By DAVE FAVILA
Staff Writer
HARLINGEN – When it comes to football rivalries, the Bird Bowl, which pits Harlingen High and Harlingen South, may not be one of the oldest, but it may be one of the fiercest.
Not only is this year’s contest the Valley Morning Star’s Game of the Week, it’s also Fox Sports Southwest’s DQ Big Game of the Week and will be highlighted on their Friday night show.
When the Cardinals and Hawks face off, record books can be thrown out of the window as each program looks to reign supreme over the other and have bragging rights as the city’s top team for that year.
However, for all its grandeur, the Bird Bowl rivalry has been extremely one-sided toward the Cardinals. In the 23 times the game has been played prior to this year, the Hawks have only won four times (1998, 1999, 2006 and 2007) and only a handful of contests have been truly competitive.
The very first Bird Bowl, which was played in 1993, was one of the most intense as the Cards held on for a thrilling 13-12 victory. Bird Bowl II was also a tight affair with Harlingen walking away with a 25-22 win.
And while not every Bird Bowl has been a complete blowout, there has been several times when the Hawks were simply overwhelmed, including 2010 when the Cards won 75-21 and the following year when the Red Birds took it 69-7. Even last year’s matchup was not much of a contest as the Cards shut out South 20-0 for the program’s eighth straight win.
But as Bird Bowl XXIV approaches kick off tonight, Hawks fans have reason to believe this may be their year as first-year head coach Brian Ricci has South playing quite well as of late. The Green Birds enter the game a perfect 3-0 after non-district wins over McAllen High, PSJA High and Edinburg North.
Thanks to a solid, well-balanced running attack that has already amassed 899 yards this season, the Hawks have the third best offense in District 32-6A behind San Benito and Los Fresnos. Meanwhile, quarterback Brandon Villarreal has been a picture of consistency as he has rushed for 238 yards and three touchdowns so far and passed for 193 yards with no interceptions while completing 75 percent of his passes.
Even more encouraging for the Hawks, however, is their potent defense, which is giving up just 239 yards per game and is ranked tops in District 32-6A.
But despite the high expectations, Coach Ricci said his team is taking it all in stride.
“We’re not feeling any added pressure,” he said. “We know the community is excited and there will be a big crowd, but we as a team are staying focused on playing Hawk football.”
As for the Cardinals, they enter today’s tilt at 1-2 after back-to-back losses to Laredo United South and San Antonio Reagan. So far their best offensive weapon has been quarterback Jesse Castro, who has passed for 478 yards and two TDs.
Surprisingly, the Cards’ running game, which was supposed to be bolstered this season by senior RB Leo Tienda, has been extremely quiet. Through three games, the Cards have totaled just 328 yards on the ground after Tienda went down with an injury in Week 1. He did return in Week 3 against Reagan, but was held to just 69 yards on 22 carries with no scores in a 41-7 loss.
Meanwhile, the Cards defense, which is usually a strongpoint for the program, is giving up nearly 350 yards per game and is ranked in last place in District 32-6A.
Still, what happened prior to today’s contest is essentially meaningless since it was all non-conference play and inconsequential to making the playoffs. From here on out, however, it’s a whole new season and Bird Bowl XXIV is where it all starts for Harlingen and Harlingen South.
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