At the start of the 2021 season, the Harlingen High Cardinals set a goal they reach for every year: to win a district championship.
They came close in 2019, taking the No. 2 seed behind Brownsville Rivera. The COVID-19 pandemic kept them from building on “almost” last season. But this year, a solid mix of senior leadership and rising stars who stepped up to fill big roles got the job done.
Harlingen High finished the season 23-9-1 and notched a perfect 14-0 record to win the District 32-6A championship — ending a 23-year drought between outright titles and marking the first undefeated district season in program history. The Cardinals reached the area round of the state playoffs.
“It’s awesome for the kids and a great accomplishment for them. They put so much hard work into it and they were able to accomplish something so special, and as a coach you just feel great for those kids,” Cardinals skipper Armando Rangel said. “We felt we should’ve had it a couple years ago, and last year we had a really good team coming back and we felt we had an opportunity as well. This year, we just had a drive for it and really wanted to get it.”
The Cardinals didn’t have many seniors in the everyday lineup, but the veterans they did have were influential. Second baseman/pitcher Jacob Marroquin, first baseman Miguel “Angel” Ortiz, right fielder Gabriel Gonzales and center fielder Ruben Garcia are the seniors Rangel credited with playing “a big role in our year.”
Marroquin was the most experienced Cardinals player and someone Rangel praised for bringing “great leadership” to the team. Rangel said Ortiz, Gonzales and Garcia did “a great job” growing as the season went on and getting better every day.
“We did have young kids that played big roles, but you always need that maturity that has to lead the team. Without them, these moments can’t happen. So, a big thank you to our seniors for what they were able to accomplish,” Rangel said.
Harlingen High started the season 5-0 with wins over McAllen High, Sharyland Pioneer and Brownsville Veterans Memorial — all among the top teams in the Valley this year. Rangel said seeing the way his team was unfazed by the big stage early and battled through adversity let him know this group was special.
But he said the biggest asset behind Harlingen High’s success was the dedication the players showed to the program.
“This is my fourth year at Harlingen, and these kids show great dedication and an understanding of what it takes to win. That’s what they brought this year. They understood the execution part of the game and built a culture that’s always pushing to get better. That’s what I see in these kids and what I see for the future in some of the younger guys that are coming back,” Rangel said.
Many of the top Cardinals contributors were part of a stellar junior class. Harlingen High’s No. 1 and No. 2 pitchers, Ricky Montelongo and Thomas Lyssy, respectively, both produced on the mound and at the plate. Catcher Jeremy Cavazos, third baseman/pitcher Ethan Cepeda and left fielder Hunter Rodriguez are among the standouts returning with a goal of building on this season’s success.
Rangel lauded this team’s ability to fight in tough games and overcome slow starts to pull out wins. He believes the mental toughness and confidence gained throughout this challenging yet impressive season will bode well for the future of the program.
“The first thing we said when we finished the season was, ‘How are we going to raise the bar? How are we going to get better?’ That’s the goal for us next year,” Rangel said. “One thing I did notice from this group is, usually when we lost a game, we bounced right back and were able to win the next game. We learned a lot about ourselves and how we can handle those challenging moments, and that’s going to help us for next year.”
