By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Los Fresnos High School and McAllen Memorial are running in opposite directions ahead of district play.
The Falcons and Mustangs, who both won at least a share of their district last season, battle it out to close out their non-district schedule in The Brownsville Herald’s Game of the Week at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night at Leo Aguilar Stadium in Los Fresnos.
Los Fresnos has won two straight to start the season with an early bye week thrown in the middle of its winning streak. McAllen Memorial, on the other hand, won its opener but has since lost two straight.
So this matchup becomes important for both teams. The Falcons look to continue their good start before District 32-6A starts next week, while the Mustangs hope to get on track ahead of District 30-6A.
“We’ve had really good practices this week,” LFHS coach Patrick Brown said. “We’ve had a lot of energy. I think getting into a rhythm is really going to benefit us going into district.”
For the Falcons, that starts with offense and finding success early. Quarterback Mark Mata has done a little bit of everything for the Falcons. The senior has rushed for 507 yards and five touchdowns while throwing for 176 yards and four more scores already this season.
“You always have to take into consideration the quarterback,” McAllen Memorial coach Bill Littleton said. “He throws the ball well, but he runs the ball extremely well, so we have to take care of the lanes and try to keep him in the pocket. I haven’t seen the first man tackle him; he makes everyone miss. We have to have a good game plan trying to corral him and keep him from making big plays.”
If Mata and Los Fresnos (2-0) make those plays anyway, it could force McAllen Memorial to alter its run-heavy scheme.
“It’s so important to have some success early and try to get them out of that offense and make them do stuff they’re not comfortable with,” Brown added. “They’re not built for high-scoring games like that.”
Campbell Speights (362 yards) and Emilio Mendez (331) have powered a Mustangs ground-and-pound offense which has amassed 825 yards this season. Memorial (1-2) heavily favors its rushing attack, as the Mustangs have only passed for 57 yards this year.
“They want to grind you into the ground and dominate the play clock and time of possession,” Brown said. “When you play a run-first team, they don’t want to be down a couple or three touchdowns, so they have to do what they’re not comfortable with: Spread the field and throwing the ball.”
Which is why defense will be so important for both sidelines. Littleton knows his team must play better than it did against San Benito in Week 3.
“Defensively, we played pretty well in spots,” he said. “But we have to quit giving up the big play; we gave up too many big plays. I’ve think we’ve gotten better from last week, so hopefully we can continue to get better and make a ballgame out of it.”
Brown isn’t taking McAllen Memorial lightly, especially not after consecutive losses. He said the defense must get them in passing situations and enough stops to give the offense more possessions.
“Their record is incredibly deceptive,” Brown said. “They present some problems that, if you’re not able to score on your first two or three possessions, it’s a serious issue because you’re limited in how many offensive series you’re going to get. They’re very physical up front; they’re multi-dimensional and try to punish you. We have to get them in third-and-long situations.”
If Los Fresnos can bottle up the Mustangs’ rushing attack and continue to move the chains on offense and light up the scoreboard like it has this season, the Falcons stay unbeaten ahead of district play. PREDICTION: Los Fresnos 28, McAllen Memorial 14
Non-District
RAYMONDVILLE AT ST. JOSEPH ACADEMY
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Canales Field
RECORDS: SJA (3-0); Raymondville (0-3)
GAME NOTES: The Bloodhounds finally play their 2016 home opener vs. Raymondville after going on the road for their first three games of the season and winning at Grulla (64-35), at Lyford (30-7) and at Rio Hondo (48-28) … It’s been a rough start to the season for the Bearkats as they’ve lost to La Feria (47-14), Grulla (48-14) and Lyford (49-7) … The last time the Bloodhounds and Bearkats met was the 2015 season opener in Raymondville when the Bearkats triumphed 55-45 … For SJA fans, there was a memorable matchup between the two teams one year earlier at Canales Field when QB Kai Money made his first varsity start for the Bloodhounds as a freshman. In that game, the Bloodhounds rallied from a double-digit deficit as time was winding down to win 38-34 … SJA running back Mario Garcia enjoyed a breakout game last week at Rio Hondo as he rushed 19 times for 206 yards and a touchdown … The top offensive threat for the Bearkats is sophomore running back Marcus A. Capetillo, who in three games has rushed 43 times for 219 yards. He’s averaging 5.1 yards per carry … The Bearkats have been unlucky as far as turnovers. They’re fumbled 10 times in three games and lost seven of them. Also, their QBs have thrown seven interceptions and no TDs … After this week, the Bloodhounds have a big game at home Sept. 23 against Port Isabel. It could be a matchup of unbeatens … After playing SJA, Raymondville will be at home against Kingsville for its next game on Sept. 23.
PREDICTION: SJA 45, Raymondville 7
— Roy Hess
LA JOYA PALMVIEW AT PACE
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Sams Memorial Stadium
RECORDS: La Joya Palmview (0-3); Pace (0-2)
GAME NOTES: Both teams are looking for their first win of 2016 … The Palmview Lobos are winless in three games after making it to the bi-district round of the playoffs last season … The Lobos ran for 3,367 yards last season but the passing game has done most of the work on offense, with quarterback Jonathan Zeiske throwing for 223 yards and a TD in his first two games of the season … this is Palmview’s final non-district game before playing McAllen Memorial in its 30-6A opener … Pace comes off a bye week that followed a 41-7 loss to Sharyland Pioneer … Pace also moves the ball through the air. Vikings quarterback Randy Aguilar has thrown for 309 yards and a touchdown … wide receiver Gabriel Zapata is his leading target with 19 receptions for 171 yards and a score … Pace opens district play next week against Brownsville Veterans Memorial.
PREDICTION: Pace 28, La Joya Palmview 21
— Joshua McKinney
PORT ISABEL AT LA FERIA
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Lion Stadium, La Feria
RECORDS: Port Isabel (3-0); La Feria (3-0)
GAME NOTES: Port Isabel defeated Hidalgo 37-6 in Week 3. … The Tarpons’ ground attack continues to run wild no matter whose in the backfield, to the tune of 346 yards and nearly 29 points per game. … The Port Isabel defense has been lights out, its allowed just 121 yards and nine points per game on the season, including two straight games holding its opponents less than 122 yards and fewer than seven points during each game. … La Feria defeated Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial 14-10 on the road last week. … The Lions’ offense is pretty balanced with almost an even split its 401 yards per game. The unit has scored 34 points per game and topped 40 points twice. … The La Feria defense allows less than 293 yards and under 15 points per game. … With an even matchup between the unbeatens, the game could come down to the defense that forces the most turnovers. The Lions’ defense has played well, but not as well as the Tarpons have thus far. The Port Isabel defense is the difference.
PREDICTION: Port Isabel 23, La Feria 21
— Andrew Crum