BROWNSVILLE — After a nearly two-month wait, the Valley’s Class 6A districts are gearing up to start league play, with 32-6A kicking off its district slate Friday and 31-6A following Tuesday.
The RGV’s two 6A districts are the last two to start district play once again, with everyone else having played multiple games to this point.
Last season brought some new faces to the big dance, with Edinburg Economedes, Harlingen High and La Joya High all making their return to the playoffs after some time away.
Some things stayed the same, however, with Brownsville Rivera still as dominant as ever in 32-6A, and teams like Edinburg High and Edinburg North remaining playoff regulars in 31-6A.
All eyes are on Brownsville Rivera once again this season, with the Raiders looking the part of state contenders during non-district play.
The 2015 Class 6A state champions are looking to add one more state title in the 6A before making the move down to Class 5A next year.
“We’re excited for this new season,” Brownsville Rivera’s Manuel Medina said. “It sucked to lose in the regional finals last year, especially knowing we could have done more. We felt like we should have won. We’re just trying to end this year with no regrets. This is our last year in 6A. We want to end it on top.”
The road to state begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday against last year’s District 32-6A runner-up, the Los Fresnos Falcons.
The Falcons are coming off a heartbreaking season that ended with a 2-1 overtime loss to San Antonio Harlan in the second round of the postseason.
“Don’t get me wrong, Rivera is a great team,” Los Fresnos senior JJ Contreras said. “I think we’re capable of winning districtm though. I feel we should have won it last year and the year before. I think we got it this year. We have the right mindset from our captains, and we’re all on the same page.”
The Falcons aren’t the only team gunning for the Raiders’ top spot this season, with a rising Harlingen High program eyeing a district crown and more after a historic run a season ago.
The Cardinals made program history last season, returning to the playoffs for the first time in five years and advancing to the third round for the first time in over two decades. Year 3 under head coach Joey Johnson — plus a solid returning core — could mean an even bigger year for Harlingen High this season.
“Everybody always talks in our district about Los Fresnos and Rivera,” Harlingen High senior Jeremiah Tome said. “I think last year we showed we can compete with those big schools and give them a run for their money. We’re going in with the same mindset as last year, always the underdog. I feel like last year we showed we’re capable of something great with this program.”
Over in District 31-6A, Edinburg Economedes enters the year with a target on its back after jumping from seventh in the district in 2022 to 31-6A champs in 2023. It enters the 2024 campaign even more motivated after getting bounced in the first round of the playoffs by Harlingen High.
The Jaguars aren’t without competition in the district, however, with Edinburg North and Edinburg High both setting their sights on dethroning Economedes.
The Cougars are the likely candidate to overtake the Jaguars at the top of the table. They return one of the top offensive weapons in the district in junior Jesus Martinez, who led the league in district goals with 13 in 10 games played.
For a look at the full district schedule, visit RGVSports.com.
COACHING CHANGE
Valley View head coach Ezequiel Morales has been relieved of his coaching duties, Valley View ISD superintendent Silvia Ibarra confirmed to The Monitor on Thursday.
The state champion head coach was in his first season at the helm for the Tigers before being suspended prior to the start of district play.
“The boy’s soccer head coach Ezekiel ‘Zeke’ Morales has been relieved of his coaching duties, and Israel Lince has taken over the team for the remainder of the season,” Ibarra said in an email to The Monitor.
Morales took over as Valley View’s head coach over the summer after 17 years at the helm in Hidalgo.
After spending roughly half of last season in charge of the Pirates, Morales was relieved of his head coaching duties late-February 2023 following a suspension due to UIL infractions.
The Pirates went on to win the Class 4A state title last season, and Morales was named The Monitor’s All-Area boys soccer co-coach of the year for his contributions to the team.
Lince, a Valley View assistant coach, is set to serve as the team’s interim head coach for the remainder of the season. The Tigers are 2-3-1 in district play under Lince.
GOAL GETTERS
Tuesday’s action featured several big performances across the RGV for boys soccer, with nine different players scoring three or more goals during their respective district games.
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln’s Omar Solis had arguably the biggest game of the night, recording five goals during an 11-0 victory over Laredo Cigarroa. The Monitor’s reigning boys soccer offensive player of the year has now scored seven goals through three district games.
Brownsville Lopez’s Diego Guerra and Brownsville St. Joseph’s Diego Saldaña each delivered four-goal performances to lead their respective teams to victory. Guerra, a sophomore, has scored two or more goals during four of his six appearances this year, and Saldaña is averaging 2.4 goals per game while leading the Bloodhounds to a 7-0-0 start to district play.
Brownsville Jubilee’s Gustavo Mata, Hidalgo’s Santiago Hernandez, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln’s Ruben Tijerina, PSJA Memorial’s Julio Cardenas, PSJA North’s Jacob Ocanas and Roma’s Jose Garcia each netted hat tricks while leading their teams to district wins.
For a full look at scores from Tuesday’s games and updated district standings, visit RGVSports.com.
