KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
HARLINGEN—The old adage ‘To be the man, you gotta beat the man’ still holds true. That will be the case when Los Fresnos travels to Harlingen High as District 32-6A play tips off at 6 p.m.
The Falcons have won four straight district titles and have been one of the Valley’s top basketball programs over the last few years.
While Harlingen on paper is a favorite to win the district, the road still goes through Los Fresnos.
“We are excited and ready to get district going,” Cardinals senior point guard Michael Arellano, said. “All of us seniors know what it takes and Los Fresnos is again a tough team. They are quick, aggressive and shoot really well. We are ready and blessed to be able to play a team like the Falcons.”
Los Fresnos enters district play winners of two straight and hold a 16-7 record.
“We know Harlingen is the favorite this year, and they have one of the best players in the Valley in Arellano, but our guys are ready for the challenge,” Falcons coach Marco Hinojosa said. “The kids put in the work all off season and they have grown up a lot. Our preseason schedule was as tough as anyone’s, but I have been very pleased with the way the kids have worked and we are excited to get going.”
Harlingen meanwhile is 15-10 on the year and will look to put their best foot forward against the Falcons.
“Every game is important for us, and if we are able to start the year off with a win, it would be a big confidence booster for us,” Arellano said. “We know what is at stake, we know what our goals are and our first goal is to win district then we will worry about the playoffs. But today, the focus is on Los Fresnos.”
Harlingen South has begun to hit their stride ahead of its district opener at Brownsville Rivera.
Last year, Rivera surprised the district and wound up with the fourth seed, leaving South out of the playoffs despite an 8-6 league record.
The Hawks enter district play with a 16-10 record, with their last game coming on Jan.1 against Edinburg Vela. With the time off, the Hawks will enter league play rested and polished.
“The kids are anxious to get back on the court,” said Hawks coach Brian Molina. “We have had about a 10-day layoff, but it was a good break. It gave us an opportunity to fine-tune some things on the offensive end.”
The new six-team district presents a unique challenge with 10 district games and each game being as magnified as the season moves forward.
“I told the kids that this district race is going to be a sprint rather than a marathon that we are used to,” Molina said. “We can’t a ford to not show up one night and fall behind early, especially in this district.”