MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — The McAllen Memorial Mustangs’ offense did what it does best and scored on big plays but, in the end, the defense could not stop the Harlingen Cardinals’ offensive attack.
Harlingen running back Leo Tienda ran for five touchdowns and 232 yards on 34 carries to lift the Cardinals 49-35 over the Mustangs in their Class 6A Division I area-round playoff game Friday night at Boggus Stadium.
Memorial cut the lead to 35-42 on a 97-yard pass to DJ Johnson from Jonathan Sanchez with 4:46 left in the game, but Tienda and quarterback Jesse Castro led a six-play, 41-yard scoring drive to ice the game with 1:09 left.
Tienda ran the final score in from 13 yards out.
“Memorial was fast and physical, but we knew we had to make a play, whether it was me or Jesse (Castro),” Tienda said. “We kept our heads up; we kept fighting and played Cardinal football.”
Harlingen (10-2) moves on to face Smithson Valley at Buccaneer Stadium in Corpus Christi next Friday night.
Memorial’s Sanchez threw two touchdowns to Johnson and ran in two more, while the Division I prospect Trevor Speights was held to 140 yards on 14 carries, which included a 93-yard scamper in the third quarter.
Despite the loss, the Mustangs looked sharp Friday night and scored on plays of 52, 73, 93, 3 and 97 yards.
“There were two good football teams out here and Harlingen couldn’t stop us either; it goes both ways,” said Memorial head coach Bill Littleton. “Give credit to our kids. We battled to the bitter end just like we said we would.”
Trailing 14-12, Castro put the Cards ahead 18-14 with a 15-yard run after getting to the edge of the Mustang defense in the second quarter. Castro finished the night with 157 yards rushing, 200 passing and a score.
On Memorial’s ensuing possession, the Cardinals sacked Sanchez on back-to-back plays to force a punt, which helped give Harlingen the cushion it needed as a Tienda 1-yard score minutes later put Harlingen up 25-14.
Trailing 28-14 at the half, the Mustangs cut the lead to one score three different times, but the Cards kept answering with long second-half drives.
“Our offense was playing great. We gave up some big plays, but Memorial has some big time football players,” said Harlingen head coach Manny Gomez. “Memorial is a great football team with tremendous talent.
“My (team) rose to the occasion and turned in a great team effort.”
Harlingen converted in the clutch and only punted the ball twice the entire night, while its defense held Speights to 23 yards in the first half and got consistent pressure on the Memorial backfield.
“We knew we had to bring heat off the edges because of their max protection,” Gomez said. “It could have gone both ways there for a while, but tip your hat to both teams. That’s what Valley football has become; great effort on both sides.”