Special to the NEWS
Photo by T.J. Tijerina
Junior free safety Elijah Deleon of the Harlingen Cardinals dives for a tackle against the Harlingen South Hawks Friday at Boggus Stadium. The Cards edged the Hawks by a score of 21-14 to take sole possession of first place in District 32-5A.
HARLINGEN — When it comes to Bird Bowls, it’s almost always a mental game.
Both the Harlingen Cardinals and the Harlingen South Hawks boasted talented squads heading into Friday’s Bird Bowl XXI. But behind an experienced squad used to big-game pressure, it was the Redbirds who rule the city once again.
The Cards jumped out to a three touchdown lead and staved off a feisty Hawks squad 21-14 in front of a sold-out Boggus Stadium.
Harlingen (8-1 overall, 7-0 District 31-5A) officially clinched the 32-5A championship and by winning its sixth-straight Bird Bowl while South (8-1, 6-1) fell for the first time this season.
The Cards got the party started when Adrian Vasquez returned a fumble a couple of yards for a touchdown in the first quarter for a 7-0 HHS lead.
Harlingen’s much-improved quarterback Brandon Garza took over after that, but it wasn’t his rocket arm that did the damage. It was his legs.
Garza ran in his first TD from eight yards out as the Cards were up 14-zip with :46 left in the first quarter. He added a 13-yard TD in the second quarter and the rout was seemingly on at 21-0 at the half.
But the Hawks battled back.
South got a 31-yard TD hookup from Sean Montemayor to Nick Garcia. Then Montemayor dove in from a yard away to close the gap to 21-14 midway through the third quarter.
That’s when the Cards defense did its part as Hayden Flores picked off three South passes.
Harlingen has won each Bird Bowl since 2007 and will look to close things out next week against Brownsville Hanna. South goes to Los Fresnos in Week 10. Both teams are playoff bound.
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