KEVIN NARRO | Valley Morning Star
HARLINGEN — The Cardinals are in uncharted waters as they enter their final game of the 2017 season.
Despite not qualifying for the playoffs, Harlingen will aim to end the season on a winning note. That will be a tall order, however, as the Cards travel to Bobby Morrow Stadium to meet their longtime rival San Benito in this year’s Battle of the Arroyo.
Senior free safety Nathan Martinez has checked in a solid senior year and enters the final week with two interceptions and 56 total tackles.
“It’s been an emotional ride, but we’re going to give it our best shot. It’s all about overcoming and we’re focused on San Benito,” Martinez said. “This last game means everything. I have come a long way from when I was just a little kid. This is all we have done since we were kids and all we knew was Cardinal football. I’m excited to go out and play with my brothers.”
The Cardinals have dropped three straight and are out of the postseason for the first time since1999 and for the first time under head coach Manny Gomez, who made the playoffs in his first 10 seasons.
Last season, Harlingen saw Giovanni Guillen boot a 52-yard game-winning field goal to give the Cards a Battle win and the district title. This year’s battle has a different twist. The Cards will be playing for pride and looking to spoil San Benito’s perfect season. A loss for San Benito and a win by Brownsville Hanna would see the district title shared between the two.
In the past five years, Harlingen has won the Battle twice in 2016 and 2013. It will take a full effort from Big Red if they want to pull off the upset against the Greyhounds.
“We are going to play our hearts out because it’s our last game,” said senior right tackle Grant Drabek. “The emotions are high, it’s the Battle of the Arroyo and it’s always fun. This season my best memory was the Reagan game. We lost to them our sophomore and junior year, and this year was sweet to be able to beat them at home. It was a game I won’t forget.”
Seniors Garrison Medley and Sam Alonzo will guide the Cards’ defense one more time as they wrap up their high school careers. Medley leads the team in tackles and has served as the quarterback of the defense with a bright mind for the game. Alonzo, meanwhile, currently has four sacks and 70 tackles on the season.