The Valley’s two best girls soccer teams are set to clash once again for Class 6A Girls Team of the Year, while Brownsville Veterans dominates the race for Sub-6A Girls Team of the Year.
The winners will be announced at the 2017 All-Valley Sports Awards Banquet on June 10 at Mario’s Banquet & Conference Center in Mission.
Former San Antonio Spurs forward Robert Horry will be the keynote speaker at the event, which is being put on with help from presenting sponsor Lone Star National Bank.
The nominees for Class 6A Girls Team of the Year:
>> Los Fresnos soccer: The Los Fresnos girls soccer team dominated play in the Valley in 2017 by going 27-3, winning district for the fifth time in seven years and advancing to the regional tournament for the sixth time in eight seasons. The Lady Falcons breezed through District 32-6A with a 14-0 record. They won three games in the playoffs en route to qualifying for the Region IV-6A Tournament in San Antonio.
>> McAllen High soccer: McHi dominated District 30-6A, winning all 12 games in regulation and outscoring opponents 88-6. Despite having a large group of freshman contributors and four players missing most of the year to injury, the Lady Bulldogs advanced to the regional quarterfinals before losing to eventual state semifinalist Vandegrift.
>> Weslaco High basketball: Weslaco High won a share of the District 32-6A title with a 13-1 record, going 31-9 overall. The Lady Panthers beat PSJA North, Laredo United South and Laredo United in the playoffs to advance to the Sweet 16.
The nominees for Sub-6A Girls Team of the Year:
>> Brownsville Veterans Memorial basketball: Brownsville Veterans finished with a 30-7 record, setting a school record for wins, claiming a District 32-5A title with an unbeaten 14-0 mark and advancing to the area round of the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
>> Brownsville Veterans Memorial golf: The Lady Chargers won the Region IV-5A Tournament in San Antonio to qualify for the UIL state tournament for the first time in school history. At state, Brownsville Veterans finished fifth. Members of the team included Julie Lucio, Vanessa Campos, Cristina Pullen, Fahtima Avila and Cecilia Garza.
>>Brownsville Veterans Memorial softball: The Lady Chargers compiled a 23-6 record and were 14-0 in district play to become the District 32-5A champions. The team won 10 of 14 district games via shutout and allowed just four runs during those 14 games.
The Banquet, hosted by RGVSports.com and AIM Media Texas in conjunction with the RGV Sports Hall of Fame, will see 33 awards presented to standout athletes, coaches and teams across all 12 UIL sports. The highly prestigious Tom Landry Award of Excellence will honor a student-athlete for outstanding achievements on and off the field.
The Monitor, Valley Morning Star, The Brownsville Herald, Mid-Valley Town Crier and RGV Sports Hall of Fame will vote to determine the winners in the sports categories. While The Monitor, the Star and the Herald have previously named their All-Area teams in certain sports, the All-Valley Sports Awards Banquet will recognize the very best across all three coverage areas.
Tickets for the catered banquet, which will run 6 to 8 p.m., are available through each newspaper’s website at a cost of $40 per person. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. For more information, contact Marcia Kitten at 956-683-4463.
Horry won seven NBA Championships and earned the moniker “Big Shot Rob” for clutch performances during his 16-year NBA career that included stints with the Spurs, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers.
Lone Star National Bank, first opened in Pharr in 1983, has grown to include more than 600 employees at 33 locations across South Texas. As part of its mission statement, Lone Star National Bank is committed to “helping our communities grow, and serving them with pride and integrity,” according to the bank’s website.
“Lone Star National Bank has a history of being a great community steward,” The Monitor Publisher Stephan Wingert said. “We are pleased to announce that Lone Star National Bank will be the presenting sponsor for the 2017 All-Valley Sports Awards Banquet. Thanks to their support, we will be able to celebrate the Valley’s best and brightest student-athletes.”
