Virtually every time Michael Alaniz has caught the ball this season, the McAllen Memorial receiver has cashed it in for a touchdown.
Such has been the case six times in two games this season, including four times Friday night during the Mustangs’ 45-38 non-district victory over Weslaco High in their home opener at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The junior scored on receptions of 80, 44, 44 and 68 yards, respectively — all from quarterback Kane Coy, the third-year starter — to help keep McAllen Memorial undefeated heading into a Week 3 matchup against San Antonio Johnson on neutral ground. It marks the final tuneup before kicking off a seven-game District 16-5A Division I schedule Sept. 20 at Rio Grande City.
“He’s a special talent,” coach Moses Patterson said. “He’s doing a great job for us, being able to mature this year and stepping in to fill a void. He has great chemistry with Kane, and they’re complementing each other well.”
Alaniz’s only two receptions last week during a 37-14 win over Brownsville Hanna resulted in touchdowns — of 35 and 11 yards — as the Mustangs (2-0) improved one spot from their preseason ranking to No. 7 in the latest RGVSports.com Top 10 poll.
After a 42-28 season-opening loss to Harlingen High, the Panthers (0-2) again found themselves in a shootout. They trailed 14-0 before narrowing the deficit 21-14 at halftime.
Weslaco tied the game at 38 on a 33-yard field goal by Francisco Trevino, the starting quarterback, with 3:06 to play, before Alaniz scored his fourth TD of the night on a 68-yard catch from Coy off a screen pass.
Trevino’s field goal capped what was otherwise a big night for the senior, who moved under center after playing receiver last year. He accounted for four touchdowns Friday, three on the ground. He ran for 10-, 39- and 12-yard scores, respectively, and completed 9 of 13 passes for 173 yards and a TD — a 27-yard strike to Chris Luna that brought the Panthers to within 21-14 with 0:33 seconds to play during the opening quarter.
“That Weslaco quarterback is real special,” Patterson said. “He’s going to take them very far this year.”
Trevino also tallied three interceptions — a notable statistic for a Mustangs team that scored on five of six possessions during the opening half. It helps that four of their six captains are seniors this year, all on the defensive side.
Patterson, the fourth-year coach, described a group that took their lumps in the beginning of his tenure but is now beginning to see the fruits of their labor in qualifying for the playoffs in two of his first three seasons.
“I just like how our team went out and competed,” Patterson said. “We knew they were a tough squad. Coach (Roy) Stro(man) does a heck of a job. They’re a 6A school; we’re 5A. We knew we had our work cut out for us. But the big message going in was that we were going to finish the fight.”
Weslaco, which went 10-0 in the regular season last year, remains in search of its first win in 2024.
Last year the Panthers earned their first bi-district victory since 2015 by beating Mission High, losing in the next round to San Antonio Jay.
Next week, they play host to Laredo LBJ in their home opener.
Braxton Speights — the youngest of three Speights brothers to play for the Mustangs — was responsible for scoring the only other Memorial touchdown that didn’t feature Coy to Alaniz. The sophomore back broke open a scoreless tie with 10:48 to play during the opening quarter, muscling his way 44 yards to end zone.
Braxton’s oldest brother, Trevor, was the Valley’s all-time leading rusher by the time he graduated in 2016, before moving on to Stanford. Their middle brother, Campbell, graduated in 2010 before going to the U.S. Naval Academy.