McALLEN — The McAllen Rowe Warriors entered Friday’s contest as the No. 1-ranked offense in District 16-5A DI, averaging 435 yards and 40.5 points per game.
The McAllen Memorial Mustangs’ defense rose to the occasion, holding the Warriors to 195 total yards en route to a 16-6 victory in The Monitor’s Game of the Week at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The win marks the 11th straight season the Mustangs have gone undefeated against McAllen area schools, while also giving McAllen Memorial sole possession of first place in District 16-5A DI.
“Coach JR Cantu, our defensive coordinator, he had a great game plan coming in,” McAllen Memorial head coach Moses Patterson said. “Like I said, it was a head-to-head battle with Rowe, but Coach Cantu does a great job for us. He gets those kids ready to play and ready to go. They came out and just lit it up.”
With the run game struggling, the Mustangs turned to the arm of junior quarterback JP Cortez during the second half.
Cortez threw a season-high 13 passes, completing nine for 131 yards and two touchdowns, including seven straight completions on the Mustangs’ final four possessions.
Friday marked the first time this season the Mustangs have passed for more yards than they have run, rushing for only 90 yards. Running back Ethan Castillo shouldered the load on the ground with fullback Max Alaniz-Choy out of the lineup, toting the rock 16 times for 80 yards.
“We tried to do what we needed to do and run the ball, but Coach Robert Bocanegra, defensive coordinator over at Rowe, did a heck of a job scheming for us,” Patterson said. “We needed to do something else to jump out of that. Fortunately for us tonight, that was a good outlet for us.
“He’s (Cortez) getting better, just like our other quarterbacks are getting better. I liked what I saw today. When we had to throw it, we had a little bit of time to do it. Hopefully we continue to get better and take that to future weeks with us.”
Trailing the Warriors 6-2 late during the third quarter, the Mustangs took the field on the Warriors 41-yard line, looking for their first lead of the night.
The Mustangs marched down the field in four plays, sparked by a 22-yard rumble by Castillo on the first play and capped off by a 10-yard touchdown pass from Cortez to Dylan Goodson, putting McAllen Memorial up 9-6.
After Mustangs safety Jalen Muhammad came down with an interception, the Mustangs’ offense methodically moved the ball down the field, with Cortez capping the seven-play drive with a 12-yard strike to senior wideout Arian Elizondo for the score.
“It feels good being able to step it up to the team,” Cortez said. “The defense stepped it up too. We’re 4-0 and we had a really good game. It meant a lot coming back from being down 6-2. It just feels good to be 4-0.
The Warriors jumped out in front late during the second quarter on a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Mateo Llanas to Chris Zavala.
On the ensuing extra point attempt, McAllen Memorial’s Daniel De La Cruz picked off a pass in the end zone, taking it back 100 yards for two points.
The Warriors’ offense struggled after the score, being held to 49 total yards during the second half, while turning the ball over twice.
McAllen Memorial’s front four kept the pressure on Llanas all night, led by defensive end Jacob Martinez, who had two sacks on the night. Llanas threw for a season-low 132 yards, while also tossing his first interception since Week 1.
“Defensively, on their end, we couldn’t figure them out,” McAllen Rowe head coach Robert Flores said. “We had a hard time moving the football and putting some points up. But our kids are resilient. I’m proud of their effort. They fought hard against a tough team. We just came up a little short. We’re just going to have to regroup and get ready.”
Both teams get an off week, as District 16-5A DI enters its district-wide bye during Week 6. They’ll return to action during Week 7, with the Mustangs (4-1, 4-0) hitting the road to face Brownsville Pace (2-3, 2-2) on Friday, Oct. 8, at Sams Memorial Stadium, while the Warriors (3-2, 3-1) host Donna High (1-3, 1-3) on Friday, Oct. 8, at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.