(Harlingen, Texas)-It was epic! The 2023 Bird Bowl ended with the Harlingen Cardinals slipping past Harlingen South 12-7 on Friday night. “It was a dogfight,” said Harlingen HS head football coach, Manny Gomez. “The Hawks are a good football team, but we were able to make some adjustments on defense to win this one.”
Playing before a sellout crowd at Boggus Stadium, the Cardinals (1-0) will now play host to Mercedes (0-1), after losing to Weslaco 34-0 on Friday night. The Hawks will travel to meet the Weslaco Panthers on Thursday at Bobby Lackey Stadium on Thursday night.
The Cardinals led 12-0 through three quarters of play but in the fourth quarter, the Hawks scored to make it 12-7. Two interceptions by Hawks QB Dylan Anaya proved to be costly as the Cardinals held on to win. He ended the night completing 18-of-26 passes for 132 yards with two INTs and one score. He also rushed for another 68 yards. (HSSMImages/DeLeon)