RGVSports.com
Two of the top-ranked teams in the Valley will square off in The Monitor’s Game of the Week on Friday at 7:30 p.m., when Sharyland High plays host to McAllen Memorial at Richard Thompson Stadium to kick off the football season.
The No. 1 Rattlers, fueled by their quarterback tandem of Diego Chrysler and Lance Madden, who combined for 24 passing touchdowns and 13 rushing scores last season, will take on Trevor Speights, the reigning All-Valley player of the year, and the No. 3 (tied) Mustangs.
The non-district battle pits a Sharyland High team that has produced 10-0 regular seasons the past two years, before bowing out in the third round, against a McAllen Memorial squad that went 6-5 last season as bi-district finalists. Both expect lengthy playoff runs.
The Rattlers are sure to be tested from the outset. Other than the two Laredo schools on tap, Sharyland High’s stiffest challenge will almost certainly be its Week 1 opponent. Edinburg Vela and Mission Veterans follow down that list once district gets under way.
Chrysler and Madden, who also shared snaps last season, boast a dual threat. Chrysler, a pocket passer, completed nearly 70 percent of his attempts last season. At 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, he can also run the ball. Madden, however, is the more elusive ground threat, drawing comparisons to former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel from Chrysler and Sharyland High coach Ron Adame.
Their familiarity with center Keith Mora and Sean Landez, an all-around athlete, should bode well for the offense, which accounts for four of the Rattlers’ seven returning starters.
The Mustangs counter that with 12 returning starters, led by arguably the Valley’s top player in Speights, who rushed for 2,267 yards and 25 touchdowns as sophomore last season. Though it was ousted in the opening round of the playoffs, McAllen Memorial is banking on its chemistry and camaraderie to carry it to its best finish in program history.
The Mustangs have as good of an opportunity as any to make a statement in Week 1. However, the absence of wide receiver D.J. Johnson, who is out with a broken foot, should make things more challenging against a Sharyland High team that is expected to roll through the regular season.