ROY HESS | Staff Writer
Please forgive the Harlingen South Hawks for being a little excited about the state soccer playoffs.
They waited 25 years or so to win their first playoff game. Now, they’ve won twice within a week in the postseason.
“I’m so glad to be a part of this team,” said Isaac Garza, a sophomore forward for the Hawks who scored a pair of goals during South’s 4-1 Class 6A area-round playoff win Tuesday against McAllen Rowe in McAllen.
Last Friday, the Hawks defeated Edinburg Economedes 3-2 in bi-district.
Up next for the Hawks is a regional quarterfinal matchup against fellow District 32-6A member Brownsville Hanna. The Hawks take on the Golden Eagles at 8 p.m. Friday at Brownsville Sports Park, site of this year’s Regional IV-6A Tournament.
The South-Hanna winner qualifies for next week’s regional tournament.
“We are a small district (with only six teams in 32-6A), and I think everybody took us for granted,” South coach Julian Robles said. “But now it’s showing with us and Hanna (from 32-6A) going far. It just shows we’re a real tough district to go against. (Brownsville) Rivera has done well, too.”
“Honestly, I feel that any of the six teams in 32-6A could give a battle to any of these teams we’re facing in the playoffs,” Robles added. “Our South boys are doing incredible things. It’s a group that works together, they lift each other up and they stick to our game plan, which is something you have to do in these (playoff) games.”
South was the 32-6A runner-up behind district champion Rivera. Hanna finished in third place.
During district play, South lost at Hanna 2-1 on Feb. 15 and beat the Eagles 4-2 at home on March 19.
“It’s going to be exciting for us (playing Hanna) since we know what to expect from each other,” Robles said. “Hanna is a well-coached team by Coach (Reyes) Prado that has a tradition of getting far in the playoffs.
“We understand that it will be a tough game, but we are not just happy with getting to the regional quarterfinals,” Robles added. “We really want to win just as much as Hanna wants to.”
LADY HAWKS SHINING
Conversely, the Harlingen South girls are used to going to the playoffs annually and staying around awhile.
That’s what they’re doing this season, having won their area-round game 3-0 on Tuesday at McAllen Rowe. The Lady Hawks defeated Donna North 5-3 in bi-district last Friday.
The next challenge for the South girls is a regional quarterfinal matchup against McAllen High at 6 p.m. Friday at Brownsville Sports Park. It’s the first game of a playoff doubleheader for the South girls and boys.
The South and McHi girls have a storied soccer rivalry going in the playoffs. Dating back to the late 1990s, they’ve met eight times, usually during the second or third round, and the Lady Hawks have won five of those matchups.
“It may be the only losing record we have against another Valley team,” Lady Bulldogs coach Pat Arney said.
The past two seasons McHi has beaten the Lady Hawks in the regional quarterfnals (2-1 in 2018 and 1-0 in 2017). The Lady Bulldogs became the Valley’s first female team to advance to the UIL state tournament last season.
“McHi has an outstanding team and it’s going to be a tough matchup,” Lady Hawks coach Omar Pedroza said. “They have speed everywhere. If we can play well defensively like we did against Rowe, we should be OK. Our defensive play will be a key because McHi has so much speed.”
Added Carolina Grannum, South’s junior forward who scored the first goal for the Lady Hawks against Rowe, “I really think we can beat McHi if we just play our best throughout the entire game. I’m pretty sure we have a good chance to beat them.”
HEARTFELT THANKS
The soccer season came to an all-too-soon end for the Harlingen High Lady Cardinals on Tuesday in a 4-2 area-round playoff loss to La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at Sharyland High. The Lady Cardinals were up 2-1 early in the second half, but could not hold the lead.
Lady Cardinals coach Debra Galvan said she appreciates the strong effort her players gave throughout the 2019 campaign.
“The girls worked hard all season and gave so much heart when they played on the field,” Galvan said. “They gave lots of effort this year and played as a team.”
(Photo of South seniors courtesy of Alex Mendez)