Rio Grande Valley was filled with historical success in 2009

Rio Grande Valley teams arguably had more success in 2009 than any year before. Glass ceilings were shattered while the area re-established its dominance in one particular sport. Because of this, predicting the Boys and Girls Teams of the Year at the 2009 All-Star Sports Awards is something nobody should be confident doing.

After an off year in 2008 when no boys soccer team went to the state tournament, Hidalgo and Brownsville Lopez both advanced to the state championship game. Brownsville Lopez, which dominated District 32-5A, reached the final by beating Spring Klein Oak 5-4 in the semis. The Lobos' run, unfortunately, ended one game short of a state title, as they fell 3-1 to Plano.

But where Lopez fell just short, Hidalgo took the next step. Led by coach Esequiel Morales and star forward Jesus Mireles, the Pirates recovered from a third-place district finish to win the Class 4A state title, topping Mesquite Poteet 2-0 to win the crown.

"This is every boy's dream come true, and it's the greatest feeling ever," Hidalgo's Angel Nava said after the Pirates' win. "It's just incredible. There's nothing better than this."

The same could be said by the Santa Rosa Warriors boys basketball team. Led by coach Johnny Cipriano, the Warriors became the first team from the Valley to reach the Final Four since the 1970's, where they lost 77-54 in the Class 2A semifinals.

Their run also included one of the year's most dramatic moments, a 63-62 overtime win over Universal City Randolph in the regional final. That win came after Jacob Garcia hit a 3-pointer to send the game to overtime, and Ruben Lopez's game-winning floater with 4 seconds left.

"It took every ounce of heart," Santa Rosa's Mark Cordero said after the Randolph win. "We wanted to win this game. Now we're going to represent the Valley and show everyone that we have heart down here."

As important as Santa Rosa's accomplishments were for boys basketball in the Valley, the Hidalgo Lady Pirates' run to the Class 3A state semifinals was just as significant. Like the Warriors, the Lady Pirates put together one of the great runs in Valley basketball history, eventually losing 58-43 to Argyle in the semifinals. Before Hidalgo, no team from the area had made it to a Final Four in the sport's modern 5-on-5 era.

But coach Monica Rodriguez and star Victoria Gonzalez helped end the drought. After running through District 32-3A, the Lady Pirates reached the regional finals against West Oso. In one of the most tension-filled moments of the year, or most other years, Hidalgo's Jessica Olvera stepped to the free-throw line with the game tied at 36 with 3 seconds remaining. After missing the first shot, Olvera hit the second and sent the Lady Pirates to state.

"It's a feeling of elation," Rodriguez said that day. "These girls have been working hard. We're doing it for our community, our No. 1 fans and fans from the Valley. We had three goals: to win a district championship, to get to the regional tournament and to go state, and we've met all three of our goals this year. This is what it's all about."

Brian Sandalow covers high school sports for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4436 or via e-mail at bsandalow@themonitor.com.

The following are the nominees for this year's RGV All-Star Sports Awards:

Athlete of the Year (Boys)
>> Luis Charles, Los Fresnos
>> Sam Mangum, McAllen High
>> Jesus Mireles, Hidalgo
>> Adrian Moya, Brownsville Porter
>> Erik Niño, Edcouch-Elsa
>> Stephen Saenz, Rio Grande City
>> Joseph Vela, Rio Hondo

Athlete of the Year (Girls)
>> Cinthia Adame, San Benito
>> Felicia Espericueta, Edinburg North
>> Jennifer Garcia, Harlingen High
>> Victoria Gonzalez, Hidalgo
>> Marissa Shinsky, St. Joseph's Academy
>> Tricia Terry, McAllen Memorial
>> Bianca Torre, Harlingen South

Team of the Year (Boys)
>> Brownsville Hanna baseball
>> Brownsville Lopez soccer
>> Hidalgo soccer
>> La Feria football
>> Los Fresnos football
>> Santa Rosa basketball
>> Sharyland baseball

Team of the Year (Girls)
>> Harlingen High softball
>> Harlingen South basketball
>> Harlingen South soccer
>> Hidalgo basketball
>> Lyford softball
>> McAllen High soccer
>> San Benito track & field

Athletic Program of the Year
>> Harlingen High
>> Harlingen South
>> Hidalgo
>> La Feria
>> Los Fresnos
>> McAllen High
>> Sharyland

Coach of the Year
>> Johnny Cipriano, Santa Rosa boys basketball
>> Roque Cortinas, Roma baseball
>> Amadeo Escandon, Brownsville Lopez boys soccer
>> Bill Littleton, McAllen Memorial football
>> Zeke Morales, Hidalgo boys soccer
>> Lupe Perez, Santa Maria football
>> Monica Rodriguez, Hidalgo girls basketball

Moment of the Year

>> Olvera's free throw sends Hidalgo to state tournament
Hidalgo's Jessica Olvera makes one of two free throws with three seconds remaining to defeat No. 3 West Oso and advance the Lady Pirates to the state tournament, the first trip during the modern era for a girls basketball team from the Rio Grande Valley.

>> Garcia's late 3-pointer lifts Santa Rosa to state tournament
Santa Rosa's Jacob Garcia hits a game-tying 3-pointer in the Class 2A regional finals against University City Randolph to send the game into overtime, where the Warriors won to move on to the boys state basketball tournament in Austin.

>> McAllen High-Weslaco High play classic at sold out UTPA Field House
McAllen High and Weslaco High play for a trip to Sweet 16 in front of a capacity crowd at the UTPA Field House. McHi won in double overtime 54-53 as the Panthers' Eddie Cantu played the game of his career, finishing with a game-high 30 points.

>> Niño finds Tanguma to lift Edcouch-Elsa past Calallen
Erik Niño finds tight end Artie Tanguma for a 7-yard touchdown reception with 18 seconds left to lift Edcouch-Elsa to a 14-7 win over No. 7 Calallen, which hadn't lost to a Valley team since a 1990 defeat against Harlingen High.

>> La Feria stuns Bandera at Alamodome
La Feria was a huge underdog against Bandera in the second round playoff game at the Alamodome. But the Lions, the third-place finisher from District 32-3A, kept their postseason run alive with a 31-14 victory over the favored Bulldogs.

>> Brownsville Pace's Sergio Rios comes from behind twice at track regionals
Brownsville Pace's Sergio Rios rallied in the 300-meter hurdles and the mile relay to qualify for the state meet. Rios clipped the first and third hurdles in the 300 to fall to seventh place with 150 meters to go, but finished second (originally fourth until video of the finish was reviewed). Rios then anchored the final leg of the mile relay for the Vikings, who were seventh when he took the baton but finished second place under his clutch performance and earned a spot at the state meet in Austin.

>> Brownsville Lopez blows lead, then responds in shootout
Brownsville Lopez was up 4-1 against Spring Klein Oak at halftime in the state semifinal, but gave up three second-half goals to leave the scored tied at 4 after regulation. After a scoreless overtime, the Lobos dramatically won in the shootout 2-0 with goals from Moises Gonzalez and Hugo Ballesteros. Lopez goalkeeper Mauricio Lugo blocked two Klein Oak shots to keep the Panthers scoreless.

>> Saenz draws crowd at regional meet, breaks old record five times
Rio Grande City's Stephen Saenz breaks his 2008 regional record five times during the 2009 meet in San Antonio. He threw over 70 feet four times and literally threw the shot put as far as it could go at Alamo Stadium. The display not only made changes to the record books, but it also drew a crowd in an event that normally draws few spectators.