MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer
There are only two games to go in the regular season and San Benito looks like they have a share of the District 32-6A title.
The Greyhounds (6-2, 5-0) can lock up the outright championship with a win Friday night at Harlingen South, but have already locked up a postseason berth with last Friday’s win.
Once you get passed them and on to the No. 2 spot in the district, it gets fuzzy and uncertain.
It looked like the Greyhounds, along with Brownsville Veterans, were running away at the top of the district, but after the Chargers fell to Harlingen and Los Fresnos fell victim to the Brownsville Rivera defense, the second through fourth playoff spots are up for grabs.
Vets, Los Fresnos, Harlingen and Rivera all boast 3-2 records and can finish as high as second.
This week Vets visits Los Fresnos in a crucial Week 10 showdown, while Harlingen and Rivera face Lopez and Hanna respectively.
The loser between the Falcons and Chargers could be on the outside looking in with three losses after Friday and will have to hope for slip ups from another two-loss team in the district.
Brownsville Hanna (3-4, 2-3) is also still in the hunt, but needs to beat Rivera and Los Fresnos just have a chance.
Nothing is set in stone as of right now.
MAKING A STATEMENT: The Harlingen Cardinals (4-4, 3-2) avoided losing a third straight district game and did it in dominating fashion.
After some offensive injuries, the Cards’ defense has played well and sent a message to the ditrict that their defense can shoulder the load after they held Brownsville Vets to 81 yards in total offense and just six points in a 26-6 win.
The win also shook up the district and left three of four playoff spots up for grabs with just two weeks left.
The schedule also favors the Cards as they face a winless Lopez Friday and a struggling Harlingen South to close the season.
SPOILER ALERT? Harlingen South sits at 2-6, 1-4 right now and is second to last in the district.
With virtually no shot at the postseason, the Hawks hope to they can play the role of spoiler.
If they can beat San Benito, the Greyhounds will likely have to wait another week for an outright district title.
If they can upset cross-town rival Harlingen on the final week of the season, it’s possible they can at least make the Cards sweat.