By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
As the regular season winds down, every game is a must win game. No extra label is needed.
Brownsville Veterans Memorial and Harlingen High are each looking toward the postseason and will meet in an important District 32-6A matchup tonight at Boggus Stadium in Harlingen.
Each squad is coming off a loss. The Chargers (5-2, 3-1) lost to San Benito in a game that better resembled a track meet in Week 8, and the Cardinals (3-4, 2-2) were defeated by Los Fresnos, which rallied in the fourth quarter with two scores to break a tie at 21.
“I expect a great game. It’s going to have a playoff electricity to it,” Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu said. “We look forward to it. We’re very confident,we’re going over there to win.”
Harlingen High coach Manny Gomez said his team also is focused on a postseason berth.
“We break the season into three seasons. The non-district, then the season and then the playoffs,” he said. “That’s what our plan (has been) since Day 1, and that’s what we’re sticking with.”
Cantu said the Chargers need to play better than they have the past two weeks, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Brownsville Veterans allowed a combined 1,071 yards and 109 points during its past two games, a victory over Hanna a week prior to the loss to the Greyhounds.
“For us, it comes down defensively to finishing tackles,” he said. “We had 45 missed tackles, which to led to a ton of big plays for San Benito . Not taking any credit (away), they did an outstanding job, but we’re really focusing on that and making plays.”
Harlingen High has been fighting through adversity through the season, especially with injuries. After starting district play 2-0, the Cardinals have lost two straight. That included losing a 21-3 lead during the fourth quarter of a loss to San Benito in Week 7 before losing to the Falcons last week.
“We don’t emphasize winning, we just emphasize the point to doing our jobs and taking care of what we can control,” Gomez said. “We’re going to control what we can control, and that’s our effort. We’re going to try to be perfect, and we know we can’t be perfect on the field but we can have perfect effort.
“We know Veterans is a great program. They play hard and they’re coached well.”
The Chargers may be short-handed against the Cardinals, though. Quarterback Marcus Castillo and running back Carlos Garza both sustained leg injuries and will be game-time decisions, Cantu said.
Each squad is confident as it hopes to get back on the winning track.
“We’re going to play every game like its our last,” Gomez said. “Our goal has always been win one game a week, so that’s the way we’re taking it.”
Cantu said his team is eager to get back onto the field after the loss to the Greyhounds.
“I know our kids are hungry to get their fourth win in district, especially after losing like they did last week and the nature of which we did,” he said. “The only thing that cures that feeling that we have inside would be to get a win in Harlingen.
“We knocked the door down. What I mean is that we beat Harlingen South earlier in the year. It gives us confidence we can go to Boggus Stadium and come back with another W.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter, he’s @andrewmcrum.