BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — In only their third district game of the season, McAllen High’s players feel like they’re facing a must-win scenario.
Despite being projected as one of the preseason favorites in District 30-6A, the Bulldogs sit just 2-4 overall and 1-1 in district entering Week 7. With most of the league looking like playoff contenders, McAllen High knows crunch time starts with a matchup against McAllen Rowe at 7 tonight in McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
“Of course it’s a rivalry and everything, but we just have to get this win as far as the district standings go,” linebacker Cody Rodriguez said. “You wouldn’t expect it to be a must-win in Week 2 of district, but it is what it is, and we have to move forward from here.”
McAllen High coach Kevin Brewer sums up his team’s struggles in one word: “Inconsistent.”
McHi needed to rally from 26-14 down in the fourth quarter to escape its district opener against Mission High with a 36-26 win, then suffered a 22-18 defeat at the hands of La Joya High last week.
Last season, McAllen steamrolled those two teams by a combined 89-14.
“The community expects a lot more from us, and we obviously expected a lot more from ourselves,” quarterback Caleb Youngblood said. “We shouldn’t be in this position, so we should get out of it this week.”
Dominating margins were the norm for McHi last season, as the team finished second in district at 5-1, outscoring opponents 235-62.
The Bulldogs graduated key skill players on offense and had to replace a majority of the defense, but the team still expected to be near the top of the standings after posting winning seasons eight of the past nine years.
“We came in thinking that we were just going to breeze through,” running back Josh McGowen said. “We knew it was going to be a challenge, but we didn’t think it would be as big of a challenge.”
On both sides of the ball, the biggest issues have been turnovers and penalties, Brewer said.
Against La Joya, McHi was flagged eight times for 59 yards. As a result, the Bulldogs converted just 1 of 11 third-down attempts — something Brewer said has become a disturbing trend.
“When we’re not doing those things, and we’re in a normal down and distance on the chains, we’re fine,” Brewer said.
The team has found an explosive offensive weapon in McGowen, McHi’s leader in rushing and passing. Brewer spoke highly of Youngblood’s play in his first year as the starting quarterback, specifically his ability to check plays at the line and put the offense in advantageous situations.
The offensive line has also played well, although that group will be tested after an injury to starting left tackle Will Solis. Of the receivers, Brewer said they need to be more consistent both catching and running routes.
Defensively, a young unit has shown signs of coming together, save a pair of significant flaws.
“They have to do a better job in two areas: Big plays, especially on third down, and then turnovers,” Brewer said. “They have to start creating more turnovers.”
To try to address the lingering issues, McHi has spent more time in practice drilling its most popular third-down plays. In any pile-up scenario, the defenders are told to focus on ripping the ball free.
When the team makes a mental mistake in practice, Brewer stops the drill and makes everyone do up-downs.
“I have to try something,” Brewer said. “We’ll see if it works.”