DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — As quickly as it looked like McAllen High would enter district play next week with nice dose of momentum, any semblance of satisfaction just as soon disappeared.
Ahead by seven at halftime against undefeated Corpus Christi Carroll, the Bulldogs watched aimlessly as the Tigers scored on all four of their possessions in the third quarter to easily rally back and claim a 57-27 win Friday night at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
“We were Jekyll and Hyde,” McHi coach Kevin Brewer said. “I don’t know what happened to us, but we weren’t the same football team.
“I don’t know why. I have to figure it out.”
Trailing 21-14, Carroll amassed 235 total yards in the third quarter alone, scoring 29 points and turning a close game into a rout by the fourth. The Bulldogs got a lone 16-yard run by Fred Hover off a broken play early in the fourth, but that was it.
The Tigers outscored the Bulldogs 43-6 in the final two quarters.
“I didn’t even have to say anything to them. Our guys were disappointed with their effort in the first half, and effort was the difference in the second,” Carroll coach Tony Trevino said. “They came through.”
And did the Tigers change anything in the second half? They tackled better. They executed better. Any adjustments?
“We didn’t change anything. Nothing,” Trevino said. “We just played together. The guys played with more effort, and that was the difference.”
Neither team could stop the run for most of the night, as McHi tallied 300 yards rushing and Carroll compiled 512, 306 in the second half.
But the Tigers’ duo of quarterback Jesse Jones (17 carries, 193 yards, 2 TDs) and tailback Noah Lisk (20 carries, 238 yards, 3 TDs) was too much.
Meanwhile, McHi got a brilliant first half from running back Ricky Rodriguez before he tailed off in the third, finishing with 142 yards and three TDs off 23 carries. For the third straight game, the Bulldogs got almost nothing via the passing game. Hover completed 6 of 17 passes for 76 yards.
The defense was hardly better, as missed tackles were a common theme after halftime.
“Our execution went away,” Brewer said. “Everything went away. I’m at a loss for words.
“Technique and assignments were missing. We work on form tackling all the time and our kids know how to tackle. They’ve just got to do it. When they get tired or the legs might be dead, they just have to execute.”
The result is a 2-2 standing for McHi heading into the start of District 30-6A play next week. And Carroll is sitting handsomely at 4-0.
“When I think of Valley football, I think of Sharyland, McHi and Harlingen,” Trevino said. “Those are the big three, in my opinion. McHi has tradition and those are the games you want to get.
“This win is a huge shot in the arm for our program. They showed a lot of maturity and poise when they had to.”
INJURY STATUS
Rodriguez left the game fairly early in the third quarter after being banged up on a play and was promptly removed.
Brewer said his star running back was fine, and Rodriguez was upright in full uniform when the game ended.
But receiver Dylan Cardenas (left knee) and linebacker Matt Perez (right leg) were on crutches after suffering injuries during the game.
WHATEVER WORKS
Carroll averaged 219.3 passing yards heading into Friday’s game, with a 69.5 percent completion rate and nine touchdowns to one interception.
But the Tigers went just 6-for-11 passing for 59 yards and a TD against McHi. The run game, averaging 226 yards this season, was too dominant against the Bulldogs, amassing 10.4 yards per carry and producing seven touchdowns.
UP NEXT
McAllen High kicks off District 30-6A play next week at Mission High.
The Bulldogs then play versus La Joya High, at McAllen Rowe and at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln. Those four opponents are a combined 3-13 heading into district play.