By DAVE FAVILA
Staff Writer
HARLINGEN – The Harlingen South Hawks, who are in the midsts of a three-game losing skid, still actually have a shot at making the playoffs for the first time since 2013. That is IF they beat the Weslaco East Wildcats tonight at Boggus Stadium in the Valley Morning Star’s Game of the Week.
Here’s what happens if the Hawks win tonight:
They improve to 2-4 in District 32-6A, which would tie them with East with one game left to play at last-place Brownsville Rivera next week. While the victory would in no way ensure a postseason berth, it keeps them in the conversation.
Here’s what happens if the Hawks lose:
They fall to 1-5 in the league and would officially be out of playoff contention regardless of what happens next week at Rivera. A season that began with a promising 3-0 non-district start, ends on an unsatisfying note.
Talk about a must-win situation. But pressure?
“Our kids are aware of the situation but that doesn’t change the way we prepare,” said Hawks head coach Brian Ricci. “We had a great week of practice and we’re looking forward to playing a really good Weslaco East team.”
OFFENSIVE SLUMP: After the Hawks’ 21-14 come-from-behind win over Los Fresnos on Sept. 30 – which was the last time they won a game – their offense was ranked third in District 32-6A and was averaging 319 yards per outing. But after losses to Hanna, San Benito and Weslaco High, the Green Birds’ offense is now ranked sixth and is putting up just 279 yards per outing. Against the Panthers last Friday, the Hawks rushed for only 170 yards with Gilbert Montemayor leading the way with 70 yards on 19 carries and the team’s lone TD. To make matters worse, the passing game, which was once a viable threat, was nearly non-existent last Friday as QB Brandon Villarreal threw for a mere 11 yards on a 2 of 5 passing night.
CATS’ TROUBLES: Although the Wildcats are ahead of the Hawks in the standings, they haven’t been exactly tearing things up recently.
Their win against Rivera last Friday snapped a three-game losing skid of their own and their offense hasn’t exactly been turning heads. While it’s ranked second in the conference, it was unfairly bolstered by a 62-14 win over the Raiders, whose last-place defense gave up 486 total yards last week. The Cats’ leading rushers are Joshua Pedraza, who is averaging 6.7 yards per game and has 11 touchdowns on the season, and Fabian Castro, who’s averaging 4.9 yards and has amassed 467 yards this season.