McALLEN — McAllen High head coach Patrick Shelby and quarterback Hunter Curl entered the spotlight together three years ago.
Shelby came on board in 2019 after two seasons as offensive coordinator at Weslaco High. That same year, Curl stepped onto the field as the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback for the first time, ending the season as the team’s leading passer (786 yards, eight touchdowns) and rusher (418 yards, three touchdowns).
Monday, they kicked off their final year together, eyeing their first winning season and playoff appearance.
“Our relationship has grown a lot — not only with myself but with our other coaches here within our program,” Shelby said. “The cool thing is, we got to see him develop from a sophomore to now a senior, to see him grow up into the young man he is today.”
“It would be great to get to the playoffs for him (Shelby),” Curl said. “We all, as a team, want to win and we want to do it for him.”
The Bulldogs have recorded a 5-11 record through Shelby’s first two seasons. Still, expectations are high going into his third year, with a bevy of veterans on both side of the ball.
The excitement in the community was noticeable during McHi’s first practice, with fans making their way to the stands just as it started, hoping to catch a glimpse of their 2021 Bulldogs.
“The atmosphere of having our fans, parents, our community and everybody who backs us, from our administration to the community of McAllen is going to be huge,” Shelby said. “I know that’s something that our players are looking forward to. And for us as coaches, it gives us motivation to see the fans and their smiles on their faces. It’s amazing. It’s Friday night lights.”
Offensively, Curl will work behind a solid offensive line, returning four lettermen to anchor the trenches, including two-year starter Darron Saenz and 6-foot-2 junior Salomon Arroyo. Curl will look to build off a dominant junior year, tallying 1,207 yards and nine touchdowns through the air, while adding 466 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground, earning him Dave Campbell’s Texas Football District 16-5A DI Preseason Offensive MVP honors.
“The kid always does what he does,” Shelby said. “He goes out there and he operates. He keeps his composure. He does a great job for us. Expect to see him continue to grow, not only as a young man, but as a quarterback, with all that he does from the decisions that he makes to his leadership.”
The Bulldogs will look to replace all of Curl’s weapons from a season ago, graduating every starting receiver and their starting running back.
Curl, however, expects big things from his new receiving corp of Max Alvarez, Christian Echazarreta, A.J. Gonzalez and Haden Henderson, describing the group as “very smart” and “very fast.”
“They’re all very good targets,” Curl said. “I believe in them. I trust them. Last year we had some really good receivers and they’re just following in their footsteps.”
Defensively, the Bulldogs’ secondary will be its strength, with senior safeties Holden Hood and Thomas Alaniz roaming deep to prevent big plays over the top.
Playmaking linebacker Maverick Garza will captain the front seven after recording 32 tackles and two interceptions as a junior.
Garza said he believes the Bulldogs’ defense will swarm to the ball this year, with speed across the board.
“You’re going to see a lot of lightning-fast plays,” Garza said. “We work on pursuing the ball all the time, so you won’t just see one guy or two guys going after the ball. You’ll see the whole team. We work together, we play together and we’re going to tackle together.”
McHi opens its season with a non-district matchup against Edinburg High on Aug. 27 at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg. The Bulldogs jump into District 16-5A DI play Sept. 3, hosting intracity rival McAllen Memorial at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.