The Rio Grande Valley has been a mainstay at the UIL state soccer tournament since Brownsville Lopez won the area’s first state title in 2004.
During that span, the Valley has had at least one team represent the area at the annual tournament every year except in 2008 and 2022, excluding the 2020 COVID-19 canceled season.
This season, four teams remain alive in the hunt for a state tournament berth.
The Brownsville Lopez Lobos, Edinburg North Cougars, Hidalgo Pirates and Progreso Red Ants are the RGV’s “Final Four” this season, each fighting for a spot during this weekend’s regional tournaments.
All four teams enter this weekend’s action with one goal in mind — winning two games to secure a spot at next week’s state tournament. Here’s a look at each team’s journey and what’s to come.
EDINBURG NORTH
The Cougars flew under the radar for a large part of the season, with District 32-6A’s teams garnering the headlines for most of the year.
After three rounds, however, Edinburg North is the RGV’s last 6A team alive in the hunt for a state title.
While the Cougars flew under the radar most the year, their run to the regional tournament is far from a Cinderella story.
Edinburg North dominated the competition in 31-6A after going 8-2-0 during league play to capture the district crown. Their only two losses during district came in their opener to La Joya High (2-1) and during their last game of the season to Edinburg Economedes (3-0), a game that featured the Cougars resting several of their players after already securing the district championship two weeks prior.
The Cougars, who outscored their district opponents 30-7, have carried their regular-season dominance into the postseason. They opened the playoffs with a dominant 4-1 win over San Benito and followed it up with a 3-1 victory on the road against San Antonio Jay.
They punched their ticket to the Region IV-6A tournament for the first time since 2017 with another big victory, taking down district rival Edinburg Economedes 4-1 on Tuesday.
Leading the charge both during the regular season and postseason has been Jesus Martinez. The junior forward led the Cougars in goals scored during district play with eight, adding another six through the first three playoff games.
Up next for the Cougars is a matchup against District 28-6A champ San Antonio Johnson. The Jaguars enter the regional tournament with a 14-4-4 overall record, averaging 2.4 goals per game and allowing just 1.4. They’ve outscored their first three playoff opponents 10-4, defeating San Marcos (2-1), Vista Ridge (6-2) and Austin Westlake (2-1) to advance to the regional tournament.
The Cougars and Jaguars are set to face off at 4 p.m. today at Comalander Stadium in San Antonio, with the winner advancing to Saturday’s Region IV-6A championship game against the winner between San Antonio Harlan and Austin Vandergrift.
BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ
Like in 6A, only one team remains alive at the Class 5A level, with the Lobos set to represent the RGV at the regional tournament for a second straight year.
The Lobos have been one of the area’s most dominant teams all season, going 23-2-2 during the regular season. Their 14-2-2 mark during league play helped Lopez capture its first district title since 2018, finishing as 32-5A co-champion with Brownsville Porter.
District crowns hold little weight for Brownsville ISD’s schools, however, with the area’s teams more interested in chasing state crowns.
This year is no different, with the Lobos set on even more.
Lopez opened the postseason with a convincing 4-1 victory over Sharyland Pioneer. They followed it with another dominating win, taking down Laredo Martin 3-0 in the area round.
The third round proved to be more of a fight, with a late goal propelling the Lobos past intracity rival Brownsville Veterans 1-0 and sending them back to the Region IV-5A tournament.
Leading the Lobos into the fourth round is their dynamic offensive duo of Diego Guerra and Ramon “Chacho” Zuniga. Guerra enters the regional tournament with 47 total goals, including four through the first three rounds. Zuniga finished district play with 16 goals, adding another two during the playoffs.
The Lobos aren’t ready to be done yet, entering their regional semifinal motivated by last year’s loss to Leander Rouse in the same round.
Standing in their way this year is a red-hot San Antonio Southwest unit riding an 18-game winning streak. The Dragons enter the regional tournament with a 23-2-2 overall record, outscoring opponents 132-24 during that span.
Southwest senior Ramiro Flores leads the way with 27 goals this season. He’s joined by five other players who have scored double-digit goals this season.
History is on the Lobos’ side entering today’s regional semifinal, however, with the Dragons boasting a 0-4 record against RGV competition in the postseason, including a 2-0 loss to Sharyland High during the fourth round last season.
The Lobos and Dragons take the field at 4 p.m. today at Brownsville Sports Park. The winner advances to Saturday’s regional championship against the winner between Leander Glenn and Corpus Christi Flour Bluff.
HIDALGO
Question marks surrounded Hidalgo entering this season following the departure of several key players due to graduation and the first full year under head coach Esteban Alegria.
Early non-district losses led to more questions being raised about the state of the Pirates. When the games mattered, however, Hidalgo rose to the challenge, going 14-1-1 in district play to secure the 30-4A crown.
Like last season, the Pirates dominated their district competition, outscoring their opponents 64-15 in 16 games. Hidalgo was led by Diego Torres and Ian Cerecedo during that span, each netting 14 goals in district.
The postseason has proven a taller task, however, with the reigning Class 4A state champ finding itself on the ropes twice.
During the bi-district round, Hidalgo overcame a 3-1 second-half deficit to take down Beeville Jones 6-4 and keep their state title defense alive.
In Round 2, the Pirates needed PKs to move on to the third round, outlasting IDEA Brownsville Frontier 7-6 in the shootout to advance.
The Pirates left the drama out of their Region IV-4A quarterfinal, picking up a comfortable 2-0 win over Edinburg IDEA Quest to punch their ticket to a fourth straight regional tournament.
Up next is a contest against the Boerne Greyhounds, a rematch of last year’s Region IV-4A championship game. The Greyhounds enter the contest riding a 20-game winning streak, outscoring their opponents 61-10 this year.
The contest marks the third time during the past four years that the two teams have faced off in the regional tournament, each winning once before going on to win the state title.
The Greyhounds and Pirates face off at 2 p.m. today at Cabaniss Athletic Complex in Corpus Christi.
PROGRESO
The Red Ants have a long history of success on the pitch, with three state tournament appearances under their belts.
Despite having the 2020 season cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic and opting out of the 2021 campaign, the Red Ants have remained one of the area’s top soccer programs.
This year, however, the Red Ants are walking with a different swagger, looking more dangerous than they have since returning to the pitch in 2022.
Credit that to the arrival of former Valley View coach Damian Magallan this offseason.
Under the tutelage of Magallan, Progreso enters the Region IV-4A tournament riding a 24-game winning streak, with its last loss coming Jan. 6 against Celina.
It has outscored opponents 153-17 this year en route to a 26-1-2 overall record, including a 14-0-0 mark during District 31-4A play.
That dominance has continued into the postseason, opening the playoffs with a 6-0 win over Brownsville IDEA Riverview and a 7-1 victory over Pharr IDEA.
A 2-0 win over District 32-4A champion Brownsville Jubilee secured the Red Ants’ spot in the regional tournament for the sixth time since 2017, only missing out last year and the 2020-2021 seasons marred by COVID-19.
Progreso is led into the postseason by a loaded roster, which includes eight players with five or more goals. Leading the way are freshman Diego Macias and senior Joshua Perez, each of whom scored 15 goals during district play.
They’ll need every hand on deck for their regional semifinal contest against La Vernia, a team riding a nine-game winning streak and outscoring its opponents 115-17. The District 27-4A champion enters Friday’s contest averaging a staggering 4.1 goals per game and allowing just 0.6 goals.
The Red Ants and Bears face off at noon today at Cabaniss Athletic Complex in Corpus Christi. The winner advances to Saturday’s Region IV-4A championship game against the winner between Hidalgo and Boerne.
