“Game ain’t based on sympathy”: McAllen opens season with 41-0 shutout of Economedes

EDINBURG — There was not much sympathy in McAllen High’s approach to its season opener.

The Bulldogs scored three times before halftime, kept the pressure on after the break and shut out Economedes 41-0 at Richard R. Flores Stadium to open the 2026 football season with a strong win.

For senior Hayden Helgeson, the mindset behind the performance was simple.

“You know it felt good,” Helgeson said. “Going into this game it was... Be the hammer, not the nail, as they say.”

That mindset showed early.

Senior running back Andres Garza put McAllen on the board with a first-quarter touchdown run, giving the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead with 2:48 left in the opening period.

McAllen added another rushing touchdown in the second quarter before sophomore Cole Morley reached the end zone just before halftime. The extra point gave the Bulldogs a 21-0 lead with 12 seconds left in the half.

Even with a three-score lead, Garza said McAllen had no plans to slow down.

“Keep going, keep pushing it,” Garza said. “We gotta shut them down then and there. The third quarter is the most important quarter. Coach says that a lot. Once you shut them down third quarter, there’s not much they can do.”

McAllen did exactly that.

Quarterback Luke Laurel connected with junior Ethan Shelby for a touchdown early in the second half, adding to a lead Economedes was never able to cut into. Laurel later found Luke Vega for another touchdown as the Bulldogs continued to pull away.

While McAllen’s offense kept putting points on the board, its defense made sure the Jaguars never answered.

Economedes quarterback John Carreon and running back Rey Luna helped move the ball at different points during the night, and Carreon used his legs several times to keep drives alive. But McAllen’s defense continued to make stops whenever Economedes got close to scoring.

The performance matched the identity Helgeson said McAllen wants to carry this season.

“Game ain’t based on sympathy,” Helgeson repeated.

Garza said that attitude means something to a McAllen team he feels is often overlooked.

“Everyone always feels bad for us because we are a senior-heavy team every year,” Garza said. “People feel bad for us, never rank us in the top 10. But we just gotta come out and show them we don’t want their sympathy. We come out to show and play.”

Garza was one of the main pieces of McAllen’s offense Friday, scoring the Bulldogs’ first touchdown and breaking loose for one of the bigger runs of the night.

His motivation, he said, is simple.

“I wanna be great,” Garza said. “I wanna be the best in my position. I wanna show everyone that I’m great.”

The Bulldogs are also leaning on a group of players who have spent years playing together.

Garza said many of McAllen’s upperclassmen have been together since their freshman seasons, helping build chemistry on both sides of the ball.

“We’ve been playing together since freshman year,” Garza said. “A lot of us stayed together since freshman year. All of us get each other better. Iron sharpens iron. As they say, we have one of the best defenses and one of the best offenses every day at practice.”

Helgeson used the same phrase when talking about how McAllen plans to build on its opening win.

“It’s going to be iron sharpens iron, so at practice we are just going to keep on going,” Helgeson said. “And during the games we are going to pound the hammer every single play.”

Even with McAllen in control, Economedes had chances to break the shutout late.

The Jaguars drove inside the McAllen 5-yard line in the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs stopped them on fourth down with 3:48 remaining. Economedes later got the ball back and moved inside the 10 again, but senior Riley Ousley came up with a fourth-down sack to keep the Jaguars off the scoreboard.

McAllen also turned an Economedes turnover into its final touchdown of the night when the Bulldogs recovered a fumble for a score in the fourth quarter. The extra point made it 41-0.

Helgeson said McAllen’s personnel may force the Bulldogs to do some things differently this season, but the mindset stays the same.

“We play with what we got and nothing more,” Helgeson said.

On Friday night, what McAllen had was more than enough.

The Bulldogs start the season 1-0, while Economedes falls to 0-1.

McAllen will next face Edinburg North on Thursday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. Economedes will travel to face Palmview on Friday, Sept. 4.