By MARK MOLINA
Staff Writer
The Hanna Golden Eagles have made school history with two playoff wins and now find themselves as one of 16 teams left in the Class 6A Division II playoffs.
A trip to the state quarterfinals is within grasp, but in order to get there they must first get by the Northside Brandeis Broncos in today’s regional matchup, which is slated for noon at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
The Golden Eagles had another slow start during last week’s area win over Eagle Pass, and while they have been strong finishers this postseason coach Mark Guess said they can’t toe that line this week.
“Definitely, we want to make sure we don’t … start the game with four three-and-outs,” the Hanna coach said. “We’ve got to get first downs. Our focus this week needs to be just on moving the chains. If we can move the chains, then the scores can take care of themselves.”
The Golden Eagles had success moving the chains last week, especially on the ground as they gouged the Eagle Pass defense for 327 yards and three touchdowns.
Senior running back Cesar Mancias had his biggest game of the season at the biggest moment, rushing for 257 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. It was Mancias’ eighth straight game with 100 or more yards, and his second with more than 200 yards and three scores.
Replicating that performance will be a challenge against a Brandeis defense that held a 2,000-yard rushing team in Cibolo Steele to 98 yards on the ground last week.
“Brandeis flies to the football,” Guess said. “They don’t do a lot of different things, but they do have some quick kids. They have some strong kids up front and play good, sound defense.”
The Golden Eagles have recorded less than 100 yards through the air in three straight games, and getting past that mark this week will be a tough task for junior quarterback Victor Campos as he faces a Broncos defense with 14 interceptions this season.
Campos threw for 98 yards and one score with two interceptions last week.
On the other side of things, Brandeis quarterback Jordan Battles is a dual threat under center, throwing for 1,653 yards and rushing for 1,452 more, with 29 total touchdowns.
Also, Hanna will have to contend with big receivers, including tight end Oscar Cardenas, a University of Texas-San Antonio commit. The Broncos also boast a pair of solid running backs in J Nova Rangel and Brent Malone, who combined for 1,242 yards and eight touchdowns apiece.
“We’re going to have to continue doing what we’ve doing and make sure we’re making tackles,” Guess said. “(Brandeis) has several weapons like we do offensively. It’s tough on defenses to really account for so many different weapons. They have a great tight end, a DI guy. They have a quarterback who is a sophomore but is an outstanding athlete. They also have a couple of receivers and a running back that can run the football who can make plays.”
The Brandeis offensive line also has size, but Guess said that’s nothing new for his defense, which has won battles at the line of scrimmage against bigger fronts this season.
Hanna has pressured the quarterback all season, recording 37 sacks and forcing 10 interceptions.
Up front, Brandon Esteves leads the team with 13 sacks and linebacker Jose Cruz leads the team in tackles with 121.
Safeties Bryan Duran and Andres Sustaeta came up with big interceptions last week and will have their hands full this week, as will corners Alce Flores and Leigh Guevara, who likely will match up with Cardenas throughout.