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Another chapter in the longstanding rivalry between Harlingen High and Weslaco High will play out in The Monitor’s Game of the Week at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco.
For the Cardinals, this is their second appearance in the Game of the Week in as many contests. In Week 3, they dispatched McAllen High 46-21 to get their first win of the season (1-1). In Corpus Christi, the Panthers (2-1) suffered their first loss of the year to C.C. King, 37-28.
According to Texas High School Football History, the Harlingen-Weslaco rivalry began in 1922, wherein the Cardinals blanked the Panthers 22-0. Harlingen leads the series with a mark of 51-24-4. After a five-year span where they did not face one another, the Cardinals and Panthers met twice in 2014, splitting the matchups in a pair of games decided by a field goal or less. In the first game, Harlingen won 30-29 on a late touchdown. The Panthers, however, would taste redemption with a 3-0 victory in the bi-district round.
The Cardinals have looked like a top-tier Valley team so far this year. Though they lost their season-opening game to San Antonio Reagan 42-21, Harlingen led at halftime, scoring all of their points in the second quarter. Against McHi, the Cardinals amassed 457 yards of offense, the bulk of which came from quarterback Jesse Castro, who threw for 270 yards, ran for 51 and scored four touchdowns. Leo Tienda leads Harlingen in rushing yards with 274.
Weslaco High’s offensive attack has been the customary ground-and-pound style preferred by 11-year coach Tony Villarreal. In three games, the Panthers have run the ball for 938 yards while throwing for just 86. Though Weslaco employs a wheelhouse of backs, senior Brian Guerra leads the team with 319 yards, including a 100-yard game against King.
Just as the Panthers’ one-sided offensive approach is no surprise, neither is their strong defensive showing in the early part of the season. MLB Jordan Nichols has made big plays, including a fumble recovery which turned into a touchdown. Weslaco’s ‘D’ is also led in part by lineman Anthony Garza, and defensive back Diego Rodriguez.
