GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
After missing the start of the season for personal reasons, McAllen Memorial sophomore JoJo Williams has returned to the football program and given the team another dynamic option in the running game and on kick returns.
Williams has scored a touchdown in each of Memorial’s past two contests, despite toting the ball just three times.
“He didn’t come in in real good shape, but he’s battled himself back, and he’s done a good job for us,” Memorial coach Bill Littleton said. “He’s playing real well right now. We’re real pleased with where he is.”
Williams, the primary running back on the Mustangs’ undefeated freshman team last season, wasn’t even enrolled with Memorial until the second or third game of 2015, Littleton said. After the UIL’s mandatory 15-day waiting period, Williams worked his way back into the varsity rotation.
On the season he has six carries for 126 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown against La Joya Palmview in Week 10 and a 22-yard touchdown against McHi in Week 9.
Littleton said Williams has also been used on defense and in the return game. The sophomore has three kickoff returns for 78 yards and four punt returns for 65 yards.
“He’s pretty versatile,” Littleton said. “He can do pretty much any of it.”
Last year, Williams put his speed to use with the McAllen Memorial track team, running the third leg of a 400-meter relay team that set a school record with a time 50.21 seconds — the sixth-best mark in the Valley.
“He’s a good change of pace guy. He has good speed,” Littleton said. “We think he’s going to be an outstanding football player for us.”
MAJOR OBSTACLE
Mission High coach Mario Peña knows his team has its hands full this week, needing to upset undefeated McAllen Memorial to have a chance at a playoff berth.
When he looks at the Mustangs on film, he sees a well-coached group with several Division-I talents: not just running back Trevor Speights, but also wideout DJ Johnson, quarterback Jonathan Sanchez and linebacker Sam Hinojosa.
“You can’t say that about any other school,” Peña said. “To me, without a doubt right now, they’re the best football program in the Valley.”
Memorial has been nearly unstoppable this season, winning all nine games by an average margin of 38.1 points. The offense averages a Valley-best 568.7 yards and 59.2 points per game.
Mission will be trying to counter with the district’s top defense, one that allows only 250.4 yards per game.
“The bottom line is we never coach our kids to lay down for anybody,” Peña said. “Our kids are going to come, and we’re going to fight, and we’re going to get after it and do the best we can.”
The Eagles may also be entering the game without two of their leading tacklers in seniors Juan Salazar and Henry Morales. Both missed last week’s game against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, unable to push through nagging injuries.
“They’re seniors, and it’s their last football game, so they’re telling me, ‘Coach, we’re going to try to go and give it what we can,’” Peña said.
Sophomore Steven De Leon has been the team’s leading tackler this season, racking up 115 stops. Peña also highlighted the play of Marc Garcia and Abel Compean in the secondary, plus defensive end Arnold Rodriguez and utility player Martin Cacique.
USEFUL BREAK
McAllen High coach Kevin Brewer said the Bulldogs’ Week 10 bye came at the perfect time, giving the team an opportunity to rest and recharge as it looks to the postseason. Brewer said he shortened or canceled some of the team’s before-school workouts to give his players a chance to catch up on academics.
Otherwise, practices were mostly business as usual, preparing for tonight’s road matchup against La Joya Palmview.
“We got a lot of stuff done,” quarterback Caleb Youngblood said. “It helped out with a lot of guys getting to recover. Everybody is rested up, and we’re ready for this week.”