GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
When defenses overcommit to try to shut down Trevor Speights, McAllen Memorial turns to Eric Guerrero to punish them on the end-around.
Guerrero doesn’t get the ball often — just 20 times in seven games. But he’s punished opposing defenses whenever he has, picking up 305 yards and two touchdowns. He averages 15.7 yards per carry.
“He’s a good little running back,” coach Bill Littleton said. “He would start for a lot of people in this district. He’s a great kid. He brings a lot of the table. He gives us a little bit of misdirection.”
“Little” is an appropriate word to describe Guerrero, a senior who is listed on Memorial’s roster at 5-foot-6 and 135 pounds.
That size has proven an asset on the Mustangs’ end-around plays. Guerrero is sometimes able to take the handoff and head against the grain unnoticed while Speights and the offense fake the opposite direction.
“He’s kind of hard to see some time,” Littleton said. “He’s extremely quick, his acceleration is good, and he has good instinct of finding holes and picking them up. He does a good job of following his blocks, so he’s kind of built for that.”
Guerrero, who rose through Memorial’s system as a running back and still lines up in the backfield on three-back sets, has also caught three passes for 60 yards.
He’s returned two kickoffs for 28 yards and five punts for 55 yards.
“He gives us some speed on the kickoff return, and on punt return he does a good job back there for us,” Littleton said. “He’s just a real solid football player.”
Guerrero and the rest of the Mustangs should be well rested for Friday’s game against McAllen High after a Week 8 bye. Littleton said the past two weeks have been business as usual for the Mustangs, save a slightly lighter workload and a Monday off day last week.
Friday’s game will be Memorial’s first in 15 days. The team last played Juarez-Lincoln on Thursday, Oct. 8.
“We’re a little antsy to play,” Littleton said. “We’re getting tired of working out.”
NEW QB
After sparking a second-half rally against La Joya Palmview and practicing well during the bye week, Rudy Treviño stepped into Mission High’s starting quarterback role during last week’s 35-14 win against La Joya High.
He completed 11 of 14 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns.
“We just felt that we were at a point that we just had to give him a look, and he produced for us,” Mission coach Mario Peña said. “Rudy really stepped up to the plate, and we’ll be starting him again (tonight) against Rowe.”
Treviño impressed Peña with his composure and by not turning the ball over. A 210-pounder and last year’s junior varsity quarterback, Treviño isn’t the fastest player, but Peña said he’s willing to lower his shoulder and deliver a hit. He ran seven times for 34 yards in the win over La Joya.
“Throughout the year, we’ve seen improvement with him,” Peña said.
Treviño had previously been part of a rotation at quarterback with William Arias, a returning varsity player who saw limited action last season.
With Treviño taking the reins full time, Arias will be utilized more at tight end and wide receiver, Peña said. Against La Joya, the 6-foot-1 Arias made a pair of catches for 61 yards and a touchdown.
Arias has also been Mission’s punter, averaging 45.7 yards on 11 kicks.
“He’s been to some kicking camps,” Peña said, “and he’s impressed some universities with his punting ability.”
Peña is hoping to lean on a ball-control strategy tonight to slow down McAllen Rowe’s high-powered offense. Rowe has racked up 397.6 yards per game, mostly through the air, while Mission has held opponents to a district-best 240.6 yards per game.
“We’ve been telling our offense: ‘The best defense we can have against Rowe is you guys keeping them off the field,’” Peña said. “We’ve been a ground and pound team, and we have really taken time off the clock. Going into the game, that’s what we have to do, is keep the ball away from the offense.”
RETURN SPARK
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln’s offense has struggled this season, averaging just 186.9 yards per game. But the Huskies have still managed 18.3 points per game on the strength of a strong return game.
Juarez-Lincoln has punt-return scores of 55 and 61 yards this year, plus a 92-yard kickoff return. The Huskies have also returned three interceptions for touchdowns, including a 55-yarder and a 56-yarder last week against McAllen High.