GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — From offensive linemen like Armando Garcia all the way around to linebackers like Jaryd Lara, every player on the McAllen Memorial roster has been impacted by the end of Trevor Speights’ career.
But even as the Mustangs spend the spring season trying to cope with the loss of the leading rusher in Valley football history, coach Bill Littleton isn’t altering his goals. Like every year, he is aiming to make this McAllen Memorial squad the best in school history.
“Our kids expect to win. They’re not sitting here worried about what we lost,” Littleton said. “They’re sitting there thinking the expectation is to do what they’ve been doing.”
The task will be undoubtedly more daunting without Speights, who wrapped up his high school career last fall with Valley records of 9,868 yards and 116 rushing touchdowns.
Behind 3,195 yards and 50 scores from Speights, McAllen Memorial finished an undefeated 2015 regular season with 600 points — the most ever for a team in the classification now designated 6A.
With Speights headed to Stanford, quarterback Jonathan Sanchez set to play for Army and leading wideout DJ Johnson also in line to graduate, Memorial will be hard pressed to match the gaudy numbers.
“It might be a little bit tough,” fullback Emilio Mendez said. “Trevor was really fast and could score easily. This year, we might be on the field a little bit more. It might be a little bit tougher to score. But we should be there, and we should score.”
Mendez, a bruising runner, is the leading returner in the backfield, with 584 yards and seven touchdowns in 2015. He expects to stay in the fullback role, with sophomore JoJo Williams likely headed for the feature job. Littleton praised Williams for his vision, speed and feet, but acknowledged that adding strength in the summer would be key to Williams’ development.
Through the first week of spring practice, the line was the offense’s biggest strength, Littleton said. Garcia, Esteban Perez and Aaron Ramirez are all returning up front, as is blocking tight end Trey Earhart.
“Last year, we had Trevor,” Garcia said. “This year, it’s going to be on the linemen to show that we have what it takes to score as many points as last year.”
Behind that strong front, McAllen Memorial projects to again be a run-heavy bunch. Last season, the Mustangs gained 5,308 yards on the ground compared to just 1,260 through the air. The straightforward, downhill attack has become one of Littleton’s trademarks.
“We’ve always been a running football team, and we’ll continue to be a running football team,” Littleton said. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you we’re going to be pass heavy, but we’re always constantly trying to get our passing game better.”
With scoring not as much of a guarantee as it was a year ago, Lara is expecting the defense to carry a heavier load. One of the team’s key returners on that end along with safety Joey Delgado and tackle Ricky Miner, Lara is sliding to middle linebacker and trying to fill the leadership role left by last year’s leading tackler, Sam Hinojosa.
So far, Littleton said he and the coaches have been pleasantly surprised by the Mustangs’ defensive speed. Lara said Memorial is still working to integrate some newcomers on that side, but that he sees a group that has the potential to be “something special.”
“Not having such a great running back as Trevor in our offense, we’re definitely not going to be as dependable on our offense,” Lara said. “We just have to step it up as a defense and pull our weight, and the offense will pull theirs.”
RISING STAR
Littleton and Lara both spoke highly of sophomore defensive end Frank Opazo, who was poised to make an impact last season before missing the year with a broken arm.
Opazo stands 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds but is fast enough to earn a spot on McAllen Memorial’s junior varsity sprint relay team.
“He is going to be the real deal,” Littleton said. “He’s a heck of a football player.”
UNDER CENTER
After serving as Memorial’s backup quarterback last year as a sophomore, Angel Almaguer is in position to take the starting role. Littleton describes him as a dual threat with quickness, vision and adequate arm strength.
Above all else, Littleton values Almaguer’s winning pedigree. In 2014, he led the freshman team to an undefeated season.
“The thing about Angel is he’s a winner,” Littleton said. “He’s not a physical specimen as far as his height and all that kind of stuff, but he has those intangibles that you can’t coach.”
McAllen Memorial
Returning starters (O/D): 5/4
Returning lettermen: 28
Key Players: LB Jaryd Lara, DT Ricky Miner, OL Armando Garcia, QB Angel Almaguer, DB Joey Delgado, OL Esteban Perez, OL Aaron Ramirez, RB JoJo Williams, DE Frank Opazo
Biggest Question: Can McAllen Memorial maintain its dominance without Trevor Speights in the backfield?
2015 Record: 11-1