KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — The Cardinals and Hawks will meet up once again and write another chapter in their rivalry.
The 26th annual Bird Bowl will kick off tonight at 7:30 p.m.
Harlingen High leads the rivalry with a 21-4 record. Big Red has won 10 straight Bird Bowl meetings. Last year the Cards won 36-7.
While every encounter between these two teams is special, this year’s meeting will have a little extra kick to it. With just two games remaining in the regular season, the race for the postseason is on. South enters the contest with a 2-1 record while Harlingen holds a 1-2 record respectively.
“The whole town is there and there is a lot of pride,” said Hawks senior safety Isaac Moreno. “This is my last Bird Bowl and we just need to go out and make plays and give it everything we got. We feel confident heading into tonight, we communicate a lot better than we have and that has come a long way for us.”
Both teams have their eyes on the postseason. A Hawks win would punch their ticket to the playoffs. If the Hawks were to lose, they would need a Los Fresnos loss to Brownsville Hanna in order to clinch a playoff spot.
As for the Cardinals, a win and a Los Fresnos loss would send the Cards to the playoffs. A loss and a Falcons loss would send both teams into the final week of the regular season fighting for the final playoff spot.
“I think at times we just didn’t make plays, and sometimes the better team wins, it happens,” said Harlingen coach Manny Gomez. “I know our kids are hungry and have worked extremely hard and they know good things come to those who work hard. Tomorrow is going to be lit as they say and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
While, historically, the odds are not in South’s favor, the Hawks have the pieces in play to come out with a win. A key to the game will be their rushing attack with Emilio Quiroz and Corban Hnedrick. Through the air, David Torres will look for Derrick Delgado and Brady Bennett.
As for the Cards, they will lean on their dual threat QB Jaime Galvan who has caused fits for opposing defenses all year. Galvan will be an X factor for the Cardinal offense along with wide out Joe Reyna who caught three passes for 98 yards and three scores against the Hawks last season.