NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — McAllen Memorial senior captain Jesus Rodriguez is not a stranger to the varsity level, even if some of his teammates are slotting into the roster for the first time.
The young man who teammates call ‘Buye’, which comes from a childhood nickname, is playing his fourth varsity season for the Mustangs. It’s the first time he dons the captain’s armband and the first time in his career he’ll be on a defending playoff qualifying team.
“As a freshman, I used to look up to the captains then and I’d see how they would push the team,” Rodriguez said. “Now, being in the position I’m in, I notice that I’m in that role. It’s great to have a big impact on the team. Whatever vibe I give off, they’re going to receive it too.”
In 2018, the Mustangs broke a long playoff drought in their last regular-season game against rival McAllen Rowe. The win on March 23rd was a storybook finish for the Columbia blue.
The Mustangs were five minutes away from being eliminated from postseason play but a late goal by then-senior Leo Saavedra forced overtime, which was enough to keep Memorial’s season alive. The team won in penalty kicks.
Six starters graduated from the playoff team and the returners are working to keep the program’s momentum alive.
“It plays a huge impact just because we know what we’re capable off,” Rodriguez said. “Now we know we’re capable of being a playoff team. Winning that game and making the playoffs was the first time in a while. It was a big confidence booster. We all know we just need to work harder to achieve what we want.”
Fellow senior Francisco Guerrero wears No. 14 and shares the captaincy with Rodriguez. He echoed the importance of reaching the UIL playoffs.
“Honestly, it meant a lot for us,” Guerrero said. “It was our first time after seven years going to a playoff game. It showed us that we can make it and that the team we’ve built up these four years, we came in and we want to do the same thing again. We want to show people we’re not the same team from last year. We’re even stronger than last year and we’re going to reach the same place again.”
So far, so good in 2019 for the playoff-or-bust Mustangs. Memorial reached the knockout stages in both the Mission tournament to kick off the season and in La Copa Frontera, a tournament it co-hosted with Hidalgo.
Memorial has competed against some of the top teams the RGV during non-district play and coach Amandon Bautista said those experiences are valuable for a young group.
“My new seniors, they’ve taken the role very seriously and they took over strongly,” Bautista said. “They lead by example more than anything. Now I believe they have what it takes to go far. They’re still learning. The good part of it is that they don’t think they’re the greatest team. They think they still need to work, which in reality we do. Like I told them ‘I’d rather make mistakes right now and fix them right now so when district comes around we don’t make em again.’”
The road to the playoffs through 30-6A won’t be easy. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln remains the team to beat after consecutive district championships and trips to the regional tournament. Mission High is another district powerhouse. The Eagles won the Copa La Frontera over a strong Donna North unit. Also, La Joya High was a playoff team last season.
Sister campuses McAllen High and McAllen Rowe are both trying to reach the playoffs after missing last year. Not to mention the addition of PSJA North and PSJA High into 30-6A due to UIL realignment.
Still, Rodriguez likes his team’s chances to return.
“At the beginning of the year I knew we were going to do well,” Rodriguez said. “Because even the youngsters here, the sophomores and juniors, have been putting in a lot of work. Now that I see the team together, we’re a lot better than we expected. We’re a hard-working team and we play really well together.”