KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — After trailing by 21 points at halftime, Harlingen South put together quite the comeback and managed to send a game that featured just about every twist and turn into overtime.
After a 37-yard touchdown from Jacob Cavazos to Jaden Cavazos in overtime gave the Panthers a six-point lead, their defense came up with a stop on fourth down at the 1-yard-line to hold on for a wild 41-35 overtime win over the Hawks on Friday night at Boggus Stadium.
“We made the plays when we needed too,” Weslaco High coach Roy Stroman said. “I thought they were going to do a quarterback sneak, and our defensive tackle did a good job and made the play. That was the most important play, and these kids played hard. We called a timeout before that play and we stayed low and got leverage, and we stopped them.”
The Hawks tried to use their power run game to their advantage during the final plays of overtime. It’s something Hawks coach Brian Ricci saw as something he would do again.
“That was by design,” Ricci said. “We had it down at the 1-yard line, and I talked to our offensive line. We are a power run team first, and we got on the same page. I’d line up again and do it right now. We just came up a little short.”
The Panthers missed an attempt at a game-winning field goal as time expired to send the game into overtime.
Weslaco High led 28-7 at the half. Jacob Cavazos accounted for four touchdowns during the first half, with two big plays on a 98-yard touchdown pass to Rodney Garza and a 65-yard TD run from Jacob Cavazos.
South’s comeback bid began on a Marcos Gonzales touchdown that cut into the lead 28-13. After the defense forced a fumble, David Torres directed the offense on another scoring drive. This time he found Brady Bennett in the back of the end zone to make it a one-score game with 6:15 left in the third quarter.
“Anytime you can get a turnover, that can change the momentum,” Ricci said. “And that is what we did. We came out in the second half and executed and started rolling, and that was really it, we just started executing.”
South’s offense kept clicking and scored on a TD pass from Torres to Jonadam Bustamante, and later converted a two-point conversion that tied the game at 28 with 2:30 left in the third quarter.
After a 53-yard TD run from Torres was called back because of a block-in-the-back penalty, the Panthers took advantage and regained the lead 35-28 on a 57-yard run from Jesse Hernandez. Later in the quarter, the Panthers’ defense came up with an interception in the end zone, but the Hawks’ defense forced a punt and got the ball back to its offense.
South answered with its own left hook, as Israel Vasquez tied the game again at 35 with a 32-yard score.
“We came out flat and there are no excuses, it is as simple as that,” Ricci said. “I don’t know if it was the homecoming festivities, but we did not come out ready to play football. That changed in the second half.”
The Panthers meet Edinburg Economedes next Friday, and Harlingen South hits the road to take on Odessa High next Saturday.