KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
SAN PERLITA —Harlingen High senior guard Michael Arellano will walk away as one of the best scorers in Cardinals basketball history.
With his smooth shot and swagger, Arellano overcame an ACL injury his junior season and returned to the lineup as a senior.
Arellano went down with a season-ending knee injury against McAllen Memorial during last year’s area round. While the road to recovery was a tough one, Arellano took the bull by the horn and helped Harlingen High to another playoff berth as a senior.
The senior once again led the Harlingen High offense and averaged 20.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. Arellano scored in double figures 30 times, and 13 times he scored 20 or more points. His season high came against Corpus Christi Miller and Brownsville Rivera by scoring 32 points.
For Arellano’s efforts, he was named The Valley Morning Stars ALL-STAR Offensive Player of the Year for a second straight season.
“First off, I want to thank God, because without him none of this is possible,” Arellano said. “I’m thankful for the people around me and that I was able to win this award again. It was a blessing to be able to come back, I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and coaches.”
Arellano felt he was fully ready when he took on Miller. The timing couldn’t have come at a better time. Arellano scored 32 points and was feeling good going into the Cardinals’ district opener against Los Fresnos.
“I felt good after that and I just kept a focus on getting better, and wanted to help my team win games,” he said.
Arellano was cleared Sept. 4 to rejoin his team. On the girls side, senior Ariel Leal also went down with a season-ending knee injury the same week Arellano went down.
“It was a tough recovery process, and when you are dealing with a knee, that can be intense,” Arellano said. “After the first day I was a little uneasy, but God gave me the strength to get through it all.”
Throughout their recovery period, the two build a relationship and helped each other recover.
“We had therapy on the same days, and we ended up calling each other ACL buddies,” Arellano said. “Our injuries happen in the same week, and we both just wanted to get better and get back on the court. We both wanted to prove people wrong. She was real happy on the way her season ended. I wasn’t too happy with the way my season ended, we wanted to go farther in the playoffs, but God has other plans for us.”
Looking back on his Cardinals career, Arellano feels content with closing this chapter in his life.
“One thing I’ll miss is my teammates and coaches. We have so many memories and big moments that we shared from the playoffs to the Bird Bowls. One that sticks out for me is my junior year and that playoff run. Even though I got hurt, it helped me become the person I am today and made my mind stronger.”