MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
In a season that is sure to have its challenges, Sharyland High coach Ron Adame presented his players with a difficult one this week.
“First game of the year, we told our boys, ‘Let’s not make it bigger than it actually is,’” he said.
Easier said than done. After all, the top-ranked Rattlers will be playing host to No. 3 (tied) McAllen Memorial Friday in The Monitor’s Game of the Week, ushering in the season with one of the tougher battles either team is expecting to face all season.
“It’s going to be a really exciting, hard-nosed football game,” Memorial coach Bill Littleton said. “It’ll come down to the last 2 minutes of the game.”
The two teams have not met since 2011, when Adame was the offensive coordinator and the Mustangs had Tres Barrera as their top player. Sharyland lost that game 28-14, as it saw its three-year winning streak in district evaporate. Since then, the Rattlers have won 23 straight against Valley competition.
Before the realignment of 2012, the two teams competed in the same district (30-5A) for eight years.
Outside of the coaching staffs, virtually every player part of that contest has since graduated. Still, the Rattlers have something similar to protect Friday with a potential third consecutive 10-0 regular season on the line.
Sharyland, however, appears to have its attention elsewhere.
“Going up against a team that’s a playoff-caliber opponent, with a definite blue-chip Division I running back (in Trevor Speights), we’re going to use this as an opportunity for our boys to see the level of speeds that some of these teams are going to bring in the playoffs. And even before that, some of the teams we’re expecting to see in our district,” Adame said.
McAllen Memorial will be fueled by Speights, the reigning All-Valley player of the year, who will occupy much of Sharyland’s attention on defense. The elusive running back returns noticeably stronger this year after rushing for 2,267 yards and 25 touchdowns last season.
The Mustangs will also look for support from Aaron Villarreal, a hard-nose runner that Littleton considers to be the prototypical fullback for his two-back set.
“He’s not going to run around you,” Littleton said. “He’s going to run over you. He’s hard to break down. He’s a good blocker. He’s what you want in a fullback.”
The Rattlers defense will look to narrow in those two, particularly Speights, and limit their lanes.
“We’re just going to try to slow them down,” Adame said. “We know (Speights) is going to get his yard, but I think if we play 11 hats to the ball and take good angles, and the boys stay sound in the execution of our schemes, we’re going to at least try to contain (Speights).”
Sharyland will counter with their two-quarterback system of Diego Chrysler, who played for McAllen Memorial two years ago, and Lance Madden and Sean Landez, their all-around player.
Robby Gonzalez, Mauricio Martinez, Loredo Guerra, James Cole and Seth Carter, the Rattlers will have a range of options to go with as their offensive weapons to counter what’s expected to be a gritty defense, led by middle linebacker Lucas Rios, a three-year starter.
“When you think of Memorial, you always think of real good linebackers,” Adame said. “The defensive line, the secondaries, they’re usually very sound. Those kids are familiar with (Littleton’s) schemes because he’s been there a while (12 years). It’s something they’ve been running since their freshman year, so they’ll be prepared.”