KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
HARLINGEN— In their first meeting, Edinburg Vela and Harlingen High did not disappoint.
The Sabercats fell behind by 14 points early but rallied late behind junior quarterback AJ Sotelo in what shaped up to be a shootout. With 9:56 left, Edinburg Vela’s Pablo Rivera sprinted for a 41-yard touchdown that proved to be the game winner in a 42-35 victory over Harlingen High in the Class 6A Division II bi-district round.
Edinburg Vela will meet Eagle Pass in the area round sometime next week.
“I didn’t really say anything when we fell behind,” Sabercats coach John Campbell said. “It was early in the ballgame, and in playoff games like this there will be a few momentum swings. Obviously you don’t want to fall behind 14-0, but we knew there was a whole lot of football left to be played.”
After trading scores, Harlingen High got the ball back at its own 1-yard line, trailing by seven with six minutes left. Jaime Galvan connected with Rayden Berry on a 40-yard pass then followed with a 49-yard pass to his brother, Justin Galvan, setting up the Cardinals at the 11-yard line.
After a botched snap that led to a third-and-long, Galvan hit Donny Serna for a 19-yard touchdown, but the score was called back due to an illegal shift. On fourth-and-37 Jaime Galvan lofted a pass to the back of the end zone for Justin Galvan, but he slipped in the back of the end zone, turning the ball over on downs.
“It stings, but you have to give credit to Edinburg Vela, they made plays. It’s football,” Cards coach Manny Gomez said. “It is difficult, loses like this, it is difficult. We had our opportunities for sure, and it came down to playmaking ability, and they made a few more plays than we did.”
The Cardinals managed to get the ball back with 23 seconds left after a missed field goal at their own 22-yard line but couldn’t muster the miracle drive.
The big plays came in bunches for Edinburg Vela’s passing attack. Wideouts Justin Cantu and Kevin Rojas caused fits all night for the Cardinals secondary. Sotelo threw five touchdowns and hit three different receivers.
Rojas hauled in two scores, and Cantu caught one touchdown. The biggest catch came on a 91-yard drive. Sotelo hit Justin Vega in the back of the end zone to tie the game at 28.
Edinburg Vela later took its first lead of the night on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Sotelo to Rojas with 11:04 left in the fourth quarter.
Jaime Galvan quickly answered with his third rushing touchdown of the night. The senior tied the game at 35 on a 65-yard touchdown.
“It is going to be very hard to replace Rayden Berry and Jaime Galvan,” Gomez said. “As far as their legacy and how they will be remembered, is they were two of the toughest competitors that ever wore the Cardinal uniform, and I’m proud of those kids and how we fought.”
Harlingen High’s quick start wasn’t enough. A 58-yard run from Jaime Galvan gave the Cards an early 7-0 lead, and on the next possession Nathan Huerta recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown for an early 14-0 lead.
The Cardinals finish the season 9-2, along with a 5-0 District 32-6A record and the district title.