By the numbers series in paper

[wp2003]

another good story.....surprising considering where it's coming from.......

[Ol' Buzzard]

It would be nice if they were to publish all of these stories (and even the stories from the 40 days of school history) into a book. I would definately buy a copy of this book!

[wp2003]

i agree buzzy......wait, go write a blog about this over at pluck so you can get credit for the idea....

[wos87]

Kinda sad that Brownsville High (Hanna) has only won 1 playoff game since that 1969 season.... They had a winning program (overall) up until 1978 (which was when their all-time winning percentage dropped below 50%).

[OlympFan]

Gabe Hernandez | Valley Morning Star
Former Brownsville Rivera head coach Tom Chavez was on the losing end of an area-round playoff game against Victoria in 1996. The game went into quadruple overtime as the Raiders fell to the Stingarees, 44-38.

By the Numbers: Working overtime
Rivera's 38 points was not enough in 4OT playoff game

July 19, 2008 - 10:08PM
By PAUL CONATZER | Valley Morning Star

It was the most exciting game Brownsville Rivera had ever been involved in.

On Sept. 22, 1996 the Raiders went four overtimes before losing to Victoria 44-38 in the second round of the playoffs at Buc Stadium in Corpus Christi.

That struggle is No. 38 in the Valley Morning Star's "By The Numbers" series.

"That had to be the greatest game we've ever been involved in," said then Rivera head coach Tom Chavez, who is now head coach at Hanna.

With 1:33 left in the game, the Raiders led 17-10 on a 21-yard draw play by Gerald Neal.

And when the Stingarees had problems with the kickoff and started at their own 5, things looked really good for the Raiders.

However, Victoria quarterback Robert Mejia drove the Stingarees 95 yards to send the game into overtime with the tying score coming on a 49-yard pass to Justin Michalk.

"I liked our chances after we took the lead," Chavez said. "Things were looking good. But they made some big plays and took us into overtime."

Both teams scored on their first three possessions with Raiders quarterback Jesse Alvarez throwing three of his four touchdowns. Alvarez finished with 237 yards passing and four touchdowns.

The Stingarees went to bruising running back Sedrick Brown, a 6-foot-2, 200 pound junior. He turned in a workhorse-performance with 47 carries for 176 yards, including 11 for 65 yards in overtime.

Rivera had the ball first in the fourth overtime and Rivera defensive end Juan Jasso was on the sideline getting some instructions from Chavez on what to do when he went in the game on Victoria's possession.

"Coach was going through what he wanted us to do and who to take out when we heard a deafening roar," said Jasso via an e-mail from England. Jasso is now a football coach at the University of York.

"Coach stopped talking and we were all watching as our dream slipped away. On the field, we saw a sea of red standing and cheering as one of their players intercepted a pass and ran it back to seal our fate and end our fantastic run."

Victoria linebacker Brandon Grunewald picked off Alvarez and returned it 83 yards for the game-ending touchdown.

"We couldn't believe it," Jasso said. "All the seniors were devastated. I cried and so did a lot of others. We had come this far and played our guts out and come up just a little short. It was so hard to swallow."

After the game, the Victoria coach came over to the Raiders and told them it was the hardest game the Stingarees had played.

The next season the UIL changed the rule requiring that teams go for a two-point conversion after two overtimes

The game was a defensive struggle until the fourth quarter with Victoria taking a 10-3 edge into the period.

Alvarez hit George Hite with a 77-yard score to tie the game and then Romuliss Lopez picked off Mejia to give the Raiders the ball at the Stingarees' 24 and set the stage for Neal's touchdown run.

However, the Stingarees had a little bit of magic left and were able to send the game into overtime.

"We probably weren't expected to do as well against them," Chavez said. "Both teams had chances. I feel bad for our kids...they wanted it really badly. I love them, what can I say? They played their hearts out."

It was a very good season for the Raiders, who finished 10-2 on the season, finishing second in District 32-5A and beating unbeaten McAllen Rowe, 35-14 in the first round of the playoffs.

Alvarez was a first team All-Valley quarterback, Albert Coronado was a first-team All-Valley receiver and Henry Partida was a first team All-Valley offensive guard.

On defense, the Raiders had All-Valley first teamers in linebacker Jerry Anaya and defensive back Freddy Blanco.

By the Numbers is a periodic series that corresponds the number of days until the start of the 2008 Valley high school football season with a memorable athlete or moment. Today marks 38 days until kickoff.

www.rgvsports.com/articles/game_2396___article.html/raiders_first.html

[danman071404]

where's once a raider?

[Midvalleyftball79]

I guess he didn't get the memo to this forum, too bad too cause he was just about the only br raider fan in here. Well he was the only one. But that was a good article, chavez and the raiders had some really good seasons, they were tough to beat there for a long while.

[RPM]

i think i got his #....ill give him a call so he can get the new site addy....

[FootballGal]

Jul 19, 2008 14:28:21 GMT -6 Ol' Buzzard said:

It would be nice if they were to publish all of these stories (and even the stories from the 40 days of school history) into a book. I would definately buy a copy of this book!

+1

[xlobo]

Good article!

[OlympFan]

Theresa Najera | Valley Morning Star
Edcouch-Elsa head football coach Joe Solis guided the Yellowjackets to a record 37 straight regular-season win streak that ran from 2003 to 2007.

By the Numbers: The Streak
E-E's 37 straight regular-season wins an impressive feat

July 21, 2008 - 9:55PM
By ELADIO JAIMEZ | Valley Morning Star

ELSA - When the Edcouch-Elsa ISD hired Joe Solis to take over as athletic director and head football coach in 2003, Solis had one job: Win.

Actually his duties entailed a little more.

At that point, the Yellowjackets hadn't won a district title since 2000 and last made the playoffs in 2001.

The Yellowjackets hadn't won more than six games in one season since the 1998 campaign.

It was very uncharacteristic of Edcouch-Elsa football and it was Solis' job to steer the ship - or in this case La Maquina - in the right direction.

Solis took over and brought a renewed sense of pride to the Delta Area.

The veteran coach brought a champion's attitude that trickled down from his coaches to the players.

The result was five straight district titles and counting, and an amazing 51-8 record.

And as the proverbial cherry on top, E-E produced a record win streak of regular season games that encompassed five seasons.

La Maquina's 37-game win streak is the focus of today's "By The Numbers" summer series.

Following a 42-7 loss to Donna in Week Two of the 2003 season, the Yellowjackets reeled off 37 straight regular-season wins.

The streak ended last season when the Weslaco Panthers won a one-point decision at Yellowjacket Stadium.

Port Isabel previously held the record mark with 29 games from 1980-83

"It took a lot of hard work to accomplish what we did," Solis said. "We hadn't realized what we did until the (2007) season was over. We realized what we did was great for our tradition."

E-E finished the regular season 7-2 in 2003 and won it first district title in three years.

That year the Yellowjackets traveled to Brownsville to battle Porter for the league pennant.

It was a storybook season for the Cowboys and their quarterback Billy Garza. But La Maquina ended that chapter with an overtime win.

E-E then beat Harlingen South in the regular season finale to secure its first of five straight league championships.

The next three seasons were nothing short of spectacular.

E-E recorded three straight 10-0 seasons (2004-06) re-establishing itself as one of the premier programs in the Valley and South Texas.

Some of the more memorable moments of that period include running back Fred Loredo's 2,000-yard season in 2004.

The Yellowjackets came agonizingly close to beating old nemesis Calallen in the playoffs that year too.

E-E broke the Coastal Bend Curse the next year by defeating Gregory-Portland in the postseason.

The 'Jackets went three-deep in the playoffs in 2005-06.

"Everyone's out to get you every week," Solis said. "We never really talked about it. It got harder and harder every week. But it still wasn't our main focus. We were just trying to be successful."

The streak ended in Week One last season when the Panthers crashed the party in Elsa.

The Yellowjackets actually had a shot to keep the streak alive.

Solis elected to go for the two-point conversion at the end of the game and the Yellowjackets couldn't convert.

The loss marked the end of one of the most amazing runs by a Valley team ever.

But the loss had no bearing on the Yellowjackets at the end of the season.

E-E finished 9-1 and remained unbeaten in district for the fifth straight season.

So it was business as usual for the Solis and the Yellowjackets.

"When I took over the numbers (of kids playing football) were low here," Solis said. "That was the most challenging job for us when we took over. There were a lot of good players during that run. We don't retire jerseys here (at E-E). If we did, there wouldn't be any jerseys around."

By the Numbers is a periodic series that corresponds the number of days until the start of the 2008 Valley high school football season with a memorable athlete or moment. Today marks 37 days until kickoff.

www.rgvsports.com/articles/season_2397___article.html/yellowjackets_solis.html

[OlympFan]

Solis said... "... We don't retire jerseys here (at E-E). If we did, there wouldn't be any jerseys around."

That says a lot for the program. Congrats, again.

[tigercrazy]

lol thats funny!

[RR RATED]

Hmmmm...

[tigercrazy]

How many high school students here in the valley have
retired there jersey?

[OlympFan]

Is it something that rarely happens?

I think I heard a couple kids from La Villa had theirs retired -- Cisneros &... ?

[RR RATED]

Jul 22, 2008 0:10:23 GMT -6 OlympFan said:

Is it something that rarely happens?

I think I heard a couple kids from La Villa had theirs retired -- Cisneros &... ?

You serious??

[Midvalleyftball79]

Yeah i read about that in mvtc, those two guys from la villa got their jerseys retired. Great article by the way, this was my fave part "The streak ended in Week One last season when the Panthers crashed the party in Elsa." Hey remember we have the braggin rights. ;D lol. How old is solis anyway?

[tigercrazy]

Cardinal Tribute
Rodriguez, Cisneros have jerseys retired after stellar careers
July 8, 2008 - 1:27PM
By JOHN CANNON/Mid-Valley Town Crier
LA VILLA — Only two football players at La Villa high school have had their jerseys retired. Tight end Allen Collins, a 1998 graduate, and Tight End John Muñoz, a 2003 graduate, are the players whose jerseys sit in the trophy case.


Now, two more jerseys will be added to the case.


Quarterback J.D. Cisneros and wide receiver Rocky Rodriguez, graduates of the 2008 class, had their jerseys retired after leading the Cardinals to back-to-back district titles and advancing to the regional quarterfinals two years ago, the farthest any Cardinals team has ever gone in school history.


"These two young men played a huge role in turning around the program here at La Villa and what a better way to honor them that to have their jerseys retired," said La Villa head football coach Eugene Garza. "J.D. (Cisneros) is the all-time passing leader here at La Villa and one of the top quarterbacks to ever hit the field in the Rio Grande Valley. Also, he was selected as the offensive player of the year in Class A and won numerous awards in the Valley, as well as the state."


"As for Rocky (Rodriguez) he was an absolute machine on both sides of the ball. He also put up some great numbers this year offensively and was one of the most feared defensive backs in the valley. Rocky also was an all-state selection."


Cisneros put up outstanding numbers his senior season as he ended up throwing for 2,938 yards and 43 touchdowns. Also, Cisneros tied numerous records such as throwing for most touchdowns thrown in a game with seven, which he did twice, and tied for second overall in the Rio Grande Valley for the most touchdowns thrown in a season with ex-Mission and current Minnesota Vikings quarterback Koy Detmer.


"When Rocky told me that the school was thinking about retiring my jersey, I thought he was joking with me," said Cisneros. "I never imagined in my wildest dreams that my number 15 would get retired. It is a huge honor for me to have this happen and I will never forget my experience here at La Villa high school."


Rodriguez said that every time he returns back to La Villa high school, he will make it a point to go straight to the trophy case.


"I still can't believe this happened," said Rodriguez as he got ready to put his jersey in the trophy case. "At least my number 12 will be in a trophy case and not on the field."


"This has been quite a ride here at La Villa and I can guarantee that I will come back and become a coach someday. I would love to be a receivers coach here and give back to the young kids."


Cisneros has another idea in mind.


"I want to come back and become the head coach here and who knows, I may take Coach Garza's job and he can be my assistant," joked Cisneros.


www.midvalleytowncrier.com/sports/villa_1486___article.html/cardinal_tribute.html

[OlympFan]

John Cannon/Mid-Valley Town Crier
From left to right, Rocky Rodriguez, La Villa head coach Eugene Garza and J.D. Cisneros.