KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
HARLINGEN—Cardinal head coach Manny Gomez used one word to describe Justin Galvan, Jaime Galvan and Rayden Berry: Care.
The triplets of the Galvan brothers and Berry have helped mold and shape the 2019 Cardinal team on its way to an District 32-6A title.
Jaime Galvan, a senior, plays quarterback, Justin Galvan, a junior, plays wide receiver and Berry, also a senior, plays running back.
“They care and it is a simple word,” Gomez said of the trio. “They care about each other and care for their families and that is why they play and fight so hard, because they care and love each other. That is something we have added to the mix. We have played with physical toughness and now we are playing with emotional toughness.”
The trio’s work ethic is second to none and has set an example for the younger players in the program. Gomez described their work ethic as spreading like a wild fire and it has made an impact.
“These three guys, when it comes to competition, they are competitors,” Gomez said. “Justin has become who he is because of what his brother Jaime has done. When you have a brother balling out the way Jaime is, you can’t slow down — you have big shoes to fill. Rayden is a competitor and he loves the game.”
Harlingen won the district title with a clean 5-0 district record and finished the regular season 9-1 overall.
The road to the district title, however, began during the dog days of summer, when the trio spent most of their time working on strength and conditioning.
“All summer long, if you came by our school and saw three guys out there, it was those three guys,” Gomez said. “Those guys were always rolling together no matter how hot it was outside. They compete and it has helped them get to where they are now.”
Over the years, Harlingen has had some elite talent and teams that have left their mark on the program. The 1989 and 2011 team comes to mind. Then there are the 2019 Cardinals, a team driven by grit, physical play and a will to win.
The competitive nature comes from their fiery signal caller Jaime Galvan.
The south paw has put together his best year in his career with 1,968 yards and 16 touchdowns through the air to go along with 966 yards and 14 more scores on the ground.
“It is full respect for that we do and what we do for the team,” Jaime said. “It isn’t about just us; it is about everybody that has put in the work to help us get here. We knew after a 5-5 season we would have to work out butts off and just grind every day and that is something we do and we don’t forget where we started.”
In the Cardinal weight room there is a banner with the 2011 captains Kevin Ledesma, Randy Bermea, Daniel Ramirez and Nathan Prado. The banner reads “How do you want to be remembered.”
The banner carries weight in the field house and speaks to the players and for the triplets it spoke to them long ago.
“That banner has been there for a long time,” Jaime said. “When I was in eighth grade I saw it and it meant a lot to me and my brother.”
“Seeing all these banners and they mean a lot, it reminds me of these guys Rayden and Jaime,” Justin added, “It serves as a reminder to just keep working. I love playing with my brother. It is unique.”
Berry has put together a strong season out of the backfield and is a threat in the passing game along with his smooth running style. Berry has rushed for 952 yards on 185 attempts and 12 touchdowns. In the passing game, he hauled in 22 passes for 468 yards and four touchdowns.
“The bond is what makes this trio special,” Berry said. “When I first got here I clicked right away with these guys and our work ethic brought us close together.”
The 2019 Cardinal season has been one to remember with wins in the Bird Bowl and the Battle of the Arroyo, but when compared to the greats it comes down to championships.
“It is a clean picture when you have kids like that on what it takes to be successful,” Gomez said. “It is showing and the kids are gravitating to that. We have a lot of young kids who want to be like Berry and want to be like the Galvan’s. We have some young talent coming and they come and shadow their big brothers.”
The Cardinals will host Edinburg Vela Friday night at 7:30 in the class 6A DII bi-district round. The triplets will have at least one more opportunity to play in front of their home crowd and keep their season going.
“All the work we put in over the offseason is for moments like this,” Jaime said. “It is finally here. I’m glad to have been able to experience it with these guys, they work their tails off and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”