The McAllen High Bulldogs have not won a contest against an intracity rival since 2016, going a combined 0-9 against McAllen Memorial and McAllen Rowe during that span.
Earlier this season, the Mustangs extended their win streak over the Bulldogs to 12, defeating McHi 35-28 in overtime.
Since then, the Bulldogs have reeled off seven straight wins, sitting in second place in District 16-5A DI, while securing their first playoff berth since 2017 following a 65-7 win over Brownsville Lopez last week.
The Bulldogs are now one win away from securing their best record since 2013 and locking up the No. 2 seed in the district. To do so, the Bulldogs will have to snap their winless streak against crosstown rivals, facing off against the McAllen Rowe Warriors on Friday in The Monitor’s Game of the Week.
Kickoff between the Bulldogs (8-1, 7-1) and Warriors (6-3, 6-2) is slated for 7 p.m. at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The 30th meeting between the two will be more than just for bragging rights, with both teams fighting for playoff positioning.
McAllen Rowe punched its ticket to the postseason with a 21-7 victory over Weslaco East last week. A win by the Warriors on Friday could move them up to No. 2 in the district.
Leading those offenses is a pair of senior quarterbacks in McAllen High’s Hunter Curl and McAllen Rowe’s Mateo Llanas.
The Bulldogs’ offense ranks No. 3 in the district, averaging 362.8 yards and 34.2 points per game. Curl has been the catalyst behind McHi’s offensive success, racking up 2,169 yards of total offense, while accounting for 28 touchdowns.
“Hunter is a special player,” McAllen Rowe head coach Robert Flores said. “He can hurt you in so many ways. We have to make sure we focus on certain things that they do well to slow them down. We know we can’t stop them completely, but we want to slow their offense down and it starts with him.
“Still, we can’t just focus on one person because they do have several weapons that can hurt you. It’s going to boil down to making sure we don’t give up the big play and make sure we’re playing sound and not hurting ourselves with big penalties.”
The Warriors’ offense sits closely behind, averaging 357.6 yards and 30.8 points per game. Llanas pilots the Warriors’ high-octane passing attack, ranking No. 1 in the Valley with 2,127 yards and 23 touchdowns through the air.
Both quarterbacks face one of their biggest tests this season, with two of the district’s stingiest secondaries lining up opposite of them, each allowing less than 100 yards passing per game this year.
McAllen High senior Kolten Ottmers anchors the Bulldogs’ secondary, nabbing seven interceptions this season, while safety Thomas Alaniz provides run support, leading the team with 106 total tackles.
Meanwhile, the Warriors’ defense has terrorized quarterbacks this season, racking up a total of 18 sacks and nine interceptions. They’re led by seniors Yahir Garcia and Jason Neal, who rank first and second in tackles on the team, respectively, while combining for four sacks and three interceptions.
“Our defense has gotten better every week,” Flores said. “They fly to the football and trust the other to do their job. I think that’s been the key for us. Now, different teams bring different offenses. This McHi offense we’re facing is a spread offense. We’re not going to be able to key on one guy. All of them are going to have to come out and play. Our secondary, linebacking corp and defensive line will all have to play well.”
The Warriors took a 15-14 series advantage following their fourth straight win over the Bulldogs last season, edging McHi 38-31 on Nov. 10, 2020.
Still, Flores knows records and streaks go out the window once the game kicks off Friday.
“Every matchup is different year-in and year-out,” Flores said. “It’s a rivalry game plus it has playoff implications as far as the seeding. These kids have played against each other and know each other.
“The emotions are going to be running high. It’s a big game for both programs. We just have to make sure we’re focused on the task and execute on all cylinders.”