Football Preview: Harlingen Cardinals vs. United South Panthers
The Harlingen Cardinals will venture away from home to square off against the United South Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Last Friday, Harlingen ended up a good deal behind Vela and lost 34-16. The Cardinals haven't had much luck with the Sabercats recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Despite the defeat, Harlingen got top-tier performance from Noah Huerta, who rushed for 197 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 9.9 yards per carry. Huerta showed off some serious burst, taking off on a dash for 68 yards.
Even though they lost, Harlingen was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 214 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 214 rushing yards in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, United South and Los Fresnos were almost perfectly matched up on Friday, but United South suffered a 34-33 loss. Despite 88 more yards than the Falcons, the Panthers couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Jonathan Tello, who picked up 199 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Another player making a difference was Rolando Gonzalez, who threw for 353 yards and three touchdowns while completing 71.4% of his passes.
Harlingen's defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 2-1. As for United South, they now have a losing record at 1-2.
Friday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Harlingen has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 232.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like United South struggles in that department as they've been averaging 162.7. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Harlingen was able to grind out a solid win over United South in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, winning 23-14. Does Harlingen have another victory up their sleeve, or will United South turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
