By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
It took a few games, but Hanna earned its first district win of the season.
The Golden Eagles defeated Lopez 34-15 in Week 8, one week after giving Brownsville Veterans Memorial all they could handle in a 51-42 loss.
“It feels good,” Hanna coach Rene Medrano said after the victory. “We needed it.”
Hanna has had an explosive offense all season, but the Eagles have played more consistent as of late. Especially quarterback Andy Lopez.
During the past two games, Lopez has completed 23 of 37 passes for 415 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
But the added ability to run the ball has aided the Eagles tremendously. Lopez had 10 carries for 38 yards and four touchdowns against the Chargers and Lobos after infrequent carries throughout the other four games this season.
Lopez has been one of the top passers in District 32-6A all season, despite playing one fewer game due to a weather cancellation.
Through six games, Lopez has completed 88 of 115 passes (76.5 percent) for 1,236 yards and seven touchdowns, while throwing five interceptions.
It seems with Lopez adding another weapon to the Eagles’ offense, Hanna could make a push for one of the last postseason berths despite a slow start to the season.
STINGY RAIDERS
Thanks to a dominant defense during the past two weeks, Rivera has returned to the top of the district, allowing a district-best 251 yards per game. The Raiders allow 25 points per game, second to only Los Fresnos (21.4).
The senior-laden group was stout in wins against Lopez and Harlingen South. Rivera allowed 166 yards during a 24-9 win over the Lobos, and 149 yards during a 28-14 victory over the Hawks.
After starting the season 0-5, including 0-2 in district, the Raiders are 2-2 in district and look to earn a playoff spot during the second half of district play.
INJURY WOES
During a loss to Los Fresnos in Week 8, Harlingen High — already bitten by the injury bug — had more issues. Cardinals coach Manny Gomez said two players aggravated previous injuries and another player on the squad suffered a setback. To make matters worse, several Harlingen High players were experiencing muscle cramps throughout the game.
“Its something we’re going to have to investigate,” Gomez said. “Maybe we need to do something different. A lot of our guys were cramping up and (Los Fresnos’) guys weren’t.”
The Cardinals have dealt with several injuries on both sides of the ball, including senior quarterback Bowie Davis, who is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
“It’s part of the adversity that we’re dealing with this year,” Gomez said. “We’re trying to stop the bleeding. Hopefully we can catch a break here and there and get an opportunity to get healthy.”
PLAYOFF PUSH
Three teams, San Benito (5-2, 4-0 District 32-6A), Brownsville Veterans (5-2, 3-1), and Los Fresnos (5-2, 3-1) are in a good place to clinch a postseason berth midway through the district season. Each has played well during the first half, but the next two weeks will be critical to stake their claim for a playoff spot.
Harlingen High (3-4, 2-2) and Rivera (2-5, 2-2) are fighting for the final playoff spot but are headed in opposite directions. The Cardinals began district 2-0 and have dropped their past two games. The Raiders, on the other hand, dropped their first two games, only to bounce back the past two weeks to even their district record.
Hanna (2-4,1-3), Harlingen South (2-5, 1-3) and Lopez (0-7, 0-4) are among those on the outside looking in. Each squad will need to get on a roll to challenge the top five if they hope to continue playing beyond the end of the regular 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.