The Rio Hondo Bobcats soccer squad may only be in its second year of existence, but the program has already made its second consecutive playoff appearance.
Tonight the Bobcats will face Grulla in a Class 4A bi-district round matchup at 8 p.m. at Donna’s Bennie LaPrade Stadium.
“I believe that our program is getting off to a good start,” said Rio Hondo head coach Candido Ochoa. “Last year we finished third in district and this year we finished in second place. It is a testament to the players being coachable and their desire to play hard all the time for each other. Having talented players that are hungry to play was also a key to success.”
And it was that hunger that drove the Cats to a 5-3 district record, scoring 39 goals while conceding 22.
Last season the team crashed out of the playoff in the opening round, but the loss also served as a learning experience.
“We lost to the regional champions last year (Progreso) 4-0 in the first round, but we learned that we were still a work in progress,” said Ochoa. “Up to this point, a year later, our fans and community have seen the improvement and I’m proud of my team.”
Despite being such a young program, Rio Hondo is still in no way satisfied with simply reaching the playoffs. Coach Ochoa and the team are eager to advance as far as they can.
“The kids are excited to be playing for a bi-district title but they are in no way content with just making the playoffs,” said Ochoa. “They don’t want the season to end and will fight until the end to win because advancing is our mindset right now.
“At the beginning of the season our goal was to win the district title but we just fell short. But we have ambitions of making a deep playoff run to make up for not winning the title.”
