Teams show offensive flair on field
Four different players scored rushing touchdowns and one added a receiving touchdown as McAllen Memorial looked ready for its showdown against Vela this week with a 45-7 win over Juarez-Lincoln.
The victory improves the Mustangs to 6-1 overall and, more importantly, 4-0 in District 16-5A D1, tied with Vela. The two squads will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday in Edinburg.
Memorial rushed for 428 yards, led by junior Jayden Soliz and his 151 yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries. Sophomore Braxton Speights also eclipsed the century mark with 120 yards rushing and a score, also on 11 carried. Senior JP Garza scored a pair of touchdowns and added 88 yards on eight carries.
Quarterback Kane Coy rushed for one score and threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Hugo Rodriguez as the Mustangs stacked up close to 500 yards of offense.
Vela 40, Rowe 13
The SaberCats kept pace with McAllen Memorial, improving to 4-0 in District 16-5A D1 with an aerial attack that gained 400 yards of offense.
Geoffrey LeFevre completed 22 of 33 passes for four touchdowns at 393 yards, sending Rowe to its first district loss of the season. He also scored a pair of goal-line touchdowns for Vela.
The SaberCats added 181 yards rushing as they neared 600 total offensive yards. Jonathan Flores carried the biggest load with 135 yards on the ground for Vela. George Fauls and Ryan Rodriguez, a pair of sophomores, each scored receiving touchdowns and gained 154 and 115 yards, respectively, through the air.
Rowe tallied 213 total yards, mostly behind quarterback Adrian Botello who gained 62 rushing yards and 108 yards and a touchdown through the air. Draven Niaves hauled in three passes for 90 yards and a touchdown for theWarriors.
Palmview 28, McAllen High 27
Joseph Martinez scored with less than two minutes remaining and Sebastian Rios knocked through the PAT as Palmview stopped McHi.
The Bulldogs (1-6 overall) quickly drove the ball downfield on the ensuing possession as quarterback Joaquin Valdez found Gregory Cedillo and Tristan Keith for a pair of long completions.
With less than a minute, Valdez connected with Joseph Rivas for a 7-yard touchdown to pull McHi to within one, 28-27. The Bulldogs, however, missed the PAT to secure the win for the Lobos, who improved to 2-2 in district and 5-2 overall.
PSJA North 54, PSJA Memorial 0
The Raiders exploded to a 40-0 lead in remaining unbeaten and set up a showdown against 6-1 Weslaco East this week.
Ethan Guerra erupted for 245 yards rushing and three touchdowns as North tallied 498 yards on the ground, averaging 13.8 yards per carry. They added another 130 through the air for 628 total yards while allowing the Wolverines just 157 total yards.
Quarterbacks Daren Garcia and freshman Drayden Espinoza combined to complete 7 of 12 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown pass to Darren Guerra, who ended up with 100 yards receiving.
Other Games
Edinburg 20, La Joya 0
PSJA 42, Economedes 7
Pioneer 35, Roma 14
Mercedes 41, Lopez 38
Weslaco East 49, Donna North 0
Weslaco 55, Edinburg North 21
Mission 35, Rio Grande City 24
Alice 57, Sharyland 32
Edcouch-Elsa 45, Porter 0.