BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — Edinburg High senior quarterback Matt Cruz rolled to his left, looking for someone to pass to.
It was the second play of the second half, and senior receiver Ricky Alaniz was looking for a way to help the team punch it in, because the Bobcats were down 14-0.
“As soon as I saw the corner go straight to Adrian (Garza), I saw myself wide open in the middle,” Alaniz said. “I called for the ball. Matt saw me down the field, and we connected.”
Alaniz knew the safety was coming over to him, so he cut back toward the ball and grabbed it for the Bobcats’ first touchdown of the game.
That drive, and the play that set it up, launched Edinburg High to a 34-21 win over Harlingen South on Friday at Richard R. Flores Stadium.
“It feels amazing. Feels great,” Alaniz said. “These guys have a lot of energy. I got to see that in the second half. The coaches got on us. We knew we made mistakes, but we also knew what the game plan was and how to execute it.”
Edinburg High kicked off to start the half, but South fumbled the return and the Bobcats pounced, pilfering beautiful field position to set up Alaniz’s score.
“That kickoff sparked everyone,” Alaniz said. “The first touchdown ignited the fire, and there was no stopping us from there.”
Harlingen South looked to be in the driver’s seat in the first half, scoring twice and blanking Edinburg’s offense. The Hawks dominated the line of scrimmage, and Cruz had almost no time to pass. Cruz ate a few hits early, but he never lost faith in his line. He spoke to them at halftime.
“I told the line we were behind them,” Cruz said. “‘Me and Hearlin (Benavides, senior running back), we are going to work no matter what. We are going to do what we can. We need you with us.’”
Benavides was the only thing that kept Edinburg High afloat in the first half. He had 91 first-half yards, compared to the rest of the team’s 5. Benavides finished with 209 yards and 2 TDs.
But Benavides wasn’t enough for the Bobcats. He was gaining yards, but he couldn’t get holes big enough to break long runs. When he did, he busted a 53-yarder, but EHS missed the ensuing field goal and gave the ball back to South without any points.
The Bobcats’ faithful spark plug, junior Erik Cano, breathed new life into the offense. He ran outside the hashes, taking some pressure off of the line.
“Erik came up big on multiple drives,” Cruz said. “A few touchdown plays, he really helped us. He should have got in there, but he’ll get them next time. Cano made a big difference toward the end.”
Cano said he didn’t have any nerves when his number was called. He is ready at a moment’s notice, and when he enters the game, the tone shifts.
“I just try to motivate the offensive line, motivate the guys around me,” Cano said. “I know when we have that energy, that gives us the best opportunity for the win.”
Edinburg High coach J.J. Leija said he was glad to have both backs Friday.
“Cano’s spark was pretty good for us, because we were able to give Hearlin a rest,” Leija said. “Then (Cano) got tired, tapped himself out, so we got Hearlin in there. It’s a great one-two punch to have.”
Harlingen South junior Corban Hendrick scored two rushing touchdowns. The Hawks’ third score came on a 37-yard pass from junior quarterback David Torres to senior Derrick Delgado.
Delgado was a threat for the Hawks, catching five passes for 100 yards. Edinburg senior Antoine Woodard, who missed almost all of the preseason, was asked to guard Delgado all night.
“Antoine is still a little rusty, but he played well,” Leija said. “He came up and made a few plays, had some hits, and he was a great cover corner for us tonight. But, he does have a long way to go.”
This isn’t the first time Leija and his staff have turned a Bobcats game around at halftime, but the old ball coach insists they don’t do anything special during intermission.
“It’s pretty simple. We go in and make our adjustments,” Leija said. “We just try to make things simple and let the kids play. Our deal is, we are never going to back down. We are going to keep playing for all four quarters. The fourth quarter belongs to us. Today, the second half belonged to us. We scored 34 points in the second half, and they scored 7. So these kids responded to what I told them in there, and what the coaches told them.”