La Joya loses former coach, teacher, administrator and school board member Ruben Eluterio Farias, or Coach Farias as many knew him, was not only born and raised in La Joya, but he spent most of his long career as a coach, teacher and administrator there. While he did leave La Joya briefly, it was only…

 There was a lot of traffic on the campuses of Sharyland Pioneer High School and Sharyland High school last week as the two schools held drive-thru parades to recognize their athletes for their accomplishments during the 2019-2020 school year.  Like most celebrations there were cheers, waves and smiles. I’m going to assume there were smiles;…

Mission Veterans Lady Patriots’ head volleyball coach Diana Lerma has made her mark as the premier volleyball coach in the Rio Grande Valley. The volleyball program that she has built at Veterans Memorial High School is not only second to none in the Valley, but it is also among the best in the state. The…

If you’ve attended more than a handful of high school sporting events in the Rio Grande Valley over the past 26 years, chances are that you’ve seen Ben Lopez. That’s because Lopez has attended thousands of football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, soccer, softball, tennis, wrestling, track and swimming games, matches and meets over the past quarter…

From her “humble beginnings” (her own words) as the second oldest of five children, and the oldest of four sisters, Mission native Leticia Trevino Ibarra has climbed the athletic ladder of success all the way to the top at Mission CISD. That’s because even though the deck was stacked against her, Ibarra has worked her…

Editor’s note: After this article was sent to press, UIL announced they had extended its suspension of all UIL athletic events until Monday, May 4. High school athletics a Coronavirus victim It was a decision that sent shock waves across the Lone Star state. Last Friday, the UIL (University Interscholastic League) announced that effective Monday,…

It was the Battle of Conway baseball style. The Mission Veterans Patriots took the short bus ride to Leo Najo Field Monday night to take on the Mission Eagles in their annual Duel on the Diamond. And while this game does not have anywhere near the hype, or the fan turnout, that the gridiron Battle…

Nine boys and six girls from the seven Mission, Sharyland and La Joya high schools, the Big 7, have qualified for the University Interscholastic League’s (UIL’s) State Wrestling Championship meet which is being held today and tomorrow at the Berry Center in Cypress, Texas. Last year Sharyland Pioneer led the way among the Big 7…

It was almost deja vu all over again for the Pioneer Lady Diamondbacks basketball team. Last year Coach Nicole Villarreal’s team entered the bi-district round of the UIL state playoffs as a heavy favorite thanks to their 13-1 district record and their first ever District 31-5A championship. As the No. 1 seed, the Lady Diamondbacks…

It came down to the wire last Thursday in the Donna High School gymnasium, but when the final match was over, it was the Sharyland Lady Rattlers that earned the right to hoist the District 16-5A girls duals wrestling championship trophy over their heads in victory. And with the Donna High team being the defending…