GAME AUDIO

Archived game audio

2009 ARCHIVED VIDEO CONTENT 

Video of Harlingen High-SA Southwest

Video of Edinburg High-Brownsville Hanna

Video of Edinburg High-Edinburg North

Video of Mission Veterans' Raul Becerril

Video of Rio Hondo's Maverick Hunter

Video highlights of McAllen Memorial-Sharyland

Video of Los Fresnos' Estephan Wilson

Video highlights of Mercedes-Weslaco East

Apparently much of the Valley viewed Will Ferrell’s “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” immediately following the Harlingen Cardinals 42-13 loss to Austin Westlake on Friday night.

I say this because it would appear that several Valley football fans believe — just as Ricky Bobby did in the film — that “if you ain’t first, you’re last.”

Despite a wonderful season that saw the Cards go 12-1, there are people out there who believe that Harlingen’s season went to waste after losing to the Chaparrals.

SAN ANTONIO — Being the underdog is nothing new to Roy Garza and the Edinburg North Cougars.

Playing in District 31-5A, the Coogs fought for their third-place finish.

Up against teams like Harlingen and PSJA North, only made the Cougars a better team.

And after weathering the storm of playing shorthanded for the early part of the season due to injury, the North is playing superb ball at the right time.

The Cougars have definitely endured a lot this season.

But Edinburg North is reaping their rewards now.

Congratulations District 31-5A for having the best, and toughest, teams in the Rio Grande Valley.

All remaining playoff teams come from 31-5A, and up until 6 p.m. last Saturday, all four teams were in the playoffs. But that may be where the excitement ends this week as all three teams have an uphill battle in their respective playoff matches.

Each team this week has a monumental task at hand, although it isn’t out of the question for one or more teams to win this week.

EDINBURG – Simon Edwards’ brief athletic career can be summed up in two words:

Patience and perseverance.

Those two things came together last Friday when Edwards spurned off a career-high 207 yards on 15 carries in a 28-24 Cougars victory against undefeated Sharyland in a Class 5A Division II playoff at Cats Stadium.

The win sends Edinburg North to the third round of the playoffs for the first time in school history. The Coguars (9-3) play San Antonio Brandeis (11-1) in a Region IV semifinal at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Ask PSJA head coach Mel Rios and he'll tell you just how tough District 31-5A really is.

Rios' Bears came in fifth place in 31-5A this season losing to the second through fourth place teams by a combined score of five points.

PSJA High lost to Edinburg North by three points, 31-28 in a nailbiter from the start.

The following week, the Bears lost to the Edinburg High Bobcats 33-32 in overtime.

Then in Week 10 with the Bears officially out of the postseason, PSJA High went for the win late in the game but came up short on the two-point play for the 21-20 loss.

Editor's Note: Keep checking back to this file on RGVSports.com throughout the weekend as playoff pairings, along with the time, date and place of the games, become finalized.

Thursday Nov. 12

BI-DISTRICT

CLASS 4A Division I

Flour Bluff 55, Mission Veterans Memorial 35

Friday Nov. 13

BI-DISTRICT

CLASS 5A Division I

Harlingen High 41, San Benito 21

Edinburg High 18, Brownsville Hanna 14

San Antonio Southwest 58, Rio Grande City 28

KINGSVILLE — In foot-ball, it’s usually the offen-sive unit that shines. It’s the offensive skill players who make headlines and get all the attention. It’s usually the offense that makes the difference.

But against San Antonio Southwest on Friday, it was the defense that made the difference for the Harlingen Cardinals in their area-round win.

After running wild against Rio Grande City in the bi-district round last week, Southwest’s offense was virtually shut down by the Cardinals Big D.

EDINBURG — Moises Beltran struggled to find words to describe another stunning win by his Edinburg North Cougars.

Considering the defensive back’s team just pulled off what had never happened in the program’s history, it’s easy to forgive him.

Behind three interceptions — two by Beltran — and Simon Edwards’ 207 yards rushing, the Cougars upset a previously undefeated Sharyland team 28-24 in the teams’ Class 5A area round game on Friday night at Cats Stadium.

GAME AUDIO

Upcoming and archived game audio

AREA ROUND GAME STORIES

Harlingen fends off Southwest for Westlake rematch

PSJA North recovers from 21 down to beat Eagle Pass

Mission High comes up short against Gregory-Portland

Cougars' defense denies Rattlers in red zone for upset

Bobcats' playoff run falls short against Rams

This time, late heroics fall short for Tigers against Sandcrabs

AREA ROUND FEATURES