By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Although it’s early in District 32-6A, every game is a must win to fight for those top four spots in a loaded district top to bottom.
The Hanna Golden Eagles and Harlingen South Hawks are in the middle in the standings and both are looking to continue moving upward.
Hanna and South will battle in The Brownsville Herald’s Game of the Week at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night at Sams Memorial Stadium.
Hanna (2-3,1-1) and Harlingen South (4-1, 1-1) are coming into this game in opposite directions. Weslaco High shut out the Eagles 21-0 on the road in Week 6 while the Hawks came back to top Los Fresnos 21-14 after being down two scores in the first half.
Regardless, both teams have likely forgotten about last week and are focused on getting ahead in the district standings.
“I know they are going to be fired up and ready to hit the field,” Eagles coach Mark Guess said. “Our guys are pretty hungry, too; we’re pretty focused.”
Hawks coach Brian Ricci said his team must play better on offense than it did against Los Fresnos.
South relies on dual-threat quarterback Brandon Villarreal, who has 358 yards and three touchdowns on the ground and 345 yards and a score through the air on the season.
“We’re going to have to limit mistakes,” Ricci said. “In the last few games we’ve hurt ourselves with mental mistakes. We’re playing sloppy and we’ve tried to clean that up (this week).
“Hanna is a good football team. They have some young talent and they’re athletic and strong. It’s going to be tough to score.”
The Eagles’ defense allows 288 yards and nearly 26 points per game.
Hanna hopes to get back on track offensively, especially running back Jaime Gonzalez. The senior is the top rusher in the district — he has rushed for 741 yards and eight touchdowns this season — but was held to 79 yards on 19 carries and no touchdowns last week.
Guess said that Harlingen South has a good defense, similar to the one it faced in Week 6. The Hawks have the best defense in the district, allowing just 241 yards and 18 points per game.
Both coaches agree that with similar numbers on both sides of the ball, this game could come down to turnovers and special teams.
“This is a big game … any district game is a big game,” Ricci added. “Whomever can limit turnovers and win the turnover battle is going to win this game. This district is tough, there’s not going to be an easy game, not a game we can take lightly or you’re going to get beat.”
Guess agreed the contest could come down to miscues.
“I think we’ve pretty even. They’re a good ball club, no doubt about it,” he said. “I think it’s going to come down to which team makes the fewest mistakes and takes care of the ball.”
With both teams being so similar on offense and defense, the game could be determined by the turnover margin and which team can capitalize on the other’s mistakes. Expect points to come at a premium in this one. PREDICTION: Hanna 21, Harlingen South 20
Thursday’s Game
District 32-5A
DONNA NORTH AT PORTER
WHEN: 7 p.m., Thursday
WHERE: Sams Memorial Stadium
RECORDS: Donna North (1-4, 0-2); Porter (0-5, 0-2)
GAME NOTES: Donna North was shutout by Lopez 31-0 last week in Week 6. … The Chiefs’ offense averages 263 yards and 17 points per game. Running back Dominic Ochoa leds the rushing attack with 507 yards and eight touchdowns, but hasn’t played in a few weeks. … The Donna North defense has struggled to stop the run this season and allows 397 yards and 29 points per game. … Porter lost to Pace 32-14 in Week 6. … The Cowboys’ offense averages 256 yards and 12 points per game. The ground attack is led by Johnathan Gonzalez with 603 yards and four touchdowns, second in district. … The Cowboys’ defense allows 373 yards and nearly 34 points per game. … Porter and Donna North will both run the ball and see which defense can stop it. The Chiefs have a slight edge especially if Ochoa returns.
PREDICTION: Donna North 20, Porter 17
— Andrew Crum
Friday’s Games
District 32-6A
RIVERA AT SAN BENITO
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Friday
WHERE: Bobby Morrow Stadium, San Benito
RECORDS: Rivera (1-4, 0-2); San Benito (5-0, 2-0)
GAME NOTES: Rivera lost to Harlingen High 62-7 in Week 6. … The Raiders’ offense average 251 yards and less than 15 points per game. Rivera uses two quarterbacks, Nicholas Blanco and Oscar Gonzalez. They’ve combined for 536 yards and four touchdowns, but the Raiders will run just as often. … The defense has struggled this season and allows 352 yards and 37 points per game. … San Benito topped Weslaco East 25-19 last week. … The Greyhounds’ offense is the best in the district averaging 449 yards and 38 points per game. The unit is led by Erick Retta, who is the top passer with 1,060 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. He has also run for 347 yards and four touchdowns. … The Greyhounds’ defense is the second best unit in the district, it allows 278 yards and 20 points per game. … The Raiders face another tough opponent this week and it won’t be easy on either side of the ball. San Benito is playing extremely well and should keep it going against Rivera.
PREDICTION: San Benito 35, Rivera 10
— Andrew Crum
District 32-5A
PACE AT MERCEDES
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Friday
WHERE: Tiger Stadium, Mercedes
RECORDS: Pace (1-4, 1-1); Mercedes (2-3, 2-0)
GAME NOTES: Mercedes is on a two-game win streak after starting the season 0-3. … The Tigers are coming off an impressive 28-14 win over Brownsville Veterans Memorial. … Pace is coming off a big win against winless Porter. … Zach Gomez returned to action last week, but Mercedes could still employ a platoon system at quarterback with Marc Ledesma, Ledesma has engineered the offense the last few games, while Gomez is working his way back into rhythm. … Mercedes is the second-best defense in 32-5A, allowing 15.8 points on 270 yards per game. … Pace’s lone playmaker is Randy Aguilar, who has thrown for 817 yards and four touchdowns. … Mercedes’ offense ranks in the basement of 32-5A, but so does Pace’s defense. This could be a game where the Tigers sustain some consistency and gain confidence on that side of the ball moving forward. … This looms as a potential trap game for Mercedes with Edcouch-Elsa looming next week.
PREDICTION: Mercedes 35, Pace 7
— Dennis Silva II
BROWNSVILLE VETERANS MEMORIAL AT EDCOUCH-ELSA
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Friday
WHERE: Benny Layton Sr. Memorial Stadium, Elsa
RECORDS: Brownsville Veterans Memorial (3-2, 1-1); Edcouch-Elsa (4-1, 2-0)
GAME NOTES: Edcouch-Elsa has won four straight games. Brownsville Veterans Memorial is coming off a 28-14 loss to Mercedes. … Brownsville Vets’ is the district’s third-best defense. Edcouch-Elsa is its best offense. … Each team has a dynamic playmaker. For Vets, it’s Gustavo Vasquez (708 rushing yards, 9 TDs; 137 receiving yards, TD). For E-E, it’s Marco Aguinaga (503 rushing yards, 3 TDs; 1,163 passing yards for 17 TDs.). … The difference is that Aguinaga has more talent around him. WRs JJ Flores (532 yards, 10 TDs) and AJ Rodriguez (387, 6) are prominent playmakers who excel after the catch. … A key for Vets will be its run game. The Chargers average 217.6 yards on the ground, and E-E gives up 251 rushing yards per game. … This could be a potential trap game for E-E with Mercedes looming next week.
PREDICTION: Edcouch-Elsa 31, Brownsville Veterans Memorial 14
— Dennis Silva II
District 16-4A Division II
RIO HONDO AT PORT ISABEL
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Friday
WHERE: Tarpon Stadium, Port Isabel
RECORDS: Rio Hondo (3-2, 0-0); Port Isabel (5-0, 0-0)
GAME NOTES: Each team comes into this District 16-4A Division II opener coming off last week’s open date. The previous week on Sept. 23, Port Isabel defeated St. Joseph Academy 33-27 in a matchup of unbeatens, while Rio Hondo triumphed at home over Grulla 50-28 … The Tarpons and Bobcats have been in the same district for a number of years. When they met last year in Rio Hondo, the Bobcats won 20-7. The Tarpons’ last win in the series came in 2013 when Port Isabel won at home against the Bobcats 45-14 en route to going 12-1 and reaching the third round of the playoffs … Defense has been a vital part of the Tarpons’ success thus far this season. Top tacklers for the Tarpons are LB Chris Bode (53 total tackles), CB Jeremy Martinez (42) and DE Dylan Athanas (31). Bode leads the team with five sacks, while Martinez leads the Tarpons with four INTs … The Tarpons’ run-oriented offense revolves around RB/QB Omar Silva, who has rushed for 836 yards and six TDs, averaging 11.1 yards per carry. Fellow RB Carlos Orduna has rushed for 491 yards and three TDs with a 7.9-yard average … Rio Hondo’s offense is directed by QB Tyler Bush, who has passed for 742 yards and 12 TDs with only two INTs while running for 294 yards and two scores. Also for Rio Hondo, RB Danny Vasquez has run for 509 yards with six TDs and is averaging 101.8 yards on the ground per game .. After Friday’s game, district action continues for both teams Oct. 14 as Port Isabel is at Orange Grove and Rio Hondo plays host to West Oso.
PREDICTION: Port Isabel 21, Rio Hondo 14
— Roy Hess
Saturday’s Game
District 32-5A
DONNA HIGH AT LOPEZ
WHEN: 7 p.m., Saturday
WHERE: Sams Memorial Stadium
RECORDS: Donna High (1-4, 0-2); Lopez (4-1, 2-0)
GAME NOTES: Donna High lost to Edcouch-Elsa 53-14 in Week 6. … The Redskins have struggled this season after winning the district title a year ago. … Donna High averages just 176 yards on offense and scores less than 10 points per game. The Redskins prefer to run the ball as they have twice as many rushing yards than passing yards. … The Redskins’ defense is a little better, allowing 337 yards and less than 27 points per game. … Lopez blanked Donna North 31-0 on the road in Week 6. … The Lobos’ defense earned its second shutout of the season. It’s the top unit in the district, allowing just 203 yards and eight points per game. … The Lopez offense keeps getting better. Its third in district with 327 yards and scores nearly 30 points per game. Running back Ivan Olivo is third in district with 550 yards and five touchdowns on the season. … Lopez has come together and is tough on both sides of the ball. Both units are clicking and should continue that against Donna High.
PREDICTION: Lopez 35, Donna High 14
— Andrew Crum