By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Five new queens were crowned as a part of the growing Miss Del Rio family Saturday night.
For the first time, the Miss Del Rio Pageant, presented by the International Good Neighbor Council – Del Rio Chapter, crowned not only a Miss Del Rio and a Miss Del Rio Teen, but it also crowned a Little Miss Del Rio, Junior Miss Del Rio and Miss Del Rio Pre-Teen.
Alessandra Gomez Moreno, the daughter of Juan Manuel Gomez and Mayra Ivon Moreno, was crowned the inaugural Little Miss Del Rio.
Zoey Lamar Leyendecker, the daughter of Trey and Jessica Leyendecker, was crowned the inaugural Junior Miss Del Rio.
Jazel Elena Sanchez, the daughter of Joaquin Sole and Maria Elena Sanchez and the stepdaughter of Julio Cesar Mota, was crowned the inaugural Miss Del Rio Pre-Teen.
Elie Abrego Zavala, the daughter of Jesus and Carissa Zavala, was crowned the eighth Miss Del Rio Teen.
Nayeli Duran, the daughter of Jacinto and Cecilia Duran, was crowned Miss Del Rio, and Alyssa Isabel Sanchez was crowned first runner-up.
The five titleholders make up the official Miss Del Rio court and are recognized as official ambassadors for the city.
While the contestants in the five divisions participated in the personal interview and Miss Photogenic portions of the pageant prior in the day, all 15 took the stage at the Paul Poag Theatre for the Performing Arts to compete in front of three judges and a vocal crowd of family members and friends.
There were changes in some of the categories to accommodate the different divisions. The Little Miss, Junior Miss and Pre-Teen competed in the Fashion Wear category and did not need to take part in the onstage interview.
Miss Del Rio Teen contestants competed in the Active Wear and On-Stage Interview portions while Miss Del Rio contestants competed in the Swimsuit and On-Stage Interview portions.
The questions posed in the on-stage interview portion ranged from personal topics to more political fare.
Zavala was asked what she’d like to be best known for and she answered simply, “My smile.”
Duran was asked about her view on the Texas abortion ban. She said that while people should be able to maintain their conservative values, she also felt that women should be able to have control over what happens to their bodies.
Alexa Marie Leon was asked about making the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory. She said she chose to do with her body what she wanted, but added she did not believe that the vaccine should be made mandatory.
Jaclyn Isabel Adams was asked what made her the best candidate for Miss Del Rio. She said her platform of body positivity would be used to encourage and motivate other girls no matter the life situation they were in.
After outgoing Miss Del Rio Teen Isabella Levrie and Miss Del Rio Elaine Oyama said their final goodbyes, the awards from each division were announced.
In the Little Miss division, Moreno wound up winning Best in Fashion Wear and Best Evening Gown. Lelany Flores won Miss Photogenic.
In the Junior Miss division, Leyendecker won Best in Fashion Wear and Miss Photogenic while Valentina Elia Castañeda won Best Evening Gown.
In the Pre-Teen division, Sanchez won Best in Fashion Wear and Best Evening Gown while Makayla Rae Lopez won Miss Photogenic and the Fan Favorite Award.
In the Teen division, Zavala won Best in Athletic Wear, Best Evening Gown and Most Photogenic.
In the Miss division, Duran won Best in Swimsuit, Best Evening Gown and Miss Congeniality while Adams won Miss Photogenic.
—
Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
