While the Rio Grande Valley qualified six 7-on-7 football teams to compete at this year’s state tournament last weekend in College Station, the hogs on the offensive and defensive lines from six local high schools were busy battling in the trenches at the inaugural Alamo Parks & Recreation Lineman Challenge in Alamo.
The competition showcasing offensive and defensive linemen included seven events — a farmer’s walk, tug-of-war, truck push, bench press, obstacle course, plate stacking and a tire flip — with the top overall team taking home first place.
“Linemen are the unspoken heroes of teams, and I know they don’t get all the glory, but giving them a chance to go out there and showcase some of their abilities is really uplifting for a lot of them,” McAllen Memorial interim football head coach Moses Patterson said.
The top honor went to the Memorial Mustangs, who won four of the seven events while setting team and individual records in the bench press as senior defensive lineman Marcos De Ochoa repped 185 pounds 28 times.
| McAllen Memorial offensive and defensive linemen pose after winning first place at the inaugural City of Alamo Lineman Challenge on Saturday at PSJA Memorial High School. Courtesy Photo |
“We put so much emphasis on 7-on-7. This is just another outlet for some of our other kids who aren’t normally getting their names recognized during the game to go out there and showcase some of their talents. It’s always a fun time, it’s always a party. And hopefully win or lose, you get to go out there and celebrate their accomplishments and the work they’ve put in,” Patterson said.
Donna High, Edinburg High, McAllen Memorial, PSJA Memorial, PSJA Southwest and Weslaco High competed in the event.
Donna earned second place, while Edinburg High took home third.
| Edinburg High competes in the truck push event during the inaugural City of Alamo Lineman Challenge on Saturday at PSJA Memorial High School. Courtesy Photo |
Donna football head coach Mike Gonzales said he was proud of the way their “big bodies” competed during their first lineman challenge.
“I tell the kids all the time: Whether it’s 7-on-7 or lineman challenge or lifting weights, I don’t care about the ‘W’ of the ‘L.’ What I care about is we’re going to compete and we’re going to compete tough,” Gonzales said. “That’s what we told our big bodies, ‘Get out there and compete, hustle, and let the chips fall where they may. And fortunately enough we finished in second place.’”
| Donna High offensive and defensive linemen pose after finishing in second place at the inaugural City of Alamo Lineman Challenge on Saturday at PSJA Memorial High School. Courtesy Photo |
With the start of the 2021 football season about a month away, Gonzales said his team’s success at the lineman challenge added some swagger to Donna’s lines.
“I know it’s not football yet, but it’s competition. No matter what you do in the weight room, in the classroom, you have to compete against yourself to get better,” Gonzales said. “Our big bodies got a little bit of confidence, because we went in there against some 6A schools, some strong schools that we know from powerlifting. To come out of there with a second place trophy was big for us. Those guys, they enjoyed the moment, they loved it, and I’m glad it gave us a little bit of confidence.”