Hidalgo, Zapata on collision course – again

The last time Zapata was competing in District 32-4A, the Hawks and Hidalgo went down to the final set of the season, a grueling battle between the growing rivals, before the Pirates won the 2019 district title.

After being put in a different district the Hawks have returned, and the same teams are on a similar collision course to repeat history when they play in the regular-season finale Oct. 24 at Zapata — the same location the 2019 title was decided.

Both teams, 10-1 in 32-4A, still have a little work before that matchup. Hidalgo has games against Brownsville Harmony and Port Isabel. Zapata still has Grulla among its final matches, on the road. The Gators are 8-3 in district, alone in third and hoping for a little help for better positioning. Brownsville Jubilee is close to clinching fourth place and the final playoff spot.

Ninth-year Hidalgo coach Kay Dee Benavidez said she doesn’t even talk about the potentially district-deciding match since there are two other teams up first.

“It’s always a big rivalry. We’ve gone down to the with them, including for our first district title,” Benavidez said. “They left and came back, and now we’re exactly in the same position.

“I don’t want to take Harmony or any team lightly. You let your guard down, and anybody can get you. It’s another game, and we are focusing on one game at a time.”

Hidalgo’s lone district loss came at Grulla in a five-setter. Zapata lost the first matchup against Hidalgo — the same as in 2019.

Senior hitter Krisel Hernandez, 5-foot-3, leads the Hidalgo team. The six-rotation player is a constant spark for the Pirates, and someone Benavidez and the team relies on heavily.

“She’s a spitfire, an all-around player and one of my team leaders,” Benavidez said. “She knows the game and is a fire who hates to lose or mess up. She can hit from the back row and get you from back there. She knows where to place the ball and does so easily. She just finds the hole and puts it there.”

Juniors Audrey De Leon and Camila Paderes also will play key roles, especially against a bigger Zapata front line.

“They are our blockers, and they will need to stop Zapata’s big girls,” Benavidez said. “When they get a hand on it, our back row can pick up everything.”

Then that’s when first-year varsity setter Yasuri Castro comes in to make the quick transition to setter and get the ball to Hernandez or another hitter. Hernandez played in middle school, but then the now-senior didn’t go out for the varsity team until this season, despite Benavidez’s pleas.

“This time I told her no, and I didn’t think she would but she stuck with it,” Benavidez said. “She has come through. She’s earned that spot. I didn’t give her anything.

“I have a good supporting cast. Somebody always steps up for a specific game, and I tell them to stay focused because every single one of them counts. We’ve been down this road before, and these girls don’t panic. They stay with our game, and even if we’re down we know we can come back.”