Bulldogs Dominate Huskies on Homecoming Night, 42–10
MCALLEN — McAllen High turned homecoming into a three-phase showcase, racing past La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 42–10 on Friday at Veterans Memorial Stadium in the District 16-5A Division I opener.
Senior receiver/returner Finn Henderson authored a three-touchdown night — catching scoring passes of 30 and 7 yards from senior quarterback McCoy Wolthoff and breaking the game open with a 96-yard kickoff return early in the fourth quarter. Senior running back Hunter Morley added first- and third-quarter rushing scores from 50 and 5 yards as the Bulldogs (3–1, 1–0) won their third straight.
“Full team effort,” head coach Patrick Shelby said. “We got started slow, but once the kids settled down, all three phases showed up. We had a blocked [punt], a kickoff return to the house, and another that set up a score. That kind of special-teams spark ignited energy for the whole team.”
The Bulldogs seized control late in the first quarter. After a two-play drive capped by Morley’s 50-yard burst up the middle made it 7–0, McAllen’s punt rush broke through moments later — Cash Frisby got the block and senior Hayden Helgeson scooped and scored from 40 yards to push the lead to 14–0. Wolthoff then found Henderson down the left side for a 30-yard strike and a 21–0 cushion with about a minute left in the half.
Juarez-Lincoln (0–4, 0–1) salvaged points on the final snap before halftime with a 34-yard field goal after an offsides penalty gave the Huskies a second try. But McAllen’s offense answered immediately after the break. Wolthoff steered an 11-play, 75-yard march and finished it with a 7-yard dart to Henderson for a 28–3 lead at the 8-minute mark of the third. Morley’s 5-yard plunge later in the period made it 35–3.
The Huskies opened the fourth with their lone touchdown, a 5-yard keeper by quarterback Leo Elizondo, but Henderson erased any thought of momentum on the ensuing kickoff with a weaving 96-yard return to the north end zone for 42–10. McAllen also blocked a fourth-quarter field-goal attempt to cap a dominant special-teams night.
“After that, we used our tempo as a weapon,” Shelby said of the Bulldogs’ second-half push. “Starting fast for us means we dictate — echo the formation, cadence, backfield, get spotted, and play ball.”
Henderson admitted the Bulldogs needed that reset at halftime.
“The first half was not our level of football. In the second half we cut the penalties, locked in, and it flowed.” He added that the Bulldogs’ skill trio has years of chemistry: “They call (Morley) Thunder and me Lightning. We’ve been with McCoy since sixth grade — the chemistry off the field shows up under the lights.”
Morley, who repeatedly punished interior lanes set by McAllen’s veteran line, said the plan was simple: “I saw a crease and hit it. Coaches trust me with the ball. Once we got going, we picked it up in the second half and finished.”
Defensively, McAllen’s front and second level kept the Huskies behind the chains for most of the night. Linebacker Oliver Schwarz was a frequent finisher, while edge pressure from Fletcher Frisby and linebacker Symon Pardo produced key sacks. Safety Pablo De La Rosa made a tone-setting open-field tackle to short-circuit a second-quarter throwback, and rover Riley Ousley chased down the loose ball after the Bulldogs’ late field-goal block.
Juarez-Lincoln’s best stretches came with Elizondo’s improvisation and a pair of downfield connections to Sebastian Lopez — a 39-yard catch helped set up the halftime field goal — but the Huskies were repeatedly turned away in plus territory by negative plays and McAllen pressure.
Even amid a comfortable margin, Shelby kept his group on the throttle to emphasize habit and rhythm.
“It’s one-and-oh mentality,” he said. “Next week’s going to be a fun one — two really good football teams going at it for four quarters. Physical.”
Up next: McAllen hosts Edinburg Vela on Friday at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Juarez-Lincoln visits McAllen Rowe on Thursday, Sept. 25.
