Cardinals show character in first-round playoff win

HARLINGEN — It was unfamiliar territory to say the least.

Harlingen led 14-7 at halftime against San Benito last week. But it was as close a half as any the Cardinals had played all season.

In its district opener against Edinburg North, Harlingen led 21-10 at the half after rallying from a first-quarter deficit.

In what turned out to be the district title game against PSJA North last month, the Cards led 20-7 at the half.

Other than those games, Harlingen's held very comfortable leads heading into intermission.

The Cards did, after all, outscore their opponents 494-100 during the regular season.

Harlingen's hadn't faced any real adversity all year.

Even in their close ones against the Cougars and Raiders, Big Red seemed very much in control.

But playing the Greyhounds for the second time in two months must have been the difference.

The seven-point lead was the least of Harlingen's worries as San Benito seemed focused on not getting blown out if not winning the game.

"We hadn't been challenged all year and I wanted to see their (team's) character when we were," Cards head coach Manny Gomez said Monday at practice. "We (coaches) could make all the adjustments, but they had to make the adjustment mentally and they did. We saw their character in the second half and the rest is history."

San Benito got the ball to start the second half and the Cards held the ’Hounds to a three-and-out.

Harlingen responded with one of the most amazing runs at Boggus Stadium in quite some time.

Cards QB Mack Sanchez chased down a high snap about 10 yards back of the line of scrimmage and the athletic senior turned what could have been a 10-yard loss into a 52-yard TD run.

The play ignited a 20-point third quarter and the Cards never looked back.

Through adversity, Harlingen showed its true character. The players held each other accountable. And they responded.

"It says two things about them," Gomez said. "One, there's outstanding leadership on this team. And two, they have confidence in each other. They challenged themselves. There was a lot of chatter and screaming and hollering. But it was all positive. It was great to see."

For Gomez, it was a reassurance of the team's maturity.

A senior-laden group, the Cards showed focus and composure in the other close ones against the Coogs and Pharr North.

Even in the heavily favored games, Harlingen always seemed ready to play and treated every game like a playoff.
But the actual playoffs are a different animal. And last Friday, Harlingen showed true grit.

"It's easy to play when things are going good," Gomez said. "But it's hard when things are going tough. A lot of people will fold or quit when things get tough. But no one made excuses on Friday at halftime. It was all about problem solving. I think we showed what kind of team we are."

Eladio Jaimez covers District 31-5A for Valley Freedom Newspapers.