By DAVE FAVILA
Staff Writer
HARLINGEN – When the Harlingen South Hawks host the San Benito Greyhounds tonight, one team will be seeking redemption while the other will continue its pursuit of perfection.
After suffering a heartbreaking 19-16 last-second loss at Brownsville Hanna last week, the Hawks will be looking to rebound. They enter tonight’s contest at 4-2 overall and 1-2 in District 32-6A play. Despite the loss to Hanna, the Hawks find themselves in a four-way tie for third place along with Weslaco East, Weslaco High and Los Fresnos.
Meanwhile, the Greyhounds, who thumped Brownsville Rivera 70-6 last week, come into the game a perfect 6-0 overall and are tied for the league lead along with Harlingen High at 3-0.
On paper, tonight’s game undoubtedly favors the ‘Hounds, who lead the league in team offense, team defense, and have the top quarterback and receiver in the conference in the form of Erick Retta and Isaiah Trevino, respectively.
Offensively, the ‘Hounds are averaging 435 yards per game and are doing so in an extremely well-balanced attack as they’ve rushed for 1,305 yards this season and passed for 1,307. On defense, they are giving up just 249 yards per contest and are especially stingy against the pass as they’ve allowed just 469 yards through the air this year.
Still, don’t count the Hawks out of this contest. While the Green Birds’ offense is not nearly as potent, it’s ranked fourth in the league and is second in rushing yards behind Weslaco East with 1,423. Meanwhile, on defense the Hawks are ranked second behind the ‘Hounds, giving up just 254 yards per game and are allowing a league-best 165 yards passing per outing.
HARLINGEN HIGH AT WESLACO EAST
As with South-San Benito, the Wildcats are seeking redemption this week after a one-point loss to Los Fresnos in Week 7 while the Cardinals are looking to remain undefeated in league play in order to keep pace with the Greyhounds.
East’s offensive game plan is simple: Run the ball over and over until the opponent’s defense wears out from sheer exhaustion. So far this season, the Wildcats have rushed for 1,528 yards and against Los Fresnos last Friday the Cats continued to do what they do best as they rushed for 263 of their 335 total yards. Running back Roy Pedraza led the way with a 202-yard, two-touchdown performance in the losing effort.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals have a much more balanced offensive attack as they do enjoy running the ball, but they can also move it through the air courtesy of senior QB Jesse Castro, who has passed for 964 yards and nine TDs this season.
Still, defense remains the Cards’ forte as was the case in their 13-7 win over Weslaco High last Friday. Although it did bend a bit, it didn’t break as it denied Weslaco from scoring a late touchdown after the Panthers took the ball all the way down to the Cards’ 7-yard line.
The Cards are especially strong against the run as they’ve given up just 1,015 yards on the ground this season, which is second behind Harlingen South. However, the Cats also feature a rock-solid D and they are very good in defending against the pass. Through six games, they’ve allowed just 490 yards of passing offense, which ranks third behind San Benito (469) and Brownsville Hanna (367).