MCALLEN — For the first time this season, the McAllen crowd was silenced.
Weslaco East scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and jumped out to a 19-0 lead Friday night at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The crowd went quiet as the Bulldogs, who entered the game 10-0 and had rarely played from behind all season, suddenly found themselves down three scores.
The McAllen sideline, however, never seemed to panic.
“Because we haven’t really been here at all this season, how are we going to respond?” McAllen High head coach Patrick Shelby said. “Almost down by 21… but it only takes one play.”
The Bulldogs eventually found that play and immediately took complete control, leading to 62 unanswered points and Bi-District victory over Weslaco East 62-19.
Weslaco East opened the game with a 70-yard touchdown pass from Noah Meza to Jay Heredia on its first offensive snap. The Wildcats scored again on their next possession, then added a third touchdown on a seven-play, 67-yard drive to go up 19-0.
McAllen had not trailed by double digits at any point during the regular season.
Shelby said the early problems came from players trying to do too much.
“We were just trying to do things that, as individuals, you’re not supposed to — that’s not your job,” Shelby said. “Guys were just trying to do a little bit extra than what they were supposed to do, and it got us out of position and they hit us on it.”
The Bulldogs had talked throughout the week about being prepared for anything in the playoffs, including onside kicks, fake punts and other unusual looks.
Shelby felt his team may have been thinking too much instead of simply playing.
“We were kind of looking around just trying to make sure nothing crazy happened instead of just playing our game,” Shelby said.
Senior linebacker Hayden Helgeson said the mood on the sideline remained steady despite the deficit.
“We’ve got faith in our team,” Helgeson said. “We had faith in our offense, faith in our defense. Of course, ‘We’ve got to lock in,’ but we all had faith in the end.”
McAllen finally broke through late in the first quarter.
Facing fourth-and-4, quarterback Luke Laurel connected with senior receiver Joaquin Alvarez for a 28-yard gain to keep the drive alive.
Laurel found Alvarez again on the next play for McAllen’s first touchdown, cutting the lead to 19-7.
“That’s all it took was one play offensively,” Shelby said. “We got going, and then after that, the 62 just came.”
The Bulldog defense followed with their first stop of the night. They wouldn’t allow Weslaco East a single point the rest of the game.
Sophomore running back Cole Morley scored early in the second quarter to make it 19-14. Kicker Iker Pimentel then made two field goals, including one that gave McAllen its first lead at 20-19.
By halftime, the Bulldogs had turned a 19-point deficit into a 27-19 advantage.
“They got those 19 points, and we just told the defense, ‘Hey, we’ve got your back if you’ve got ours,’” Alvarez said. “We went out in the second quarter and put up points.”
The Wildcats had hurt McAllen with breakdowns in the secondary early, but the Bulldogs corrected those mistakes and kept Weslaco East off the scoreboard for the final three quarters.
“We obviously had some secondary busts,” Helgeson said. “That’s all it was. So we’re going to get that fixed up for next week and keep on fighting.”
McAllen’s defense continued making stops even after the game was well in hand. Helgeson and Damian Garcia helped force a late fumble near the goal line that Elijah Schwartz recovered, and Aidan Ramirez later broke up a fourth-down pass to end another Weslaco East scoring threat.
“It goes to show, that’s what McHi defense is really about,” Helgeson said.
The offense didn’t pull punches either.
Alvarez finished with four touchdown receptions, including a 92-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The chemistry between Alvarez and Laurel goes back years.
“Back when we were eight, we played on this flag football team, the Cowboys,” Alvarez said. “It’s just backyard football to us.”
Alvarez said that familiarity extends across much of McAllen’s roster.
“We’re all brothers here,” Alvarez said. “We’ve been playing since we were little. I think we’re the most unified team in the state. We’re all friends, we’re always hanging out, and I just think it transfers onto the field.”
Morley also had a huge night.
The sophomore rushed for over 250 yards and four touchdowns, including a 61-yard touchdown in the final minutes.
Shelby credited the offensive line for helping McAllen take control after the slow start.
“You start seeing the big boys up front creating a new line of scrimmage and running from there,” Shelby said.
Friday’s win continued a historic season for McAllen High.
The Bulldogs completed their first undefeated regular season in more than 70 years last week, becoming only the third McAllen team to finish the regular season 10-0.
Now they are 11-0 and Bi-District champions.
“It’s historic,” Helgeson said. “It’s something I’ll be able to tell my kids, my grandkids, and I’ll cherish this moment for the rest of my life.”
The Bulldogs will face Boerne Champion in the Area round next Thursday in Laredo.
For McAllen, the next challenge comes after proving something it had not needed to prove during the regular season — that it could take a major hit and respond.
“It didn’t change,” McHi quarterback Luke Laurel said of the team’s mindset while trailing. “We knew what we had to do to come back, and we did.”
