Hawk Tennis Soars Again
- Roel Rodriguez
- 13 minutes ago
- 6 min read
(This article was written by Roel Rodriguez and was featured in the November 2025 issue of Explore Harlingen Magazine.)
For the 29th time in Harlingen High School South history, the Hawk Tennis program has been crowned Team Tennis District Champions. What an impressive accomplishment for a school that has been in existence for 32 years. This level of success and longevity is what all sports programs are trying to achieve and what athletes are looking to be part of.
I can’t help but wonder how and why the Harlingen South Tennis program has been successful for so many years. What’s the “secret sauce”?
I met with the recently recognized Texas High School Coaches Association Girls Tennis State Coach of the Year and South Hawks Tennis Head Coach, Ernesto Escamilla Jr., to congratulate him on another winning tennis season and to get insight into his program’s history.
Coach Escamilla immediately gave credit to prior Hawks coaches and players such as Coach Noe Stillman and his children, Tomas and Danielle Stillman, along with a slew of talented former Hawk Tennis players like Jeremiah Sanchez. Clearly, the South Hawk Tennis program has been blessed with great coaches and players who created the foundation and the winning culture. The challenge for Coach Escamilla is to continue the expectations to win and uphold the standard of success created by his predecessors.
Coach Ernesto Escamilla Jr. started his tenure as the South Hawks Tennis leader in 2019 but his journey to Harlingen South is unique and provides a real appreciation for the caliber of coach at the helm at Harlingen South.
Coach Escamilla is a Brownsville native who began his love for the sport of tennis at the Brownsville Tennis Center under the tutelage of Coach Rey Jasso and playing along with his good friend, Rafael Delgado. Coach Jasso had experience playing tennis at the collegiate level and passed his wisdom to Coach Escamilla and his friend, Rafael. Rafael proceeded to play tennis at the collegiate level and continued to stay involved in the game after his competitive days were over. For Coach Ernesto Escamilla, he was interested in a physical therapy career and began his studies at the University of Texas – Brownsville after concluding his competitive tennis career at Brownsville Pace High School.
It was his friend who unexpectedly contacted Coach Escamilla in 2010 to ask if he would be interested in being the Assistant Tennis Coach at Bethel University in Tennessee (Bethel TN). Coach Escamilla was about to propose to his girlfriend when this opportunity arose, and he wasn’t quite sure if the timing was right. After discussion with his new bride and his friend, who was the Head Tennis Coach at Bethel TN, Coach Escamilla accepted the position and began his career as a collegiate tennis coach. Coach Escamilla spent seven (7) years at Bethel TN serving three (3) years as an Assistant Coach and four (4) years as the Head Coach.
Coach Escamilla left Bethel TN in 2017 and became the women’s tennis coach at the University of Tennessee – Martin (UT Martin), a Division 1 program. Coach Escamilla remained at UT Martin until he departed in the Fall of 2019 to accept the Harlingen South Hawks Tennis Head Coach position. No doubt, Coach Escamilla’s impressive tennis coaching resume, consisting of nine (9) years at the collegiate level, made him an exceptional selection for this position, but it also provided the South Hawk Tennis program with a coach who has access to collegiate tennis contacts and ties across the United States to help his program and players.
Coach Escamilla’s collegiate tennis coaching pedigree is impressive enough, but he knew that to get the Hawk Tennis program to the next level, he would have to surround himself with the best staff. Coach Escamilla added Assistant Coaches Noe Moraida and Nick Sandlin, two proven and successful tennis coaches affiliated with the highly successful Los Fresnos High School tennis team, one serving as a former head coach. Coach Escamilla credits his Assistant Coaches greatly for the overall team success and is proud of how they work together to do what is best for the team and the players at Harlingen South.
In addition to adding quality Assistant Coaches, Coach Escamilla indicated that the entire Harlingen tennis community in our beautiful city has been key to enhancing the success of the tennis programs and players at Harlingen South and Harlingen High. Coach Escamilla and Harlingen Cardinal Head Tennis Coach, Jay Tanamachi, have mutual respect and admiration for each other, their programs, and their success.
Coach Escamilla utilizes a “whole of community” approach and involves the amazing local tennis leaders to enhance his program like Ram Cuevas, the tennis pro at the HEB Tennis Center; Andy Carter, the tennis pro at the Harlingen Country Club; and former Hawk Head Coach, Noe Stillman, serving as a private tennis coach in the Harlingen area. Coach Escamilla credits their involvement in our local tennis community as catalysts for success not only for his program but for the Hawks players.
For example, Harlingen South players volunteered at the annual USTA Pro Circuit tournament at the Harlingen Country Club and volunteered at the UT-RGV Western Athletic Conference Tennis Tournament held at the HEB Tennis Center last season. Coach Escamilla took the Hawks players to the Austin Open (a professional women’s tournament) after competing in a tennis tournament in Round Rock, Texas. His intent is to expose Hawks players to collegiate and professional tennis to help them with their overall growth and to showcase the opportunities available through the sport of tennis as they pursue their educational and career goals.
Coach Escamilla utilizes various methods to help his players succeed in tennis and in life and uses phrases like “Be the best you can be,” “All In,” “Together,” and “Team Only” with his players. The program intentionally displays banners throughout their home tennis courts as constant reminders to their players, fans, and opponents of the winning tradition and culture at Harlingen South.
In their history, the South Hawks Tennis program has had 28 Regional and 19 State qualifiers and two (2) State finalists. Although the South Hawks Tennis program has clearly experienced long-term success, Coach Escamilla is committed to every tennis player participating in his program. During Coach Escamilla’s tenure, he has been blessed to coach players talented enough to compete at the collegiate level like Ethan Carter, Diego Garcia (Concordia University), Jeremiah Sanchez (St. Mary’s University), and Vicente Rodriguez (Kansas College). These South Hawks tennis alums remain engaged in the program and available as resources to the program and players.
For the 2025-2026 season, the South Hawks Tennis program is composed of 70 players (30 on Varsity, 20 on Jr. Varsity, and 20 on the Freshmen team). The top 8 varsity players compete as starters at each of the tennis tournaments. The 2025-2026 Team Captains are Leonardo Cantu, Enrique Moreno, Emily Britten, and Madison Dossett. The 2025-2026 season just concluded but Coach Escamilla and his program will continue to prepare for next season.
For anyone interested in tennis, the South Hawks Tennis program will host free tennis camps throughout June 2026 for players K-8th grade from Monday to Thursday at the South Tennis Courts. The annual South Hawks Tennis Camp will be held throughout July 2026 (except 4th of July week) for players K-12th grade. For more information about the camp and camp costs, please contact Coach Escamilla at 956-364-3732, ext. 1567, or ernesto.escamilla@hcisd.org.
If interested in supporting South Hawks Tennis, please contact Monica Cuevas, South Hawks Tennis Booster Club president, at hhsstbc@gmail.com You can follow the team on their Facebook page at Harlingen South Tennis.
I believe that the South Hawks Tennis program continues their tradition of success because of the foundation created 32 years ago along with having the right staff running the program. They are a specialized and experienced staff truly committed to their players and enhancing their program. The coaching staff can utilize a network of collegiate and professional individuals to help and support their program and assist players who want to pursue tennis at the next level. Ultimately, it is part of the village that helps Hawks tennis players continue beyond high school to further their education and succeed in life. The South Hawks Tennis Program is truly “A Step Above.”
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