The News staff reports

BAYTOWN — Port Neches-Groves needed a little extra time to work its Stallworth Stadium magic.

After Santa Fe had the lone goal at halftime, Breeana Riggs and Grace Seymour connected on goals to give Port Neches-Groves a 2-1 victory Friday in the area round of the 5A girls soccer playoffs. That puts PNG (20-2-1) in the Region III quarterfinal against Porter at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Barbers Hill.

“We didn’t have the start we wanted to,” PNG coach Aimee Bates said. “We didn’t start out as confident as we should. They scored first.”

But about 10 minutes into the second half, Riggs took a through ball from Hailey Loupe and finished the shot to tie the match. With about 15 or 20 minutes left, Grace Seymour made a free kick that was picturesque in Bates’ eyes and eventually gave the Indians a win.

“It was one of the most beautiful free kicks I’ve seen all year,” Bates said. “It was from about 30 yards out and on the right side of the field. She lifted the ball up to the upper left 90 [degree corner].”

PNG’s Indians held off Santa Fe’s Indians (19-3) the rest of the way.

“We talked about when to go to the goal,” Bates said. “I thought my corner forwards did a good job chasing the ball down and melting the clock off.”

Bates also praised Mackenzie Tindel, a junior midfielder who helped wield off Santa Fe’s attack.

“They were pushing on her and she fought them off,” Bates said. “It was her best performance of the year.”

Nederland, which defeated Fort Bend Elkins 2-1 earlier Friday at Stallworth, will take on District 22-5A rival Lumberton on Tuesday. A time and location have not yet been determined.

5A BOYS

FURR 1 (11), PNG 1 (10), Fri.

MONT BELVIEU — The more it seemed Port Neches-Groves had Houston Furr on the ropes, the more the Brahmas boxed their way out.

Furr converted a penalty kick with about 3 minutes remaining in regulation and, after a scoreless overtime, outshot PNG 11-10 to earn a ticket to the 5A Region III quarterfinal round. PNG lost in the area, or second, round of the playoffs for the second year in a row.

“Houston Furr is probably the best team we played all year long,” PNG coach Chad Luttrull said. “The scary thing is that they came third or fourth in their district. They had a great game plan. They were very technical. They didn’t make a lot of mistakes.”

After the first five-shot set of the shootout, both teams were even at 4. PNG missed its next opportunity when the count was even at 10, and Furr scored on its next try to win.

PNG (23-1-3, as shootout losses are counted ties) made a penalty kick by Garrison Vanhouten early in the game and stuck to a defensive plan holding Furr (12-6-1) for the most part. PNG was assessed a penalty after a Furr player went down in the box.

The Indians could not convert on a 1-on-1 opportunity a minute later.

“I thought we had momentum,” Luttrull said. “We were putting a lot of pressure on them. We could not put it in. Had a really good opportunity, but goalie made a deflection.”

PNG put in a shot before halftime of overtime, but it was disallowed, saying the ball rolled out of bounds.

Noah Riggs made nine saves for the Indians.

4A BOYS SOCCER

LA VEGA 2, BOB HOPE 1, Fri.

CROCKETT — Bob Hope coach John Morgan described his 4A area round defeat this way:

“It was a Cinderella story that just got cut a little short.”

La Vega went up 2-0 early in the first half and held on to send the Eagles (9-8-2) out of the playoffs in their first season of UIL competition. Bob Hope beat Jasper 3-0 at Port Arthur’s Memorial Stadium to advance.

“It was fun,” Morgan said. “It was a good time. Anytime you make it that stage in the playoffs, it was huge. I think it was bigger for us being a charter school and not having the money and resources all the public schools have.”

Bob Hope netted a goal with 7:49 left.

“We always started pretty fast,” Morgan said. “We had a couple of early opportunities we couldn’t get to fall. It stayed deadlocked to the second half. Both teams tried to catch fire at the same time. They were able to capitalize on a couple more opportunities than us.”

BASEBALL

MEMORIAL 18, CENTRAL 5 (5 inn.), Fri.

BEAUMONT — Whether Port Arthur Memorial’s 11-5 home loss to Beaumont Central should be overturned will be decided this coming Thursday.

But on Friday, Memorial got its revenge.

Ramiro Cibrian batted 3 for 3, Carlos Granados drove in two runs and hit 2 for 4, and the Titans scored an 18-5 rout of the Jaguars.

Granados had a double as well. Van Ellas went 2 for 2 with an RBI and Jaylen LaPoint was 2 for 4 for the Titans (7-9, 2-4 in 22-5A).

Also for Memorial, Derick Perez hit a triple and batted in three runs, while Miguel Martinez (two RBI), Daniel Mitchell and Ryan Howard each added a hit.

Mitchell allowed three earned runs on four hits and struck out three in 4 1/3 innings for the win. Josue Rodriguez did not allow a hit in the final two-thirds for the Titans.

Memorial coach Jessie Riojas challenged Tuesday’s result on grounds that Central’s starter exceeded the maximum pitch count by 14. He threw 124 pitches. The District 22-5A executive committee will meet Thursday to decide whether Central should forfeit.

SOFTBALL

PNG 7, VIDOR 0, FRI.

VIDOR — Alexis LaBure held Vidor to one hit and was one of three PNG players each with two hits including a double in a rout Friday.

For PNG (18-6, 8-1 in 22-5A), Kasidee Sartin, Callie Jourdan and LaBure each batted two hits including a double. LaBure drove in two runs, Jourdan scored two and Sartin had an RBI and a run.

Sydnee Adams, Brooke Smith and Bailey Crorey had PNG’s other hits. Marlee Barnett, Hannah Denman, Crorey and Smith drove in a run each.

PNG hosts Nederland on Tuesday.

TRACK-FIELD

MEMORIAL’S WILSON, NEVEAU WIN IN BAYTOWN

BAYTOWN — Capri Wilson of Memorial won the 100-meter dash in 12.01 seconds at the Rockhold Relays near Lee College on Friday.

Adding a victory for the Titans was Millicent Neveau in the 300 hurdles (48.2).

Not a full second separated Wilson from her teammate, Ayala Stevens (12.98), who came in sixth.

The Titans scored in two more events, Stevens with fifth place in the 200 (27.81) and Jamiyah Dixon with sixth in the triple jump (33 feet, 3.75). Aniya Duhon and Bryanna Stevenson were eighth both in the 400 and 800, respectively.

•

After Friday’s 6-3 PNG win over Nederland, PNG is now 14-5-2 and 6-0 inn 22-5A. Nederland dropped to 7-11-2 and 3-3.