{"id":455143,"date":"2026-10-03T09:30:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T09:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/455143\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T09:30:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T09:30:10","slug":"armando-munozs-kickoff-return-ignites-harlandale-in-rout-of-jefferson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/455143\/","title":{"rendered":"Armando Munoz\u2019s kickoff return ignites Harlandale in rout of Jefferson"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img alt=\"Harlandale player celebrate recovering a onside kick during the third quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Harlandale player celebrate recovering a onside kick during the third quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Blalock\/For the Express-News<\/p>\n<p>Armando Munoz got\u00a0off to a fast start.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-channels-pixel.ex.co\/events\/0012000001fxZm9AAE?integrationType=DEFAULT&amp;template=design%2Farticle%2Fplatypus_two_column.tpl\" alt=\"\" class=\"x1px y1px vh abs\" aria-hidden=\"true\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n<p>And Harlandale never let off the gas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Munoz returned the opening kickoff for a score, sparking Harlandale\u00a0to a 49-7 win over Jefferson in a District 14-5A-II game Friday at Harlandale Memorial Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>Munoz scored two touchdowns, including the 91-yard kickoff return. He added a touchdown reception in the second quarter, lifting his team to its fourth district win in a row after starting the season 0-2 against a tough non-district slate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis whole week our coach was talking about we got to return one (kick), this is our week,\u201d said Munoz, a junior wide receiver. \u201cAnd before we went out there, he said, \u2018Take it to the house,\u2019 and then that\u2019s what I did.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI saw my teammates giving me great blocks,\u201d Munoz added. \u201cI did a great read and then just to the races after that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p class=\"MM_onlineOnly\" title=\"CCI Online Only\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/sports\/high-school\/article\/high-school-football-scoreboard-week-6-san-antonio-22459094.php\" data-link=\"native\" aria-describedby=\"ui-id-9\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">WEEK 6 SCORES: San Antonio high school football finals and stats<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Besides\u00a0Munoz, Harlandale (4-2, 4-0) got a balanced effort from several of its offensive weapons, including from running back Gio Silva and quarterback Gabe Salazar, both seniors. Silva rushed for 100 yards and accounted for two scores while Salazar passed for 127 yards and three scores.<\/p>\n<p>Salazar distributed the ball effectively, tossing touchdown passes to three different receivers \u2014 Munoz, Silva and Jacob\u00a0Schindler.<\/p>\n<p>Harlandale coach Justin Lozano said the offense has several players it can go to.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe offensive line, our quarterback and our running backs,\u201d Lozano said. \u201cWe\u2019re so multiple throughout our offense, it\u2019s able to get guys like him (Munoz) the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite standing at 5-feet-4, Silva is making a big impact with his speed and agility on the field.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, being small, it really helps out hiding behind my linemen,\u201d Silva said. \u201cThey (defense) don\u2019t see me, and I able to cut out wherever I want. Just because I\u2019m small doesn\u2019t mean I can\u2019t do what I\u2019m doing honestly, that\u2019s just something a lot of people look at. But size doesn\u2019t matter when it comes down to it, you just got to do what you got to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lozano said Silva is a player who provides energy for the team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHonestly, his energy is the biggest part of him,\u201d Lozano said. \u201cWhen he comes out for football, he genuinely loves the game. Nobody on the team has the energy and the enthusiasm about football and Harlandale football like that kid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Harlandale\u2019s Gabe Salazar moves the ball down the field during the the third quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.\" loading=\"eager\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Harlandale\u2019s Gabe Salazar moves the ball down the field during the the third quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Blalock\/For the Express-News<img alt=\"Harlandale\u2019s Bryan Rodriguez is pushed out of bounds by Jefferson\u2019s Sebastian Salazar during the third quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Harlandale\u2019s Bryan Rodriguez is pushed out of bounds by Jefferson\u2019s Sebastian Salazar during the third quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Blalock\/For the Express-News<img alt=\"Harlandale\u2019s Gio Silva rushes for a touchdown during the third quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Harlandale\u2019s Gio Silva rushes for a touchdown during the third quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Blalock\/For the Express-News<img alt=\"Harlandale\u2019s Gio Silva is tackled by Jefferson\u2019s Adam Winn and John Morgan during the third quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Harlandale\u2019s Gio Silva is tackled by Jefferson\u2019s Adam Winn and John Morgan during the third quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Blalock\/For the Express-News<img alt=\"Harlandale\u2019s Aidan Morin returns a punt during the third quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Harlandale\u2019s Aidan Morin returns a punt during the third quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Blalock\/For the Express-News<img alt=\"Jefferson\u2019s Marnez Davis is brought down behind the line of scrimmage  during the third quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Harlandale on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jefferson\u2019s Marnez Davis is brought down behind the line of scrimmage  during the third quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Harlandale on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Blalock\/For the Express-News<img alt=\"Harlandale\u2019s Gio Silva rushes for a touchdown during the second quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Harlandale\u2019s Gio Silva rushes for a touchdown during the second quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Blalock\/For the Express-News<img alt=\"Harlandale\u2019s Gabe Salazar surveys the field during the the second quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Harlandale\u2019s Gabe Salazar surveys the field during the the second quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Blalock\/For the Express-News<img alt=\"Harlandale\u2019s Armando Munoz makes a move on a defender after a reception during the the second quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Harlandale\u2019s Armando Munoz makes a move on a defender after a reception during the the second quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Blalock\/For the Express-News<img alt=\"Harlandale\u2019s Gio Silva is brought down after a short gain during the second quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Harlandale\u2019s Gio Silva is brought down after a short gain during the second quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Blalock\/For the Express-News<img alt=\"Harlandale\u2019s Julian Sanchez rushes for a first down during the first quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Harlandale\u2019s Julian Sanchez rushes for a first down during the first quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Blalock\/For the Express-News<img alt=\"Harlandale\u2019s Armando Munoz celebrates a touchdown reception during the the first quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Harlandale\u2019s Armando Munoz celebrates a touchdown reception during the the first quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Blalock\/For the Express-News<img alt=\"Harlandale\u2019s Gio Silva rushes for a short gain during the first quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Harlandale\u2019s Gio Silva rushes for a short gain during the first quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Blalock\/For the Express-News<img alt=\"Harlandale\u2019s Gio Silva rushes for a first down during the first quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Harlandale\u2019s Gio Silva rushes for a first down during the first quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Blalock\/For the Express-News<img alt=\"Jefferson\u2019s Marnez Davis is brought down behind the line of scrimmage during the first quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Harlandale on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jefferson\u2019s Marnez Davis is brought down behind the line of scrimmage during the first quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game against Harlandale on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Blalock\/For the Express-News<img alt=\"Harlandale\u2019s Armando Munoz cuts the ball up the field during the opening kick off of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Harlandale\u2019s Armando Munoz cuts the ball up the field during the opening kick off of a District 14-5A Division II game against Jefferson on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Blalock\/For the Express-News<\/p>\n<p>Jefferson (2-2, 1-2) tied the game at 7 on a 36-yard scoring run from Marnez Davis at the 6:15 mark of the first quarter.<\/p>\n<p>Munoz helped Harlandale regain the lead on the second play of the second quarter, hauling in a 24-yard scoring toss from\u00a0Salazar. Harlandale tacked on two more scores before halftime. The first on a 32-yard touchdown pass from Salazar to Schindler and the second on a 1-yard\u00a0Silva run with 29 seconds remaining in the first half.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Salazar threw his final scoring toss to Silva on an 18-yard screen pass in the third quarter, putting Harlandale up 35-7.<\/p>\n<p>With the game pretty much in hand in the fourth quarter, Harlandale\u2019s reserves got a chance for some playing time. Backup quarterback Victor Lopez threw a 14-yard scoring pass to Julian Sanchez, and sophomore running back Leo Reyes, who came up from the junior varsity, scored on an 18-yard run.<\/p>\n<p>Harlandale racked up 238 yards rushing and\u00a0ended the game with 379 total yards.<\/p>\n<p>Defensively, Harlandale held Jefferson to 50 yards of offense, as the Mustangs managed only four first downs and were forced to punt seven times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>With the win, Harlandale continues its best start in district play in 21 years when it went 6-0 in league play in 2005 to win the District 30-4A title. The Indians have dominated their district competition so far, winning their first four games by an average of 32 points.<\/p>\n<p>After Harlandale finished 4-6 last year in a tough district that included Alamo Heights, Boerne and Kerrville Tivy, Harlandale has high prospects for a title in its new district.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Harlandale player celebrate recovering a onside kick during the third quarter of a District 14-5A Division II game&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":455144,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[82,84,83],"class_list":["post-455143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/455143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=455143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/455143\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/455144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=455143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=455143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=455143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}