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Harlingen High went the distance.

The Cardinals, who started the preseason with the top-ranking in Valley Freedom Newspapers’ top 10 poll, held the position for the entire regular season as they remained No. 1 when the final poll of the regular season was released Monday.

The final 2009 poll will be released after the Rio Grande Valley playoffs are complete.

Harlingen (10-0) dominated the regular season, outscoring its opponents 494-100. For that reason, the Cardinals easily won over the vote of the five Valley district beat writers for all five first-place votes in the top 10 poll.

With the exceptions of the poll’s final three spots, there was no movement in the latest top 10.

Sharyland (10-0), Brownsville Hanna (9-1), Mission High (9-1) and Lyford (10-0) rounded out the top five teams, respectively. Sharyland and Lyford join Harlingen as the only undefeated teams in the Valley. Harlingen (31-5A), Sharyland (30-5A), Hanna (32-5A), Mission High (32-4A) and Lyford (32-3A) also each finished as district champions in their respective leagues.

PSJA North (9-1) and Mercedes (7-3) remained sixth and seventh, respectively.

Weslaco East (8-2), which ended a two-game slide with a win over Mission Veterans, moved up to No. 8.

Brownsville Pace (7-3), which dropped a crucial game against Hanna in a battle for the 32-5A title, fell to No. 9.

Donna (7-3) moved into the top 10 with the poll’s final spot after defeating McAllen Memorial.

VALLEY-TOP 10 POLL

The following is the top 10 teams in Valley Freedom Newspapers’ high school football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote and previous ranking. The five district football beat writers from across the Valley vote in the poll each Monday.

                                    Record       Pts     Prvs

1. Harlingen High (5)          10-0        50          1

2. Sharyland                      10-0        45          2

3. Brownsville Hanna            9-1        40          3

4. Mission High                     9-1        31          4

5. Lyford                            10-0        28          5

6. PSJA North                      9-1        26          6

7. Mercedes                         7-3        22          7

8. Weslaco East                   8-2        13        10

9. Brownsville Pace               7-3        10          8

10. Donna                           7-3          7       NR

Also Receiving Points: Los Fresnos 3, San Benito 1.