By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — The Harlingen High Cardinals checked another goal off the list by clinching a Class 6A Division I bi-district championship with a 38-3 win over Edinburg North.
Harlingen High had to shake off the rust during the first quarter of Friday’s game at Boggus Stadium after a long time off. Once they did, the Cardinals rolled past the Cougars to set up an area-round date with San Antonio Stevens.
“This was a goal from the very beginning. This group of kids is doing great things, and I’m extremely proud of them,” Cardinals coach Manny Gomez said. “That first quarter, it took us a while to get back on track, but it is what it is and we got the win, so it’s a beautiful day in Cardinal land. That (sluggish start) goes to the credit of Edinburg North, they had a good little scheme, so we adjusted in the back end and we were able to slow them down.”
Edinburg North got on the board first after a good defensive stop on the Cardinals’ opening drive. Harlingen High rolled right into the red zone, but solid play from Justin Cappadona and Joseph Salazar, and two Cardinals penalties, forced a turnover on downs.
The Cougars killed more than eight minutes of game clock on the following drive. Junior quarterback Evan Medrano, who replaced the regular starter because of injury, executed the offense well, connecting with several receivers and picking up a key fourth down with his legs. Running back Ricky Garza was instrumental on the scoring drive.
Edinburg North converted on third down three times and once on fourth, and got down to Harlingen High’s 1-yard-line. Cardinals defensive end Nathan Huerta notched a tackle for loss to push the Cougars back on third down. Edinburg North kicker Yahir Trejo made a 21-yard field goal for the lead.
“We talk to these guys constantly about staying ahead of the chains, so no penalties, no silly mistakes. We did that (on the first drive). The kids did a good job of knowing their responsibilities,” Cougars coach Damian Gonzalez said. “Evan did a tremendous job of getting the ball out quick to our receivers. Our starter sprained his ankle during the week and didn’t play, but (Medrano) stepped up well. He didn’t flinch. I was real proud of the way he came out and the things he was able to accomplish.”
But after that lengthy opening-drive score, it was all Harlingen High. The Cardinals answered 53 seconds later on a 26-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Zuniga to receiver Justin Galvan, set up by a big kickoff return by Zach Sauceda.
The Cardinals used a heavy dose of running back Kian Torres on their next drive. His legs powered Harlingen High inside the 10, then he capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. Kicker Joseph Garza added a 42-yard field goal seconds before halftime to extend Harlingen High’s advantage to 17-3.
Harlingen High’s defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage during the second half and kept the Cougars from moving the ball consistently. Huerta, Ezvyn Zuniga and JC Moradel were particularly productive, recording tackles and pressuring the quarterback. Paul Price and Eric Quilantan covered Edinburg North’s receivers well to shut down the passing game.
“The D-line and a few of the linebackers (stood out), but it’s a team effort,” Gomez said. “Our kids came out and executed. All the praise to my staff for the hard work they put in. It showed tonight, they came out and executed, and it’s because I have the best staff in Texas.”
The Cardinals found the end zone three times during the third quarter. Zuniga and Galvan connected again, this time for a 37-yard touchdown pass, to cap a speedy drive to start the quarter and set the tempo.
Moradel recorded a sack to give the ball back to the Cardinals’ offense, and they promptly lit up the scoreboard again. Zuniga found tight end Ian Solis for a 52-yard touchdown pass that ended with Solis stiff-arming a defender to reach the end zone.
Tristan Vasquez broke off a huge punt return after an Edinburg North three-and-out to get the Cardinals to the Cougars’ 29-yard-line. Moises Maldonado upended Vasquez to save the punt return touchdown.
But Harlingen High scored anyway, aided by Vasquez hauling in a low pass to get the Cardinals rolling again after a penalty and a tackle for loss by Edinburg North’s Samuel Cerda. Zuniga dumped off the ball to Torres, who took it 31 yards for his second score of the night. Cardinals kicker Joseph Garza’s fifth PAT made it 38-3 with 1:13 remaining in the third.
Malachai Ortega, who played a solid game for Edinburg North, recovered a Cardinals fumble late in the final quarter. Medrano connected with receiver Jaycen Rosales twice for big gains to get the Cougars into the red zone, but Harlingen High forced a turnover on downs to end the threat.
“We struggled a lot with all the adversity we had this season, and the kids didn’t bow down. They did a tremendous job responding to every obstacle we had this year, so I’m extremely proud of them,” Gonzalez said. “(As the game went on), we got behind the chains, we dropped the ball, and just little things that you can’t do against a top caliber team like Harlingen. I thought we matched up OK with them, but we just can’t make mistakes like we did today and be able to compete with them.”