RED CRUSHED

SAN ANTONIO - Give them an inch and they'll take 177 yards.

Austin Westlake's Ryan Swope returned the Chaps' first two kickoff returns of the game for a combined 177 yards and two scores.

It was a hole Harlingen couldn't dig itself out from and the Chaps went on to beat the Cardinals 49-23 in their Division I-5A regional playoff at the Alamodome on Saturday.

‘We hadn't experienced that adversity factor in a while," Harlingen head coach Manny Gomez said. "It happened but you can't get in a 14-3 hole against a good team like Westlake. That was definitely a back breaker."

Back breaker indeed.

By the time Harlingen's defense got on the field for its first action of the game, the Cards (10-3) trailed 14-3.

It was a situation Harlingen was familiar with, but from the other side.

In its previous two playoff games, Harlingen outscored its opponents 35-0 in the first quarter. But this time it was the Cards chasing points from the beginning.

"It felt weird," senior linebacker Matt Torres said. "It definitely knocked the wind out of us."

Trailing 7-0 following Swope's 90-yard kick return, Harlingen took its first possession and drove down the field looking as effective as in its first two playoff games. But the Cards settled for a field goal.

Swope then returned the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for the score and the proverbial back breaker.

"We challenged the special teams and they seemed to have responded today," Westlake head coach Derek Long said. "The defense might not have liked it...they were right back on the field."

Following the two kickoffs, Harlingen's defense forced the Chaps (9-4) to punt.

But Westlake would score on three of its next four drives to take a commanding 35-3 lead with 3:01 left in the half.

"I got out coached on the defensive side, but I'll learn from it," Gomez said. "It was a great learning experience for me and the kids coming back. And at the same time we want to make it better."

Harlingen scored late in the first half when quarterback John Murphy hit Angel Cantu on a five-yard pass with 11 seconds left in the half.

Murphy threw a career-high 47 pass attempts completing 19 passes for 217 yards. He threw one TD pass and two interceptions.

"We lost to a great team," Murphy said. "I love these guys like brothers and I'll do anything for them."

Junior running back Pablo Garza was very impressive, rushing for 197 yards and one TD on a season-high 32 carries.

"Speed kills," Garza said. "The Valley can do this (get past the third round). This serves as a learning experience for all of us."

The Chaps scored on their first two possessions of the second half to build a 49-9 lead.

Harlingen got the ball to open up the second half but after moving it effectively, fumbled at midfield.

Harlingen still managed 481 yards of total offense including 264 on the ground.

But the two kickoffs and a couple of big plays by the Westlake offense did the trick for the Chaps.

Westlake scored on a 61-yard pass in the first half and a 38-yard run in the second half.

Westlake only gained 260 yards of total offense.

"Our guys had to be really focused to dominate the way they did," Long said. "It's a win and I wouldn't trade a million dollars for it at this point. We're still playing and there are three more to win."

Eladio Jaimez covers the Harlingen Cardinals for Valley Freedom Newspapers.