BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — McAllen High coach Kevin Brewer can’t pinpoint where he faltered during preparation for Thursday’s game, but he’s sure something wasn’t right. And he wants to be the one to take the blame for the team’s flat, unfocused play.
The Bulldogs defense was ripped apart by Harlingen’s spread attack and the offense never found consistency on the ground, resulting in a lopsided 46-21 loss at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
“That’s my fault,” Brewer said. “I didn’t obviously prepare them well enough to start the ball game. We weren’t executing really the whole game. That’s why I’ve got to do a better job with our kids.”
Harilngen High scored on eight of its first 11 drives, punching in six touchdowns and adding a pair of field goals to put the game out of reach early in the fourth quarter.
McAllen High, meanwhile, relied heavily on the big play to generate any type of offense.
“We just came out sluggish,” linebacker Cody Rodriguez said. “There’s no reason for it. We should’ve done better, and we just didn’t execute.”
McAllen High’s athletic but inexperienced defense struggled with the speed and quickness of Harlingen’s spread attack.
Cardinals quarterback Jesse Castro finished 16 of 33 for 270 yards and three touchdowns, and Brewer said most of the damage was a result of miscommunication and defenders not being in the right place.
On the heels of a dominating shutout against Edinburg High, the McHi defense was exploited for 457 total yards.
“I thought we made a big stride last week, and I think we kind of reverted back a little bit this week,” Brewer said. “They have to find their identity. And right now, they really don’t have one.”
Castro consistently pounded the edges with screen passes, including a 60-yarder to Daniel Funk that marked the game’s first touchdown. Castro also thrived in scramble situations, picking up 51 yards and a score on five carries.
Harlingen running back Michael Allen Gonzalez had 87 yards and two scores on four carries, with most of that yardage coming on the perimeter.
“They did a great job of putting speed in space and conflicting our in-space players,” Brewer said. “We’ve got who we’ve got. We can’t go sign some free agents or anything. We’ve got who we’ve got, so we have to go find out how to get some things fixed.”
When McAllen High’s offense succeeded, it was on the back of big plays. Josh McGowen finished with 101 yards on 21 carries, but the bulk of that total came on one 75-yard touchdown run. He also had five catches for 102 yards, mostly on an 80-yard scoring grab during the third quarter.
Quarterback Caleb Youngblood had 11 carries for 84 yards, highlighted by a 47-yard option keeper and a 26-yard touchdown scramble.
Brewer said the offensive line needs to block better going forward.
“We came out flat,” McGowen said. “We came out big headed, thinking we were going to come out here and easily get this W. We just couldn’t execute the plays. We were missing our blocks, and just couldn’t hold. We need a lot of work as a team.”
FIELD POSITION
The Bulldogs were consistently backed up in their own territory during the first three quarters, with an average starting field position at the 27-yard line. During the same span, Harlingen’s average drive started its own 44.
BIG DAY ON ‘D’
Harlingen’s Edwin Gasca notched two sacks and recovered a fumble.
UP NEXT
McAllen High closes out its non-district schedule with a game against Corpus Christi Carroll on Friday. Harlingen will next be in action at Weslaco High, also on Friday.