By KEVIN NARRO | STAFF WRITER
The 2018 Brownsville Hanna Golden Eagles had a season that fans will be talking about for a long time.
Now, the Eagles made another splash this week with the release of the 32-6A All-District list as several players took home top superlatives.
Third-year head coach Mark Guess was named Coach of the Year after a district, bi-district and area title, along with a 10-2 overall record and a perfect 5-0 district record.
Senior running back Cesar Mancias was named district 32-6A Most Valuable Player.
Mancias was as hard a runner and helped the Eagles post big numbers see.
Hanna offense that averaged 33 points per game led by Mancias, who ran for 1,457 yards on 205 carries, 15 touchdowns and averaged 7.1 yards per carry.
The Eagles saw their junior QB Victor Campos bring home the offensive player of the year award. The junior gunslinger caused problems for opposing defenses all season long. Campos ran for 472 yards on 17 carries and nine touchdowns. Through the air, Campos threw for 1,539 yards with 17 touchdowns to just five interceptions.
Senior guard Sebastian Garcia was named Offensive Lineman of the Year.
Offensive Newcomer of the Year was a highly debated award as Harlingen’s sophomore wide out Justin Galvan, Los Fresnos freshman QB Matthew Padilla and San Benito’s sophomore running back Kyler Castilleja all shared the distinction.
Galvan had a strong sophomore season and had one of his bigger games against Harlingen South with three touchdowns. Padilla stepped in the starting role Week 7 against Harlingen South and started for the Falcons under center for the remainder of the season. Castilleja had a breakout year for the Greyhounds.
The San Benito underclassmen ran for 852 yards on 131 carries and 12 touchdowns.
One award not up for debate was Defensive Player of the Year as Eagles linebacker Jose Cruz was the unanimous pick for the distinction. Cruz led the defense in tackles with 79 solo tackles and 129 total tackles. Cruz also finished with 19 tackles for loss.
Teammate Junior Brandon Esteves received Defensive Lineman of the Year. Esteves ended the year with a team-high 31 tackles for loss.
There was a tie for Defensive newcomer of the Year. Harlingen’s sophomore linebacker Ezvyn Zuniga and Los Fresnos freshman cornerback Hector Muniz shared the award after big seasons for their respective teams.