By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
Strong defense by Harlingen High carried the Cardinals to a 17-10 victory over Rivera in their District 32-6A opener Friday night at Sams Memorial Stadium.
The most notable play on the defensive side was the winning touchdown, scored with just less than seven minutes remaining by Felix Reyna. He intercepted Rivera quarterback Danny Elizondo for the second time on the night and scored on a 40-yard return.
Putting pressure on the passing game and playing tough defense all around are things Harlingen High coach Manny Gomez knew would be essential if the Cardinals (2-2) were going to get the win.
“(The defense) is something we’ve been working on,” he said. “We kind of learned the hard way the first couple games, trying to do too much. (The defense) pinned their ears back, had fun and came out here and got it done.
“(Rivera was) very efficient the last three weeks against previous teams, throwing that boot(leg pass) to (Edward Rubio). That’s one thing we told ourselves, ‘We have to make sure we control (Rubio), slow him down a little bit,’ and I think we did.”
The eventual game-winner came minutes after Elizondo sneaked into the end zone following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that gave the Raiders (0-4) a second chance at a drive that had otherwise stalled inside the 5-yard line.
The touchdown tied the game at 10 and momentarily changed the outlook for Rivera, but the ill-fated pass by Elizondo put the game out of reach.
Red zone efficiency was the downfall of Rivera. Despite multiple possessions deep in Harlingen High territory, squandered opportunities ultimately led to the loss.
“We played very well, but we hurt ourselves. We were in the red zone two or three times, and we couldn’t score any points,” Rivera coach Tom Chavez said. “We tied them up, and we made a mistake.”
It appeared as though the Raiders would score late in the first half and take the lead after they recovered a fumble on the Harlingen High 23-yard line, but Rivera didn’t have much time to capitalize as Elizondo threw an interception on the following play. The Cardinals ran out the clock and took a 7-3 lead into halftime.
Each team scored only once during a fairly uneventful first half. Elizondo fumbled deep in his own territory on the opening possession, giving Harlingen High the ball on the 16-yard line. Then, on the Cardinals’ first offensive play, A.J. Herrera raced toward the sideline and went untouched on his way to the end zone.
The next score didn’t come until midway through the second quarter. Chelin Martinez booted a 26-yard field goal to pull the Raiders within four points of the lead.
Next week, Harlingen High will play host to Hanna at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3, and Rivera will try again for win No. 1 as it heads to Brownsville Veterans Memorial at 7 p.m. Oct. 4.
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.