BIG CLASH

McALLEN - There is no time to ease into shape and no chance to shake off the cobwebs.

Today's 7:30 p.m. Week 0 contest between Harlingen High and McAllen High at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium is the type of contest that waits for no one.

There might not be a bigger game featuring a Rio Grande Valley team during the opening week of the season than The Monitor's Game of the Week featuring No. 2 Harlingen High at No. 4 McAllen High.

And the coaches seem thrilled to be playing each other rather than a lowly squad.

"It's an eye-opener for both teams," Cardinals coach Manny Gomez said. "You get beat, you face adversity early on. I think it gets you better. It allows you to know what you need to work on as a staff and as a team. It is going to be a good game for both programs."

Each team returns a bevy of experienced players, each has a quarterback to watch this season, each has running backs ready to shine and each returns key players on stingy defenses from one season ago.

"I don't think anyone has an edge. If there is an edge, it's that I can beat Coach Gomez at arm wrestling," Harris said jokingly.

This game is so evenly matched it might come down to an arm-wrestling battle between the coaches.

"We all know who is going to win that one. He don't want an arm-wrestling contest," Gomez said as he laughed.

Harris said the Bulldogs have scrimmaged or played against Harlingen in each of his 13 years at McHi. After three years of scrimmaging each other, Harris made sure the Cardinals were on this year's regular season schedule to help commemorate the school's 100th-year anniversary. The Bulldogs face three of the Valley's original programs - Harlingen High, Edinburg High and PSJA High - during non-district play.

The Cardinals own the all-time series record of 37-30-2 over Bulldogs.

"It's a great matchup between two evenly matched teams," Harris said about tonight's game. "It is two traditionally teams that have played each other. I think it is just an intriguing game.

"Since I have been here, we have had just some great, exciting games against (Harlingen). Those are the kind of games you like in the non-district."

Gomez is not surprised by all the interest in the early-season game.

"I think it's going to be a good game for the communities involved, for the Valley, period," Gomez said. "I think a lot of people are going to show up to this game just to see a pretty good high school football game."

Peter Rasmussen covers District 30-5A football for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4448 or via e-mail at prasmussen@themonitor.com