MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

Since clinching a share of the District 32-6A title last week, the Hanna Golden Eagles made it known that they had no intention of sharing the crown.

Now they won’t have to.

The Golden Eagles’ defense and a bruising running attack owned the night as they paved the way to a 30-7 victory over the Harlingen South Hawks, securing Hanna’s first outright district crown since 2009 on Friday night at Sams Memorial Stadium.

“It’s overwhelming right now because it’s such a tough challenge to win a district championship in any district,” Hanna coach Mark Guess said. “Then you throw in District 32-6A and it becomes even tougher. It’s been a lot of hard work by this coaching staff and these kids. We knew if they believed in themselves, believed in each other and believed in the coaches that the sky’s the limit for this team.”

“When I got here our goal was to win a district championship, and here we are two years later and we got it.”

Hanna (8-1, 5-0) will play host to Weslaco East in bi-district play. The teams were scheduled to play earlier in the season but called the game due to weather.

Harlingen South (4-6, 2-3) dropped its third district game in a row and will now meet Edinburg Vela. South coach Brian Ricci said the Hawks are down but not out heading into the postseason.

“That’s the one thing we’re going to do,” the Hawks coach said. “We’re going to come out and play hard. I can say that about our kids, I don’t have to worry about that. That’s what I like about this group, you don’t have to worry about them playing hard. I’m sure next week we’re going to show up and be ready to play.”

Leading by just two points heading into the final quarter, Hanna put up 21 fourth-quarter points to gain the separation it needed.

Hanna’s Aaron Frausto scored on a 2-yard run early in the quarter to put a bow on what was a 96-yard, 18-play drive that lasted more than 10 minutes to make it 16-7 with 10:13 to play in the game.

On the ensuing possession, defensive back Bryan Duran jumped a route, intercepted Harlingen South quarterback David Torres and returned it 58 yards for the score to make it 23-7 with 6:49 to play.

The Hawks had some success in the short passing game, which led to Duran adjusting for the pick.

“That was killing us the whole night, and we found something to figure it out,” the Hanna defenseman said. “I was spying (the receiver) the whole time to come up with that pick. We made our adjustments, the defense communicated and I’m just so proud of these guys right now. I’m speechless.”

Torres had a rough night, going 8 of 17 for 103 yards and two interceptions.

South had three fourth-quarter drives, resulting in the pick and the ball going over on downs.

“I’m proud of our kids,” Ricci said. “We played hard, hung in there and grinded it out. We had a couple of turnovers there, but I’m proud of the effort. Now we just have to get healthy.”

Hanna’s Cesar Mancias put the finishing touches on the night with a 13-yard run with a little more than two minutes to play.

Mancias rushed for 136 yards on 23 carries for two touchdowns to lead the Golden Eagles. Frausto rushed 12 times for 72 yards and a score. As a team, Hanna rushed for 253 yards.

“We knew we had to pound the ball all week long,” Mancias said. “We knew it would be a running game. Harlingen South has a great defense and they are a great team, we knew we would have to win on the ground.”

Hanna starting quarterback Victor Campos did not play, giving way to Miguel Payan, who managed the game and dropped back to pass just three times.

Guess gave little explanation for the move after the game.

“(Payan) was just our guy,” he said of the decision.

Harlingen South’s offense opened the game with an 11-play, 75-yard drive, culminating in an Emilio Quiroz 1-yard touchdown run to put the Hawks up 7-0 early in the first quarter.

Quiroz finished the night with 11 carries for 43 yards.

Mancias broke off a 62-yard run three plays into the ensuing possession to tie the game with 6:41 to go in the first.

That was the longest play for either team on the night, with the only other score coming on a Harlingen South offensive holding call that resulted in a safety after the team was pinned at its own 1.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

SAN BENITO—The San Benito Greyhounds have plenty to play for when they hit Bobby Morrow tonight at 7:30 and possibly for a final time in 2018.

Los Fresnos enters with a 3-6 record and a 1-3 league mark. The Falcons were eliminated from post season play in their Week 10 loss against Brownsville Hanna.

The ’Hounds enter the regular season finale with a 5-4 overall record and a 3-1 district record. San Benito will most likely play Edinburg High in the bi-district round. After tonight’s games, teams will have their playoff scenarios mapped out.

San Benito went through arguably the toughest non-district schedule in the Valley by taking on the likes of Calallen, Victoria West, PSJA and Midland Lee.

San Benito’s biggest win of the year came in their district opener when they beat Harlingen in the Battle of the Arroyo.

Since then, the ’Hounds have won two of their last three. Their only blemish came at home against Hanna. The ’Hounds could not find their footing as they generated just 168 yards of total offense along with being shutout.

While San Benito still has a shot to claim a share of the league crown, San Benito fans will be pulling for Harlingen South when they meet Hanna tonight at Sams Memorial Stadium.

A San Benito win and a Hanna loss would result in a co-championship between the ’Hounds and Eagles. While all four teams in league play are locked in by their divisions, the only possibility left is for a potential co-champ.

Senior quarterback Jacob Cavazos filled the shoes quite nicely in 2018. The senior eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark on the ground and through the air.

Cavazos has ran for 1,002 with seven scores and has ran for 100 yards four times this year. Through the air, Cavazos has 1,178 yards and has thrown for 10 scores.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

The Raymondville Bearkats are the 16-4A DII district champions for the first time since the 2010 season. The Kats ran the table with a 3-0 district mark with their latest win coming against Progeso 45-0 last Friday.

With the four team district, Raymondville will have a bye week in week 11 before gearing up for the playoffs.

Senior QB Jacob Posas has eclipsed the thousand yard mark on the ground and through the air. The senior has ran for 1,027 yards and has ran for an impressive 15 touchdowns. Through the air, Posas has thrown for 1,097 yards with six touchdowns.

The early outlook is the Kats will likely meet West Oso in the class 4A bi-district round. The last bi-district title came in 2012 when they beat La Feria 52-36. Two out of the last three years, Raymondville has bowed out of the playoffs against Sinton.

Bobcats finish strong heading into postseason

Rio Hondo will head into the playoffs with plenty of confidence and a healthy roster. The Cats are projected to meet Orange Grove in the bi-district round.

After dropping their district opener to Raymondville, the Bobcats won their next two and are fresh off a 48-21 win against Port Isabel.

Against the Tarpons, senior running back Danny Vasquez ripped off 384 yards on the ground on 19 carries and three scores.

La Feria stays hot, wins district

The Lions won the District 16-4A DI title and are riding a four-game win streak heading into their bi-district matchup against Beeville Jones.

Through their four-game streak, the Lions have scored 30 or more points. In their regular season finale the Lions scored a season high 55 points against the Pirates.

Dorian Hernandez accounted for six scores against the Pirates. Hernandez rushed for three scores and 114 yards, while throwing for another three touchdowns and 203 yards.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — The Harlingen Cardinals hit the floor running with plenty of familiar faces back on the court. Expectations are high in Cardinal land and rightfully so.

Harlingen is looking to build off of a 30 win season along with a trip to the regional quarterfinals.

“It’s nice to get back on the court, and a lot of these kids are back from last year so they understand the system,” said Harlingen head coach Greg Yates. “It is just a matter of fine tuning some things, and getting them in shape and executing what we are trying to do.”

The Cardinals finished 9-5 last year in district play and wound up the fourth seed. While the fourth seed was just a number, Harlingen proved it by knocking off the top seeded Cougars in the bi-district round.

Harlingen went on to beat McAllen Memorial in the area round, but the win came at a cost. Junior point guard Michael Arellano went down with a season-ending knee injury and in the regional quarterfinals, Harlingen bowed out to Laredo Alexander.

Arellano returns to the lineup as a senior and is healthy and is getting back into game shape. While Arellano hasn’t played in a meaningful game since February, the Cards feel confident in their star point guard and will lead the team into the new season.

“He (Michael) is learning that he hasn’t played in a game since February, he is a great player for us and it is just a matter of time till he gets his legs under him and will be ready and we know what he can do with the ball,” Yates said.

When Arellano went down, Diego Balzadua stepped in nicely for the Cardinals and now like Arellano, Balzadua is back for his senior year fully capable to run the Cardinal offense opening things up for Arellano to slide over to shooting guard.

“Having Diego step up for us last year was huge,” Yates said. “With him at point guard, we can have Mike at the shooting guard position and the two are inter changeable.”

Along with their depth at the point guard position, Harlingen will look to Kameryn Gonzalez and Jordan Crenshaw for size. Crenshaw is athletic as they come. Tony Aguilar and John Ortega will also have a hand in this year’s bunch. Aguilar is as sharp a shooter fans will see.

The Cardinals have depth and the experience heading into the new look six-team district and on paper should be the favorite to win the district.

“We have no control over the new district,” Yates said. “We will just play on. It is interesting, once we start district play it will be a new district but once we do get there, most of the season will be behind us. We will have played 20 plus games and it will be the final 10 games that will be the most important.”

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

The Harlingen Cardinals are peaking at the right time of the year. Big Red not only won its 11th straight Bird Bowl last Friday, but also secured a playoff spot.

Harlingen’s most likely opponent would be a familiar opponent, the Weslaco Panthers. The Panthers enter Week 11 with a 4-1 league record and will finish their regular season against Edinburg North.

Big Red got a strong showing once again from junior quarterback Jaime Galvan who threw for 310 yards and three scores, Justin Galvan caught two scores while Rayden Barry caught Jaime Galvan’s third score of the night.

Harlingen will wrap up their regular season at home against Brownsville Rivera.

Harlingen South despite the loss to Harlingen, are in the postseason. The Hawks are back in the post season for the first time since the 2011 season.

South will play at Brownsville Hanna on Friday. Heading into the playoffs, South will most likely face Edinburg Vela in the bi-district round.

Hanna has an opportunity to win the league title outright with a win against Harlingen South. The Eagles will be in the post season for a second straight year under head coach Mark Guess. Hanna’s Week 10 win over Los Fresnos ended their season.

San Benito will host Los Fresnos on Friday. The Falcons were eliminated from playoff contention with their loss to Hanna last week, with the elimination; Los Fresnos is out of the playoffs for the first time in 13 years.

The Hounds meanwhile are looking to be the two seed out of District 32-6A and will most likely play Edinburg High.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — The Harlingen South Hawks message was clear and simple, and that was to remain humble. While the Hawks remain grounded, the new look Hawks are entering the new season motivated and will enter the season with a chip on their shoulder.

“This group is motivated, they feel they have something to prove,” said Hawks head coach Brian Molina. “Once the season ended last year they got right to work and they told me they did not want to miss the playoffs again and they are eager to keep the tradition going.”

Senior shooting guard Grant Lowery understands the message and has become the Hawks go-to guy this season.

Lowery who is a four year varsity member provides the Hawks with sharp shooting and a great basketball IQ on the court.

“It feels great to be back on the court,” Lowery said. “As a senior I’m able to lead the younger guys and help them on the court with what they need to know. Over the off season there was a lot of conditioning and shooting, we all worked together over the offseason.”

The Hawks have big shoes to fill with names like Aaron Briones, Sean Turrubiates and Chanz Love all gone to graduation.

Along with Lowery, junior Brady Bennett returns to the lineup and Mito Velasquez a point guard has shown plenty of promise in the offseason that has South fans excited.

“Grant has been starting for me all three years, and this is his fourth year on the varsity and we are looking to him for big things, when we get Brady back from football, he gives us size on the inside. Mito has been great for us, he has taken over the reins. It is not easy to fill the shoes of Aaron but he has stepped up to the challenge and has accepted it and he has done a great job with it.”

Molina has patrolled the Hawks bench for 13 years now and last year was the first year Molina and the Hawks failed to reach the postseason. South went 8-5 in a rugged District 32-6A and finished fifth in district play.

Molina who serves as an assistant on the Volleyball team got a firsthand look on how chaotic a six team district can be.

“Instead of being in a marathon, you are in a sprint,” Molina said of the six team district. “We need to come out of the gate strong or else we will find ourselves on the outside looking in. That is something we don’t want, but on the flip side if we can get hot at the right time that can help us out as far as the district race goes.”

South will kick off the regular season Saturday at McAllen Rowe. Tipoff is set for 1:30.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — The combo of Jaime and Justin Galvan stole the show Friday night and helped the Harlingen Cardinals to an 11th straight Bird Bowl win, 41-21, over their cross town rival Harlingen South.

With the victory and a Los Fresnos loss, both Harlingen and Harlingen South are in the playoffs. The Cards missed out on the postseason last year, but have found themselves in a familiar spot.

The Hawks are back in the playoffs since the 2012 season and are in the playoffs for the first time under head coach Brian Ricci.

“We have to finish what we started,” said Cards head coach Manny Gomez. “We go through three seasons, non-district, district and playoffs, now we have Brownsville Rivera up next. Any time you face a Tom Chavez coached team they are going to come ready to play. We are going to enjoy this one for sure and we will be ready to work tomorrow.”

After a Jacob Garza field goal, Jaime Galvan hit Justin Galvan for a 52-yard score that put the Cardinals up 10-0 in the final minutes of the first quarter.

The big plays came in the second quarter, when Harlingen opened up their bag of tricks when Jaime Galvan pitched the ball to Damon Cantu who hit a wide open Justin Galvan for a 46-yard touchdown.

On the next drive Jaime Galvan hit Luke McNabb that put the Cards in cruise control 24-0 midway through the second quarter.

“We had a great game plan,” said Gomez. “And in a big game like tonight it is important that we execute what we worked on in practice and we did that tonight, but I tip my cap to South they came out and made their adjustments, that’s just football.”

While Harlingen held a comfortable 24-7 lead at the half, South scored on an 11-yard, Emilio Quiroz, touchdown that cut the lead to 24-14.

The turning point in the second half was when Garza drilled a 46-yard field goal pushing Harlingen’s lead 27-14 with 3:52, not only did the Cardinals extend their lead, but regained the momentum.

“Anytime you can put points up, it does something to your opponent, but it is something we believe in, we believe in our kickers,” said Gomez. “If we are in range there are no questions asked, we will go out there and get it, it was great execution on their end.”

The knockout punch came on 3rd and 20 from the Hawk 21-yard line. Jaime Galvan stepped up and hit Rayden Berry in the corner of the end zone that put the Cards ahead for good 34-14. Justin Galvan capped off his big night with a rushing touchdown, Justin Galvan would finish with three scores on the night.

“It is a brother affair, we are seeing a sophomore grow up before our eyes,” Gomez said of Justin Galvan. “Jaime had some big plays tonight and it speaks to their will and character and that is true brotherhood right there, going to war for each other.”

The Cardinals will now head into the final week of the regular season when they host Brownsville Rivera, while South will travel to Brownsville to take on the Hanna Eagles.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — Harlingen Cardinal Cameron Anderson has been a force along the defensive line for the Cardinal defense this season. Anderson, who is a senior will play in his final Bird Bowl tonight at 7:30 pm, has never lost to the Hawks in his time as a Cardinal.

Anderson has 50 total tackles, seven tackles for loss and two sacks on the year. The Valley Morning Star had a chance to catch up with Anderson.

—
Q: How has this week been for you knowing this is your last Bird Bowl?
Anderson: Bittersweet, because its my senior year meaning it’s my last Bird Bowl however, its going to be my most favorite game of the year.

Q: What is your best Bird Bowl memory?
Anderson: My best Bird Bowl memory was when our defense shut them down to 0 points throughout the game.

Q: What does Bird Bowl mean to you?
Anderson: It’s a fun game in a fun environment where I can display my talent to all of our Harlingen fans.

Q: Do you have a superstition?
Anderson: I have no superstition for any team we play.

Q: What is your favorite pre game meal?
Anderson: My favorite pre-game meal is pasta for the carbs and the energy it gives me come game day.

Q: What is your dream ticket? (Any sporting event or concert)
Anderson: My dream ticket is to go watch a rivalry game, Alabama vs. Auburn.

Q: Who is your favorite NFL player and why?
Anderson: My favorite NFL player is James Harrison because he is the strongest player and the most disciplined because of his work ethic and mental toughness.

Q: If you could switch spots with anyone who would it be?
Anderson: No-One.

Q: What are some things that people might not know about you?
Anderson: I’ve played football since I was eight and I come from a background of athletes in my family.

Q: If you could play another sport what would it be?

Anderson: If I could play another sport that isn’t in the valley it would be lacrosse.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN —Brothers Cristian Cortez and David Cortez are two years apart and have played football their entire lives.

Although they have played the game their whole lives, the two have never played together on the same team: until now.

“Growing up we played on different teams, but I would always watch his games and he would watch mine,” Cristian said. “It is good to have him with me on the team, I know he has my back and I have his.”
For David, having his older brother around has helped him on the field. David is the lone sophomore on the varsity and has been turning some heads this season.

Growing up David has played multiple positions from quarterback to wide receiver and even played along the line.

“He (David) has earned the respect from the older guys on the team,” Cristian said. “He just continues to work and get better each day and as an older brother I’m proud of him. He is reliable on the field, the coaches know they can trust him and he carries his weight and everyone knows that.”

Their football career got a little more serious when David was in seventh grade and Cristian was a freshman. Both spent their off seasons in the weight room and off season conditioning.

“We really started to focus in on football those years and I think David got a leg up on everyone else by starting early and built a strong work ethic,” Cristian said.

Cristian is familiar with the Bird Bowl, while David is making his Bird Bowl debut. David just has a knack for the football. The sophomore leads the team in tackles with 45 and total tackles with 72.

“It means everything to me to have my big brother out there and having my back,” said David. “Both on the field and off it is great. I just listen to my coaches and what the older guys have to tell me. I learn from them and what they know and the coaches put me in the right spot to make plays.”

Heading into tonight’s game, the Cortez boys are focused on the task at hand and have blocked out all the outside noise.

“We have to go out there and play our game and make sure we do it at 100 miles per hour,” said Cristian. “We don’t get into all the hype that is something we leave to the fans and our parents we have been focused all week on the game.”

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — Last season the strength of the Harlingen South defense was along the defensive line lead by Sky Tatum and Brandon Bennett.

This year the defense is led by their secondary in corners Kike Alvarado who is a junior and Kaleb Solis along with safety Isaac Moreno who both are seniors.

Alvarado stands at 6 foot 1 inch, Solis is listed at 6 feet 2 inches and Moreno checks in at 5-foot-8 inches. Along with the size, the trio brings speed and a physical presence when they line up on defense.

“After we lost Brandon and Sky last year, we knew we were going to have to step up this year and we have,” said Moreno. “We all worked hard over the off season and we knew we would be a big part of this defense.”

The trio of defensive backs have played together for a majority of their football careers. Solis who played safety last year moved to corner this past offseason.

Solis is as physical a corner as they come. It is a trait that Solis brought over from playing the safety position.

“The coaches decided to move me to corner and with Isaac at safety he knows how to make the calls and is a very smart player on the field,” Solis said. “It was a smooth move over to corner, I play physical and that is just something I have obtained over the years.”

With one physical corner on one end, Alvarado who also plays baseball is as athletic as they come with the long range ability. The two-corner duo makes quite the combo with range and physicality on each side.
The Hawks secondary are also known as the “Legion of Zoom” with all three premiere athletes in the secondary.

“I try and be savvy and make plays with my range,” Alvarado said. “We have played together for so long and we know how each other works. We are here for each other and people are taking notice of our talents and all the work we put in.”