HARLINGEN — Texas State Technical College alumnus Jesus Resendez could not be more thankful for his automotive career that began last November at Toyota of Pharr.
“I’m a level 2 express technician, which is doing an oil change, a tire rotation and other duties on high-mileage automobiles,” he said. “I was hired for a part-time internship two weeks before I graduated from TSTC. My boss noticed how well I had improved at my job duties. I was promoted to an advanced express technician.”
Resendez graduated with a certificate of completion in Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair from TSTC’s Harlingen campus in 2022.
The Penitas resident said he is pleased with the working culture at the dealership.
“It’s a good learning environment, and the technicians help each other out,” he said.
Juan Cortina is a service manager at Toyota of Pharr.
“The knowledge and skills that Jesus gained at TSTC gave him a good foundation to begin his career at our company,” Cortina said. “He demonstrates pride in his work and ensures that the work is done correctly the first time.”
Resendez was first introduced to automotive engine repair by his father.
“My dad read an online post for a 1953 Chevrolet pickup truck,” he said. “He bought it as a project truck so I could help him restore it. I watched my dad as he worked on the truck’s engine and other areas. I wanted a truck of my own to work on and drive around. I bought a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado.”
That was the turning point that sparked Resendez’s interest in the automotive industry.
“My dad suggested that I pursue an education in TSTC’s Automotive Technology program,” he said. “So I enrolled.”
Resendez credits his career success to his Automotive Technology instructors at TSTC.
“What my former instructors taught me has worked for me, and I’m continuing to grow at Toyota of Pharr,” he said.
Miguel Zoleta is TSTC’s Automotive Technology program director.
“Jesus was dedicated and passionate about his automotive pathway,” Zoleta said. “We are pleased that he has found career success, and more opportunities should come his way.”
The need for qualified automotive service technicians and mechanics is expected to grow in Texas over the next several years. According to onetonline.org, Texas employs more than 55,000 of these technicians around the state, and that number was forecast to top 61,000 by 2030. The average annual salary for a technician in the state is $44,810.
In Automotive Technology, TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and several certificates of completion at the Harlingen, Sweetwater and Waco campuses.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw two touchdown passes and ran for two scores, and the Baltimore Ravens pulled away in the second half for a 34-10 win over the Houston Texans on Saturday to advance to the AFC championship game.
On one of his most productive rushing days of the season, Jackson helped the Ravens (14-4) take control in the third quarter after the teams entered the half tied at 10.
His 15-yard scoring run put Baltimore ahead to stay. Although C.J. Stroud had a solid, composed first half for Houston, the Texans (11-8) ultimately couldn’t turn enough promising drives into points against an impressive Ravens defense.
Now Baltimore will host the AFC title game for the first time since January 1971, when the Colts beat the Oakland Raiders on their way to a Super Bowl championship. The Ravens will play in that semifinal round for the fifth time since their arrival in Baltimore. They’ll take on the winner of Sunday’s matchup between Buffalo and Kansas City.
Ravens fans have been haunted by what happened in the playoffs four years ago, when Baltimore went 14-2 in the regular season but dropped its postseason opener to Tennessee. Houston did enough to create some anxiety, especially when Steven Sims returned a punt for a touchdown and Jackson struggled with the blitzing Texans defense.
But on the first possession of the second half, Jackson guided Baltimore 55 yards in six plays and scored on a run up the middle. Then, a 15-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely early in the fourth made it 24-10.
Jackson’s final touchdown came on an 8-yard run with 6:20 to play, and the fired up quarterback kept running right into the tunnel in that corner of the field.
Sims’ return was the only TD for the Texans, whose offense never did reach the end zone in 120 minutes against the Ravens this season. Houston lost 25-9 in its season opener at Baltimore.
Jackson rushed for 821 yards during the regular season, which is a big part of the case for his second MVP award. But he surpassed 100 yards on the ground only once. He ran for exactly 100 on Saturday on 11 attempts. A 14-yard bootleg on fourth-and-1 near midfield led to the touchdown by Likely that gave the Ravens some breathing room.
Jackson also passed for 152 yards. He won a playoff game for the second time in five starts.
Stroud threw for 175 yards and didn’t take a single sack against a tough Baltimore defensive front, but the Texans dropped to 0-5 in the divisional round of the playoffs.
They’re the only current franchise that hasn’t reached a conference championship game.
The Ravens led the NFL in sacks this season, but it was Jackson who was under pressure in the first half, when Houston got to him three times. Two of those sacks came back-to-back in the final minute of the second quarter after a missed field goal gave Baltimore decent field position.
Penalties held the Texans back all day — they ended up with 11 for 70 yards. After Justin Tucker opened the scoring for Baltimore with a 53-yard field goal, Houston appeared headed for points of its own before two false starts and an intentional grounding flag pushed the Texans out of range.
Houston did eventually tie it on a 50-yard field goal by Ka’imi Fairbairn, but the Ravens answered with a 76-yard march capped by Jackson’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor. Jackson scrambled for 23 yards on the first play, and 15 yards on third-and-5 to put the ball at the Houston 2.
Down 10-3, the Texans struck back on special teams. Sims, who was signed from the practice squad to the active roster earlier in the week, broke free up the middle for a 67-yard touchdown.
The UTRGV women’s basketball team defeated the Tarleton State Texans 61-57 on Saturday at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville for its second-straight victory.
The Vaqueros (4-13, 3-5 WAC), who have now won three of their last four games, were led by junior Kade Hackerott as she finished with 12 points and five rebounds. Junior Iyana Dorsey finished with nine points and four steals. Junior Tierra Trotter scored seven points with three rebounds and senior Mele Kailahi also added seven points with three rebounds.
The Texans (4-12, 1-6 WAC) were led by Jakoriah Long who finished with 17 points and five rebounds. Tyler Jackson added nine points with six rebounds and Angel Bigovic scored eight points with seven rebounds.
The Texans opened the scoring with a 3-pointer but the Vaqueros answered with an 8-0 run as Dorsey converted a three-point play, Hackerott knocked down a jumper, and junior Arianna Sturdivant hit a 3-pointer to force a timeout.
Later in the quarter, freshman Jayda Holiman knocked down a 3-pointer and senior Zariah Sango made a layup to push UTRGV’s lead to 15-7 with 3:37 left to play in the first. Sango and Holiman were at it again for the Vaqueros as Sango made a jumper and Holiman made a layup that made it 19-9 Vaqueros.
The Texans mounted a comeback at the start of the second with a 7-1 run capped by a Turrubiates 3-pointer to give Tarleton State the 21-20 lead. O’Keefe kick started an 8-2 run to close out the half with a layup and then senior Mele Kailahi, Hackerott and O’Keefe made two free throws each as UTRGV took a 33-27 lead into halftime.
Field goals were at a premium in the third quarter, but the Vaqueros used their opportunities at the free throw line to maintain their lead. After a 3-pointer from the Texans, the Vaqueros went on a 6-0 run with Hackerott knocking down a pair of free throws followed by a layup from graduate student Ashton McCorry and capped by a pair of free throws from junior Tierra Trotter making it 39-30. Dorsey closed out the quarter with a layup and a pair of free throws to push UTRGV’s lead to 43-34.
Dorsey opened the scoring in the fourth with a layup that gave UTRGV their biggest lead up to that point at 45-34. The Texans and the Vaqueros exchanged a pair of buckets through much of the quarter before the Texans put together an 8-0 to get within 55-51 with just under two minutes to go.
The Vaqueros got a couple of buckets from Kailahi and Trotter to push their lead back to 59-51 with a minute to go as they held on the rest of the way for the win.
The Vaqueros will be back in action at 1 p.m. Thursday, January 25 as they visit California Baptist at the Fowler Events Center in Riverside, California.
McALLEN — Mission’s Christian Martinez only started running competitively four years ago, now he is the McAllen Marathon winner after outpacing the field Saturday morning.
Martinez, 31, finished the 11th annual McAllen Marathon and Scott Crane Run with a time of 2 hours, 48 minutes and 24 seconds. Ramirez finished seven minutes faster than Mexico’s Francisco Casillas.
“I am super proud about that performance,” Martinez said. “I have been training with my coach since August, I believe. We executed every month, and every week. Our goal was to hit a sub 2:50.”
Martinez finished sixth in 2023 with a time of 2:56.
The Mission native qualified for the Boston Marathon in 2025 by winning Saturday, but missed out on the chance of qualifying for the New York City Marathon by a little over three minutes. A runner needs a sub-2:45 marathon to qualify for the NYC Marathon.
Martinez and other runners battled a cold windy day. The Mission runner said going North on Col. Rowe Boulevard was a challenge because of the wind, but Martinez ran the race without a shirt — proving it was not cold enough for the 31-year-old from Mission.
“You adapt, you go a little bit slower on those parts and then gain when you come back and have the win at your back,” Martinez said.
Martinez does not have a background in distance running and said he will back next year to defend his title.
McAllen’s Gabriela Cavazos finished as the fastest woman Saturday with a time of 3:14.40. Nora Ruiz and Maria Scurry came in second and third respectively.
HOUSTON (AP) — Rookie C.J. Stroud impressed fans across the country with his poise and calmness in leading the Houston Texans to a win over Cleveland in his playoff debut.
Though the performance was eye-opening to many, for those in Houston who know him best, it was just what they expected.
“He’s proven that big games don’t phase him,” offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said. “I wonder if his heart rate drops. He’s a special individual in that way.”
Stroud even impressed Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, who he’ll square off against Saturday in the divisional round, with his work against the Browns.
“From my experience, he played better than I did from my rookie playoff game, I would say that,” said Jackson, who threw for 194 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in a 23-17 loss to the Chargers in his playoff debut in 2019. “He was throwing the ball all over the field, making things happen. He did great.”
Stroud, the second overall pick, threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns against Cleveland’s top-ranked defense in the 45-14 rout. At just 22, he became the youngest quarterback to win a playoff game.
Stroud was 16 of 21 before sitting down for good with about nine minutes left and the game well in hand. His 157.2 passer rating was the best by a rookie with at least 20 passing attempts in a game in NFL history.
He was asked to explain how he’s stayed so calm under intense pressure in his first NFL season.
“I feel like that’s just how I am as a person,” he said. “I’ve been this way since I’ve been a child… I’ve always been the youngest in my family. I’ve always been the one who kind of gets picked on or whatever, but that made me tough.”
Now the polished rookie will face his toughest task to date when he leads Houston against top-seeded Baltimore on Saturday. It will be his second meeting with the Ravens after also visiting them in his NFL debut on Sept. 10.
Stroud threw for 242 yards in that game but failed to get the Texans in the end zone in the 25-9 loss.
Slowik said Stroud has improved and the connection he has with him has grown immensely since that game and he raved about the quarterback’s work ethic.
“He prepares like someone who has been in the league six, seven, eight years, and that speeds up all our conversations,” Slowik said. “I feel like I’m talking to another coach. So, our back and forths are usually pretty quick. He understands what I’m saying, I understand what he’s saying.”
Coach DeMeco Ryans liked many of the things Stroud did in his first game against the Ravens, but said he’s grown the most since then in his ability to rally the team around him.
“When we’ve needed it most, I feel like just throughout the entire season, and now in this moment, he’s the leader we need him to be,” Ryans said. “He’s the player that we need him to be. His demeanor on the field, off the field, is exactly what you want out of a starting quarterback.”
Stroud’s teammates say he got to work almost immediately after he joined the Texans to bond with them, especially the guys who’d be catching his passes to start the season. Last spring, he organized a trip to Los Angeles for Houston’s receivers and tight ends where they stayed and worked together to build rapport. The quarterback paid for everyone’s flights and put them up in a rented mansion tight end Brevin Jordan estimated to be worth about $20 million.
After strengthening those bonds throughout the season, no one was surprised that he played one of his best games last week when it mattered most.
“I knew he was ready,” Jordan said. “There was no doubt in my mind the dude was going to go out there and ball.”
Stroud knows that few outside of Houston are giving the Texans a chance on Saturday in a game where they’re 9 ½ point underdogs, according to FanDuel SportsBook.
But he isn’t worried about that. After all, they weren’t even expected to be in this position.
“It’s really just up to us to go out there and do our jobs, and we believe in ourselves and we trust in ourselves to win games and hopefully win this game,” he said. “We have complete confidence in ourselves, so we’re not really worried about what everyone else has to say.”
Throughout the first part of the season, the Darius Days fans saw a year ago as an NBA G League rookie was not who they had come to expect.
Missed open 3s and an inconsistent “vibe” seemed to follow him around the court. He made his frustration clear by shaking his head, looking up to the heavens for answers and looks of being flustered started becoming part of his M.O.
Days, a former LSU standout, has shrugged that off like a polar bear coming out of hibernation – fast and furiously. The latest proof came Friday as Days erupted for 32 points – 14 in the third quarter alone – and 10 rebounds and the RGV Vipers improved to 7-1 with a 126-119 victory on the road against the Texas Legends.
Texas fell to 6-3 and will run it again against the four-time NBA G League champion Vipers at 7:30 p.m. tonight in Frisco. The Vipers’ 7-1 record is the second best in the league, only behind Western Conference rival Sioux Falls, which holds a 10-1 mark. RGV is the G League affiliate of the NBA’s Houston Rockets.
Days, who has been inserted into the starting lineup for the past two games, in a 131-95 massacre over Grand Rapids, has tallied a double-double in each game and averaged 34 minutes, 27.5 points and 11 rebounds in those two contests.
Days’ 14-point quarter on Friday helped the Vipers outscore elevated the Vipers to the top with his 14-point quarter which resulted in the Vipers outscoring its opponent 40-19. That turned a 58-54 deficit into a 17-point lead, 94-77, after three quarters.
The Legends, the G League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks, closed to within 116-112 with 2:29 remaining, but Jarrett Culver, who finished with 30 points, buried a pair of 3-pointers, Nate Hinton connected on two free throws and Days ended the scoring with a layup off an assist from Culver to put the game away.
Joining Days and Culver in double-digit scoring was Jermaine Samuels Jr. with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Ray Spalding with 11 points on a 5-for-5 shooting night coming off the bench.
The Vipers shot 47.1% from the field, 40% (14-for-35) from the 3-point line and were 9-for-10 from the free-throw line.
After today’s game, the Vipers play at Iowa on Tuesday and return home to Bert Ogden Arena on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 26-27 for a pair of 7:30 matches against the RIP City Remix.
A 36-year-old Weslaco man pleaded guilty Friday to straw purchasing and possessing child pornography and firearms.
Jose Angel Hinojosa Jr. pleaded guilty to the attempted smuggling of more than 40 firearms and possession of child porn videos on his cellphone, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office news release.
During the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ investigation, authorities discovered Hinojosa had been purchasing firearms from an online gun broker from June 5, 2016 to May 9, 2022. He would later arrange for the firearms to be exported into Mexico.
Throughout their investigation, which was assisted by the Homeland Security Investigations’ Child Exploitation Task Force, authorities executed a search warrant after learning of possible child pornography.
During their search they found several videos on Hinojosa’s cellphone showing minors “engaging in sexual conduct,” stated the release.
He admitted to receiving the pornography from various third parties.
Hinojosa is awaiting sentencing on April 24 after U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey accepted his plea, and will remain free on bond until then.
He faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
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When two teams – rivals – are loaded with all-star rosters and face off against one another, one would expect to see high intensity, incredible skills on display and potentially one of those instant classics.
McAllen High and McAllen Memorial didn’t disappoint anyone’s expectations.
Kennedy Kaiser scored in the 70th minute, blistering a shot past a diving keeper from 20 yards and McAllen Memorial captured an exciting 4-3 victory over city rival and long-time nemesis McAllen High on Friday at Memorial’s Joe Boxer Stadium.
The win improves Memorial to 3-0 in district 31-5A play, while McHi drops to 2-1. It was also the Mustangs’ first win against the Bulldogs since 2016.
The victory also leaves Memorial alone in first place in the district, the only remaining undefeated team just three matches into the district season.
The Mustangs rallied from three deficits – 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2. Chloey Mejia tied the game for the final time in the 68th minute off a corner kick with a powerful header.
“It was a beautiful goal,” McAllen Memorial head coach Matthew Kaiser said. “She hit it well and placed it at the same time.”
McHi led 1-0 at the half but the teams exchanged blows in a flurry during the second, scoring six times during that span, giving fans what they expected with two of the most powerful offenses facing one another and going toe-to-toe.
Sofia Alaniz-Choy tied the game for a second time at two about 15 minutes into the second half. Alaniz-Choy also sent some long passes downfield as Memorial pressed offensively throughout the match.
“A good defense is when we’re on their side of the field and taking shots,” Kaiser said. “We knew from the beginning we just can’t sit in front of the goal and expect nothing to go bad. Late and with the lead, the plan was to drop one forward and play defensively to kill some time – with 5 minutes left went into the formation. With two minutes left we played a lot of defense.”
Julianna Millin scored her third goal of the game for a 3-2 lead after picking up a through ball in the middle from Savannah Ruiz, who had three assists in the match. Millin juked around a rushing keeper, and with a defender trying to run her down, Millin nailed the open-netter in the 60th minute. The junior has scored eight goals over the past two matches.
“They had three players we knew we couldn’t leave along – Julianna, Savannah and Gabby (Gonzales),” Kaiser said. “We made some mistakes and they took advantage of them. That’s what great players do. She (Millin) is going to punish you and as you would expect, she finished them off.”
Coming into the game, Memorial had scored 15 goals during their first two district matches against PSJA North and Edinburg Vela. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs scored eight in their first pair of matches against McAllen Rowe and PSJA North.
Freshman Danara Cardenas scored to tie the game at 2.That score was an answer to Millin’s goal during the 50th minute for the Bulldogs’ second lead of the night.
“I was just hoping the girls would stay confident,” said Kaiser, adding that he purposely didn’t remember how many matches it has been since his Mustangs beat the Bulldogs, other than “it’s been a lot.” “I was very happy they didn’t get discouraged and kept believing they were in the game.
“It’s a big thing for me as a coach for them to understand that things don’t always go your way but you keep fighting and scrapping.”
Memorial travels to Sharyland on Tuesday while McHi plays at Pioneer.