Jaimez: Harlingen, RGV became one in the fourth round

Randy Bermea squatted on the field following the Harlingen Cardinals’ 42-27 loss to San Antonio Madison in their Class 5A, Division I state quarterfinals.

The disappointment and sadness was obvious.

No. 2 became a fan favorite from the moment he returned a kickoff 97 yards against Corpus Christi Carroll back in September as the opening play of the 2011 season.

That kick return started the Cardinals on one of the most memorable seasons by a Valley football team in recent memory.

Dreams of a state championship grew week after week in Harlingen. The dream was reinforced last week when Harlingen beat San Antonio Warren, 53-28, to become only the fourth Valley 5A team to advance past the third round of the playoffs ever.

But on Friday at Javelina Stadium the dream was cut short. A couple of miscues by Harlingen combined with a solid Madison effort on both sides of the ball ended the magical season.

So after the game, Bermea couldn’t do much but just sit there in disbelief. His father Randolph, a defensive coordinator at Laredo LBJ, approached the Harlingen star and consoled him.

Eventually, Bermea found his brother Gilbert, a defensive back, and made one symbolic gesture that pretty much sums up the legacy the Harlingen Cardinals will leave behind: family comes first.

Randy took off his No. 2 jersey and handed it over to Gilbert, a sophomore.

“I just told him I loved him and that this was his team now,” said Randy as he fought back tears. “I’m a has-been…my legacy is done. It’s up to him and these other young guys to keep it up and take it further.

“I’m so proud of him (Gilbert). He stepped up this season and I really can’t even express how proud I am.”

The brothers shared a moment after that game that will likely last forever in their hearts.

But they weren’t the only ones.

For 13 weeks after every game, players sought out their families to celebrate a win.

On Friday they looked for their families again. Only this time, these kids needed comfort and reassurance that everything would be OK.

Because at the end of the day, all any of us really have is family.

Harlingen head coach Manny Gomez instills the concept of family at every practice. On Friday, Randy and Gilbert illustrated it perfectly.

But it wasn’t only them.

As I walked into the stadium nearly two hours before kickoff, the arena resembled a sea of red.

In a matter of minutes, over 10,000 Harlingen fans engulfed the bleachers.

I interviewed a gentleman from McAllen and he might have worded it best when he said, “at this point, the Valley is one.”

The usual Big Red faithful was in attendance for the historic game. But many more football fans come out to support the Valley’s only team from La Joya, Santa Rosa, McAllen, Mercedes, Weslaco, San Benito, Rio Hondo, Brownsville to name a few.

Just as Randy and Gilbert sought each other out for comfort, people of the Valley come together to offer their support when one of theirs was on the big stage.

For the most part the Valley wants the Valley to win. And while not everyone is a blood relative, the bonds of being from Harlingen or the Valley are just as strong sometimes.

If you’re reading this and you’re not from here, you might not understand.

Or maybe you do.

Maybe you too are from a place where the concept of family, actual or literal, is a staple of living.

I sat with my colleague, friend and brother Armando Garza in the press box last night writing our game stories with other media.

We overheard as one radio announcer went on and on about how impressed he was with the Harlingen Cardinals and Manny Gomez.

They said things like, “this isn’t the last we’ve heard of the Harlingen Cardinals” and “it’s only a matter of time before the Rio Grande Valley wins a state title.”

I can speak for Mando when I say we both felt a sense of pride when we heard this stranger speaking highly of the Valley.

He was talking about one of our own.

As I stood on the sidelines covering the game, I’d take a few moments as often as I could just to take it all in.

At moments I wish our former sports editor and friend Buddy Green was there with us. I thought of other friends and family too. Most of them were there as part of the 13,000-plus in attendance.

It really did feel like a great big family get-together.

And while it was Randy and Gilbert on the field feeling the agony of the loss, the Valley hurt with them.

This year families like the Bermeas, the Ledesmas the Ramirezes and the Gomezes became household names.

But on Friday, win or lose, we showed San Antonio Madison and the rest of the state that we were one family.

For one night, we were the Harlingen Cardinals.

For a lifetime, we’ll always be the Rio Grande Valley.

Follow Eladio Jaimez on Twitter @lamerapluma