LA JOYA - Two familiar foes will bang heads in the final Valley all-star games of the 2012-13 school year.  It will be East vs. West on two different fields at the La Joya sports complex.  The all-star baseball game begins at 6 pm.  The softball contest will start at 7 pm.

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WESLACO - The roster of teams that has qualified for the state 7-on-7 tournament next month grows with every passing weekend.  Passing is the proper word because that's what 7-on-7 football is all about.  However, at this time, no Valley team has been able to qualify for the summer state tournament.  Nearly 100 schools have qualified.  Two more shots for the locals come in the next two weekends with qualifying tournaments in Corpus Christi and Mission.  The state tournament has moved from College Station to the Austin suburb of Leander for the 2013 event.

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PORT ISABEL - The UIL's announcement of a new football practice rule limiting full contact to 90 minutes a week is drawing a flood of reaction from the fans, coaches, and players.  CHANNEL 5's Vince Erickson has reaction tonight from a returning player who doesn't like where this road is heading.

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WESLACO - Football players, coaches, and fans were stunned on Tuesday to learn that the UIL will impose a 90-minute weekly limit on contact in football practices beginning in August.  It seems to be a dramatic limitation on Texas high school football. Or is it?  CHANNEL 5's Joel Villanueva examines the issue.

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WESLACO - Two Valley high school baseball players earned first team honors from the Texas High School Coaches Association.  Sharyland 2nd baseman Pancho Martinez made the 5A first team.  Rio Hondo outfielder Josh Cuellar was a 3A first team selection. Three players, all from 4A Rio Grande City, made second team.  2nd baseman Alonso Armendariz, shortstop Jorge Marroquin, and 3rd baseman Rene Villarreal were the honorees.  Third team selections were Sharyland catcher Tres Barrera in 5A and  pitcher Edward Pena from 4A Mission Veterans Memorial.

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LA VILLA- Everything old is new again in the La Villa high school athletic program.  Former head football coach Joe Salinas is back in charge at the campus.  CHANNEL 5's Joel Villanueva explains the turn of events that brought Salinas back to the Cardinals.

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PORT ISABEL - The starting quarterback of the Port Isabel Tarpons is preparing for an amazing journey that will combine football and world travel this summer.  CHANNEL 5's Joel Villanueva has the details on the Down Under Bowl, and the Valley player who will take part.

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MISSION - The high school sports season may be on summer break, but that doesn't mean athletic offices across the Valley are shutting down.  CHANNEL 5's Vince Erickson reports that there is plenty still happening as schools prepare for next fall.

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SAN BENITO - Coaches and senior members of the San Benito Lady Hounds softball team proudly held up the state semifinalist plaque they earned in Austin.

The Lady Hounds lost to Lewisville five days ago in the state capital. The experience now has begun to sink in. The players and coaches expressed mixed feelings about their accomplishments and disappointments.

"I feel like we should have won, but I'm glad that we got that far my senior year," senior Melanie Ramirez said.

"It was an awesome experience, and it's cool that we're the team that made history in the Valley," she said.

"I'm proud, because we did it as a team. We made it far. Not many can say they tied for third (place) or even made it in the area of third ... fourth, but we could have done better. Everyone believes we could have done better, and we could have taken it all," senior Sabrina Mendoza said.

"My thoughts were that we could have done better. It should have been us that took it all, but things happen for a reason. Either way, it was a good season for the seniors. We made it to state (and) that was a big accomplishment. It shows Valley teams that, no matter where you're from you can make it and reach any goals you have set up," senior Jackie Elizondo said.

The seniors said the bar has been raised for following generations of San Benito High School athletes.

"We've set high expectations for them. We told them already to go out there next year and take it all," Elizondo said.

"From here on out, our girls have the fight and determination ... and especially the potential to do so. They can go out there and fight and prove to the state, and to everybody, that they can come out victorious no matter where they're from," she said.

"I think every team over there is beatable ... and that any team is beatable. If we can do it, anybody can do it," Ramirez said.

"We want to take it all next time around. There is no next time for the seniors, but I know the girls want to take it all and be the first in the Valley to make history once again by winning state this time," Mendoza said.

 

 

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HIDALGO - It's no time to panic, but the new head football coach at Hidalgo has more to worry about than getting his name painted in the right place in the fieldhouse parking lot.  His returning starter at quarterback left suddenly last week in a transfer to Louisiana.  CHANNEL 5's Joel Villaneva reports on the first day on the job as the new head coach for Taihi Jones.

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WESLACO - High school all-star baseball beckons two from the Valley this summer.  7-on-7 state tournament play has a new home.  The THSCA all-state baseball game will be played in Round Rock on June 15.  Sharyland's Tres Barrera, and his former head coach Bart Bickerton, have been invited as participants.  Another Austin suburb, Leander, is the new home of the 7-on-7 championships.  The tournament was forced to move from College Station when the NCAA ruled it provided a recruiting advantage for the Aggies.

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GRULLA - The high school sports' off-season, summertime, is usually the best time for an athlete to improve.  CHANNEL 5's Joel Villanueva found an interesting summer sports camp in Grulla that is trying to build a foundation in two indoor sports.

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AUSTIN - San Benito scored first and tried to make two runs hold up for a 5A UIL girls' softball semi-final victory.  In the end, a big fifth inning from Lewisville stood up as the difference in a 5-2 decision.  CHANNEL 5's Joel Villanueva reports from Austin.

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AUSTIN - Lewisville scored four runs in the top of the fifth inning, and rallied to a 5-2 win over San Benito in the 5A girls' softball semi-final in Austin on Friday night.  The loss eliminates the Lady Hounds from the state tournament.  San Benito scored both runs in the bottom of the second inning without the benefit of a hit.  The runs scored on a throwing error and a bases loaded walk.  That built a 2-0 lead.  Lewisville answered with one run in the top of the fourth to cut the lead in half.  The fifth inning capped the come-from-behind win for Lewisville.  San Benito closes out a record-setting season at 34-and-3.

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AUSTIN - It's now or never for this year's edition of the San Benito girls' softball team.  After making history as the Valley's first state representative at the UIL tournament, this weekend's competition is now win or go home for a squad that has lost only two games all season.  Lady Hounds head coach Elias Martinez says his team has already proved a point to the rest of the state when it comes to Valley softball.  The girls play their semi-final game against Lewisville on Friday at 6 pm in Austin.  CHANNEL 5's Joel Villanueva will provide coverage on all the station's platforms:  newscasts, krgv.com, and on Twitter and Facebook.

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HIDALGO - When well-traveled head football coach Scott Ford left Hidalgo after just one year, and the Valley for the third time in his career, there was a feeling among local observers that he wouldn't be the last Pirate off the ship before this fall.   Starting quarterback Shea Patterson completed the classes for his freshman year on Thursday in Hidalgo.  He won't be returning either.  Patterson made news earlier this year by verbally committing, as a freshman in high school, to play college football at the University of Arizona.  He had also gained some notice in the off-season through participation in an all-star game in San Antonio.  The Patterson family is relocating to Shreveport, Louisiana to follow a new job opportunity for Patterson's father.  Shea and his younger brother will both be attending school in Louisiana.  He told CHANNEL 5 SPORTS he leaves with respect for Valley football, but a confidence that the move is the right decision for his family.

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SAN BENITO - What better way to amp up the energy level of a state-bound softball tournament team than a pep rally at the school's football stadium?  San Benito's 5A Final Four softball team leaves for Austin on Thursday.  The 6 pm semi-final with Lewisville on Friday will be the girls next action on the diamond  Anticipation and enthusiasm are already running at a high level.  Now patience is the priority as the girls wait for game time at McCombs Stadium on the UT campus in Austin.

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SAN BENITO - It takes money to travel.  That's especially true when the travellers are a team of state-bound tournament softball players.  CHANNEL 5's Vince Erickson has a look at the moves being made in San Benito to insure a smooth trip.

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SAN BENITO - It wouldn't be sports without a superstition or two to cloud the issue.  Lady Hounds softball coach Elias Martinez has worn a lucky straw hat, decorated by his players, since the UIL 5A tournament began.  As CHANNEL 5's Joel Villanueva reports, the results have been fantastic.

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WESLACO - CHANNEL 5 isn't normally in the business of promoting another television channel.   In the interest of timely and relevant information, we're going to make an exception this time.  For those people who can't attend Friday's UIL 5A softball semi-final game between San Benito and Lewisville, there will be a live television broadcast on Fox Sports Southwest.  Both of the 5A semi-finals will be shown.  The first game is at 3:00 pm.  The San Benito game follows at 6:00 pm.  If the Greyhounds should win on Friday, the state championship game will also be broadcast live on Fox Sports Southwest Plus.  CHANNEL 5 SPORTS will continue its on-site coverage and have cameras on hand for coverage all weekend on our newscasts.

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