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Volume 5 Issue No. 1 Top-Ranked McHi Eyes Path Again SWEET 16 SWEET 16 THE ROAD TO THE THE ROAD TO THE www.highschoolsportsmagazine.net

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Road to the Sweet 16. The McAllen Bulldogs basketball team wants to repeat and win regional title in 2009.

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Volume 5 Issue No. 1

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THE ROAD TO THETHE ROAD TO THE

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4 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE January 15, 2009

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956.687.4776 Office956.687.4777 Fx

a company of HSSMMedia Group L.L.C.

High School Sports Magazine 7017 North10th Suite 305

Trenton View-3rd FloorMcAllen, Texas 78504

All stories and photos published by High School Sports Magazine may not be reprinted without written permission. All stories may be submitted for

consideration in the upcoming issues. High School Sports Magazine prints 13 issues annually beginning in August and ending in July.

Copyright Protected 2009.

Publisher & CEODavid A. Amador

HSSM Graphics ProductionFlor Zuviri

Alec D. AmadorHSSM Photographers

Daniel SilvaHSSM Webmaster

Jason O. MartinezB.B.A., C.P.T.

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It’s all about passionPUBLISHER’S NOTE www.texashighschoolsportsmagazine.com

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DAVIDAMADOR

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BY

he uniform of every athlete in high school is vital to their perfor-mance on the playing field. This uniform is about pride and char-

acter. Most importantly, representa-tion. Schools that brand their players with jerseys, t-shirts, shorts, bags, caps, all with it’s school name and logo makes these student athletes feel that they belong to something special. Many athletes today strive to become the best in their sport by train-ing at a very early age. I should know,

den. Now, its become a sacrifice for myself and my wife. Today, he is a sopho-more still waiting for his varsity team golf shirt with a school logo. Instead, his school gave him a shirt with no name. He asked me, “why does the football team have jerseys and

helmets with school lo-gos” and our “golf team does not”. He also told me that he did not feel

T

National Associationof Hispanic Journalists

Member of the

2008-09 Member of the Texas Sports Writers Association

Just a shirt with no name. McAllen Memo-rial varsity golf player Alec Amador is ranked as one of the Top 5 players with a 78.0 stroke average in District 30-5A. (HSSM IMages)

my son started training and practicing golf at the age of five. He also wanted to make the varsity team as a freshmen, so he worked harder and made the team. Over the years, the investment of buying-Titliest golf clubs, pants, Nike or Adidas shirts, and tournamet fees played a role in his passion for golf. At t i m e s , it became a financial b u r -

that he belong to this golf team at tourna-ments because there was no name or logo of his high school on his uniform. Instead, he felt like an individual. The only pride he has is the pride that he has learned from loving this game of golf. Still, this bothers me because he has strug-gled with “motivation” on the playing field. The look on this sixteen-year-old’s face was a look of hurt. So I decided to asked M.I.S.D. “why” as a parent. The response was surprising. The athletic director showed no interest in solving this problem. He said that golf was “too expen-sive” and “cost more per player” per uni-form than football did? Hmmm. Ironically, he also told me a few years ago that, “golf was not important and it did not produce revenues.” So he eliminated the golf pro-grams at all seven junior highs. This M.I.S.D. Athletic Director loves foot-ball. As a teenager, he’s been to the state football championships twice in his high

school career. At the time, he was about 5’6” and weighed about 145 lbs. and never made it to the NFL. But, his high school football jersey sported its school name. It’s amazing what a school name or logo on a shirt/jersey can do for a player .

VOLUME 4 ISSUE NO.7

January 15, 2009 Volume Five Issue One

1954 District Basketball Champs! McAllen High School for-mer player Jesus “Chuck” Liquez was honored, along with other past alumni Bulldogs at a recent McHi Basketball game hosted by the McAllen H.S. Basketball Booster Club. Liquez was a member of the first District 8-3A champion-ship team that went 27-6 that year.He still proudly wears his school jacket. (HSSM IMages)

8 ROAD TO THESWEET SIXTEENBy David A. Amador

12 GAMEDAYGet the latest stats and standings on basketball coverage from the Rio Grande Valley.

22 One on One Interviewwith Hidalgo ISD AthleticDirector, Albert Guerra

35 Meet NCAA’s Top GolferFormer Sharyland golfer Dustin Garza ranked No.1 in the nation in college stand-ings from Wichita State

National Associationof Hispanic Journalists

Member of the

Pirate soccer player Jesus Mireles wants to someday play Professional Soccer

28 The Best of the Best

McHi Bulldogs looking to make it back to Region IVTournament.

RGV 2009

ROAD to theSWEET 16www.highschoolsportsmagazine.net ContentsContentsSpecial Issue

6 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE.NET January 15, 2009

Printed in the U.S.A.

On the Cover: McAllen H.S. players Corey Pace,Nick Garza, J.J. Avila Jr, Ryan Evans, and Nevin Franks. (HSSM IMages)

ContentsContents

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RGV 2009

ROAD to theSweet 16www.highschoolsportsmagazine.net

THE ROAD TO THE

SWEET 16The McAllen Bulldogs are rank No.1 in the HSSM POlls and after winning the 30-5A District title and making it to the 2008 Class 5A Region IV Tour-nament, these Bulldogs could be the Swiftest team in 2009. Can the Edin-burg Bobcats reign without Joe Filoteo? And will the Harlingen South Lady Hawks and McAllen Lady Bulldogs be tough to beat in 2009? The Road to the Sweet 16 begins here.

B Y D A V I D A. A M A D O R HSSM Sports Director

The McAllen Bulldogs are rank No.1 in the HSSM POlls but lost to Sharyland in overtime 74-73. They will both meet again on Friday. Pictured is J.J. Avila Jr defending Rattler Joaquin Pistokache. (HSSM IMages)

8 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE.NET January 2009

U.I.L. State Basketball Championships March 5th-14th, 2009

Frank Erwin CenterAustin, Texas

(McAllen, Texas)-McHi Bulldog head coach Roy Swift looks up and stares at the banners hanging from the ceilings in the gymnasium and has one goal in mind: to match or beat the three district titles these Bulldog

teams won from 1972-74, along with an impres-sive 61-10 record in 28-5A. Swift knows that

this year’s McHi (24-4) team could win its second consecutive 30-5A title and make

another possible run at the Class 5A Regional Champiionships but he also knows that, “it’s going to be a long road to the Sweet 16.” He also adds that, “we just need to stay focus and remem-ber that teams will play us harder ev-ery night because of our top ranking.” The Bulldogs are led by J.J. Avila Jr,

a 6’6” junior, who averages 24.0 points

per game and senior guard, Corey Pace (6’3) who adds another ten points per night. Three other players who have added a spark to this year’s team are juniors Ryan Edwards (6’5 forward), Nick Garza (6’3 guard), and Nevin Franks (5’9 guard). In the last two games, Franks has scored 11 points each in their wins over McAllen Nikki Rowe (81-69) and Rio Grande City (82-61) to lead his Bulldogs to a 7-1 in 30-5A. But most impor-tantly, a first place standing. Head coach Swift also gets swift moves with seniors Joseph Pompa (6’3 forward) and three-point shooter, Hutton Edwards (5’6 guard). Edwards has made 61 (3-point attempts) out of 159 at-

SWEET 16

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE 9> If you have a comment for David A. Amador, send it to [email protected]

10 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE.NET January 15, 2009

RGV 2009

ROAD to theSweet 16

Road Facts: The McAllen Bulldogs won their first-ever district title in 1954.

Class 5A Region IV Tournament March 6-7th San Antonio, Tx

McHi Players to watch...

tempts, good for a 38% mark. He also has converted 77% of his free throws to average 7.9 points a game (221 points season). But with Pace in the lineup, along with Garza, the Bulldogs find themselves running and gunning up the floor. “It’s fun. I just run and get to the basket on fast breaks,” says Garza. With Pace on the opposite side, he leads the team with 110 assists and ranks in the Top 10 in the Valley with 4.1 assists per game. Pace also likes going to the boards on defense and so far his 84 rebounds for the year proves it too. Pace also ranks second on the team in scoring with ten points, with his biggest game coming against the McAllen Me-morial (20), Nikki Rowe (20), and the Bulldog’s 75-79 loss to San An-tonio Wagner (17-6) in the cham-

pionship game of the Dr. Keillor Classic played on November 29th. “It’s been fun this year and I hope that we can get back to the State 5A Regional Championships in 2009,” says Pace. Wagner is currently sit-ting in second place behind San Antonio Converse Judson (27-1) who defeated their cross-town rival 72-59 earlier this season in District 27-5A. With Wagner struggling this sea-son, this could open up the doors for the Bulldogs in playoffs. Last year, the Bulldogs lost to the Thunder-birds 93-64 in the Class 5A Region-al Semifinals. Judson is expected to make to the semifinals this season in Region IV at the University of Tex-as-San Antonio Convocation Center to be played on March 6-7th. Swift knows that playing a tough

schedule early in the season helps prepare his team for the state play-offs. At the McDonald’s Texas Invita-tional played in Pasadena, Texas the Bulldogs finished with a 3-2 record with wins over Dickinson (76-63), Pasadena Memorial (59-47), Hum-ble (60-48), before losing to Pasa-dena Dobie (38-44) and then Katy Cinco Ranch in the championship game 52-41 on November 22nd. “We played some great teams in Houston. Hopefully, this will help us in the state playoffs,” adds Swift. Both Humble (19-8) and Cinco Ranch (22-5) seem to be headed to the state playoffs like the Bulldogs along with Dobie (5-2 District 22-5A). “We are maturing and it’s go-ing to be interesting come playoff time,” says Swift.

Joey Pompa-Jr5’8 Guard-2pts PPG

25% 3pt shooter

Mark Lopez-Sr5’8 Guard-5pts PPGGame High: 16pts

Hutton Edwards-Sr5’6 Guard-7.9pts PPG

Most 3-pts game: 8

Joseph Pompa-Sr6’3 Forward-2.9pts PPG67% Free-throw shooter

Pho

tos

by

HSS

M IM

ages

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE 11> If you have a comment for David A. Amador, send it to [email protected]

McHi Bulldog Banners hanging high with head coach Roy Swift and players (l-r)-David Atkinson, Charles Follar, Stephen Guerra, and Chris Smith. The Bulldogs will travel to play Sharyland this Friday night in a crucial 30-5A showdown. The Rattlers won the first game in overtime 74-73. (HSSM IMages)

Road Facts: The Harlingen Lady Cardinals missed the state playoffs in 2008. They last won a bi-district title in 2007 over Weslaco.

We are a very young team. I just hope we can be com-petitive...

““

Closing In are the Harlingen Lady Car-dinals with Victoria Wiesman guarding Edinburg Economedes’s Mireya Galvan in District 31-5A. The Lady Cards are in second place. (HSSM IMages)

Gameday2009

StandingsDISTRICT BY DISTRICT STANDINGS

HSSM Scouting report compiled by David “Touchdown Dave” Amador,

HSSM Sports Director

12 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE.NET January 2009

RGV 2009

ROAD to the Sweet 16

RGV Girls Glance District 32-3A1. Hidalgo 27-2, 8-02. Ray’ville 14-9, 7-13. La Feria 13-15, 6-24. Rio Hondo 11-8, 4-45. Zapata 11-14, 3-56. Progreso 2-4, 2-67. Port Isabel 5-18, 1-78. Lyford 4-16, 1-7

District 32-4A1. Mission Veterans 19-9, 7-12. Roma 13-12, 7-13. Mission High 20-6, 5-34. Ed-Elsa 10-16, 4-45. Weslaco East 14-12, 4-46. Mercedes 14-13, 3-57. Valley View 9-18, 2-68. LJ Juarez-Lincoln 2-23

District 30-5A1. McAllen Memorial 23-8, 8-02. McAllen 21-7, 7-13. McAllen Rowe 12-12, 6-24. Donna 9-13, 4-45. La Joya 2-6, 2-66. RGC 13-15, 2-67. Sharyland 8-18, 2-68. LJ Palmview 1-17, 0-8

District 31-5A1. Harlingen South 26-2, 8-02. Edinburg 24-5, 7-13. Harlingen 18-9, 6-24. Edinburg North 16-13, 4-45. PSJA North 14-8, 4-46. Economedes 10-13, 2-67. PSJA 10-15, 1-78. PSJA Memorial 6-12, 0-8

District 32-5A1. Weslaco 20-7, 8-02. Brownsville Hanna 16-11, 6-23. Los Fresnos 14-14, 5-34. San Benito 14-10, 5-35. Brownsville Rivera 10-13, 4-46. Brownsville Porter 2-6, 2-67. Brownsville Lopez 8-14, 1-78. Brownsville Pace 4-15, 1-7

RGV Boys Glance District 32-3A1. Hidalgo 17-9, 6-02. Zapata 12-11, 5-13. Rio Hondo 9-10, 4-24. La Feria 9-10, 4-25. Port Isabel 9-11, 2-46. Lyford 9-13, 2-47. Progreso 2-11, 2-48. Raymondville 3-17, 0-6

District 32-4A1. Roma 20-5, 5-12. Mercedes 17-7, 5-13. Mission 18-6, 4-24. Weslaco East 13-7, 4-25. Mission Veterans 20-5, 3-36. Ed-Elsa 12-10, 2-47. Valley View 6-12, 2-48. LJ Juarez-Lincoln 5-9, 0-6

District 30-5A1. McAllen 22-4, 5-12. McAllen Memorial 14-9, 5-13. Sharyland 14-9, 5-14. McAllen Rowe 18-7, 4-25. LJ Palmview 11-8, 3-36. Donna 15-10, 2-47. RGC 9-15, 0-68. La Joya 2-11, 0-6

District 31-5A1. Edinburg 18-6, 6-02. Harlingen South 14-10, 5-13. Harlingen 15-10, 4-24. PSJA North 11-12, 3-35. PSJA 9-11, 3-36. Edinburg North 7-15, 2-47. PSJA Memorial 10-14, 1-58. Economedes 4-18, 0-6

District 32-5A1. Brownsville Pace 15-9, 5-12. Weslaco 19-5, 4-23. Brownsville Hanna 14-10, 4-24. San Benito 15-8, 3-35. Los Fresnos 13-9, 3-36. Brownsville Porter 8-13, 1-47. Brownsville Lopez 4-15, 2-48. Brownsville Rivera 3-10, 2-4

As of January 15, 2009

HSSM POLLS Top 10Rio Grande Valley-Boys

1. McAllen 2. Roma3. Edinburg4. Weslaco5. McAllen Memorial6. Hidalgo7. Santa Rosa8. Brownsville Pace9. Mercedes10. Harlingen South

Rio Grande Valley-Girls1. Harlingen South2. Hidalgo3. McAllen Memorial4. Weslaco5. Edinburg6. McAllen7. Mission Veterans8. Mission9. Harlingen10. Santa Rosa

HSSM Leaders

Leading Scorers-Girls1. Victoria Gonzalez, Hidalgo 25.42. Bianca Torre, Har South 24.73. Anika Lopez. Santa Rosa 21.14. Crystal Gasca, Harlingen 19.45. Diamond Caballero, Santa Rosa 18.9

Leading Scorers-Boys1. J.J. Avila Jr, McAllen 22.32. Javy Villarreal, Hanna 19.73. Mark Cordero, Santa Rosa 19.34. Johnny Herrera, Mission 19.05. Rolie Garza, San Isidro 18.2

Rebounds1. Oscar Longoria, San Isidro 14.42. Peyton Hayes, Har South 12.83. Aaron Jackson, Donna 10.1

Nora ZamarripaHarlingen H.S. head coach

(Harlingen, Texas)-The last time the Harlingen Lady Cardinals made it to the State 5A playoffs was in 2007 when they defeated Weslaco 64-37 to claim the bi-district championship. They would lose to McAllen 64-59 to end their hopes for a state title bid. Head coach Nora Zamarripa has been coach-ing too long to understand that every season is challenging and different. At the Josten’s Holiday Classic played in McAllen, Zamarripa just wanted to be competitive. “We are a very young team. I just hope we can be competi-tive,” adds the Harlingen head coach. She watched her team lose three games to CC Miller (50-54), Economedes (42-

50), McAllen memorial (35-38), before picking a win over Lamar 42-34. That was then, this is now. Her Lady Cards are sitting in second place with a 7-2 record with key wins over Edin-burg 43-42 and Edinburg North 47-42. Look for the Lady Cards to make the post season in 2008.

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE 13> If you have a comment for David A. Amador, send it to [email protected]

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE 13

Get more of THECoaches’ VIEW at www.HSSMCOACH.com

Road Facts: The McAllen Memorial Lady Mustangs defeated Laredo United 47-42 in 2008 to win the Class 5A Bi-District title.

Leaders in 30-5A are the McAllen Memorial Lady Mus-tangs at 10-0. The Lady Mustangs will be looking to make the playoffs for the third consecutive season. (HSSM IMages)

Our Lady Mustangs should be contend-ers for the 30-5A title in 2009...

“ “

Maritza PedrazaMcAllen Memorial H.S. head coach

(McAllen, Texas)-McAllen Memorial head coach Maritza Pedraza is a mother off the court and a mother on the court. A former Lady Mustang herself, she says that being both is a task within itself. “My husband supports me and helps me with our children,” says Pedraza. With her husband’s sup-port, who is also a coach, has allowed her to stay focused this season with a 10-0 district record in 30-5A and 25-8 overall. The Lady Mustangs started its season with losses to Gregory Portland (38-57), Flour Bluff (43-51), Edinburg (42-49), Seguin (31-66), and state-ranked Hidalgo (42-49) while picking up four wins before the holiday break in De-cember. “We played a tough schedule. Our Lady Mustangs should be contenders for the 30-5A title in 2009. I really believe that we can do this,” said Pedraza. The Lady Mustangs traveled cross-town to upset McAllen 39-35 in their first district meeting of the season to stand alone, undefeated in 30-5A play. McAllen Memorial’s senior guard Thea Koenig scored 14 points to lead her team to vic-

tory. Top players for the Lady Mustangs are Nancy Garcia, Vanessa Delgado, and Nancy Carbia. Delgado and Carbia lead their team with assists and Pedraza says that playing the Lady Bulldogs at home will be there biggest test yet. With Pedraza rebuilding a Lady Mustang basketball program these past years into a contender, she hopes that they can continue the string of upsets with hopes going to the next level in the state playoffs in 2009. “These girls are a dedicated group and we have been successful because we play as a team,” adds Pedraza. “It’s total team work.”

Get more of THECoaches’ VIEW at www.HSSMCOACH.com HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE 15> If you have a comment for David A. Amador, send it to [email protected]

Road Facts: The Hidalgo Lady Pirates lost to West Oso in the Class 3A Region IV Quarterfinals in 2007 and 2008.

RGV 2009

ROAD to theSweet 16

16 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE January 15, 2009

(McAllen, Texas)-With half the season already over, the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons find them-selves in the hunt for a State 5A playoff spot along with Donna, both hanging on to the fourth place spots in 32-5A and 30-5A respec-tively. Other teams vying for playoff berths are McAllen, McAllen Nikki Rowe, Edinburg, and Harlingen South. The only team assured of a guaranteed spot are the Harlingen South Lady Hawks who have dominated the league with a 28-2 overall record and 10-0 in 31-5A. Last year, the Harlingen South Lady Hawks advanced to the State 5A Region IV tourna-ment, losing to San Antonio Madison 72-51. The Lady Hawks defeated San Benito, McAl-len Memorial, and Laredo Alexander in the first

three rounds to advance. Head coach Dawn En-gleman has her team holding on to a two-game lead in 31-5A. They have out-scored their oppo-nents 2,136 to 1,120. Both losses have been to Arlington (75-39) and Austin Westlake (71-62) this season. The Lady Chaps are 15-4 for the year in District 25-5A. Like the Lady Hawks, McAllen also post-ed three wins over Laredo Nixon, Edinburg Economedes, Laredo Cigarroa to reach the re-gional semifinals. The Lady Bulldogs seem to be headed to the playoffs in 2009 again. The Lady Bulldogs lost to San Antonio Wagner 65-43 in the fourth round. Head coach Teresa Casso reached a rare milestone by winning her 800th game over Bastrop 59-37 during the Bor-der Bash Tournament hosted by the Lady Bull-dogs in December. Her win ranks 18th in the nation amongst basketball coaches and she also ranks number one amongst Hispanic coaches in the United States. She has been coaching the Lady Bulldogs for the past 31 years and many supporters would like to see the McAllen High School gymnasium named “Teresa Casso Gym-nasium”. She has added twelve more wins to her record since then. Getting the Edinburg Lady Bobcats back on track is head coach Rachel Carmona after los-ing in the Class 5A playoffs in 2008 to Laredo Alexander 82-67 in the area round. Her Lady Bobcats have struggled with district losses Har-lingen South (70-47) and Harlingen (43-42) to remain tied with the Lady Cards at 7-2 in 31-5A. With four games left and an impressive 24-6 record, Carmona just needs to win out games against Economedes, PSJA, Harlingen South, and Edinburg North to make the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. In 2006, the Lady Bobcats advanced to the State 5A Regional Semifinals losing to San An-tonio Warren 50-47, a game that still lingers in Carmona’s thoughts. “We were so close to mak-ing it to state. Warren made it that year,” adds Carmona. The Lady Bobcats also made it the regional tournament in 2005. Both games were played at the University of Texas-San Antonio Convocation Center. “I would like to see these games in the Valley,” adds Carmona. In 32-3A, the Hidalgo Lady Pirates (29-2) lead the league with a perfect 10-0 record and

Top Scorer in the RGV is Victoria Gonzalez of Hidalgo with 25 points per game.(HSSM IMages)

Leading the Edinburg Lady Bobcats is sophomore Bianca Casas in District 31-5A.(HSSM IMages)

they also boast the Valley’s top scorer, Victoria Gon-zalez. The senior post has poured in 787 points and averages 25 points a game. South’s, Bianca Torre sits in second with 24.7 points per game. The Lady Pi-rates have defeated teams like Laredo Nixon (73-33), San Antonio Churchill (66-60), El Paso Coronado (33-28), Seguin (56-33), and Gregory Portland (55-47) to reach twenty-nine wins for the season. “This

Road Facts: The Edinburg Lady Bobcats made back-to-back Class 5A Region IV Tour-nament appearances in 2005 and 2006.

Leading the Edinburg Lady Bobcats is sophomore Bianca Casas in District 31-5A.(HSSM IMages)

Hoping for a 32-5A playoff spot are the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons and Lindsey Edquisk.(HSSM IMages)

they also boast the Valley’s top scorer, Victoria Gon-zalez. The senior post has poured in 787 points and averages 25 points a game. South’s, Bianca Torre sits in second with 24.7 points per game. The Lady Pi-rates have defeated teams like Laredo Nixon (73-33), San Antonio Churchill (66-60), El Paso Coronado (33-28), Seguin (56-33), and Gregory Portland (55-47) to reach twenty-nine wins for the season. “This

is a good team. We have played a lot of 5A schools and this makes us better-prepared for district competi-tion,” says head coach Monica Rodriguez, head coach of the Lady Pirates. Other Lady Pirates contributing to this season’s wins are Nashae Owens, Jessica Olvera, Maria Perales, and Nelly Flores. The Lady Pirates ad-vanced to the Region IV quarterfinals with a win over Cuero 48-28 before falling to West Oso 56-25.

Road Facts: The Edinburg Lady Bobcats made back-to-back Class 5A Region IV Tour-nament appearances in 2005 and 2006.

Road Facts: The Harlingen South Lady Hawks and McAllen Lady Bulldogs both it to the Class 5A Regional round in 2008.

18 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE January 15, 2009

In the playoff hunt are the 30-5A Donna Redskins with senior Josh Garcia and PSJA North’s Adrian Rodri-guez looking on. (HSSM IMages)

(Donna, Tx)-The last time the Donna Red-skins made the play-offs in Class 5A was in 2004, prior to this, it was back in 1976. Head coach “Buddy” Martinez says that this Redskin team has re-dedicated themselves on the court and hope-fully they will clinch the final 30-5A spot. “This is a great team. I’m proud of these guys,” says Martinez. The Redskins won a bi-district title that season in 2004 with a 42-41 win over Ed-inburg Economedes. Then the Redskins would lose a tough 56-55 game to Lar-edo United in the area round. The Redskins (17-10, 4-4) have de-feated the McAllen Memorial Mustangs twice in 2008, includ-ing a district win to put them in fifth place, one game out fourth.

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE 19> Send your scores and stats to David A. Amador, @ [email protected]

Weslaco Panthers lead 32-5A with Danny Ryan. The Panthers hope to make it to the Class 5A Region IV Tournament again. (HSSM IMages)

(Weslaco, Texas)-Last year, the Weslaco Pan-thers had to forfeit six district games due to three ineligible players. Head coach Gabe Val-dez has rebounded since with his team atop in the 32-5A standings with a 6-2 record and over-all, they have posted a 21-5 record. The Panthers last made the state playoffs in Class 5A in 2006 when the advanced to the Region IV Tournament posting wins over Har-lingen South, Laredo Martin, McAllen Memo-rial, before bowing out to San Antonio Madison 68-34. The Panthers are led by seniors Marcus Cabrera (13.0 ppg) and Danny Ryan (10.0 ppg), Eddie Cantu (12.0 ppg) and Izzy Almazan (9.0 ppg) along with sophomore Raul Garcia (7.0 ppg). Both Cantu and Almazan have combined for a team high 74 3-pointers while Cabrera has converted 50% of his shots from the field. The Panthers posted key district wins over Brownsville Hanna (56-52) and Pace (66-47) in to catapult into the top standings. With only five games remaining on the schedule, the Panthers will host the Pace Vikings, in possible show-down for the title with both teams currently tied for first. Valdez would love to win another dis-trict title in 2009, but he knows that it will not come easy. “It’s a tough district. We just need play one game at a time,” adds Valdez.

148 North Sam Houston BlvdSan Benito, Texas 78586

956-399-1353

Road Facts: The San Benito Greyhounds lost to Edin-burg 55-49 in the Class 5A Bi-district playoffs in 2008.

RGV 2009

ROAD to theSweet 16

20 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE January 15, 2009

Greyhounds still alive. Pictured is Chris Preciado leading San Benito in 32-5A .(HSSM IMages)

In more games, the San Benito Greyhounds are probably the scrappiest team in 32-5A, built with determination and pride. Head coach Roy Garcia manages to find ways to lead his Greyhounds, getting the most out of each player. “We are not very big but these guys play with a lot of heart,” says Garcia. The Greyhounds (17-8, 5-3) remain one game out of first place in District 32-5A and with Los Fresnos (15-9, 5-3) and Brownsville Hanna (15-11, 5-3) all tied for second place, the Greyhounds will need to play tough de-fense in the upcoming games with Los Fresnos (Jan. 30th) and Weslaco (Feb.3rd). Top-ranked Roma find themselves tied in 32-4A district with a 7-1 record along with Mercedes. The Gladiators (21-5) lost in the preseason to San Antonio Clark (71-60), Brownsville Pace (58-45), McAllen (51-50), Laredo Unit-ed (67-36), and then Weslaco East upset the Gladiators at home 51-50 in 32-4A play. Head coach Homer Garr was not pleased with the upset-minded Wildcats, but has since brought his team together by winning five games. Most recently, a 83-45 win at Ca-pello Gymnasium against the Edcouch-Elsa Yellowjackets (12-18, 2-6). Other 32-4A teams looking for playoff spots are Mission (19-7, 5-3), Mission Veterans (22-5, 5-3), and East (14-8, 5-3). All are tied for third place in the stand-ings. In 32-3A, the Hidalgo Pirates remain undefeated with a 8-0 record. The Pirates lost in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs to Lyford 43-33 and currently, they hold a two-game lead over Zapata (13-12, 6-2) and Rio Hondo (11-10, 6-2). The Lyford Bulldogs have slipped to sixth place with a 2-6 record in district.

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE 21> Send your scores and stats to David A. Amador, @ [email protected]

The McAllen Memorial Mustangs are currently in second place in 30-5A behind senior Sameer Wadahani.(HSSM IMages)

(McAllen, Texas)- Talk about shock-ers. The McAllen Memorial Mustangs lost to Donna 62-58 in a critical 30-5A match up after shocking Sharyland 57-56 on their home court on January 20th. “We’ll be alright,” says head coach Sam Cortez of the McAllen Memo-rial Mustangs after losing to Donna re-cently. The loss puts the Mustangs tied for second place with Sharyland at 6-2 with losses to McAllen (59-25) and now Donna. Against the Bulldogs, point guard Sa-meer Wadahani scored ten points but John Kowalski (6’7) was held to three points. The Mustangs also were held to three points in the second quarter. The last time the Mustangs advanced to the State 5A Region IV Quarterfinals was in 2006, when they played host to Weslaco before a sellout crowd at Me-morial Gymnasium losing 46-32.

Road Facts: The Mustangs are tied for second in 30-5A.

A Man with Vision 22 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE January 15, 2009

One On One INTERVIEW with Hidalgo Athletic Director Albert Guerra

Photos by HSSM IMages

A Man with Vision One On One INTERVIEW with Hidalgo Athletic Director Albert Guerra

B Y D A V I D A. A M A D O R H S S M S P O R T S D I R E C T O R

“Extracurricular activities is a focal point for every individual at Hidalgo I.S.D....”

24 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE January 15, 2009

Albert Guerra, Hidalgo ISD Athletic Director

(Hidalgo, Texas)-Ever since Albert

Guerra stepped back into the position

of Hidalgo’s Athletic Director, he now

wants to see his Pirates evolve into a

competitive bracket, which will offer

top playing facilities for every athlete

who plays for Hidalgo. “We pride

ourselves with academic achievement.

We also want to pride ourselves with

the best athletes,” says Guerra. The

ambitious athletic director, now the

Regional Director for Region 7, which

represents the Laredo, Corpus Christi,

and Rio Grande Valley areas says that

the support of the administration and

school board has been tremendous.

“Our team of administrators and

school board members want to make

sure that our students succeed here

at Hidalgo. Whether, its in sports or

academics, we want to make sure

that Hidalgo will offer the best,” adds

Guerra. Recently, Bill and Melinda

Gates made a trip to the high school

campus and for Guerra, he was left

speechless. “The Gates are incredible

people. They are kind-hearted. They

love to watch students succeed,” said

Guerra. “It was inspiring to watch and

meet both individuals.” The former

baseball coach from PSJA North

and Hidalgo still, would love to see

the direction of high school sports

change at the regional level. Guerra

led a group of Athletic Directors, Valley

leaders, and supporters to Austin,

Texas to meet with the UIL Legislative

Council at a meeting on Oct. 19

and 20th. The purpose was simple:

rotate the regional tournaments

between San Antonio and the Rio

Grande Valley. The proposal includes

all athletic and academic regional

tournaments. “It’s garnered a lot of

support,” said Guerra. “I believe that

this change will occur in 2010 when

our next UIL realignment occurs,” said

Guerra. But for now, Guerra is excited

about the new renovations coming to

the athletic complex. “We are adding

a two-tier 1,000 level stadium seating.

We already added the field turf and this

will make this the best,” says Guerra.

The Hidalgo I.S.D. athletic director also

added that, “extracurricular activities

is a focal point for every individual at

Hidalgo I.S.D.”

Hidalgo ISD Athletic Director Albert Guerra (Photos By HSSM IMages)

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE 25> Send your scores and stats to David A. Amador, @ [email protected]

Former UT Baseball Star Hosts Baseball CampAdrian Alaniz drafted by MLB Washington Nationals

(Hidalgo, Texas)-Former 2005 University of Texas Longhorn pitcher and NCAA Champion, Adrian Alaniz hosted a base-ball camp for Hidalgo baseball players from ages 10 years old to 18 years old recently. “This is great,” says Alaniz, who now plays Major League Baseball for the Washington Nationals. Alaniz, only a freshmen, pitched the third no-hitter in Big 12 history by leading Texas to a 4-0 victory over Oklahoma. That same season, he would

post an impressive 8-3 record with 94 strikeouts. At the age of 21, Alaniz was honored by the Texas Senate for his accom-plishment. The former Sinton High School baseball player says that playing MLB baseball in Double AA is very challenging. “I accepted a $100,000 signing bonus when I was drafted however, the play-ing pay is horrible,” he laughs. Alaniz also led the Univer-sity of Texas Longhorns to the national title by winning two

games in the NCAA College World Series in 2005 as they defeated Florida 6-2 in the fi-nals. “I have the championship ring. It’s awesome,” he adds. “I hope that I can come to the Valley and be a mentor to these players so that they too, can succeed.” Currently, Alaniz went 5-0 as a pitcher in Double AA in 2008 and he hopes that he will get called up this spring. “It’s every players dream to play in the major leagues,” says Alaniz.

In high school, Alaniz also led the Sinton Pirates to the State 3A Baseball title in 2002, shut-ting out Forney 5-0 and again, in 2003, the Pirates would make it back to the finals, losing to Lorena 3-2 in eight innings. In 2007, Alaniz went 9-0 with 56 strikeouts in 65 innings for the Potomac, the Single A farm club from Washington.

Adrian Alaniz, MLB Washington Nationals

1st Annual Adrian Alaniz Baseball Camp include campers with MLB professional baseball player, Alaniz. (HSSM IMages)

For more on baseball go to: www.highschoolsportsmagazine.net

26 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE January 15, 2009

Pace Vikings Win Soccer CupHSSM Soccer Preview

(Hidalgo, Texas)-The feisty head soccer coach from Browns-ville Pace, Chico Jimenez vented his displeasure of having to play Valley View on their field turf last week during the New Year’s Soccer Tournament hosted by Hidalgo and Val-ley View High Schools. The resulted ended with a 1-1 tie after regulation but the Vikings would celebrate with a shoot out win over the Pirates 3-2 to advance to the finals. The Vikes then defeated La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 3-1 in the finals to win its first tournament of the year. Last year the Vikings lost in the first round of the 5A state playoffs to Edinburg Economedes 3-0. Jimenez watched his team fall behind af-ter Hidalgo’s Jesus Jimenez scored a 30-yard kick from the

sidelines to put the Pirates up 1-0 before the half. The Pace Vikings are a much improved team and they will be favored to return to the state playoffs with hopes of reaching the re-gional finals again, as they did in 2006, losing to eventual state champion, Brownsville Porter. Teams to watch will be Porter, Valley View, Hidalgo, Juarez-Lincoln, La Joya Palmview. The Rio Grande Valley has watched two teams from Brownsville win state titles in (Lopez) 2004 and (Por-ter) 2006. The Brownsville Parks and Recreational recently opened it’s multi-million dollar field turf soccer complex. In the girls bracket, the McAllen Lady Bulldogs and Har-lingen South Lady Hawks will be tough to beat in 2009.

Great Victory! Brownsville Pace won the New Year’s Soccer Invitational hosted by Hidalgo and Valley View High Schools sponsored by Television Deportiva. (HSSM IMages)

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE 27> Send your scores and stats to David A. Amador, @ [email protected]

For more on golf go to: www.highschoolsportsmagazine.net

30-5A Donna Redskin soc-cer player Javier Hernandez hopes to lead his team to another State 5A Bi-District title in 2009. (HSSM IMages)

Boy’s 2000-2008State Soccer Champions

from the Rio Grande Valley4A Brownsville Lopez 2004 defeated Brenham 2-1

5A Brownsville Porter 2006

defeated Coppell 2-1 (OT)

State Soccer Tournamentappearances from RGV4A Hidalgo (20-5-6) lost in

semifinals to Wichita Falls (won title) 2-1 (1-0 SO) ‘07

5A Brownsville Rivera (20-6-6) lost in semifinals to Lewis

ville Marcus 3-1 (won title) ‘074A Mission Veterans (18-6-3) lost in semifinals to El Paso Del Valle 1-0 (won title) ‘055A Brownsville Rivera (29-3-1)

lost in semifinals to Klein

1-0 (won title) ‘05

Girl’s 2000-2008State Soccer Champions from the Rio Grande Valley

NoneState Soccer Tournament

Appearances from RGVNone

2008 Soccer Playoffs Class 5A-Boys

Bi-DistrictLaredo Johnson 3 Rowe 2

Ed North 2 Bro Rivera 4Harlingen 2 Bro Lopez 3

McAllen 2 Lar Martin 1 (OT)La Joya 2 Lar Alexander 0Economedes 3 Bro Pace 0

PSJA 0 Bro Porter 6Donna 5 Lar United 2

Area ChampionshipsLar Johnson 3 Bro Rivera 2

Bro Lopez 3 McAllen 1Economedes 1 La Joya 2

Bro Porter 3 Donna 1

Regional Qtrs FinalsBro Lopez 4 Johnson 3 (OT)La Joya 1 Bro Porter 0 (SO)

Regional SemifinalsSA Churchill 1 La Joya 0

SA Reagan 1 Bro Lopez 0 (SO)

Class 4A Boys

Bi-DistrictRoma 1 Weslaco East 2

Hidalgo 1 Mission Vets 0

Area ChampionshipsHidalgo 3 Uvalde 1

Mission 1 Flour Bluff 0Weslaco East 3 GP 7

Valley View 6 SA South 0

Regional QtrsValley View 4 GP 2

Hidalgo 1 Mission 0

Regional SemifinalsNew Braunfels 4 Hidalgo 3Vista Ridge 1 Valley View 0

Girl’s 5A PlayoffsBi-District

Lar Johnson 1 McA Mem 9PSJA 1 San Benito 0

Ed North 2 Los Fresnos 1Lar United So 0 Shary 9

La Alexander 2 McAllen 5Har South 9 Weslaco 0

Edinburg 0 Pace 1

Lar United 0 McA Rowe 4

Area ChampionshipsRowe 1 Pace 0 (S0)

McAllen 1 Har South 2Ed North 2 Shary 1 (S0)

PSJA 3 McA Mem 1

Regional QtrsHar South 7 Nikki Rowe 1

Edinburg North 2 Shary 1 (SO)

Regional SemifinalsSA Reagan 2 Harlingen South 1

SA MacArthur 5 Edinburg North 0

The Best of the BestSoccer Feature

Hidalgo’s Jesus Mireles, Top Junior National Soccer Player

28 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE January 15, 2009

www.highschoolsportsmagazine.net

(Hidalgo, Texas)-The speedy junior forward spotted an opening from about 30-yards to the goal and then launched a powerful kick to score Hidalgo’s first goal against Brownsville Pace at the New Year’s Invitational Soccer Tournament at Bill Pate Stadium in Hidalgo recently. The kick blazed with so much speed, the goal-keeper reacted after the shot hit the top corner of the net. For Hidalgo forward Jesus Mireles, it was just another kick for his team and another flash back of the 2007 State 4A Semifinals. He was only a freshmen forward then, who led his team to Hidalgo’s first-ever state soccer tournament appearance at the Round Rock ISD Athletic Complex. That season, the Pirates posted playoff wins against Corpus Christi Moody, Weslaco East, Austin Lake Travis, and Austin Dripping Springs to advance. But their title run would end in the semifinals with a 2-1 (1-0 SO) loss to eventual State 4A Champion, Wichita Falls. “I want to make it back to state this year. We were so close. It still hurts, but now we have the same nine players back from that team now playing in 2009 with more experience,” says Mireles. Despite the numerous awards Mireles has received in two years, he is a total team player. “He’s special and plays this game as a true leader,” says Pirate head coach Zeke Morales. Mireles was named the Valley’s newcomer of the year, scoring 32 goals in 2007 to help lead the Pirates to their first-ever District 32-4A crown. Most importantly, he has attracted numerous of college attention after playing on the 2006 U.S. Under-15 Boys National Team. “I have traveled the world. I have been to Europe and many other parts of the United States playing with U.S. National Soccer Teams. I’m only a junior. Maybe one day I will play professional soccer,” adds Mireles. Last year, the Pirates lost the district title crown in their final game of the season but advanced to round four against New Braunfels Canyon, before losing 4-3 in the Class 4A Regional semifinals after defeating Mission, Uvalde, and Mission Veterans Memorial. “More players are coming out for soccer. They are getting bigger and physical,” says Mireles. The Pirates will now compete in the new 61-4A District along with Mission, Valley View, Mission Veterans, Roma, and La Joya Lincoln-Juarez in 2009. “This will be a tough district and our team should be ready to contend for another title,” added Mireles. With all the national attention this 16-year-old junior is receiving, he also understands that he must continue with his success in the classroom by maintaining his 3.2 GPA in order to move on to the college ranks or even professional soccer after high school. Mireles still dreams of one day playing on a professional soccer team from Mexico or Brazil but first, he wants bring home a state championship to the city of Hidalgo. “Soccer is big here in Hidalgo,” says the junior national soccer player. “We love soccer in Hidalgo.”

The Best of the BestHidalgo’s Jesus Mireles, Top Junior National Soccer Player I’m only a junior. Maybe one

day I will play professional soccer...

““

McAllen HS varsity golfer Eric Silva blasts a shot from the bunker on Hole No. 7 at the Palmview Golf Course in McAllen.(HSSM IMages)

30 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE January 15, 2009

TOP THREE RGV 5A DISTRICT GOLFERS

Feb 5 Varsity Girls; Boys Feb 6-7at the Shary Golf CoursePSJA Tourney-Boys at Tierra Del Sol

Feb 20-21PSJA Tourney-Girls at Tierra Del Sol

Feb 23Mercedes Tourney B/G Feb 27-28The Palms at Mid-Valley GC

Upcoming Golf Schedule

Golfers Ready for Spring RoundsHSSM Golf Update For more on golf go to: www.highschoolsportsmagazine.net

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE 31> Send your scores and stats to David A. Amador, @ [email protected]

32-5A: Matt Cadriel of Brownsville Hanna 31-5A: Eric Cubriel of Edinburg North 30-5A: Abraham Ancer of Sharyland

(McAllen, Texas)-The Rio Grande Valley high school golf seasons begin phase two of the year with spring competi-tion, beginning with the Sharyland Invitational teeing off this weekend at the Shary Golf Course on Friday for the girls and the boys will play on Saturday, January 24th. Tee time is set for 8:00 a.m. The boys second round will resume on Monday at the Cimarron Golf Course in Mission. Head coach Fernando Rodriguez of Sharyland released the latest All-Valley Fall rankings for the boys with Sharyland High School senior Abraham Ancer taking the No.1 spot with an impressive 72.0 stroke average with eight rounds played. He also leads the 30-5A district with the top rank-ing. Matt Cadriel of Brownsville Hanna ranks No.1 in 32-5A with a 75.0 average while Erik Cubriel from 31-5A ranks No.1 and overall, follows Ancer with a 73.25 average. Ancer, the two-time defending district champion and two-time state 5A participant opened his season with a second place finish 71-72 at the Donna Invitational held at the Tierra Santa Golf course. Cubriel won the tournament with a 68-72 finish. The Sharyland senior would then win the first of his two tournaments at the Weslaco Invitational and then blis-tered the courses at Los Lagos (70) in Edinburg and Monte

Cristo Golf Club (68) to captured his second win. “It’s been a good year. I am comfortable playing,” says Ancer. The Top 20 players include Roman Robledo, Harlingen South (74.0); John Paul Cordova, La Joya (74.75); Brandon Reyna, Sharyland (75.25); Kalen Vos, Weslaco (75.86); Der-rick Salinas, Edinburg (76.38); Garrison Lackey, Weslaco (76.50); Nick Rios, Edcouch-Elsa (77.0); Justin Esparza. Edinburg North (77.33); Carlos Pena, Sharyland (78.25); Alec Amador, McAllen Memorial (78.41); Robert Garza, Edinburg (78.50); Baldo Garza, Mission Veterans (78.50); Chad King, Harlingen South (78.75); Ricky Solis, McAllen (78.75); Jeff Hoover, Hanna (78.75); Ryan Hollander, Hanna (79.13); and Scott Van Tilburg, Weslaco (79.71).

Rio Grande Valley Golf Coaches Association Championships Mar 6-7 at Pecan Valley GC-San Antonio, TxPre-District 31-5A Championships Mar 27-28 at Tony Butler GCPre-District 32-5A ChampionshipsMarch 30th at Tierra Santa GCPre-District 30-5A ChampionshipsMarch 30th at Martin Valley Ranch

BY DAVID A. AMADOR

EXCLUSIVE HSSM INTERVIEW

MEET

TOP GOLFER

WILL DUSTIN GARZA BE BETTER THAN TIGER WOODS? THE WICHITA STATE JUNIOR GOLFER HAS WON THREE STRAIGHT TOURNAMENTS AND RANKS NO.1 WITH A 68.21. BETTER THAN TIGER’S COLLEGIATE RECORD. HE COULD BE THE NEXT GENERATION OF HISPANIC GOLFERS COMING...

32 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE

NCAA’S

GOLFER

NCAA’S

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE 33

(HSSM IMages)

GOLFER

WILL DUSTIN GARZA BE BETTER THAN TIGER WOODS? THE WICHITA STATE JUNIOR GOLFER HAS WON THREE STRAIGHT TOURNAMENTS AND RANKS NO.1 WITH A 68.21. BETTER THAN TIGER’S COLLEGIATE RECORD. HE COULD BE THE NEXT GENERATION OF HISPANIC GOLFERS COMING...

NCAA’S

GOLFER

NCAA’S

(McAllen, Tx)-Sporting a new haircut, the former Sharyland High School two-time district golf champion and now the top-ranked NCAA Division I golf player in the nation has his sights on winning the NCAA Division I Championships to be held this May 27-30th at the prestigious Inverness Golf Club in Toledo, Ohio. “It’s been a tough road to get here but I have dedicated my life to golf. This is my sport,” says the Wichita State junior, Dustin Garza. Garza won four NCAA tournaments in 2008, including a current three-straight tournament streak and captured the 2008 Golfstat Cup title’s No.1 spot with a 68.53 stroke average after playing 15 rounds in the 2008 Fall Semes-ter. Previous collegiate winners were current PGA profes-sionals Charles Howell (69.57), Hunter Mahan (70.62), Luke Donald (70.45), and of course, Tiger Woods (70.61) stroke average in 1995-96. “This has been fun and staying focus is the biggest factor with playing golf. The only person who is the strongest mental player is Tiger Woods. He’s tough to beat and I hope I can be mentally tough too,” says the former UIL Class 4A Bronze medalist. As a sophomore, Dustin won his first collegiate tourna-ment in 2008 at the Callaway Golf Invitational held this past March at the Farms Golf Club in San Diego, California. He fired three rounds of 71-69-70 to finish 6-under par to win. “It was a big relief to get this monkey off my back. Win-ning your first college tournament is awesome. Words can-not explain how I felt,” said Garza. Since then, the Wichita State Shocker golfer has been on a tear winning three straight tournaments and placing sec-ond twice in his first five tournaments entered this past fall semester. Most interesting, he shot a career best 61 at the Sycuan Collegiate Invi-tational to earn his third straight win hosted by San Diego State Univer-sity. Garza started off the first day with a 71 and then the birdies started to fall on Day 2. “I flirted with a 59 in the back nine, but finished with a 61,” added Garza. He would end this tournament with a personal best three-day total score of 200 and a 16- under tournament score. Garza says that it has not been easy. He started playing golf since the age of five years old and was home schooled as a freshmen before entering the high school ranks. “I wanted to quit golf. I was frustrated with the game. When I told my Mom that it was over, it was her tears that made me change mind. I never had seen her cry,” added Garza. “My Mom (Nancy) has been my driving force along with my Grandpa (Burnette Noble). They have invested a lot of money getting me from one tournament to another. My Dad (Roy) was the person who always told me like it is.” Dustin decided to take his game to another level as a

sophomore at Sharyland High School. He reached out to Carlos Espinoza, the PGA Professional at the Palmview Golf Course in McAllen and Tiger Wood’s current golf coach, Hank Haney. “My Mom was hard on me and she had the heated words to keep me moving forward, but she also helped me get the help I needed to go to the next level,” says Garza. After making it to the State 5A Golf Championships with his Sharyland team and finishing fourth as a team, Garza accepted a full scholarship to play golf for the Wichita State Shockers of the Missouri Conference and the leg-endary head coach, Grier Jones. “He’s the best coach in golf and he’s very demanding but he knows golf,” said Garza. His coach has led the Shockers to seven confer-ence titles from 1999-2006, along with four straight NCAA Regional appearances from 2001-2005, advancing twice to the NCAA Championships in 2003 and 2004 in his 13 seasons at Wichita State. College life and golf has become very demanding. Gar-za says that his days are spent in the classroom till noon and then he races off to practice with his team till the sun goes down. He has enjoyed the trips from one tourna-ment to another. But adds, that having a social life could prove to be devastating to any golfer’s mind. “This game is a mental game. Any distractions with your personal life by having girlfriends or buddies that want to party could end your game on the course,” says Garza. “ I have seen a lot of players fail because of this. His focus has paid off too. During his freshmen season,

homesick, Dustin completed his year with a 72.813 aver-age and was named Missouri Confer-ence Newcomer of the Year. He also tied for first on the team at the NCAA Central Regional

Championships where he posted a score of 232. Garza also finished second in the 2008 State Farm Missouri Conference Golf Championships, leading his team to a first place finish and title. He finished with scores of 70-72-70 to end his sophomore season. Garza was named to the all-conference team in 2008. In 2007, the Shock-ers finished second in the conference with Garza being named MVC Newcomer of the Year 2007. Currently, his Shockers are ranked 23rd in the nation by Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index and Garza says his team could make it to the NCAA Championships. “My teammates are dedicated and we are looking forward to this spring season.” Wichita State team members include Brad Boan, Christian Spencer, Connor McHenry, Grady Pauls, Zac Potter, Lars Haakonsen, and Ty Sanders.

“I wanted to quit golf. I was frustrated with the game...” Dustin Garza

former Sharyland H.S. golfer

34 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE January 15, 2009

>SHOCKINGTHE NATION

BOOK

AT WICHITA STATE...

DUSTIN GARZA’S

>RECORD 2008

ALDILA INTERCOLLEGIATEUniversity of Tennessee-ChattanoogaSeptember 8, 20082nd place-69-69-67=205 (-11)

JIM COLBERT INTERCOLLEGIATEKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITYSeptember 22, 20082nd place-73-72-72=217 (-1)

VCU SHOOTOUTVIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITYSeptember 29, 20081st place-66-66-69=201

WOLF PACK CLASSICUNIVERSITY OF NEVADAOCTOBER 6, 20081st place-67-65-73=205

SYCUAN COLLEGIATE INVITATIONALSAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITYOctober 20, 20081st place-71-61-68=200 (-16)

CALLAWAY GOLF INVITATIONALTHE FARMS COUNTRY CLUBSAN DIEGO, CALIFMarch 11, 20081st place-71-69-70=210

4 NCAA WINS (2008)4 TOP 10s (2008)NCAA Golfstat Cup (11/26/08)Standings-Ranked No.115 rds-68.53 avg

(HSSM IMages)