By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Hail to the Queens!
After going unbeaten in District 30-6A this season, the Del Rio Queens were heavily represented on the All-District and All-Academic teams.
Del Rio took home four individual awards and had nine other players named to the All-District teams for their work on the field. Two more Queens were named to the All-Academic team for the 2021-22 season.
Head coach Wilber Rivas was named Coach of the Year. A longtime member of the Del Rio High School soccer family, Rivas’s coaching helped end a seven-year drought for district championships for the Queens. He guided the team to a record of 11 wins and one draw in 12 district matches.
Senior midfielder/forward Jadyn Casillas was named the District 30-6A Most Valuable Player. Casillas, who committed to Schreiner University earlier this year, scored 25 goals and had three assists this season. She began district play with a bang, scoring five goals against Laredo LBJ. With her signature heart sign after each goal Casillas was the catalyst for the Queens success this season.
Senior midfielder/forward Cassandra Ochoa was named the District 30-6A Forward of the Year. Ochoa, who has reportedly also committed to Schreiner, was Del Rio’s second leading scorer with 12 goals, but she led the team with eight assists. Ochoa was the team’s field general, directing the offense and ensuring her teammates were always in the right place at the right team.
Freshman defender/midfielder Noelia Ibarra was named the District 30-6A Newcomer of the Year. While her name didn’t show up in the stat sheets in terms of goals or assists, Ibarra was a vital cog of Del Rio’s defensive unit that was the best in the district. Her work on the field often turned away attacks by opposing teams and helped kickstart runs on opposing goals.
Four Queens were named to the 30-6A All-District First Team. They were sophomore midfielder/forward Giselle Castañeda, senior goalie Zoey Ortiz, sophomore defender/midfielder Andrea Sauceda, and sophomore forward/midfielder Alexis Segura.
Castañeda missed several games with a leg injury, but when she was on the field she made an impact that didn’t go unnoticed by opposing coaches. She scored seven goals and had four assists from her spot on the right side of the field aided by her combination of size and speed.
Ortiz was Del Rio’s nearly impenetrable wall inside goal. In 12 district matches she allowed just four goals, pitching eight shutouts. She also scored a goal on Senior Night against rival Eagle Pass. She was a first team selection as a junior as well.
Sauceda was no stranger to the stat sheet. She scored four goals and was second on the team with five assists. Part of Del Rio’s stellar underclassmen group, Sauceda was an all-district honorable mention as a freshman.
Segura was another of Del Rio’s silent but efficient playmakers. Named by Del Rio’s coaches as Queens’ co-Newcomer of the Year along with Sauceda last season, Segura has continued her stellar play in her second varsity season.
Four Queens were also named to the 30-6A All-District Second Team. They were senior defender/midfielder Marintia Cortez, junior defender/midfielder Xitlali Guadalajara, junior midfielder/forward Laurie Ignacio, and junior midfielder Mia Ortiz.
Cortez was a solid presence on the field, accounting for four assists and one goal. She showed off her ability to play two roles as a defender and midfielder, but ultimately as a playmaker.
Guadalajara had one goal in district play, but she was key to the Queens’ way of controlling matches especially at midfield.
Ignacio was another of Del Rio’s weapons, racking up six goals and three assists during district play. She will be expected to have a bigger role next season, but what else do you expect from a player who was voted by Del Rio’s coaches as co-Midfielder of the Year as a sophomore.
Ortiz scored four goals and had three assists as she was often in the right place at the right time. One of four Queens to score five goals of more during the district season, Ortiz will be one of the leaders of the team next season.
Two Queens were recognized as 30-6A All-District Honorable Mentions. They were senior midfielder/forward Yasmine Cardenas and senior defender/midfielder Kayla Celedon.
Cardenas had one goal and one assist in her final season with the Queens. Her experience and knowledge as a senior helped guide her younger teammates and was the perfect compliment to the talented underclassmen on the team.
Celedon had four goals and four assists as a senior. She continued the Queens tradition of having a long distance striker with a big leg that could score from anywhere on the field.
Rounding out the Queens’ honorees were Casillas and Cortez who were also named to the 30-6A All-Academic team.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
