BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — After McAllen Memorial quarterback Fabian Pedraza took a knee and the final seconds ticked off the clock, running back Trevor Speights stood tall at about the 40-yard line with his arms crossed, nodding to the Mustangs fans.
Those fans, who nearly filled the home side of McAllen Memorial Stadium on Friday, moments before had been chanting “This is our house,” celebrating Memorial’s 42-28 win against McAllen High — the Mustangs’ fifth consecutive victory in the rivalry.
“Since I’ve been here, the mission is not to lose to purple,” Speights said. “We kept that going today.”
The victory puts the Mustangs (7-1, 4-0) one step closer to a District 30-6A championship.
Memorial will have a shot to clinch the title next week when it squares off against La Joya Palmview, which moved to 4-0 in district with a win against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln on Friday.
“We still have Palmview, so I don’t want to say it’s in the bag, but it’s almost in the bag,” Speights said.
Speights continued his Player of the Year caliber season, rushing 27 times for 306 yards and a touchdown. He now has 2,101 yards and 23 rushing touchdowns on the year, and has run for more than 200 yards in every game this season.
Aaron Villarreal also had a big night for Memorial, rushing 11 times for 64 yards and three touchdowns. He entered with just three rushing scores on the year.
“It felt amazing,” Villarreal said. “If it takes one carry a game or if it takes 15, I’ll do anything that comes out with the win.”
Memorial scored on its first five possessions to jump out to a 35-7 lead before McHi started to mount a comeback.
Bulldogs quarterback Fred Hover found Justin Gonzalez for a 57-yard touchdown with 2:04 left in the second quarter. Then, after McHi got a stop on defense, Hover threw up a desperation heave from 37 yards out on the final play of the half. The ball was tipped by a group of players and grabbed by Gonzalez, who narrowly toed the line in the back of the end zone to pull McHi within 35-21.
The Bulldogs got the ball first to start the second half and quickly scored again, as Ricky Rodriguez punched it in from 2 yards out to bring McHi within 7. Rodriguez finished the game with 25 carries for 171 yards.
“We got momentum on our side there for a little bit, and then couldn’t quite keep it going,” McHi coach Kevin Brewer said.
McAllen High forced stops on Memorial’s first two possessions of the second half, but couldn’t convert either into points. Memorial took over at its own 42 with 4:28 remaining and drove 58 yards to ice the game. Villarreal capped the possession with a 10-yard touchdown.
“We’ve been down before, we know how to fight through adversity,” Speights said. “That’s one of the things we preach in practice: Play through adversity. Bad things are going to happen, but you have to keep playing.”
MEMORIAL’S PASS THREAT
While Memorial dominated on the ground to the tune of 390 rushing yards, the Mustangs were also efficient through the air. Quarterback Fabian Pedraza completed 5 of 6 passes for 74 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown to DJ Johnson.
Johnson also had a 61-yard touchdown catch called back late in the first half because of an ineligible man down field.
HOVER GUTS IT OUT
McHi’s Fred Hover picked up 59 yards on seven carries in the first half but was clearly limited by a twisted ankle over the final 24 minutes, rushing just twice for 2 yards.
Hover entered the game as the district’s fourth-leading rusher but became more of a pocket passer in the second half.
“He’s such a competitor,” Brewer said. “He did a heck of a job. He’s a warrior.”
Hover finished the night 10-of-23 passing for 208 yards.
ROLLS OUT
The Bulldogs played Friday’s game without leading tackler and punter Ashton Rolls, who suffered an injury during a practice leading up to Friday’s game.
McHi (6-3, 4-1) has a bye in Week 10, and Brewer said Rolls is expected to be back for the team’s Week 11 matchup with La Joya Palmview.