By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
A few weeks ago, Brownsville Veterans Memorial was unbeaten and as poised as could be.
After back-to-back losses to San Benito and Harlingen High, and another tough game coming up against Los Fresnos this week, the Chargers are looking for answers and confidence.
The offense has moved the ball and scored points — averaging 375 yards and nearly 25 points — but seven turnovers haven’t helped either.
It’s hard to win when giving an opponent three or four more opportunities per game. The Greyhounds and Cardinals each took advantage by turning those miscues into points.
The Chargers’ defense also has struggled, allowing 482 yards and 46 points per game. Brownsville Veterans led San Benito after one quarter but was outscored 33-7 the rest of the way. Against Harlingen High, it trailed 23-7 at halftime and was down 45-7 after the third quarter before scoring three times during the fourth quarter to make the outcome less expansive.
Brownsville Veterans hasn’t lacked any effort on the field.
“Our kids played their hearts out to the very end,” Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu said.
But the Chargers’ coach doesn’t see any cause for alarm.
“It’s little things, just little things (that needed fixed),” Cantu said. “Sometimes things are magnified in big plays here and there, but we just have to correct the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.”
GOOD DEFENSE: Harlingen High rebounded from a stunning loss to San Benito by defeating two of the top teams in the district — Los Fresnos and Brownsville Veterans — in back-to-back weeks.
While the Cardinals’ offense has been tremendous, the defense is what has made the difference.
The Cardinals forced five turnovers against the Falcons and another three against the Chargers. They also held Los Fresnos to 18 points, well below its season average of 33 and held Brownsville Veterans to 28, 10 below its average. Most of the Chargers’ points came after the third quarter, and the score was 45-7 at that point.
Those wins have helped put Harlingen High in a tie atop the District 32-6A standings.
“It’s always in our mindset to win. We prepare to come out here and win,” Harlingen High coach Manny Gomez said.
Despite the recent success, Gomez didn’t want to discuss the postseason just yet. The focus remained on the opponent for the week.
“We take it a week at a time,” he said. “We don’t look ahead. We take care of business. We take care of today and not worry about tomorrow.”
POSTSEASON POSSIBILITIES: Los Fresnos, San Benito and Harlingen High are 4-1 and atop the district standings with two games left. Each is likely to clinch a playoff berth but must get another win in Week 10 to make it official.
Brownsville Veterans and Harlingen South are right behind at 3-2, with the Chargers owning the tiebreaker by defeating the Hawks in Week 5. The two are fighting for the fourth and final postseason spot.
Brownsville Veterans faces Los Fresnos Friday at home and finishes the season against Lopez next week. Harlingen South is on the road against San Benito on Friday and faces Harlingen High next week.
Hanna and Lopez were eliminated from playoff contention with losses in Week 9. Rivera also is eliminated with a winless record in district and only two games remaining in the season.
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.