HARLINGEN — Early this week, Harlingen head coach Manny Gomez went on a statewide radio show and outlined how crucial special teams would have to be in order to be successful against San Benito in the 87th Battle of the Arroyo.
Gomez may not be a prophet or the like, but he was pretty darn prescient this week.
The Cardinals got big plays via special teams, including two booming field goals from Giovanni Guillen, a 48-yard punt return touchdown by Kaynon Fuentes, and a safety via a botched Greyhound snap on a punt. All contributed greatly to the Cards’ 29-27 win over the Greyhounds Friday to claim the District 32-6A championship.
Guillen, who was on last year’s team before winning the kicking job this year, shone brightly in another BOTA thriller, the third straight with high-stakes drama.
His first kick came after a lightning-quick San Benito score to open the game, and the important points came on a 40-yard boot with 4:48 to go in the first to get the Cards on the board.
On the ensuing possession, the Cards’ defense forced a Hounds’ punt, but a high snap went into the end zone with Redbirds in hot pursuit. The result was a deuce that closed the gap to a 7-5 score.
May not have seemed like much, but it would loom large later.
San Benito claimed a 21-12 halftime lead and a vital Cardinal possession began the second half. It wound up with a pass from Jesse Castro to Jeriel Cervantes off a tipped ball to make it 21-19 Hounds.
Just before the end of the quarter, Fuentes had his moment in the spotlight.
He took a high punt at the Greyhound 48 and darted through a sea of white jerseys en route to a momentum-changing go ahead TD with just 33 ticks left in the third. That gave Harlingen a 26-21 edge.
The unbeaten Hounds were resilient, as Tyrone Harper ran in a touchdown to give his team a 27-26 lead with 11:09 left in the game.
The game was tight on both sides, trading blows, and it would come down to one more special play from the Cards’ third unit.
The Cards recovered a San Benito fumble on the Hounds’ 35, and were limited to what amounted to a three-and-out for zero yards. Gomez and kickers coach Bobby Lucio had no qualms about sending in Guillen, a heady senior all of 5-foot-7, 165 pounds on a night when Cards kicking legend Leo Araguz was honored.
Guillen trotted onto the field and calmly took his steps before hitting a 52-yard field goal down Broadway to give the Cardinals the lead and ultimately the district championship. The boot is said to be a Harlingen school record for longest field goal.
“Can you believe that?” Guillen asked afterward. “It feels awesome! The coaches had told me to get ready, so I started to figure out where I needed to be to kick. My snapper and holder did their jobs and (I knew) it was good. You can just feel it. I’m excited my teammates and I get those trophies and leave a legacy.”
Indeed, Gomez had a hunch it would come down to special teams, and he had full faith in no. 85.
“I’m a kicker believer,” Gomez said afterward. “I believe in kickers, man, so I knew if we could get in field goal range we could do it because I believe in Gio and he came through for us.”