members must complete a minimum of 24 hours of volunteer service and 10 hours of continuing education each year and pay annual dues of $30.

Master Gardeners of course have a passion for gardening and the environment, but above all they have a desire to share their passion and extensive knowledge with their communities. Both of the local Master Gardeners Associations each maintain their own 1 acre Educational Garden that has a variety of demonstration gardens that are used as teaching aides for many of their gardening workshops. Demonstration gardens include a raised bed vegetable garden, butterfly garden, wildflower meadow, native and adapted garden, fruit tree garden and they are always working to add more features. In addition to workshops held at the garden, Master Gardeners provide educational presentations for schools, civic clubs, and community events.

The 2024 Fall Master Gardener Training program will begin Thursday, Sept. 5, for both Cameron and Hidalgo counties. Classes will meet from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.every Thursday through Nov. 21. The cost for the 50 hours of instruction is $280 and includes classroom instruction, Master Gardener handbook, private tours, and upon graduation your name badge, and Association shirt.

The deadline to apply and pay the registration fee is Thursday, Aug. 29. The training is conducted by a variety of local experts, researchers and Master Gardener Specialists. Topics covered include plant growth and development, growing fruits and vegetables, soils and composting, native plants, tree care and pruning, and many more.

If you are interested in becoming a Texas Master Gardener contact your local Horticulture Agent; for Cameron County, Jennifer Herrera at (956) 361-8236 or [email protected] and in Hidalgo County, Ashley Gregory at (956) 383-1026 or [email protected]

Ashley Gregory is the Horticulturalist for Hidalgo County with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. She can be reached at the Hidalgo County Extension Office at (956) 383-1026 or by email at [email protected].

McAllen schools combined 18-0 heading into Poundfest final day

By
Henry Miller
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McAllen High's Isabella Rivera, right, hits against Los Fresnos Jessetheresa Brisky, right, during the Poundfest tournament at McAllen high school gymnasium Friday Aug.16, 2024 in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])

After two days of pool play during the 19th annual McHi Poundfest on Thursday and Friday, one thing is for certain – District 31-5A is going to be brutal once again.

McAllen High, McAllen Memorial and McAllen Rowe all went undefeated for a second day – 6-0 overall each, and District 31-5A – the SEC of South Texas high school volleyball – combined for a 28-2 record heading into Saturday’s bracket play. All five schools from 31-5A advanced to the championship bracket.

The only two losses for 31-5A came from McHi defeating Edinburg Vela, and McAllen Memorial defeating two-time defending district champion Sharyland High.

McAllen High’s Karely Cantu makes a hit against Los Fresnos during the Poundfest tournament at McAllen high school gymnasium Friday Aug.16, 2024 in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])

At McHi, the Bulldogs won all 12 of the sets they played and looked completely dominant most of the day. Gabby Estringel led a powerful front line, including Karely Cantu and Bella Rivera, while also showing some libero-like diving saves. Head coach Estefania Portillo went deep into her talented bench, and every player performed as needed, as expected or better. Sophomore Mackenzie Davidson also had some impactful play time in the middle, providing MCHi with a big block and additional size at the net

The Bulldogs’ defense, sparked by libero Kaylen Ottmers and defensive specialist Braelyn Martinez also played like their school moniker – Bulldogs – serve receiving and passing well to help setter Yaneli Rocha pick and choose which of her arsenal of hitters to choose from. Rocha also showed that defense shouldn’t fall asleep on her, sneaking in a couple of lefty kills throughout the day.

The Bulldogs found themselves in trouble though on a couple of occasions, trailing Edinburg Vela during the first set but then going on a 10-2 run to clinch that set.  They were on the ropes during the first set against PSJA High, led by blistering attacks from the Bears’ Juliana Guajardo, who found her legs and her swing during that match. However, McHi’s resiliency led them to victory.

Rowe swept through its opponents, seemingly with ease with wins over Harlingen South, Port Isabel and Rio Grande City. Brianna Sanchez led Rowe offensively with 19 kills and Kendyl Keenan added 17. Hailey Gonzalez and Katelynn combined for 20 kills. The Warriors will kick off the championship bracket against Vela at 9 a.m. Saturday on Court 1 at McHi. At the same time, Memorial and Los Fresnos will play on Court 2. Rowe and Memorial could meet in the semifinals, which take place at 11 a.m.

McHi opens its day as the top seed and faces Rio Grande City on Court 1 at 10 a.m., while Harlingen South and Sharyland face off at the same time with the winners playing in the other semifinal at noon. The championship match is slated for 2 p.m.

The Silver bracket will take place at McAllen Memorial and the Bronze bracket will be played at McAllen Rowe.

McAllen Memorial’s Frida Ipina dives for a ball against Sharyland High during the Poundfest tournament at McAllen Memorial high school gymnasium Friday Aug.16, 2024 in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])

 

UTRGV Football set to hit the practice field

By
Bryan Ramos
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The practice football field as the the Vaqueros Performance Center is being built in the background on the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley campus on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Edinburg. (Joel Martinez | [email protected])

EDINBURG — The Vaqueros Performance Center, the on-campus home of UTRGV football, is currently under construction with plans to finish in time for the 2025 season, when the Vaqueros kick off Division I Football Championship Series action in the Rio Grande Valley.

The turf practice field outside the Vaqueros Performance Center is ready to roll right now, however, and so are the 75-plus UTRGV football players that make up the first signing class in program history.

Move-in day and meetings begin Sunday for UTRGV’s football student-athletes, followed by more of the same Monday.

On Tuesday, the work begins.

The Vaqueros will hit the turf practice field for conditioning tests and ramp up leading into Sept. 9, the first full-padded practice for UTRGV football.

The end zone of the practice football field at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley campus on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Edinburg. (Joel Martinez | [email protected])

“It’s definitely still a work in progress, but super excited. We’re two days away from our young men being here, and everything’s kind of falling into place,” UTRGV head coach Travis Bush said. “Practice facility is ready, we walked through the pavilion where we’ll house out in Year 1, so for us, to have this advantage to bring these guys in with these facilities is phenomenal.”

Bush guided the media through a walkthrough tour of the Athletics Pavilion, which will house UTRGV football temporarily in 2024 while construction continues on the VPC. The Athletics Pavilion features locker, meeting, training and weight rooms, and a path leading to two practice fields — one of turf and one of natural grass from the King Ranch that was just laid down and needs time to settle before the Vaqueros can practice on it.

The lockers at the temporary football facilities in the Vaqueros Performance Center on the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley campus on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Edinburg. (Joel Martinez | [email protected])

The Athletics Pavilion is lined with motivational phrases including “Win Today,” which Bush and the UTRGV coaching staff use to push stacking wins daily to lead to positive results.

Bush said his time as an assistant at UTSA, when the Roadrunners launched their football program, was much different than the turf and natural grass practice fields and Athletics Pavilion UTRGV football is starting off with.

“We lived this life before (at UTSA), starting a program in the past in the exact same scenario, but we were in a little gym with everything in the same gym,” Bush said. “We had to drive to a high school field several miles away to practice every single day, so to have our own facilities at home and to come out here and practice and see the VPC being built on a daily basis and being able to move into that next year is big time.”

University of Texas Rio GrandeValley head football coach walks the hallways of the temporary football facilities at the Vaqueros Performance Center on the UTRGV campus on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Edinburg. (Joel Martinez | [email protected])

While the current UTRGV football team will begin conditioning tests and work leading up to its first official practice, aspiring college football players will have a chance to earn a spot alongside the current players.

UTRGV football plans to hold walk-on tryouts for current UTRGV students who meet a list of requirements. Bush said the intent is to add multiple players following the Aug. 26 tryouts, and he’s seen players make the most of these kinds of opportunities in the coaching past.

“We got some low numbers at certain positions, so we’re hoping to find some guys that can help. There’s some requirements they have to do, eligibility, age, etc., so if we can take about 10-12, that can help us out then it’s a success,” Bush said. “We did the same thing at UTSA and we had an open tryout, a young man came off the street and tried out, and ended up earning a starting position and a scholarship and he ended up in camp with the Chicago Bears after he graduated, so you never know when someone gets an opportunity. There could be a great story that starts here on Aug. 26, here to tryout, that’s the exciting piece, too.”

Those interested in trying out for the UTRGV football team must meet the following requirements: be a full-time UTRGV student enrolled in a minimum of 12 hours for the fall semester, have an NCAA ID number from the NCAA eligibility center, must have played high school football within the past two years, completed and submitted a physical form, tryout form, participation waiver form, tryout questionnaire and proof of insurance. More information can be found at GoUTRGV.com.

All necessary forms and proof of insurance are due to UTRGV director of football operations and administration John Simmons via email at [email protected] before 5 p.m. Aug. 21.

McAllen police chief took frontline role in subduing dangerous suspect

By
Xavier Alvarez
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McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez talks about the recent ordeal with an event he aided his officers on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])

For McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez and his department, it was just another day on the force.

It was 11:16 p.m. on Aug. 1 when McAllen officers on patrol heard gunshots in the 3000 block of Gumwood Avenue and quickly responded to the residence of 37-year-old Navy veteran Ponciano Garcia Jr. who suffers from PTSD.

According to police reports, McAllen officers believed Garcia to be barricaded inside his home after having shot a federal agent.

Rodriguez was called to the scene, advised of the situation and he, including two other officers, made entry into the residence. The chief advised his officers to utilize a shield while he used a “cinder block” to open the front door and the trio cleared the residence.

It was then determined that Garcia was inside an aluminum shed on the back east side of the property shooting at his “ceiling.”

“Communications advised us that Mr. Garcia stated that someone had attempted to remove a panel from his window which caused him to fear for his life and that is the reason he began to shoot,” one report said.

Garcia had threatened to shoot anyone on his property but stated he’d allow EMS to take the FBI agents he hurt away for medical assistance. However, there weren’t any federal agents at the scene.

Garcia’s father was at the scene. He had arrived to try and talk his son down to surrender, but police stopped him as it was far too dangerous.

At one point, Garcia opened the shed’s front door and officers commanded him to raise his hands up, but Garcia began to yell, backed up into the shed while reaching for his waistline. An officer took a single shot before Garcia fell back into the shed and closed the door, another report stated.

McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez talks about the recent ordeal with an event he aided his officers on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])

Knowing they had Garcia now contained to the shed, Rodriguez determined that all he needed was a diversion.

“The steps we took forward were option number one, so to speak,” Rodriguez said. “We had a multifaceted breach of his property, so he had no idea where we were coming from.”

Rodriguez planned to have him and his officers break all the shed’s windows at the same time and shoot in Pava powder, or pepper balls, to saturate the room Garcia was inside of.

“Chief Rodriguez used a brick to break the window to the door of the metal shed while the Pava powder was shot inside the room to saturate it,” another report said.

Following the breach, fellow officers opened the front door and dragged Garcia out after a struggle and placed him in handcuffs. He was bleeding from his right elbow and stated he was only grazed by the bullet but then said it was due to the glass, declining EMS assistance.

Ponciano Garcia Sr. was then advised that his son was unharmed and would be taken into custody for charges of discharging a firearm in a municipality.

Dr. Michael R. Sanchez, a lecturer in Criminal Justice at the University of Rio Grande Valley, could only describe Rodriguez’s actions that night as “good leadership” and commended the chief.

“I actually respect what he did because there’s too much of people who don’t need to be shot, but he found a way to take him into custody without having to shoot him and at risk to himself, which a lot of chiefs wouldn’t do, so I think that’s very commendable,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez explained that these sort of police responses to people experiencing a mental health crisis vary from department to department and has been a point of contention in law enforcement for a while now, adding that the needle is not moving on the issue.

McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez at the McAllen Police Department on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])

Some police departments are now hiring mental health specialists and officers who go out into the field with mental health experts to deal with these calls peacefully rather than treating them as threats.

According to Sanchez, these mental health experts are important for deescalating situations or calls involving a person experiencing a mental health crisis. However, it doesn’t mean they aren’t a danger to themselves or others.

“It’s a double edged sword and a lot of the time … people sympathetic to the idea of keeping the peace don’t realize that you can’t just deescalate an emotionally disturbed person,” Sanchez said. “Sometimes they’re extremely dangerous … so, it puts the police in a very difficult spot and I think was an excellent example of a chief going above and beyond to try to find a way to take this guy into custody without having to apply deadly force.”

Rodriguez says that deadly force should always be the last option, but adds that the opportunity is not always guaranteed. Rodriguez and his department will always prioritize the safety of the citizens and officers at the scene.

The chief described the actions taken that night as “nontraditional.” It was the circumstances of the events and how they unfolded that allowed McAllen police to take Garcia into custody without harm.

Rodriguez doesn’t take the full credit for the non-deadly apprehension and commended his officers for creating that opportunity.

“We have excellent police men and women at McAllen PD,” Rodriguez said. “They were responsive. They’re the ones that were on patrol, that heard the gunfire, were able to narrow down the location, were able to contain, were able to stay safe.

“That allowed all of us to act.”

The chief also credited their training for their response that night.

For Rodriguez and his team, “it’s just another day at work.”

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