By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
The only thing standing in the way of Harlingen High’s bid for a perfect District 32-6A record to cap the 2019 regular season is perhaps one of the teams best suited to play the role of spoiler – Brownsville Rivera.
While the Cardinals (8-1, 4-0 32-6A) have a seven-game winning streak against the Raiders (2-7, 1-3), there is a case to be made for a David vs. Goliath scenario. Harlingen High will be playing to earn the District 32-6A title outright and deny rival San Benito any chance of sharing the district championship in the event that the second place Greyhounds (5-4, 3-1 32-6A) take care of business against Los Fresnos.
And Rivera has, in a close win over the Falcons and a close loss to Brownsville Veterans Memorial, demonstrated an ability to hang tough against quality opponents. But the Raiders will likely need a flawless performance and a significant amount of good fortune to slow down Jaime Galvan (who recently surpassed 2,000 all-purpose yards on his own) and Co. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Sams Stadium.
In District 16-5A Division I, the Chargers (6-3, 5-3 16-5A DI) will be on the outside looking in at the 2019 playoffs no matter the outcome of their regular season finale against La Joya Palmview at 7 p.m. tonight at Sams Stadium. But with the Lobos (7-2, 7-1 16-5A DI) being one of three one-loss teams atop District 16-5A DI, Brownsville Veterans could shake up the playoff picture considerably by defeating Palmview, which prevailed in last year’s meeting between the two programs, 28-10.
Pace, which defeated Brownsville Veterans last week, sits in the fourth playoff spot. The Vikings (6-3, 6-2 16-5A DI) will pay a visit to Rio Grande City at 7 p.m. tonight. The Rattlers (8-1, 7-1 16-5A DI) lost to Mission Veterans Memorial on Sept. 20, and lost last year’s game against Pace 57-28.
Many of the remaining Brownsville schools in 16-5A have been reduced to spoiler roles, including Lopez, which will hit the road to play district-leading Mission Veterans at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Porter will look to finish in sixth place in the district when they host PSJA Southwest to conclude the regular season slate at 7 p.m. Saturday at Sams Stadium.
In TAPPS action, St. Joseph Academy will try to bolster its playoff seeding in District 4 Division II when it visits San Antonio Christian at 7 p.m. Friday. The Bloodhounds (3-6, 0-2 4-DII) would clinch the third seed with a victory over the Lions (4-5, 1-2 4-DII).
SUB 5A ROUNDUP
Lyford has won four of its last five District 16-3A Division I contests, including a 27-21 victory over San Diego.
The Bulldogs (4-5, 4-2 16-3A DI) come into their Friday night matchup at Corpus Christi Bishop all but assured of a playoff spot, but they still have to win to assure they retain the third seed. A Lyford loss combined with a San Diego win would result in a playoff showdown with Jourdanton, the District 15-3A Division I champion.
Lyford is 5-0 in its last five meetings against the Badgers (1-9, 1-6 16-3A DI).
In District 16-2A Division I, Santa Maria will travel to face Freer at 7:30 p.m. Friday. At stake for the Cougars (6-2, 2-2 16-2A DI) is also the third playoff seed in the district. If Santa Maria wins against the Buckaroos (5-4, 2-2 16-2A DI), it will play Weimar, and if the Cougars lose, they would fall to fourth place and have a bi-district matchup against District 15-2A Division I champion Shiner.
Santa Maria is 1-2 in its last three games against Freer, dropping last year’s meeting against the Buckaroos at home 15-14.
Ahead of a visit to Premont at 7 p.m. Friday, La Villa has won three consecutive District 16-2A Division II games, including a 43-0 rout of Woodsboro last Friday.
The Cardinals (3-6, 3-1 16-2A DII) would hang on to the second seed in the district with a win, and lose their position to Bruni with the combination of a Bruni win and La Villa loss. The Cardinals would play the winner of the game between D’Hanis and Runge if they finish in second place. La Pryor would be La Villa’s bi-district playoff opponent in the event it finishes in third.
The Cardinals defeated the Cowboys (4-5, 2-2 16-2A DII) 35-6 in 2018.