By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
The Harlingen High Cardinals and Lady Cardinals had a strong year on various athletic surfaces to aid a top 25 finish in the UIL Class 6A Lone Star Cup.
The Lone Star Cup honors “the best overall athletic and academic programs” in each classification and is based on team performances in district and state championships. Contributing sports are cross country, fall and spring tennis, volleyball, football, swimming & diving, wrestling, basketball, soccer, softball, baseball, golf and track & field. Other academic and fine arts UIL activities are also included.
Harlingen High accumulated 52 points to finish No. 22 in the standings among more than 200 6A programs. The Woodlands (111 points) won the cup, Southlake Carroll (99) finished second and Austin Westlake (91) was third.
“It’s a great measuring stick of where the program is. We’re very proud we were able to finish in the top 25 of Texas. They had tremendous success,” Harlingen CISD athletic director Robert Davies said. “I want to give our coaches and our administration at Harlingen High School a lot of credit for the work they did this year keeping all of our programs healthy and able to compete all year long.”
Harlingen High won District 32-6A championships in seven sports in the 2020-21 athletic/academic year. The football team claimed a co-district title. Both boys and girls cross country teams and the Cardinals golf team won district championships.
The girls basketball, girls soccer and baseball teams all went undefeated in 32-6A and clinched district titles. The Lady Cardinals basketball team reached the Sweet 16 in the playoffs.
Harlingen High’s boys track & field team won the district, area and regional championship and finished tied for fourth at the state meet.
The consistent athletic success earned Harlingen High the All-Valley Sports Awards Class 6A Program of the Year award. Davies credited the students, coaches, administration and Harlingen feeder schools for contributing to the impressive year.
“We did a lot of great things in an unprecedented year,” Davies said. “We’re very, very proud of the kids, especially because they’re the ones that make it happen, and secondly of our coaches for leading through that time. They just stayed the course in a difficult situation and were prepared whenever the opportunities presented themselves.
“(Vivian Bauer), the principal at Harlingen High, takes a lot of pride in everything she does. It speaks volumes of the job her and her staff have done. (Manny Gomez), the athletic coordinator, deserves a lot of credit,” he added.
Sharyland Pioneer (62), which tied for 14th place in the 5A standings, was the only other RGV team to finish in the top 25 in its respective class.