KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
HARLINGEN—Tonight’s case is simple for both Harlingen South and Brownsville Hanna. The winner will clinch a playoff berth, the loser will wrap up their season.
One case that is sealed is the winner will enter the playoffs as a second seed Division II school. Harlingen High will be the Division II first seed while San Benito and Los Fresnos will enter the playoffs as Division I schools.
Both South and Hanna enter the final week of the regular season with 1-3 district records. South is coming off a loss against Harlingen High while Hanna fell to Los Fresnos. The winner will face either Edinburg Vela or Weslaco East in next week’s bi-district round.
“The keys to a win would be for us to finish drives,” said Hanna coach Mark Guess. “Especially in the red zone. We must take advantage of every opportunity we have offensively and keep the defense off the field.”
The challenge for South will be slowing down senior QB Victor Campos. The senior gunslinger has a knack for extending plays with his legs and has the arm to hit his receivers. Campos has thrown for 1,611 yards and 10 touchdowns. On the ground he has ran for 511 yards on 129 attempts with11 touchdowns.
“He is a great athlete and he poses a problem by the way he prolongs plays,” said Hawks coach Brian Ricci. “He finds a way to keep plays going and that makes it tough for your secondary to stay in coverage that long when he is able to get out of a tough spot.”
Campos has found a trusty target in junior wide receiver Ryan Trinidad. Trinidad is second on the team in catches with 29 with 357 yards and one score.
While a majority of the team was lost to graduation, the Eagles have played in plenty of big games this season. The first three weeks of the season helped prepare Hanna for a matchup like tonight. Hanna lost its first two games by a combined three points but was able to pick up a two point win against Weslaco East.
“We had a good week of preparation,” Guess said. “The kids know what’s riding on this game, and they know they have a great opportunity in front of them. They have been focused all week.”
As for Harlingen South, the Hawks will need to find momentum early and set the tone ideally through their power run game. Sophomore running back Marcos Gonzales is listed as a game-time decision for tonight’s game. Senior Israel Vasquez filled in last week when Gonzales left the game.
Through the air David Torres will look to Brady Bennett who provides a big target over the middle and on the outside speedy Alex Esparza will look to stretch the field.
“I think the experience will play a big role and the kids will lean on that playoff experience from last year,” Ricci said. “This is a playoff game from here on out and the kids know that they have been talking about it and they are treating it like a playoff game.”