Eight games into the 2017-18 District 32-6A season and the Harlingen Cardinals sit in fourth place and within reach of a playoff berth.
When the season began, one of the team’s goals was to make the postseason. Midway through the year and the Cardinals find themselves with 10 points and are eager to accomplish something that hasn’t been done in a decade.
“I think we’ve done a great job so far,” said Harlingen head coach Johnny Guillen. “We are in a position where we wanted to be by having an opportunity to be competing for a playoff spot and I believe we are.
“We wanted to be able to put ourselves in a spot to compete in each and every game as well as continue to grind to reach our goal of getting into the third part of the season.”
Just behind Harlingen is a young Harlingen South Hawks squad that has been competitive in every one of their matches. However, at 3-5 (nine points) the Hawks find themselves just outside the top four, but are still ready to make a run for the postseason.
“We’ve got a lot of underclassman (freshman and sophomores), but they’ve been getting a lot better and I think we’re going to make a run for the playoffs,” said Harlingen South head coach Julian Robles. “Harlingen (High) got us on Tuesday, but we just have to learn from our mistakes and keep on going.”
With a home game against Los Fresnos looming tonight, the Hawks are in a must-win situation.
“At this point every game is a must win,” said Robles. “At this point of the season you want to get as many points as you can and you want to walk out with some points. Los Fresnos is a real good team, but we are going to give it our best.
“I think we are a lot better than where we were in the first round and I think we have proved it a couple of times already, but we just have to put the ball in the net.”
CLASS 4A: In District 31-4A, Rio Hondo has been almost unstoppable this season. The Bobcats are at the top of the league with a record of 3-1 while La Feria and Port Isabel follow just behind at 2-1.
However, with Rio Hondo on a bye week and both La Feria and PI playing games tonight, all three could wind up in a three-way tie for first place.
“I think we’re doing well,” said Rio Hondo head coach Candido Ochoa. “I was hoping to go 4-0, but I’ll take 3-1. Erik Pizarro has been playing well at both forward and goalie, Jose Alas-Meza has been scoring left and right, and both Matthew Cuellar and Alfonso Lopez have also been playing really well.”
Last year’s 31-4A Offensive Player of the Year, Meza, is no stranger to scoring and has already scored 13 league goals in four games.
“He’s pretty amazing. He’s a talent that only comes in once every 10 years, maybe if you’re lucky,” said Ochoa of Meza. “He works hard and, to me, he’s so advanced that the game just slows down for him. He works hard for the game he loves and for him it just comes natural.
“He plays year-round either in clubs or with adult leagues, so he’s not just working on his game with me, he is doing it year-round.”
