The three undefeated teams in the East Valley kept rolling in Week 6, and a couple of other teams picked up good wins as they crossed the midway point in the season.
Arguably the biggest game, and biggest victory, in the Rio Grande Valley during Week 6 was the Harlingen South Hawks earning their first Bird Bowl win since 2007. They defeated Harlingen High 28-21 and rose to the No. 4 spot in the RGVSports.com poll with a 5-0, 2-0 in District 32-6A record.
Hawks senior quarterback Xander Casarez threw for 119 yards and one touchdown to senior receiver Elias Ledesma, who was voted the game’s most valuable player. Ledesma had two receptions for 28 yards and a highlight-reel touchdown catch. Seniors Marcos Gonzales and Jeremiah Rivera each rushed for one score. Gonzales accumulated 73 rushing yards, and Rivera had 16 rushing yards and 57 receiving yards.
One of the biggest stats from the 29th annual Bird Bowl is that Harlingen South’s defense held Harlingen High to minus-16 rushing yards. The Hawks forced three turnovers, including a fumble recovery touchdown from Ethan Garza. The Cardinals, who fell to No. 6, did have success in the air, however, accumulating 201 passing yards.
(READ: Harlingen South winning its first Bird Bowl since 2007)
The San Benito Greyhounds (5-0, 2-0) also made a jump to No. 3 in the poll after rolling past Brownsville Hanna 49-21 on Saturday. Sophomore running back Fabian Garcia had another huge game for San Benito, rushing for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Junior quarterback Rodney Rodriguez threw for 110 yards and three touchdowns, one to Ricky Perez (five receptions, 27 yards) and two to Jermaine Corbin (five receptions, 71 yards).
No. 9 Port Isabel rounds out the three undefeated teams in the East Valley. The Tarpons (5-0, 2-0) stayed perfect with another nice District 16-4A Division II victory, taking down Raymondville 40-22 on Saturday.
Port Isabel rushed for 259 yard and five touchdowns. Gilbert Medina led the way with 115 yards and one score. Derrin Valdez (20 yards) scored twice, and Cross Martinez (37 yards) and Jayden Lopez (49 yards) each had one rushing touchdown. Defensively, the Tarpons allowed 335 yards of offense to the Bearkats and snagged one interception.
The Los Fresnos Falcons (2-2, 1-1) bounced back from the previous week to pick up their first 32-6A victory of the season with a dominant 51-0 performance over Donna North. Senior quarterback Matthew Padilla only completed five passes on eight attempts but still racked up 138 passing yards and two touchdowns in the air. He added 135 rushing yards.
On defense/special teams, the Falcons had one fumble recovery and one blocked punt. Seniors Gregory Jones and Jayden Moreno led the team in tackles.
Brownsville St. Joseph picked up its second consecutive TAPPS Division II District 3 victory by outlasting Austin Brentwood Christian 55-34. Senior quarterback Luigi Cristiano dished out five touchdown passes in a 26-for-38, 401-passing yard performance.
The Bloodhounds (3-2, 2-0) racked up 569 yards of offense. Juan Pablo Vidaurri had one rushing and one receiving score with 122 yards on the ground and 50 in the air. Adrian del Pozo scored three total touchdowns and accumulated 223 yards. Nick Jackson and Santiago Vidaurri each had one receiving score.
