KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — Cardinals wide receiver Joe Reyna has been one of Harlingen’s biggest weapons on offense in 2018.

Last year when senior wide out Riley Sauceda went down with an injury, Reyna stepped in and provided the Cards with a reliable target and emerged as a go-to guy on the Cardinal offense.

Reyna finished the season with 28 catches, 482 yards and seven touchdowns. In 2018, Reyna has picked up where he left off and continues to cause fits for opposing defenses.

Through eight games this season Reyna already has more catches and yards than he did his junior year. Reyna has hauled in 30 balls, 554 yards and four touchdowns this season.

Reyna and the offense will take the field tonight in the 26th annual Bird Bowl. Not only is it the penultimate game of the regular season, but the game carries playoff implications.

“It is always exciting to play Harlingen South and it gives us a chance to put on a show for our fans,” Reyna said. “This is a tradition that we want to carry on, this game is a part of our program.”

Last year Reyna made his Bird Bowl debut and he did not disappoint.

Against South, Reyna caught three passes for 98 yards and three scores including a 47-yard and a 44 yard score.

Along with the big night, Reyna received the Great American Rivalry Series Most Valuable Player.

“I’m used to the big crowd and everything that comes with it,” Reyna said. “I saw a lot of Bird Bowls when my brother played. If I had to pick a memory it would be last year when I won the MVP award that was fun and playing in the Bird Bowl is something we talk about as a family for sure.”

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — The Cardinals and Hawks will meet up once again and write another chapter in their rivalry.

The 26th annual Bird Bowl will kick off tonight at 7:30 p.m.

Harlingen High leads the rivalry with a 21-4 record. Big Red has won 10 straight Bird Bowl meetings. Last year the Cards won 36-7.

While every encounter between these two teams is special, this year’s meeting will have a little extra kick to it. With just two games remaining in the regular season, the race for the postseason is on. South enters the contest with a 2-1 record while Harlingen holds a 1-2 record respectively.

“The whole town is there and there is a lot of pride,” said Hawks senior safety Isaac Moreno. “This is my last Bird Bowl and we just need to go out and make plays and give it everything we got. We feel confident heading into tonight, we communicate a lot better than we have and that has come a long way for us.”

Both teams have their eyes on the postseason. A Hawks win would punch their ticket to the playoffs. If the Hawks were to lose, they would need a Los Fresnos loss to Brownsville Hanna in order to clinch a playoff spot.

As for the Cardinals, a win and a Los Fresnos loss would send the Cards to the playoffs. A loss and a Falcons loss would send both teams into the final week of the regular season fighting for the final playoff spot.

“I think at times we just didn’t make plays, and sometimes the better team wins, it happens,” said Harlingen coach Manny Gomez. “I know our kids are hungry and have worked extremely hard and they know good things come to those who work hard. Tomorrow is going to be lit as they say and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

While, historically, the odds are not in South’s favor, the Hawks have the pieces in play to come out with a win. A key to the game will be their rushing attack with Emilio Quiroz and Corban Hnedrick. Through the air, David Torres will look for Derrick Delgado and Brady Bennett.

As for the Cards, they will lean on their dual threat QB Jaime Galvan who has caused fits for opposing defenses all year. Galvan will be an X factor for the Cardinal offense along with wide out Joe Reyna who caught three passes for 98 yards and three scores against the Hawks last season.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — Hawks junior wide receiver Brady Bennett is no stranger to the Bird Bowl. Bennett is in his second year on the varsity and was moved up last year and ironically made his debut against Harlingen.

Bennett, along with senior wide out Derrick Delgado, has provided the Hawks with a strong passing attack. Bennet has 13 catches for 220 yards and one score this season.

Bennett will look to make an impact Friday night, he is also following in the foot steps of his older brother Brandon Bennett who graduated last year from South and played football for the Hawks.

—

Q: You grew up around the Bird Bowl, what does this game mean to you?
Brady: It means a lot to me because it’s about pride, and it’s about showing who the top dog is. It would be great to win it for our school.

Q: You have emerged as a top target for David Torres, what are some things you worked on to improve your game?
Brady: I have been working on my speed and agility.

Q: Has Brandon reached out to you throughout the season, and what advice does he give you?
Brady: He always tries to encourage me to work harder because we are always competing against one another, and he wants me to be the best.

Q: As a junior, how has this season been for you and what are some things you have seen improve as an offense?
Brady: It’s been an exciting season because we are winning, and our offense is using a diverse amount of passing and running plays.

Q: You wear the number 88, any reason behind it?
Brady: I wear it because Houston Texans wide out Demaryius Thomas is one of my favorite players.

Q: If you could pick a super power what would it be and why?
Brady: Super speed because I like to watch the show Flash, and I have seen all the things he can do with that power.

Q: What is the most expensive thing you have broken?
Brady: My arm. I haven’t really broken anything that is expensive because I’m careful with my stuff.

Q: Who is your favorite athlete?
Brady: It would be Minnesota Vikings Adam Thielen.

Q: Tell us something about yourself that the fans might not know?
Brady: They may not know that I lost my dad four years ago, but I don’t let that get me down. I use that to push myself at times.

Q: What is your hobby out side of sports?
Brady: I like to play video games with all my friends.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — For a majority of the Harlingen Cardinals, they are no strangers to the big stage. Senior cornerback Justin Munivez is immune to the big stage and is ready to suite up for the 26 th annual Bird Bowl Friday night.

“The Bird Bowl is just another opportunity for us to go out there and show we are the better team, we are ready,” Munivez said. “We have a pep rally and we do community events, those are some things that are fun about Bird Bowl.”

Munivez who grew up in Harlingen is no stranger to the Bird Bowl and is taking part in his second Bird Bowl as a senior.

Although Munivez has been around the rivalry, his best memory came last year when he made his debut.

“Last year was my first Bird Bowl and I was a little nervous at first,” Munivez said. “It was my first big game, but once the game started all those nerves went away.”

Munivez is hoping to go out with another Bird Bowl win, while the history is in his favor. The Cardinals have won 10 straight against South.

“Being able to win last year against South was great,” said Munivez. “It was an opportunity for me to be a part of it and at first it was new to me and this is something I have always wanted to be a part of.”

The Cardinals are in the thick of the 32-6A playoff race with a 1-2 league record. While Munivez takes his place at corner, he has been a main stay in the Cardinal secondary.

Munivez will have a tall order when he will line up against South’s wide out Derrick Delgado. On the year Munivez has 24 solo tackles, 45 total tackles and has three interceptions on the year.
Two of those came against Sharyland Pioneer along with a pick six.

“We have a chance to get a win on Friday,” said Munivez. “We are working hard every day, those first two weeks were rough with the losses but we got a win last week and we are ready to hit the field Friday night.”

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — All eyes will be on Boggus Stadium on Friday night.

The Harlingen High Cardinals and Harlingen South Hawks will write another chapter in their intracity rivalry.

Friday will mark the 26th annual Bird Bowl.

The Cardinals lead the series 21-4 and have won 10 straight meetings. The last time the Hawks won was in 2007, when South won back-to-back Bird Bowls in ’06 and ’07.

The first meeting happened in 1993. The Cardinals were led by Bob Boyd, and South was directed by Alex Leal, with the Cardinals winning the inaugural Bird Bowl 13-12.

Since Boyd, each Cardinals head coach that followed was hired from within the program. Brett Boyd, Randy Cretors and current coach Manny Gomez all followed.

Along with the first Bird Bowl in 1993, here are a few headlines from that year.

Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” was the No. 1 hit on the Billboard Top 100. The Dallas Cowboys won the Super Bowl, the Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series and the Chicago Bulls won the NBA Finals.

Jurassic Park, Menace II Society and Schindlers List all hit the theaters in ’93, Gas was $1.16, Bill Clinton was President, and Windows NT 3.1 was released by Microsoft.

Current South assistant coach Frank Achtsam, who graduated from South in 2000, played football all four years in a Hawks uniform.

“The Bird Bowl is an established rivalry,” Achtsam said. “When we first started it, it was a big game. Any time you get an (intracity) rivalry it is always fun. I remember winning the Bird Bowl my last two years and playing in front of a huge crowd, and it was standing room only.”

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — Harlingen South isn’t done yet.

After dropping the first set against Edinburg High, the Lady Hawks dug deep, fed off their home crowd and were led by the offensive duo of Mya Aguirre and Mikela Mireles as the Lady Hawks roared back to win 19-25, 25-17, 25-16, 25-14 on Tuesday night.

The win sends the Lady Hawks into the Class 6A area round to face McAllen High with the time and place to be decided.

“We knew what we had to do on our home court,” junior libero Evelyn Yanez said. “We caught fire after that first set, and we didn’t look back. Having a loud home crowd is huge; we love them as much as we love our own teammates. There was so much excitement after the game, but we know this is another week and another game coming up, and we are ready to get back to work.”

South’s bi-district title is the first since 2011 and also is a first for South coach Anissa Lucio.

“This was about us getting a banner and, and now we can do that. That is what the girls wanted to get, that was their goal.” Lucio said. “We know we are playing well and we are going to use that to our advantage, and we are going to control what we can control. We know McHi is a tough team, but we are going to go in there with confidence.”

The Lady Hawks continue to ride the hot hands of Aguirre, who served up 22 kills, 22 assists and 16 digs. Her batterymate, Mireles, also continued her offensive tear with a team-high 30 kills and 22 assists.

“Both Mikela and Mya have been such an offensive force for us,” Lucio said. “They both have picked us up when we needed them, both of them are very smart players. They know when to be aggressive.”

South shook off a slow start in the first set and gained momentum in each of the last three sets. Heading into the fourth set, South led 13-9 with Edinburg High creeping its way back in the match and cutting into the lead.

South’s offense responded and took their lead to 17-11, with all of the momentum in their favor.

“It is everything, we continue to feed off of our student body, our administration and our entire school, and it helps our girls to have all that support,” Lucio said.

While a majority of the team is comprised of underclassmen, seniors Delores Mendoza and Alyssa Rios have taken in the playoff run, gone through the transition of a new coach and have seen the program turn around.

“This is such an amazing feeling to come back from winning one district game last year to winning a bi-district title,” Mendoza said. “This year we are all one, we all have such a good chemistry and bond with each other, and it shows when we take the court.”

Zoe Garcia finished with a team-high 53 digs, followed by Allyah Guevara with 22 digs and Yanez with 24 digs.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

SAN BENITO—What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? You get Hanna versus San Benito.

Both enter Week 9 as two of the hottest teams in the Valley and are both 2-0 in District 32-6A with three games remaining in the regular season. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30.

“District 32-6A is as good as it is when it comes to competitiveness,” said Hanna head coach Mark Guess. “On any given night anyone can win, whatever team shows up and makes the fewest mistakes and those are the things that get you through.”

Hanna has played in big games this season, but tonight will mark their biggest game to date.

“We played quality teams throughout our non-district schedule and we knew playing tough teams like that would prepare us for district,” said Guess. “Going into San Benito is different; they do a great job on filling up the stands. Our kids have to make sure they stay focused on the field.”

Last season, both teams entered Week 8 with a 4-0 league record and the ’Hounds went to Sam’s stadium and walked out with a 51-27 win over the Eagles. This year the teams meet again with the district lead up for grabs.

Hanna has plenty of weapons on offense, one key ingredient has been senior Miguel Payan who is the ultimate utility man. Payan plays wide receiver, kicker and punter and has even taken some snaps on defense. Payan has provided junior Quarterback Victor Campos with a set of steady hands from the wide out position.

Payan is second in the district in receiving yards with 504 yards, 22 catches and seven scores. If that wasn’t enough Payan leads the district in points scored with 73.

“He is a multi talented kid but more than anything is his domineer and his attitude,” Guess said. “He is a winner, he wants to win and he will do everything in his power to keep his teammates focused.”

San Benito’s offense has scored 40 points in back to back weeks and will rely on their rushing attack led by senior QB Jacob Cavazos. Like his counterpart, Cavazos is a dual threat QB and leads the district in rushing with 884 yards and seven scores.

While the winner won’t be guaranteed a district title, a win would put them in the driver’s seat in district play.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN —Harlingen South fans know him as Jose Lerma but to the team, he is better known as “The Foot” or “Lerm The Worm.” Regardless of what Lerma goes by, he has certainly become a household name for Hawk fans in 2018.

Soccer has always been Lerma’s favorite sport. Growing up all Lerma ever did was play soccer. While soccer still remains a big part of his life, the senior has found another sport that he thrives in: Football.

“I have played soccer my whole life, it is what I was born into,” Lerma said. “I’ve played on the varsity soccer team all four years and the last two years I have been on the football team.”

In middle school is when Lerma started to show interest in football. Lerma began playing school yard football in sixth grade and in seventh grade; Lerma joined the team and started at linebacker and running back.

It was also in middle school when current South coach Danny Cortez noticed Lerma’s potential as a kicker.

“Coach Cortez would work with us in the weight room and he would see me kick when I was in junior high. Then I got to high school I wanted to focus on soccer, but I also joined the cross country team so I did that my first two years,” said Lerma. “My first two years I was debating on whether to play football or not.

“My junior year is when the coaches pulled me in and they wanted me to join.”

Lerma sees himself as a finisher. It is a level of confidence he gained in soccer that has now translated over to the football field.

“He (Jose) has made plays all season,” said Hawks head coach Brian Ricci. “He helps the offense out, we know we can get points on the board when Jose is out there, he is a solid player. I feel confident when I send him out there. It is not just the kicking too, he is an excellent punter and can flip the field for us.”

Earlier in the season, Lerma booted the game winning kick against PSJA North and against Los Fresnos two weeks ago, Lerma nailed all three of his attempts to help lift the Hawks to a win.

“I tell myself, that I got it, you have to go up there with confidence you have to,” Lerma said. “Kicking for an hour straight can be tough. Especially if you play another position, it all adds up your legs are always moving, it is one of the more challenging parts of being a kicker.”

Lerma and the Hawks will take on the Brownsville Rivera Raiders tonight at Sams stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

RIO HONDO — The Rio Hondo Lady Bobcats are back in the playoffs. Rio Hondo will meet Sinton in a rematch from last year’s bi-district matchup. The Lady Cats will play Monday at 8 p.m. at King High school in Kingsville.

Last year the Lady Cats made the playoffs but bowed out in the bi-district round against Sinton. This year is a little bit different.

Rio Hondo is under first year head coach Lizzette Esparza and under her watch; the young group of Lady Cats have been playing their best volleyball of the season.

“In the beginning of the season, we had our questions,” Esparza said. “We had a little bit of everything but we took care of one problem at a time and we ironed out things on the court and we moved the right pieces in play and we started winning games.”

Rio Hondo finished the district season (7-7) and clinched a playoff berth with Grulla losing on the final day of the regular season, avoiding any type of play in game scenario.

“We did what we could to make the playoffs and we are here. I expected to make the playoffs. That was the high expectations I set at the beginning of the season,” Esparza said. “I know what the girls are capable of I see the athletes we have and they have it in them. There is no fear, they are energetic and they are ready to play and sometimes that is what it takes in an athlete.”

Senior setter Amber Gonzalez is one member returning to the playoffs for a second straight year.

“This means a lot to us, especially as a senior,” Gonzalez said. “Even though we lost to La Feria, we knew we still made the playoffs and we were ready to get to work. Overall we have seen the younger girls step up and make plays and as a senior we motivate them each day to get better.”

Fellow senior Taylor Gomez has had a key hand in the Lady Cats postseason run. Gomez who plays middle blocker, was moved to play the outside midway through the season.

“At first it was difficult moving to the outside, but I was able to adjust and I had to get used to hitting from the outside,” Gomez said. “The move really worked and it helped our team. As far as our match goes on Monday, I have been there before and I have an idea on what Sinton presents.”

In the second round of league play, the Lady Cats caught fire and won five straight matches. Along the way Rio Hondo upset Zapata then went on to beat Port Isabel, Raymondville, Grulla and Progreso.

Rio Hondo saw their win streak snapped with a loss against La Feria in the regular season finale. “We started communicating more,” Gomez said. “We got closer as a team and everything started to click for us.”

FREDDY GONZALEZ AND MARK MOLINA | Staff Writers

Santa Rosa’s Ryan Mesa has continued to put together some top-notch performances, adding another this past weekend.

The senior rushed for a blistering 409 yards and three touchdowns in a 56-8 victory over Banquete. Mesa scored on touchdown runs of 75, 69 and 91 yards.

The senior’s performance has not gone unnoticed, as he was nominated to be the Mr. Texas Football Player of the Week by Texas Football. This season, Mesa has rushed for an impressive 1,432 yards and 15 touchdowns on 127 carries.

Another player who has been playing well for the Warriors is Jose Diaz-Mendez. The sophomore has rushed for 553 yards and five touchdowns on the season, including the 176 yards and three touchdowns against Banquete. The Warriors produced 659 total yards of offense against Banquete.

The Warriors play host to the Taft Greyhounds (4-4, 3-0) on Friday.

A RARE STAT

The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers are on a roll, as they have won four District 16-5A Division I games in a row since falling 45-24 to Mission Veterans Memorial on Sept. 15.

Their most recent game however, was a grind-it-out 9-6 home victory over Donna High.

The Chargers’ nine points were the fewest the team has scored since they were shut out 21-0 at the hands of Los Fresnos on Oct. 31, 2014.

Brownsville Veterans rushed for 39 yards and was held to a season-low 158 yards of offense, but still earned the win thanks to the leg of Israel Barron, who hit field goals from 47, 37 and 27 yards out.

Up next for the Chargers will be the PSJA Southwest Javelinas, who are second in offense, holding opponents to 230 yards per contest.

TARPONS RUN

This season, the Port Isabel Tarpons are doing what the program has always been known for, and that’s run the football well.

Against Progreso, the Tarpons rushed for 356 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. The week before that, Port Isabel gashed Grulla for 518 yards and seven touchdowns.

On the season, the Tarpons have rushed for 1,959 yards in seven games and have rushed for less than 200 yards three times this season.

Brayan Medina leads the team and District 16-4A Division II with 1,001 yards and six touchdowns on 144 carries.

The Tarpons’ run game will face a big challenge this week when the team faces Raymondville, which boasts the district’s top defense.

LA FERIA

The La Feria Lions rose to the top of the District 16-4A Division I standings after defeating the Zapata Hawks. Eric Alegria scored on a 60-yard kickoff return and Dorian Hernandez found Darius Hernandez for a 21-yard touchdown as the Lions went on to win 33-14.

Dorian Hernandez also rushed for two TDs on the evening. The Lions play host to Grulla on Friday.