KEVIN LU | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
McALLEN — McAllen High used a suffocating defense to beat crosstown rival McAllen Rowe 63-13 on Friday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
McAllen (5-2 overall, 3-0 District 30-6A) had standout performances offensively from Ricky Rodriguez and Fred Hover, but the Bulldogs defense set up that success.
McAllen’s first four possessions and final five possessions began in Rowe territory. The Bulldogs were up 21-0 before their first drive in their own territory.
“It’s really nice this time of year, in the meat of our district schedule, our defense is really starting to click,” McAllen coach Kevin Brewer said. “Boy, that makes things nice.”
Down 21-0, the Warriors (2-5, 1-2) had put together a nice drive, but it stalled near the end zone. Rowe then turned the ball over on downs at the McAllen 8-yard line. The Bulldogs took possession and proceeded to drive 92 yards on 14 plays. Rodriguez’s 12-yard touchdown run at the end of the drive gave McAllen its 28-0 lead going into halftime.
McAllen’s second possession after the break lasted one play. Quarterback Fred Hover scrambled around in the backfield and threw on the run to Rodriguez, who made an over-the-shoulder catch for a 61-yard touchdown.
“That’s a play that we always keep in our back pocket,” Brewer said of the play that gave his squad a 35-0 lead. “It’s a momentum changer.”
Hover finished with 191 yards passing and three touchdowns and ran for a pair of scores. Ricky Rodriguez ran for a game-high 168 yards and three touchdowns to go with the receiving touchdown. McAllen’s defense held Rowe to 29 yards on the ground and had three takeaways.
The Warriors scored both their touchdowns in the final three minutes of the game. Quarterback John Perez hit Joseph Moreno for a 53-yard score before finding Ino Rios for a 20-yard touchdown. The Rowe touchdowns sandwiched McAllen’s only punt of the night.
Moreno had a game-high 119 yards receiving for the Warriors.