McALLEN —McAllen Rowe got off to a rough start during their season opener, turning the ball over five times, while allowing over 200 yards on the ground during a loss to San Benito on Aug. 27.
On Thursday, however, the Warriors were clicking on all cylinders, scoring 50 points during the first half en route to a dominating 57-17 victory over the Brownsville Lopez Lobos at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
“When you don’t take care of the football, like we didn’t in Week 1 against a good San Benito team, it’s hard to put up points,” Warriors head coach Robert Flores said. “We’ve taken care of it these past two games and we’ve been able to execute on third downs. Those have been key components to having success on the scoreboard.”
McAllen Rowe quarterback Mateo Llanes led the charge offensively during the opening period, throwing for 210 yards and four touchdowns before being pulled to start the second half with the Warriors holding a 40-point advantage.
Llanes has bounced back from a three-interception game against San Benito in dominating fashion, throwing for 479 yards and nine touchdowns in the past two contests.
The Warriors opened the game with a 29-point first quarter, drawing first blood 11 seconds into the contest on an 80-yard kickoff return by Andres Espinosa.
Llanes followed it up with a pair of touchdown passes to Jorge Melendez, before defensive back Anthony Reyes capped off the opening period with a 35-yard interception return for a score.
“Our kids did a good job of coming out right off the bat,” Flores said. “Special teams, that was one of our points of emphasis this week. We took that opening kickoff and set the tone. We got going from there. Mateo had another good week. He was running our offense and was able to use multiple weapons.”
Running back Christopher Zavala chipped in 84 rushing yards on six carries for one touchdown, while hauling in two passes for 84 yards and another score, while two-way player Nelson Ramirez added 98 total yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, the Warriors limited the Lobos to 232 total yards, coming away with two interceptions and one fumble recovery.
“I can’t not recognize our whole defensive team,” Flores said. “Give Brownsville Lopez credit, they didn’t give up. They came out and scored on us, but our defense stuck with it. We bent a little bit, but we didn’t break.”
With that, the Warriors move to 2-0 in district play, outscoring opponents 100-37 during the past two contests. Up next, McAllen Rowe (2-1, 2-0) hosts the Brownsville Pace Vikings (1-1, 1-0) on Thursday, Sept. 16, at Sams Memorial Stadium.
Meanwhile, the Lobos (0-3, 0-2) return home Friday, Sept. 17, taking on the McAllen Memorial Mustangs (1-1, 1-0) at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville.