BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
Although McAllen Memorial is already locked in as the No. 1 seed in District 30-6A Division I, coach Bill Littleton has no plans to rest his players entering Friday night’s game against Mission High.
The Mustangs (8-0, 5-0 in district) still need a win to secure the district title outright. A loss would mean a shared title with the winner of Thursday’s game between La Joya Palmview and McAllen High.
“We’re going after the district championship. We want to try to win the thing outright,” coach Bill Littleton said. “So we’re going to play people.”
That means perhaps another full workload for running back Trevor Speights, who has carried 203 times for 2,330 yards and 27 touchdowns so far this season.
Bradley Stephens holds McAllen Memorial’s single-season rushing record, having posted 2,633 yards in 2005. That mark is the third best in Valley history, behind Weslaco’s Mishak Rivas’ 3,306 yards in 2007 and Weslaco East’s Bobby Gonzalez’s 2,763 yards in 2010.
“If we get out ahead, we’re not going to play him in the fourth quarter,” Littleton said. “Once the game gets where we feel comfortable with it, we’ll probably pull him. But we’re going to start him and play him.”
EMERGING WEAPON
When La Joya Palmview coach Margarito Requenez was considering letting junior Abel Torres back on the roster, some of his players came out against the idea.
Torres had been a part of the program as a freshman, but then “he became a troublemaker,” Requenez said. Torres quit the team and didn’t return for his sophomore year. Entering his junior season, Torres wanted a second chance.
“Some of the kids, he let them down during his freshman year,” Requenez said. “So some of the kids were, ‘Coach, why would you let him back on? He’s probably going to do the same thing.’ But then I had the other side saying, ‘Coach, everybody deserves a second chance.’”
So, after meeting with the team captains, Requenez decided to give Torres that opportunity. At the start of the year, Requenez gave Torres a clear list of expectations: things like going to class, making good grades and staying out of trouble. After six weeks of good behavior, Torres rejoined the varsity roster. Last week against McAllen Memorial he got his first taste of action, rushing four times for 94 yards and two touchdowns in Palmview’s 34-14 loss.
“He showed that he was ready to step up and play for us on the varsity level,” Requenez said.
Torres is still on a tight leash, but he figures to remain in the mix as long as he behaves well. Torres is a small, quick back who should complement a Palmview offense that already boasts a pair of the district’s top four rushers in bruisers Jose Bernal (1,130 yards, 10 TDs) and Freddy Villarreal (1,062 yards, 12 TDs).
“He’s special, because he’s actually a true running back,” Requenez said. “Now that we have No. 20 and we kind of feel comfortable with him, I think it’s going to be harder for teams to prepare for him.”
SECONDARY STAR
Edinburg North’s Joey Benitez hauled in 11 interceptions last season and was a critical piece of a dominant Cougars defense. Entering 2014, coach Rene Saenz thought there was no way Benitez could reach that mark again.
Benitez probably won’t get to 11, but he’s at least giving it a run. He has seven through nine games of 2014, including three in the past two weeks.
“The last couple of games, he’s really found his niche,” Saenz said. “He’s coming back strong.”
Opportunities at interceptions are hard to come by in District 31-6A, which is one of the most run-heavy in the Valley.
Weslaco High attempted just six passes against North in Week 8, but Benitez managed to pick one of them off.
Benitez has also taken a step forward in run support as the front seven has dropped off from last year, leading the team with 72 tackles, including 51 solo.
Saenz plans to use Benitez at corner this week against Edinburg Economedes to get him more involved in stopping the run.
“He hasn’t made excuses or found a reason not to get his nose dirty,” Saenz said. “He’ll get in there and mix it up.”
Benitez is also the quarterback of the secondary, and Saenz said the Cougars are “really limited when he’s not in the game.”
Despite that, Benitez’s leadership has been perhaps his biggest strength, and something North desperately needed with no other starters returning from last year.
“That is really the most valuable part that he’s left on this team, is his leadership skills,” Saenz said.