By MARK MOLINA
Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — Harlingen South and Brownsville Lopez both sit without a win heading into tonight’s District 32-6A matchup at Boggus Stadium, but something’s got to give.
With the Lopez Lobos struggling this season to put up points and stop opposing offenses, the South Hawks are hoping to get some sort of momentum and show they are better than what their record says.
South’s losses to No. 5 Weslaco (RGVsports.com poll) and No. 6 Brownsville Veterans were by a combined 11 points.
While Harlingen South head coach Lanny Wilson isn’t looking for sympathy, he knows his team has no reason to hang their heads.
“I told my guys that the teams we’ve lost to are a combined 11-1 on the year. It’s not an excuse, but it’s a fact,” South head coach Lanny Wilson said. “We have to correct things that aren’t going well, but at the same time you have to be realistic; we’ve played some really good teams.
“Losing the first district game is not a season killer; Veterans is a good team.”
This week, the matchup is favorable for the Hawks, who boast the fifth-best offense (369 ypg) in the district and are led by quarterback Brandon Villarreal, receiver Darren Perez — who caught a pair of touchdowns from Villarreal in last week’s loss to Veterans—and running back Steven Rodriguez.
Those playmakers can have big days against Lopez, who ranks second-to-last in total defense (366 yards allowed per game).
They’re also on a 13-game losing streak dating back to last season after falling to Los Fresnos 46-7 on Saturday.
Despite their shortcomings, the Lobos feel that they, too, are playing better than their winless record shows.
“We’re going to win and we’re going to continue to do it the way I want to do it, and that’s the way we did it (Saturday),” Lobo coach Jason Starkey told the Brownsville Herald this week. “We’re confident for a reason, we played pretty dadgum good football and we’re a tough team.
“I’m excited for our last six games and excited for our chances.”
The Lobos turned the ball over five times against Los Fresnos and didn’t score until the fourth quarter.
In their three losses, the Lobos have averaged 10 points per game.
Wilson isn’t going to take the Lobos lightly, however, because the Hawks defense is last in the district on defense.
They surrender an average of 384 yards per game to opponents.
“Coach Starkey does a great job coaching them, but they turn the ball over. So they’re a lot better than the scores they’ve put up,” Wilson said. “We’re much improved on offense, but we have to get our defense going. We have made changes and we’re positive.”
Wilson also knows that a winless team can be a dangerous one.
“If we leave them in the game too long, we could be in trouble,” he said. “They’re a 0-3 team who might look at this game and think that they have a chance.”