​Harlan Hawks Deshawn Simmons (2) tackles Sotomayor Wildcats Isaiah Pena (2) In the second half from the District 29-6A football game where Harlan defeated Sotomayor 22-19 on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026 at Gustafson Stadium. (Ronald Cortes/for the San Antonio Express News)
Harlan over came a sloppy second half by coming up with key defensive stops as the Hawks held on to beat Sotomayor 22-19 Saturday in a District 29-6A game at Gustafson Stadium.In a game marred by penalties and mistakes, Harlan (6-1, 5-0) won its fifth game in a row by forcing four turnovers as Sotomayor (5-3, 4-2) came up short after rallying from a 22-2 halftime deficit.Harlan, ninth in the Express-News rankings, secured the win after Chaesen Palmer intercepted a Sotomayor desperation pass in the end zone on the last play of the game.”Very much too close for comfort, but they’re (Sotomayor) a very good opponent and they got some really good athletes on that team. Just coming out with a ‘W,’ it feels good,” Harlan coach Matthew McKinney said.McKinney said Harlan has had to rely on its defense as a young, inexperienced offense tries to find its way.”We knew coming into this season that our offense was young and a little inexperienced and that we really had a good experienced defensive line that’s really strong up front with our linebackers, and they’re going to make plays,” McKinney said. “We knew the defense was going to have to carry us, so we live on that. So, we’re really proud of our defense.”Harlan held Sotomayor to 248 yards of total offense, while Sotomayor’s defense was just as solid, limiting Harlan to 272 yards.Sotomayor coach Juan Morales said his team made too many mistakes in the game.”When we look at it, we don’t always put it on one play,” Morales said. “At the beginning of the game, we made a few mistakes. We can’t make mistakes against a good team like this and little mistakes will cost you and they (Harlan) put some points on the board. Of course, they’re a good team and they deserve that, but at the same time we needed to buckle down. We did and we had some great plays on special teams, a great defensive stand, great defensive score.”It was a good game, and these guys have nothing to hang their head about,” Morales added.With the win, Harlan remained in a first-place tie with Brennan, who the Hawks will play in the regular season finale on Nov. 6, while Sotomayor is tied with Warren for third.The game was chippy as the teams combined for 134 yards in penalties, including several personal foul infractions, with two players being ejected, one from each team.
Harlan Hawks Addon Palmer strips the ball from Sotomayor Wildcats Cameron Grady (3) preventing a touchdown In the second half from the District 29-6A football game where Harlan defeated Sotomayor 22-19 on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026 at Gustafson Stadium. (Ronald Cortes/for the San Antonio Express News)
Special team miscues played a key role in the game for both teams, as Sotomayor scored nine points o