HARLINGEN — Harlingen High has been the standard for Valley football throughout the decades. Since the program’s inception in 1913, the Cardinals have amassed 36 district titles — the most in Valley history — and 17 10-win seasons, ranked second behind Port Isabel (19).
Harlingen High reached a new milestone Friday, picking up the program’s 700th win with a 76-21 beatdown of Mercedes.
The Cardinals’ 700 wins rank No. 20 in Texas high school football history, according to texashighschoolfootballhistory.com, a collective work of sports historians Joe Lee Smith, a 2007 Texas High School Football Hall of Fame inductee, and Pigskin Prep’s Jerry Forrest.
Donna High is the Valley’s next closest team, ranking 92nd with 590 wins in 1,024 games, just 40 fewer games played than Harlingen High.
“It’s been great for the program,” Harlingen High head coach Manny Gomez said. “It says a lot about the character of this program and what it’s made up of. It’s been a lot of hard work, blood, sweat and tears. It’s a cliché, but it’s the truth of the hard work that people have put into this program. It’s bigger than me, us and all of us at this place. That’s why we defend it to the fullest, because of what it’s done for us and how it’s blessed us. At the same time, numbers don’t lie, people do. That 700 says it all.”
The Cardinals have amassed a 700-324-40 overall mark through 107 seasons, including a 41-40-2 record in the postseason. Their win percentage of 65.8% sits No. 22 all-time among teams with at least 500 games played.
Gomez has played a key role in the Cardinals’ success the past two decades, racking up 132 career wins, six 10-win seasons and advancing to at least the third round of the postseason four times, including a fourth-round appearance in 2011.
The credit for the foundation of success belongs to his predecessors, Gomez said, with coaches from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s like Ruben Elizarde and Jesse Longhofer, laying the groudwork for those who followed.
“Those are two dudes who brought a lot of wins to this program,” Gomez said. “I’m just blessed to be at the helm now. Those guys were some of the dudes that did it in a big way in the early days. I’m just trying to add to it. The new generational ones are the Bob Boyd, Bret Boyd, Randy Cretors. … They’ve all played a major role in all of this. I’m kind of just the icing on the cake. We’re going to add to it, defend it and have fun doing it.”
Gomez and the Cardinals will look to continue to add to their winning total Friday, hosting the Mission Veterans Patriots at Boggus Stadium.
WIN NO. 1
While Gomez picked up his 132nd victory Friday, Edinburg Economedes first-year head coach Raul Salas notched his first win Thursday, a 38-35 thriller over Brownsville Lopez at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.
A 23-yard field goal as time expired by sophomore kicker Ponciano Vazquez secured the Jaguars’ first victory of the year and Salas’ first of his career.
“I try not to make it about me because it’s a job for me,” Salas said. “At the end of the day, I’m happy we got the win because it gives us a little bit more breathing room to be able to keep pushing the culture that we’re trying to build. It was good for the team. It’s not necessarily about me. I could care less about me. I’ve already been through it. I’m glad we got it early, because now we can continue to work harder to try and see what else we could get.”
Edinburg Economedes (1-1, 0-0) returns to action at 7 p.m. Friday, facing off against Corpus Christi Carroll (1-1, 0-0) at Cabaniss Stadium in Corpus Christi.
DEFENSIVE WAR DOGS
San Benito’s defense has been among the best through the first two weeks, allowing just 360 yards of total offense and three points en route to a 2-0 start.
The Greyhounds have terrorized opponents’ backfields and capitalized on their mistakes, recording 19 tackles for loss and 11 sacks, and forcing nine turnovers.
Seniors Mariano Garcia and Nova Bejaran anchor San Benito’s defense, combining for 27 tackles, nine tackles for loss, five sacks and four forced fumbles.
The Greyhounds face a tough task during Week 3, hosting No. 6 McAllen Memorial at 7 p.m. Friday at Bobby Morrow Stadium. The matchup marks the second top 10 team San Benito faces this season after clashing with then-No. 8 Brownsville Veterans in Week 1.
