KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
It was not an ideal start for the Brownsville Lopez Lobos
McAllen High, led by first-year coach Patrick Shelby in his head coaching debut, set the tone on the first play as defensive end Juan Corpus recovered a fumble and returned it for a 30-yard score.
The Bulldogs received an all-around effort from their defense, special teams and running back Troy Martinez, who ran for 106 yards and three scores on 10 carries as McAllen High thumped the Lobos 49-7.
“I think this is a great way to start the season,” Shelby said. “We talked to them about the importance of all three phases of the game. On offense, I liked how we started out fast, and our defense was able to put us in that position from the start. We shot ourselves in the foot a few times on offense, and we started to sputter. That is something we need to fix.”
Shelby’s track record as an offensive coordinator at Edinburg Vela and most recently at Weslaco High had not gone unnoticed, and he notched his first career win as a head coach Saturday.
“It is always sweet getting the first win,” Shelby said. “We talked to the kids about the importance of being road warriors, and we can’t win them all until we take care of the first one.”
McAllen High jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter. The offense switched between sophomore quarterback Hunter Curl and senior Robert Amador. Martinez picked up the offense with a 12-yard score, and that was followed by a 60-yard TD pass from Amador to Felipe Magana that put the Bulldogs in a comfortable spot.
Lopez’s only score of the night came on a 30-yard touchdown pass down the seam from Jose Cruz to Chris Reyes, trimming the deficit to 20-7 midway through the second quarter.
McAllen High continued to roll in the second half with a 21-point third quarter that was highlighted by Martinez, who ran for his third score of the night. On special teams, Cirr Arredondo recovered a botched punt in the end zone.
Lopez, led by second-year coach Armando Gutierrez, saw Saturday as a stepping stone and was upbeat as the Lobos jump into district play next Friday against crosstown rival Brownsville Veterans Memorial.
“A lot of tonight was youth and inexperience,” Gutierrez said. “We are starting a lot of freshmans and sophomores. We had a class of 44 kids last year and we graduated 38 of them, so this year is a complete retooling year for us. There will be bumps in the road, and we will be good for years to come. It is just a matter of us getting through these bumps.”