HARLINGEN — There is an old saying coined by legendary head coach Bear Bryant that states defense wins championships. The adage rang true Friday night.
Harlingen South’s defense took the field with 1:28 left in regulation, with Donna High looking for the game-tying score. On the first play of the drive, defensive back Mikey Gonzalez saw an errant pass coming his way.
The Hawks junior nabbed the ball out of the sky and secured the game-sealing interception, with Harlingen South defeating Donna High 14-7 on Friday at Boggus Stadium in Harlingen, securing a share of the District 16-5A DI championship.
“Our success mostly comes from our D-line,” Gonzalez said. “They put everything together and make us defensive backs look good. I was just thinking to myself, ‘Don’t drop it.’ We’re just going to keep looking ahead now. Like we say all the time – no fear, all faith.”
The district title marked back-to-back championships for the Hawks, winning the District 32-6A crown a season ago. They’ll share this year’s title with Brownsville Veterans and Weslaco East, each who finished 5-1 in district.
The victory also secured second place in the district for Harlingen South, while Donna High finishes fourth with a 3-3 district record. The Hawks will take on McAllen High during the bi-district round of the Class 5A DI postseason, while the Redskins will face off against PSJA North.
“We talk to our guys all year about three phases of the game,” Harlingen South head coach Israel Gonzalez said. “It has been a while since South has gotten a playoff win. That is going to be our goal. We’re going to celebrate tonight and enjoy this but at the same time we’re going to wake up in the morning and be focused on the task at hand.”
Harlingen South leaned heavily on the run during the contest, handing the ball off 46 times and passing just 14. With Donna High loading the box to stop the run, Harlingen South’s head coach dialed up a long pass down the middle, looking to catch the Redskins defense off guard.
The play resulted in a 40-yard completion from Dylan Anaya to Desmond Cano, setting up the Harlingen South offense up inside the red zone.
Two plays later, Harlingen South’s Carlos Moss Boss found the end zone on a 4-yard run for the go-ahead touchdown.
“We saw that all first half they realized we were running the ball and they started to load the box and give us Cover 0,” Gonzalez said. “When we saw they were doing that in the middle of the field, we knew we were going to be able to take a shot. We were just waiting for the right moment. God is good though. We were able to complete it and Desmond got us into the red zone. It was a huge moment swing that led to those seven points.”
Moss Boss finished with 21 carries for 119 yards and one touchdown, with Ethan Garza adding four carries for 25 yards. Garza also scored the game-tying touchdown with 4:37 left.
Defensively, the Hawks stifled the Redskins for a majority of the contest, allowing less than 100 yards of total offense and holding Donna High to 1-of-12 on third downs.
Linebacker Gilbert Lerma and Caleb Anaya led the charge defensively, swarming to the ball on nearly every possession.
“That side of the football is tenacious and fast,” Gonzalez said. “They play extremely hard and physical. They’ve been our anchor all year long. In true Hawk football fashion, they came out and flew around. They held us in the game until we were able to figure out what we needed to do on offense. There is no doubt in my mind they’re the catalyst of this football team this season.”
