KEVIN NARRO, MARK MOLINA AND FREDDY GONZALEZ | Staff Writer
The last time Harlingen High and Harlingen South were both in the playoffs was in 2013. Lanny Wilson was the coach of the Hawks, and Manny Gomez led the Cardinals.
In 2013, the Hawks beat Weslaco East 42-21 in the bi-district round before losing to Edinburg North 39-14 in the area round.
Since 2013, the Hawks have been absent from the postseason. Now in 2018, the Hawks are back in the playoffs for the first time under coach Brian Ricci. South will travel to Edinburg to take on the No. 1 team in the Rio Grande Valley and District 31-6A champion Edinburg Vela.
Vela is in its seventh year as a program and has met the Hawks twice in their short history. In their first meeting in 2014, South won 42-17, and in 2015, Vela beat the Hawks 70-40.
Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. Friday from Richard Flores Stadium.
The Cards, meanwhile, face a familiar opponent in the Weslaco High Panthers. The Panthers spent the past two years in District 32-6A.
In 2014, the Cards and Panthers met in the bi-district playoffs, with the Panthers winning 3-0 at Boggus Stadium. This time, the Cardinals travel to Weslaco with the kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.
San Benito will enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed out of District 32-6A, and the top-seeded DI school. The ’Hounds play host to the Bobcats at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The Greyhounds have won three straight bi-district titles and will meet the Bobcats again in the playoffs.
The last time the two met in the bi-district round, 2016, San Benito came out on top 47-10. After their bi-district win, the ’Hounds bowed out of the playoffs the next week against Laredo United South, 28-21.
GROUND AND POUND
The Hanna Golden Eagles secured their outright District 32-6A crown in a win over Harlingen South, and the Pace Vikings also grabbed some momentum heading into the bi-district playoffs by defeating Rio Grande City.
The wins were big for each program and came after strong performances on the ground.
The Pace Vikings went wild on the ground, rushing for 434 yards and five scores on their way to a season-high 57 points.
The Vikings had two running backs rush for more than 150 yards. Dylan Barron led the way with 167 yards and one touchdown, and Brandon Zapata followed with 154 yards and two scores.
Hanna sat starting quarterback Victor Campos and let the ground game lead the team to victory, as the Golden Eagles posted 256 yards rushing. Cesar Mancias rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns, and Aaron Frausto added 72 yards and one score in the win.
It was the seventh time this season Mancias rushed for more than 100 yards and the sixth time in a row. He now has 1, 065 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns in nine games this season.
MAKING A RUN
Another team that quietly made a strong second-half run at the playoffs was the La Villa Cardinals.
After starting the season 0-3, the Cardinals won six of their final seven games to finish the regular season with a 6-4 record overall and a 4-1 mark in District 16-2A Division II.
The Cardinals defeated Agua Dulce 34-21, Benavides 43-16, Bruni 41-34, and Premont 35-6 to book their tickets into the postseason. La Villa’s only loss (42-38), came against eventual district champion Woodsboro.
This week, the Cardinals take on Runge on Friday at Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway.
The Santa Rosa Warriors are headed to the postseason, too. After the team’s last defeat against Corpus Christi London, the Warriors were forced to wait for the result between Taft and Hebbronville. Fortunately for Santa Rosa, Hebbronville’s victory was the Warriors’ ticket to the playoffs.
The Warriors take on the Poth Pirates at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Mathis’ Pirate Stadium.