By ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald
LOS FRESNOS — The Hanna Golden Eagles have clinched at least a share of the District 32-6A championship.
And, of course, they want more.
The Eagles, who last won a district title in 2009, want to be outright 32-6A champions and put together a successful playoff run after suffering a last-minute setback in bi-district a year ago.
Friday’s 23-13 victory against Los Fresnos at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium improved Hanna to 7-1 on the season and 4-0 in district. The Eagles already have secured a playoff spot and close out the regular season against Harlingen South next Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium.
“Any time you can win a part of a championship that’s awesome, but we want to be selfish and we want to win it all for ourselves (by defeating Harlingen South),” Hanna coach Mark Guess said. “We don’t feel that we played up to our potential tonight, but we did play well enough to get the win.
“We’re looking forward to playing the Harlingen South Hawks next week,” Guess added. “They’re the only team on our minds now.”
The Eagles broke out of a 13-13 fourth-quarter tie to win on a 55-yard pass-and-run play by Cesar Mancias and a 21-yard field goal by Miguel Payan.
After the game, Mancias made another sprint to the stands on the visitors’ side, where he leaped up to where his brother, Arturo Mancias, was standing so he could give him a huge hug.
“My brother just got back from Korea,” Mancias said.
“It’s an amazing feeling to win tonight (and become district champions),” the standout Hanna running back added. “We haven’t gotten district since 2009, so getting a piece of it with this win just feels great.
“Now we have to focus on the task at hand and keep things rolling. We want the whole district title, not just a piece of it.”
Los Fresnos, with its postseason hopes hanging in the balance after advancing three rounds in the playoffs during each of the last three seasons, slipped to 3-6 and 1-3. The Falcons close out the regular season next Friday at San Benito.
Leading the way for the Eagles Friday was Mancias, who had a 57-yard run on a burst up the middle for a touchdown at the 9:22 mark of the first quarter to make it 7-0. His 55-yard TD play on a short pass reception to the right flat that featured another sprint to the end zone made it 20-13 with 11:00 remaining.
“I just was thinking I had to make it count,” Mancias said of his scoring plays covering 50-plus yards. “I just had to make sure I got into the end zone. I owe it to our linemen. I scored for them.”
Mancias finished with 128 yards rushing on 20 carries and 68 yards receiving on four catches for the game.
Payan’s 21-yard field goal with 2:05 left sealed the victory, 23-13.
The Falcons have been hampered by injuries in recent weeks and some of the players who had been out were able to play Friday. That factor was one of the things helping Los Fresnos give Hanna quite a battle.
“We’ve had quite a few starters out and we had some of them back tonight, including some from the defense,” Falcons coach Patrick Brown said. “I think it showed. Unfortunately, this late in the year, we’re starting to look like the team I thought we could be. We have a young freshman quarterback (in Matthew Padilla) who I thought battled his tail off.
“Hats off to Hanna,” Brown added. “Besides Odessa Permian, they’re the best team we’ve played this year, no question about it. I think they’re going to do well and make a run in the playoffs.
“I’m just proud of our players and I’m proud of being the coach of Los Fresnos.”
After Mancias’ initial TD run to make it 7-0 following Payan’s extra point, Los Fresnos’ Nico Valencia caught an 8-yard TD pass from Padilla with 5:31 to go in the opening quarter to tie the score 7-7. Jerry Hernandez added the extra-point kick.
It became 13-7 for the Falcons with 2:02 left in the opening period when Padilla went up the middle 23 yards to the end zone on a scramble. The extra point failed.
Hanna’s Ernest Mendoza made an impressive, diving, one-handed catch in the end zone of a 16-yard pass from QB Victor Campos to even the score again with 6:26 showing in the second quarter.
The extra point also failed for Hanna, leaving the game in a 13-13 deadlock that wasn’t resolved until the final period.
The Falcons successfully recovered a pair of onside kicks. Each team set up for a field goal and was unable to convert it. Also, each team ran for a first down after setting up in punt formation on fourth down.
The Eagles beat the Falcons 10-7 when the two teams played last year.