In a simulation, the odds of a 4-1 team beating a 1-4 team would overwhelming favor the proven squad. That is, of course, until one critical variable is accounted for: are the teams rivals?
That was precisely the case when the McAllen High Bulldogs and McAllen Memorial Mustangs squared off in their District 15-5A DI showdown Friday — a game featuring three lead changes, missed extra-point attempts, two-point conversions, an interception, fumble and a recovered onside kick — almost all of it during the final quarter of play.
When it was all said and done, the outcome fared as one would have predicted, with the Mustangs winning, but not without some dramatics down the stretch as Memorial hung on for a 32-29 victory at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
“My big speech to the kids all week was, records and stats are all out the window when you play a rival school, and that was true tonight,” Mustangs coach Moses Patterson said.
“We’ve been in this rivalry where we’ve been up (as far as team records go), and we’ve been on it where they’ve been up. It’s a good ol’ fashioned rivalry.”
A fourth lead change was very much in play with one minute remaining, after the Bulldogs scored a touchdown, converted the two-point attempt and recovered an onside kick, which they used one play later to advance to the opposing 38-yard line, needing only a field goal to tie matters.
That’s when Ayden Stauffer intercepted McHi quarterback Joaquin Valdez with 14 seconds remaining as the Mustangs (5-1 overall, 3-0 in district) secured their third consecutive victory.
“Coach (Patrick) Shelby had his kids ready to play tonight,” Patterson said. “Kind of threw everything at us. We were fortunate to persevere and be able to come out with a win.”
All told, it was one of the better performances of the year for a 1-5 Bulldogs squad the faces an uphill battle with a 1-2 district record now. They scored first but wound up yielding the next three touchdowns — each PAT missed, drawing the unusual score of 18-7 in favor of the Mustangs.
They responded by scoring three straight times themselves, though two of those were field goals. Still, the latter of those scores put the Bulldogs ahead 21-18 with 11:05 to play after Andres Garza’s 2-yard TD run and a two-point conversion from Valdez to Finn Hernandez.
The Mustangs, ranked No. 3 in the latest RGVSports.com 6A/5A Top 10 poll, responded with Kane Coy’s second TD pass of the night — and perhaps just as importantly their first successful extra-point kick. JP Garza then scored on a 27-run, giving Memorial a 32-21 lead with 1:43 left.
Valdez responded with a 2-yard TD to Cinco Jones with 43 seconds remaining, before finding Joseph Rivas in the end zone for a two-point conversion to bring it within 32-29. But McHi was unable to complete the comeback after the Stauffer interception, the second turnover of the half for the Bulldogs.
“McHi came out fired up, ready to complete, and we answered the call late,” Patterson said. “But we did answer the call.”
He added: “Proud of where this team is going. The ability to overcome some things and move past it, get it out of their mind, that kind of proactiveness is going to help carry us the rest of the season.”
Up next, Memorial takes on La Joya Juarez-Lincoln on Thursday, while McHi looks to avoid a three-game skid when it faces La Joya Palmview the following day.
