HARLINGEN — Harlingen High head coach Manny Gomez and Harlingen South head coach Israel Gonzalez can sum up their relationship in one word – family.
The pair have been connected for more a decade. Gomez coached Gonzalez during his senior year at Harlingen High. Gonzalez also served as an assistant on Gomez’s staff for 10 years (2009-2018) before taking a head coaching position at Lyford for two seasons.
Gonzalez returned home in a sense last year, taking over as Harlingen South’s head coach, matching up against his colleague for the first time. Gonzalez earned bragging rights during their first meeting, leading the Hawks to a 28-21 victory, snapping a 13-game losing streak to the Cardinals.
“He’s really helped me along with my career,” Gonzalez said. “It’s like a family. We hang out. Our wives and kids get along. We’ve been involved in each other’s lives for what seems like forever. That always adds a different dynamic. At the end of the day, we respect each other and love each other. We’re excited to cheer each other on except one week a year. Other than that, when the week is over, we go back to supporting each other.”
Family turns to foe once again during Week 1, with No. 3 Harlingen High and No. 7 Harlingen South clashing in the RGVSports.com Game of the Week.
Kickoff for the 30th Bird Bowl is slated for 7 p.m. today at Boggus Stadium in Harlingen.
“It’s like a brotherhood for sure. You talk about having a profound relationship with these guys, it’s very significant,” Gomez said. “It’s a part of family. Sometimes family quarrels. This one night, we might quarrel a little bit. Other than that, we got nothing but love and respect for each other.”
Harlingen South experienced immense success during the 2021 season. The Hawks tallied a 10-0 mark during Gonzalez’s debut campaign, capturing their first district title since 2012.
No win last season, however, might have been bigger for the program than their victory over Harlingen High. Harlingen South now seeks to accomplish a feat it has accomplished just twice – defeating Harlingen High in back-to-back seasons.
The last time the Hawks won consecutive games against the Cardinals was in 2006 and 2007, also doing so in 1998 and 1999. Still, the Hawks aren’t hanging too much on last year’s victory, Gonzalez said.
“I’ll be honest, we don’t really think too much about what happened in the past, whether that’s last year’s victory or the other years before where there weren’t many victories,” Gonzalez said. “We worry about the now. We worry about our kids here in the present, and we like what we have. … They’ve been working hard all summer. From two-a-days, now they get the opportunity to go out there and showcase that on a great stage in the first game of the year.”
The Bird Bowl has been a staple in the Harlingen community for three decades, with Harlingen High and Harlingen South first facing off in 1993.
Despite last year’s loss, Harlingen High still holds a commanding 25-4 series lead over its crosstown rival. Still, last year’s results, as well as all previous years, hold little meaning going into the new campaign, Gomez said.
“Every year is different,” Gomez said. “We don’t have the luxury like they do in the league where they have a quarterback for 20 years and stuff. You have to approach it differently because you have a different arsenal. It’s part of it. It’s part of the grind and adaptation. We preach adapting to your environment. Same thing here, you have to adapt to what you have and don’t have, mixing stuff up and being creative.
“It goes beyond the rivalry. It’s been, like, year-round when it comes to our program lately, on both campuses. It’s been year-round training. Now it’s time to go out there and get paid. It should be a fun evening.”
