Football Preview: Harlingen Cardinals vs. Mission Veterans Memorial Patriots
The Harlingen Cardinals will take on the Mission Veterans Memorial Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Harlingen will be strutting in after a victory while Mission Veterans Memorial will be coming in after a defeat.
Last Friday, in a tight matchup that could have gone either way, Harlingen made off with a 6-5 win over United South.
Meanwhile, Mission Veterans Memorial was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss dating back to last season. They took a 34-20 bruising from Laredo LBJ.
Mission Veterans Memorial might have lost, but man, Benjamin Martinez was a machine: he rushed for 31 yards and two touchdowns, and also picked up 105 receiving yards. Cameron Sarinana was another key player, having thrown for 279 yards and onetouchdown.
Mission Veterans Memorial wouldn't let Laredo LBJ keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Mission Veterans Memorial can thank Guillermo Garcia and Aiden Uribe for forcing both of them. Uribe is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in the last 16 games he's played dating back to last season. Ryan Guerra was another major factor on D, making nine total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Harlingen's victory bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Mission Veterans Memorial, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-4.
Friday's match might be decided in the trenches. Harlingen has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 203.5 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Mission Veterans Memorial, though, as they've been averaging only 73.5. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Everything came up roses for Harlingen against Mission Veterans Memorial when the teams last played back in September of 2023 as the team secured a 49-21 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Mission Veterans Memorial's Braden Luedeker, who threw for 369 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 45 yards. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Harlingen to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
