GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — As McAllen Memorial huddled for its halftime prayer, trailing by 7 to Laredo United South and staring down the barrel of a fourth consecutive first-round exit from the playoffs, senior linebacker Sam Hinojosa thought back to the halftime prayer of last season’s bi-district game.
Hinojosa remembered the feeling — Memorial’s motto this season — of how Del Rio ran away in the second half, handing the Mustangs an early exit from the playoffs.
“Emotions got high at that point for me,” Hinojosa said. “I just said, ‘That’s not going to happen this season. We just turned it around, and came out fighting.’”
Laredo United South led the majority of the game before Memorial’s Trevor Speights scored with 7:46 to play in the fourth quarter, lifting the Mustangs to a 27-24 win on Friday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The playoff win was the first for every player on the Memorial roster.
“It’s a good feeling, man. I can’t even process right now, I’m so emotional,” Speights said. “I’ve been grinding hard these past four years and never got one, so it’s good to finally get one.”
Speights was again the star on offense for Memorial, rushing 21 times for 262 yards and three touchdowns. The rest of the team combined for 27 yards of offense.
With three touchdowns, Speights pushes his career total to 115, a Valley record. He also improves his single-season total to 49, also a Valley record.
After Memorial fell behind 21-7 in the second quarter on a blocked punt that Laredo United South recovered for a touchdown, Speights started playing more on defense.
When United South tried a fake field goal down 27-24 with just more than two minutes to play, Speights broke up the pass. Four players later, he rolled a 63-yard punt down to the 1-yard line with less than a minute to play, all but clinching the win. Speights said he had practiced punting before, but only twice.
“I’m an athlete, so I try to work on all phases of my game and be able to do everything whenever I need to,” Speights said.
On the final snap of the night, United South quarterback Jesse Garza lobbed a pass deep down the middle of the field that Hinojosa bobbled, then intercepted.
After he slid to the turf to end the game, Hinojosa almost immediately popped back up, jumping and holding the ball over his head with two hands as teammates mobbed him on the field.
“I could only see 10 or 15 guys, but I knew 50 guys were on top of me right there,” Hinojosa said. “It was just an amazing feeling to know that the whole team was rallying around me. I’ve never felt anything quite like that. For a second there, I couldn’t breathe.”
United South gave Memorial a far stiffer test than they’d faced all season. Previously, the Mustangs had won every game by at least 19 points.
Memorial coach Bill Littleton said United South was able to match Memorial’s physicality along the line of scrimmage, and that the Panthers’ offensive line “might’ve whipped” the Mustangs’ defensive front.
For the game, United South outgained Memorial 309 to 289.
“We hadn’t seen that very much this year,” Littleton said. “They manhandled us about as much as we manhandled them. It was a battle.”
After Memorial scored first, United South scored 21 unanswered to build a 21-7 lead with 10:19 to play in the second quarter.
Emilio Mendez punched in a 1-yard score for Memorial to make it 21-14 entering halftime. After a United South field goal, Speights scored twice in the second half to give Memorial the 27-24 lead.
The Panthers had two chances at field goals of about 45 yards during the fourth quarter, but missed one left and opted for an unsuccessful fake on another.
Memorial will play its area round game at 7:30 p.m. next Friday on the road against Harlingen High.
Having earned their elusive first-round playoff victory, the Mustangs have a new motto. As the team broke the postgame huddle, they all shouted, “December football,” meaning a trip to the fourth round of the playoffs.
“’Remember the feeling’ is behind us,” Littleton said. “It’s ‘December football’ now. That’s where we’re headed.”
Speights, Memorial survive scare to earn first playoff win since 2011
BY GREG LUCA
STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — As McAllen Memorial huddled for its halftime prayer, trailing by 7 to Laredo United South and staring down the barrel of a fourth consecutive first-round exit from the playoffs, senior linebacker Sam Hinojosa thought back to the halftime prayer of last season’s bi-district game.
Hinojosa remembered the feeling — Memorial’s motto this season — of how Del Rio ran away in the second half, handing the Mustangs an early exit from the playoffs.
“Emotions got high at that point for me,” Hinojosa said. “I just said, ‘That’s not going to happen this season. We just turned it around, and came out fighting.’”
Laredo United South led the majority of the game before Memorial’s Trevor Speights scored with 7:46 to play in the fourth quarter, lifting the Mustangs to a 27-24 win on Friday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The playoff win was the first for every player on the Memorial roster.
“It’s a good feeling, man. I can’t even process right now, I’m so emotional,” Speights said. “I’ve been grinding hard these past four years and never got one, so it’s good to finally get one.”
Speights was again the star on offense for Memorial, rushing 21 times for 262 yards and three touchdowns. The rest of the team combined for 27 yards of offense.
With three touchdowns, Speights pushes his career total to 115, a Valley record. He also improves his single-season total to 49, also a Valley record.
After Memorial fell behind 21-7 in the second quarter on a blocked punt that Laredo United South recovered for a touchdown, Speights started playing more on defense.
When United South tried a fake field goal down 27-24 with just more than two minutes to play, Speights broke up the pass. Four players later, he rolled a 63-yard punt down to the 1-yard line with less than a minute to play, all but clinching the win. Speights said he had practiced punting before, but only twice.
“I’m an athlete, so I try to work on all phases of my game and be able to do everything whenever I need to,” Speights said.
On the final snap of the night, United South quarterback Jesse Garza lobbed a pass deep down the middle of the field that Hinojosa bobbled, then intercepted.
After he slid to the turf to end the game, Hinojosa almost immediately popped back up, jumping and holding the ball over his head with two hands as teammates mobbed him on the field.
“I could only see 10 or 15 guys, but I knew 50 guys were on top of me right there,” Hinojosa said. “It was just an amazing feeling to know that the whole team was rallying around me. I’ve never felt anything quite like that. For a second there, I couldn’t breathe.”
United South gave Memorial a far stiffer test than they’d faced all season. Previously, the Mustangs had won every game by at least 19 points.
Memorial coach Bill Littleton said United South was able to match Memorial’s physicality along the line of scrimmage, and that the Panthers’ offensive line “might’ve whipped” the Mustangs’ defensive front.
For the game, United South outgained Memorial 309 to 289.
“We hadn’t seen that very much this year,” Littleton said. “They manhandled us about as much as we manhandled them. It was a battle.”
After Memorial scored first, United South scored 21 unanswered to build a 21-7 lead with 10:19 to play in the second quarter.
Emilio Mendez punched in a 1-yard score for Memorial to make it 21-14 entering halftime. After a United South field goal, Speights scored twice in the second half to give Memorial the 27-24 lead.
The Panthers had two chances at field goals of about 45 yards during the fourth quarter, but missed one left and opted for an unsuccessful fake on another.
Memorial will play its area round game at 7:30 p.m. next Friday on the road against Harlingen High.
Having earned their elusive first-round playoff victory, the Mustangs have a new motto. As the team broke the postgame huddle, they all shouted, “December football,” meaning a trip to the fourth round of the playoffs.
“’Remember the feeling’ is behind us,” Littleton said. “It’s ‘December football’ now. That’s where we’re headed.”