Mission Vets' streak on the line at 32-4A meet

The District 32-4A swimming meet is usually a predictable event. Roma defends its boys crown while Mission Veterans Memorial wins the girls championship.

While Roma is expected to win the boys title again, Mission Veterans’ streak of eight consecutive championships is in doubt. At Friday’s championship meet in Weslaco, it’s possible the Lady Patriots’ run will be snapped.

“This one, by far, will be the most difficult year,” Mission Veterans coach Arnold Perez said.

Perez said that according to the psych sheet for the meet, the Lady Patriots will win by only 10 points. That means Mission Veterans has a very small margin of error if it wants to win its ninth straight title and hold off improved Brownsville Veterans Memorial.

“This is going to be a difficult one,” Perez said. “If someone gets disqualified we’re done.”

After their recent wins, the Lady Patriots have stressed each victory gets them closer to their goal of 10 consecutive championships. But because of how Brownsville Veterans has improved, along with the Lady Patriots not having their own pool in three years, getting to the ninth will be as hard as any other triumph.

The latter, Perez said, has really taken its toll on his team. They travel to Pharr to train at The Summit, where he said they only have access to three lanes for his entire team.

“It’s finally catching up with us,” he said.

That said, there is still a chance for the Lady Patriots to win again and come within one of their goal. But to get there, they need this one.

“That would mean a lot,” Perez said.

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