By BRIAN ARGABRIGHT
The 830 Times
The quest for a third consecutive trip to the regional quarterfinals begins Friday for the Del Rio Rams soccer team.
The Rams travel to San Antonio’s Dub Farris Stadium Friday to face the San Antonio Brennan Bears in the Bi-District round of the Class 6A Boys High School Soccer Playoffs. The match is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
A link to purchase tickets online was not available as of Monday. Tickets will be $4 for adults and $2 for students.
The Rams finished second in District 30-6A with 22 points (6 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses). A late season loss to Laredo Alexander helped decide the district crown with the Bulldogs taking the top spot by just three points. It marks the third straight year those two teams finished first or second in the district, creating a rivalry that has stretched into the postseason.
In fact, the Bulldogs have been the Rams’ worst enemies when it comes to the playoffs in recent years. For the past two seasons, Alexander has eliminated Del Rio in the third round. Last season Del Rio fell, 2-1. In 2021, the score favored Alexander, 4-0.
Don’t expect the Rams to look past Brennan, though. The Rams are aware that the playoffs are one match at a time and it takes a win in the first round to keep the season going.
The Rams are coming off a 10-2 win over Eagle Pass in the regular season finale. Alfita Penaloza led the way with four goals for the Rams, upping his district total to 21. That left him in second place overall among all goal scorers in 30-6A.
Josue Fernandez finished with seven goals in district play, good enough for fourth overall. Other Rams who notched goals during the district season include Steven Garcia (2), Hector Trujillo (2), Ely Losoya (1), Cesar Pina (1), Josh Renteria (1), and Adrian Salazar (1).
As the district season loomed, Rams head coach Tani Canchola explained the key to the team’s success would lay with his experienced group of returners and a handful of junior varsity players that were called up due to their speed in grasping the way Canchola and his coaches opt to play.
“There are several players that are key to our success this season. I would say Alfain Penaloza would be one. He’s aggressive, creative and highly capable of scoring from any position on the field. As a complement to him, Cesar Piña has come into his own on the wing and has the ability to take on any player to score or assist. In the middle, Ely Losoya, Esteban Saucedo, and Joshua Renteria can take care of the midfield. Esteban, with his excellent vision and accurate passing, will be a force to deal with. Ely is such a well-rounded player and can be used in a variety of methods on the attack. Josh has excellent vision, and his calm demeanor will be invaluable.
“Defensively, Luis Villarreal, Sebastian Casas, Antonio Pineda along with Salvador Sanchez will be holding the defense. Finally, Brandon Hernandez has exceptional abilities, and we have all the confidence in him to make the tough stops and to help direct the defense. I also feel that at any point some other players like Hector Losoya, Antonio Rodriguez and Adrian Salazar will start stepping up and be critical to the team’s success,” Canchola said.
“There are some JV players we are excited about that can be brought up. We are exploring and trying them out. The coaching staff is excited about Adrian Salazar and Josue Fernandez. They don’t take long to grasp what we want to see and the style we play,” Canchola added.
Del Rio defeated O’Connor in last year’s Bi-District round, 3-2, in extra time. The Rams then beat Mission, 4-0, in the Area round.
Brennan (15 wins, 6 losses, 2 draws) finished third in 29-6A behind district champs Harlan and runners-up O’Connor. The Bears have won their last five matches but posted just one shutout in that stretch.
Junior Alan Parra leads the Bears’ attack, scoring 10 goals and being credited with five assists. He’s the only Bears player to notch more than 10 goals, but teammates Bryan Fuenes and Jonathan Aguilar each had five goals while Aguilar also had five assists.
Brennan reached the playoffs last season as the fourth seed out of 29-6A but lost in the Bi-District round of the playoffs, 3-2, to Laredo LBJ.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
