GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
Tonight, McAllen Memorial football begins a new era after the graduation of Trevor Speights, the Valley’s all-time leading rusher.
Speights set the standard of Valley football for four years, racking up 9,868 rushing yards and 120 total touchdowns. His historic 3,195-yard, 50-touchdown 2015 campaign propelled Memorial to an average of 518.8 yards and 60 points per game during the regular season.
Now, Memorial has to figure out how to generate offense without him. The first test is at 7 tonight in McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium against Sharyland Pioneer in the season opener for both teams.
“Everyone is good enough to show that we can still do the same thing as last year, even though one great player has gone,” Memorial fullback Emilio Mendez said.
With Speights getting ready to begin his freshman season at Stanford University, Memorial coach Bill Littleton is turning the reins over to his younger brother, freshman Campbell Speights.
Despite his youth, Campbell is already making waves with college recruiters. He played for the United States under-15 select team in the International Bowl and was a part of the Football University Top Gun Showcase, being named to the All Top Gun team for the Class of 2020 after his showing in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He also attended camps at Rice and UT Austin this summer.
He enters with a quick and elusive running style, plus the ability to catch the ball after playing a major role in Memorial’s trip to the state 7-on-7 tournament during the summer.
“He has a lot of upside to him,” Littleton said. “He’s a young man who is going to be an outstanding athlete before it’s all said and done.”
With returning back JoJo Williams sitting out tonight due to injury, Campbell Speights is the clear leader atop the depth chart. Mendez, a physical runner, will still get some carries at fullback, and Emiliano Cruz will alternate between fullback and tailback, Littleton said.
The Mustangs are optimistic the new weapons will help continue a streak of six consecutive playoff appearances, and Sharyland Pioneer coach Jason Wheeler is not taking Memorial lightly.
“I wanted the kids to look forward to something over the summer for their first game,” Wheeler said. “Like, ‘Hey, you can’t take summer off. We’re playing a good 6A program.’ I think we’ll match up fine, and it will be a good challenge for us. I want to see where we are earlier in the year, because district starts so soon.”
Playing in the new-look, nine-team District 31-5A, Pioneer will play just two non-district games before opening at Laredo Cigarroa on Sept. 8.
In their third varsity season, the Diamondbacks are looking to continue stepping forward after going 3-7 in 2014 and 6-4 in 2015. The Mustangs will give them an early gauge on how far they’ve progressed. “Memorial is a great test, and I’m looking forward to it,” Pioneer senior offensive lineman Fernie Perez said. “They have tradition. We’re playing at their place, and it’s a chance to see immediately where we’re at. These are the games we want to win to take that next step forward.”
Littleton said Pioneer boasts a diverse group of talented skill players and is capable of spreading the field effectively. He hopes Memorial’s defense, which has impressed with its speed and quickness going all the way back to the spring, will play with more physicality against Pioneer than it did in the team’s scrimmage last week.
“They’re a good football team. They’ll definitely test us,” Littleton said. “We’ll have our work cut out to win. They’re a fine football team. They’re a program that’s going to go somewhere this year. They know that, and we know that.”