McAllen High quarterback Hunter Curl remembers watching then-freshman wideout Christian Echazarreta haul in touchdown passes two years ago for the Bulldogs’ freshman squad.
Curl, who was a sophomore on varsity during the time, said he knew Echazarreta was good then, biding his time for when the wideout joined the varsity team.
This season, the senior signal caller and the junior wideout have taken advantage of their first opportunity to play together, combining for 641 yards and nine touchdowns, the most between any quarterback- receiver duo in the Valley.
The Bulldogs’ dynamic duo looks to continue rolling following a bye week, hosting the Weslaco East Wildcats (3-1, 3-1) at 7 tonight at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in The Monitor’s Game of the Week.
The connection between the two began taking shape during the offseason, Curl said, naming Echazarreta as a player to watch going into the 2021 season.
“It goes back to summer workouts,” Curl said. “Christian and I would go out with my quarterback coach. We would just throw every day during the summer. It’s showing on the field. I can count on him, and I trust him.”
Still, even Curl didn’t predict the junior wideout would breakout the way he has thus far, with Echazarreta being thrust into the starting role following the graduation of all the Bulldogs’ starting wideouts from a year ago.
“It’s just another level that he’s taken it to,” Curl said. “I’m beyond proud of him. But it doesn’t stop. We still have another half of the season to go. We’re going to keep putting up those numbers and touchdowns.”
For Echazarreta, his development into the Bulldogs’ go-to receiver comes down to a culmination of his offseason work and the chemistry he has developed with his quarterback.
“After last season, I just started putting in the work during the offseason,” Echazarreta said. “I would workout two to three times a day so I could get better and have the ability to play like this.
“It’s been good. Hunter trusts me a lot. He’s really good with the football. He knows how to read a defense and work through his progressions. He gets a lot of the credit on my part.”
Curl and Echazarreta face a tall task during tonight’s matchup, with the Wildcats fielding the district’s second-best defense, allowing only 220.3 yards per game.
Weslaco East defensive tackle Rigo Puente leads a disruptive front four, racking up four sacks, four tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.
While the road to a playoff berth and a possible district title won’t be an easy one, the Bulldogs (4-1, 3-1) are ready for the challenge, beginning with tonight’s contest against Weslaco East.
“We just got to give it 100%,” Curl said. “Usually, teams take the bye week off. We’re not going to. We’re going to keep on grinding.”
“We got to remain focused and not let loose,” Echazarreta said. “We just have to keep pushing on the gas and keep getting better week after week.”