By the numbers series in paper

[OlympFan]

Gabe Hernandez | Valley Morning Star
Jason Montemayor caught the winning TD pass for San Benito to beat Harlingen 15-6 in 1995.

By the Numbers: Frustration's End
San Benito broke 28-year drought against Harlingen in '95

July 30, 2008 - 10:49PM
By PAUL CONATZER | Valley Morning Star

Jason Montemayor was tired as he entered the end zone with the clinching touchdown in San Benito's 15-6 victory against Harlingen in 1995.

The Greyhounds' senior was tired because he was playing both ways. He was also tired because he was carrying 28 years of frustration for the Greyhounds against the Cardinals.

San Benito hadn't beaten Harlingen since 1967; a gap of 28 years filled with frustration and anguish for the San Benito faithful.

The ending of that streak is the subject of the latest installment of "By The Numbers."

Montemayor, now a Border Patrol agent based in McAllen, remembers just about every detail about the 44-yard scoring pass from quarterback Eddie Benavidez with 7:38 left in the game.

It started when Benavidez made a great fake to running back Nathan Obregon.

"As soon as I made the fake, I knew I was going to be open," Montemayor said of the stop-and-go route and the pump fake by Benavidez. "I was just trying to get separation from David Gonzalez (Harlingen cornerback). Once I got open, Eddie put the ball right in my hands. I just had to take a few steps to get in the end zone."

Montemayor caught the ball at about the 15 and held off Gonzalez, who had recovered enough to get a hand on his jersey, to get into the end zone.

"I just had to look up into the stands," Montemayor. "It was pandemonium. It was the biggest stage I have ever played on. It was just an amazing experience."

Old Greyhound Stadium pounded like a Keith Moon drum solo as ecstatic San Benito supporters jumped up and down and stomped on the old metal bleachers.

After the game, traffic drove around San Benito on a victory lap with horns honking. There were quite a few sleepless nights among the Greyhound faithful that night.

But there wasn't too much celebration for the players.

"We got to celebrate a little bit among ourselves," Montemayor said. "But, we had to practice the next day."

The pass completed an 83-yard scoring drive that came after Harlingen had scored its only touchdown of the game on a 13-yard run by quarterback Adrian Rubio that made it 9-6 with 11:44 left in the game.

The drive didn't start out auspiciously as the ‘Hounds were flagged for illegal procedure and Benavidez threw an incompletion.

However, Obregon went for 30 yards on two draw plays. It was Obregon's success on those two plays that helped set up the fake on the scoring pass.

What's often overlooked about the 1995 Battle of the Arroyo was that it was a must-win contest for the Greyhounds.

"We needed to win to make the playoffs," said Montemayor, who was a first-team All-District 32-5A receiver and cornerback.

Montemayor said then head coach Tommy Roberts had a lot to do with the Greyhounds' success.

The Greyhounds had fallen into a malaise before Roberts took over.

Roberts turned the Greyhounds around and turned them back into playoff contenders. He also gave them a taste of success against Harlingen with ties in 1993 and 1994 before breaking through with a win in 1995.

San Benito finished the regular season in 1995 with a 8-1-1 record in good part to a gritty defense that allowed only 79 points and an average of 190 yards a game.

And it was that stingy, undersized defense that slowed down a high-powered Cardinal offense.

Harlingen game into the game averaging 40 points a game and 452 yards an outing.

San Benito's defense led by middle linebacker Rolando Galvan shut the Cardinals down in the first half and held the Cardinals to 265 yards and one touchdown. Galvan also kicked three field goals in the win.

Harlingen made two more drives in the game and reached the San Benito 10 on one, but couldn't put the ball across.

www.rgvsports.com/articles/montemayor_2417___article.html/benito_san.html

[tigercrazy]

Nice Article

[Ol' Buzzard]

That was really interesting...

[OlympFan]

Yeah, my fav part is this by Montemayor:

"I just had to look up into the stands," Montemayor. "It was pandemonium. It was the biggest stage I have ever played on. It was just an amazing experience."

[xlobo]

I got chills when I read that part also OlympFan...

[OlympFan]

I know what you mean, xlobo, the kind of chills that make you feel good...

[OlympFan]

Gabe Hernandez/Valley Morning Star
Former Harlingen Cardinal players (l-r) Bobby Lucio (class of 1978), Charlie Torres (1980), Monty Woodall (1975), Ralph De La Rosa (1990), Lupe Gonzalez (1998), Rey De Leon (1995) and Harvey Noyola (1987) were instrumental in the Cards’ amazing 26-

Paint it Red
Tradition propelled Cardinals to 26 straight winning seasons

August 1, 2008 - 11:16PM
By ELADIO JAIMEZ/Valley Morning Star

HARLINGEN - Monty Woodall can still hear the blasts.

Woodall grew up near Boggus Stadium in the late 1960s.

And in the fall when the Harlingen Cardinals were in town, he always knew it.

So did everyone else.

"They used to shoot off a cannon when they (Harlingen) scored," recalled Woodall, now an assistant with the Cards. "I grew up wanting to be like those guys. Like the old Cardinals."

And once Woodall started naming his former Cardinal heroes, it seemed he couldn't stop.

Woodall was definitely a Cardinal fan growing up.

And like many boys growing up in Harlingen, Woodall wanted nothing more than to one day wear the red and white.

And he did.

Woodall played for Jesse Longhofer from 1972-74. And in ‘72 the Harlingen Cardinals started one of the most impressive streaks in Valley football history.

From 1972-97 the Cardinals never endured a losing season.

That stretch is the focus of the Valley Morning Star's latest By The Numbers Summer Series.

"To finally play on the varsity squad was an amazing experience," Woodall said. "Coaches implemented the attitide that Cardinal spirit never dies. And to this day I bleed nothing but Cardinal red. I wouldn't want to go anywhere else.

I'm a Cardinal at heart."

And he's not the only one.

Nearly the entire Harlingen coaching staff are former Cardinal players.

And they all reiterated in their own words exactly what Woodall felt.

"A lot of teams talk about tradition but it's all just a bunch of lip service," said longtime Harlingen assistant Bobby Lucio. "That's not the case at Harlingen High."

Lucio played for the Cardinals on their first ever undefeated team in 1976.

Ruben Elizarde (another Harlingen alumn) coached the Cards (1976-81) that year.

"He talked to us about the Cardinal way," Lucio said. "He lived it and he preached it. Now as a coach at Harlingen, I do the same with our guys."

Tradition is a huge reason why the Cardinals program has been one of the most successful in the Valley.

In that 26-year span, Harlingen went 213-55-10.

The Cards were 66-15-3 from 1972-79. That decade produced guys like Lucio, Woodall along with others like Charlie Torres (also an assistant at HHS) and the great Freddy Paredes.

"Now we have our own kids and they're playing for the Cardinals," Torres said. "They were ball boys now they're Cardinals. There's nothing else like it."

In the 1980s, Harlingen went 76-22-2 producing many more outstanding players including current Harlingen head coach Manny Gomez, Scott Swinnea, James Duncan, Harvey Noyola, Gilbert Leal, Garth Fennegan, Sammy Garza, Leo Araguz and Justin Jacobs to name a few.

"Growing up all we wanted to do was play for the Cardinals," Noyola said.

The 80s also produced one of the best teams the Valley has ever seen.

The 1989 Cards were the first 5A squad from the Valley to win three playoff games before losing to Converse Judson in the state quarterfinals.

Ralph De La Rosa - now the boys track and field head coach at Harlingen South - played on the '89 squad.

"We just had incredible players," De La Ros said. "We always knew we were going to win. No matter what the odds were. We just took care of business between the lines."

Then from '90-'97 Big Red went an impressive 71-18-5 despite being split to two high schools before the 1993 season.

From 1994-97 Harlingen only lost seven games including four postseason affairs.

Harlingen was undefeated in 1996 and went three-deep in 1994 and 96-97.

The 90s produced players like Maurice Hunter, Nacho Sauceda, Kenny Rubio, Art Galvan, Adrian Rubio, Josh Moody and Rollie Gonzalez are just some of the greats.

"We didn't make the playoffs in 1993 and the public started labeling us the ‘new Cardinals,'" said Rey De Leon, also an assistant at Harlingen. "We set out to prove them wrong. And we did."

Cards' assistant Lupe Gonzalez played on the last team with a winning record in 1997.

"Just like these guys said, I grew up wanting to play for the Cardinals," Gonzalez said. "When I was in the eighth grade, I asked my parents to move because I wanted to be zoned to attend Harlingen High. They moved and it's the best thing they've done for me."

Following the '97 season Harlingen had two uncharacterisitc down years going 4-6 then 3-7 in 1998-99.

But since 2000, Harlingen is 64-22 and it's made the playoffs each year.

"It was difficult," Lucio said of the two losing seasons. "At most high schools everything's cyclical but not here. We'd never experienced anything like it. We saw it in the 60s but that's it. It became difficult to preach tradition when you're losing. But the kids worked just as hard and they halped maintain the tradition for the 2000 team."

And that tradition is what's kept the Cardinals program going strong.

"I don't think a day goes by that any of us coaches revert back to that tradition in our minds," Woodall said. "It's the tradition of Cardinal spirit never dies."

www.rgvsports.com/articles/_2425___article.html/_.html

[OlympFan]

From "Paint it Red — Tradition propelled Cardinals to 26 straight winning seasons"

"And like many boys growing up in Harlingen, [Monty] Woodall wanted nothing more than to one day wear the red and white."

...

"'A lot of teams talk about tradition but it's all just a bunch of lip service,' said longtime Harlingen assistant Bobby Lucio. 'That's not the case at Harlingen High.'"

[OlympFan]

Theresa Najera | Valley Morning Star
Former Weslaco running back Mishak Rivas runs the ball against San Antonio Madison during a third-round playoff game last year at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco.

By the Numbers: Carried Away

Mishak's 25 totes set a new standard of excellence

August 2, 2008 - 11:01PM
By ARMANDO GARZA | Valley Morning Star

Mishak Rivas will forever be a household name in Rio Grande Valley high school football.

During a sparkling high school career for Weslaco from 2004-07, Rivas turned heads and set standards by running the football like few had before him.

And one night last October served as the epitome of Rivas' greatness.

Against San Benito Oct. 26, the runner simply known as ‘Shak' set a single-game Valley rushing record by sprinting for 431 yards on 25 carries.

The number of Rivas totes (25) is the focus of the latest installment of the Star's "By the Numbers" series.

Rivas' super game broke the previous mark of 418 yards by La Joya's Juanito Martinez in a playoff game against Laredo Alexander in 2006.

"It's pretty good. I felt great," a humble Rivas said after the record-breaking game. "Glory to God, I was really patient, and for it (record) to come in the best game of the season, you can't ask for anything more."

While the Panthers still had a bigger game left on the schedule, the San Benito contest was arguably the most pivotal at that point.

So the focus was on Rivas.

But early on, San Benito's defense had the speedster in check.
Carries 1-5 went like this: -4, -2, -1, 7, and -3, totaling negative 3 yards.

Then-junior quarterback Dylan De Leon ran the offense to perfection while the 'Hounds rightfully keyed on Rivas, giving the Panthers the lead.

"I think early on, it was Dylan DeLeon," Weslaco head coach Tony Villarreal said. "Dylan kept the tempo and took all the pressure off. He did what he did and he made plays.

If Dylan doesn't do what he does, we're in for a long game," Villarreal continued. "With all the pressure, he made it happen. And then Shak does what he does."

So sooner or later, ‘Shak was bound to break loose.

His next three carries went for 15, 9, and 18 yards before the floodgates opened.

"Coach told us in the beginning not to be worried because they (San Benito) were going to come out aggressive and it was a dogfight," Rivas said. "But God graced us with a lot of patience, and we came out in the second quarter and things started opening up."

That's exactly what happened.

In the second quarter, carry no. 9 went for an 88-yard jaunt down the right sideline to give the Panthers a 21-7 lead.

After three more carries of 13, -2 and 5, Shak finished the first half with 143 yards and a score on 12 total touches.

To open the second half, Rivas picked up where he left off: Literally.

On the first play from scrimmage, Rivas took a handoff and breezed for an 80-yard score.

Then two carries for zero yards led to a Panther punt (15 carries, 223 yards at this point).

But on Weslaco's next possession, Shak darted 78 yards for another touchdown (16-301 at this point).

An 11-yard carry preceded his final TD of the night, a 60-yarder.

After carries 19 (42 yards) and 20 (1 yard), Rivas was at 415 yards, three away from tying Martinez's mark.

The record came on carry no. 21, a six-yarder to put him at 421 yards for the night. He rounded out his historic evening with carries of 1, -1, 5 and 5 for the total of 431.

Astonishing numbers especially against a perennially stout defense of San Benito's.

"I told our defense they couldn't give Mishak an inch, because he'll take a heck of a lot more," San Benito head coach Mario Peña said that night. "Mishak makes the offense open up for other players because you're so concerned about him."

Rivas went on to become the Valley's first-ever 3,000-yard rusher (3,300 yards in 13 games) and was once again the All-Valley Most Valuable Player. He later signed on with Texas State University in San Marcos, where he'll be on the field this fall.

By the Numbers is a periodic series that corresponds the number of days until the start of the 2008 Valley high school football season with a memorable athlete or moment. Today marks 25 days until kickoff.

www.rgvsports.com/articles/rivas_2428___article.html/school_high.html

[Ol' Buzzard]

You knew there was going to be a Mishak article... it was just a matter of when.

[tigercrazy]

;DWhere is Pc when you need that kid lmao

[Ol' Buzzard]

Look closely, you can see PC in the background of that Mishak pic....

[tigercrazy]

Nah hes not it this one this time lmao

[Midvalleyftball79]

Yep shak had himself one helluva night. Think more or less thats the same article that came out right after the sb game. Good reading regardless. But yeah dylan played a big role in getting shak and the panther offense going that night.

[OlympFan]

Theresa Najera | Valley Morning Star
Lorenzo Rodriguez recovered a fumble to help the South Hawks pull off a miraculous comeback vs PSJA Memorial last season.

By the Numbers: Right place, right time

Rodriguez's heads up play helped South stay perfect

August 6, 2008 - 10:28PM
By ELADIO JAIMEZ | Valley Morning Star

HARLINGEN - Lorenzo Rodriguez scored once last season.

Actually, the former Harlingen South receiver scored only once in his entire high school career.

But that lone touchdown is one he or every South faithful won't soon forget.

Trailing 35-28 with two seconds left in a Week Eight game against PSJA Memorial last season, Rodriguez scooped up a loose ball near the end zone and jumped in for the TD.

With two seconds left, South quarterback Sean Messick tossed a prayer into the end zone.

Memorial cornerback Armando Flores picked off the pass, but instead of taking a knee and ending the game, the senior ran it out.

That's when a South receiver ran after him and stripped the ball.

Rodriguez just happened to be at the right place at the right time and saved the day and the perfect season for the South Hawks in what is now known as the Tri-City Miracle.

"I just wanted to hit the guy that ended our perfect season," Rodriguez said of tackling Flores. "When I saw the ball on the ground, I just wanted to pick it up and go. I went down and when I looked up, I saw all our guys with their arms up. I'd just scored."

The score capped off a furious rally that saw South erase a 21-point deficit as time ran out. That's the focus of the Valley Morning Star's latest installment of the "By The Numbers" series.

"It was awesome," said Rodriguez, now a prospective nursing student. "My dad missed that game and I called him from the bus and told him I scored the game-tying touchdown. I wish he could have been there."

As it turns out Rodriguez's father wasn't the only one not there.

South was the consensus No. 1 team in the Valley for about six weeks straight at that point and were 7-0 on the season.

So when the Wolverines raced out to a 35-14 lead late in the third quarter, many South fans left.

Had they given up? Maybe. But not the team.

Quarterback Sean Messick scored from one yard as the third period ended to cut the Memorial lead to 35-21.

Later in the fourth, running back Phillip Fruge turned a short pass into a 23-yard score to make it 35-28.

By now hopes of winning the game crawled back onto the fans in the stands.

South's defense gave Harlingen the ball back with a few seconds left setting the stage for the Tri-City Miracle.

South went on to win in overtime and remain undefeated when Messick and Fruge connected again for a 22-yard score.

South's defense was also huge in overtime stopping the Wolverines.

The Hawks went on to beat Edinburg Economedes and PSJA to remain undefeated and win the District 31-5A title.

South went 12-0 before losing to Smithson Valley in the third round of the playoffs.

As for Rodriguez? He's moved on. But his only career touchdown wil remain part of Harlingen South and Valley football lore for years to come.

"I was just at the right place at the right time," Rodriguez said. "That's why you're supposed to go all-out all the time."

www.rgvsports.com/articles/south_2440___article.html/rodriguez_right.html

[Midvalleyftball79]

Man i want to see that game, '07 Harlingen south vs psja memorial .. It was by far one of the craziest endings of all time.

[OlympFan]

Agreed!

Sounds like it was a great one. I would have loved to be there!

[wp2003]

this is the playoff game story right?

[nfcfan]

Aug 7, 2008 8:21:01 GMT -6 wp2003 said:

this is the playoff game story right?

No. Regular season. We were all like how can they(the rgv #1) be losing to a 3-4(at the time) team!!!

[wp2003]

oh ok......