Memorial Lands the Final Blow: Speights’ Three Touchdowns propel Mustangs Past Rival McHi 35–21

McALLEN — For 364 days out of the year, the McAllen Memorial and McAllen High football teams dislike each other.

On that 365th day, when the Mustangs and Bulldogs meet on the gridiron, it’s deeper than that.

“This rivalry runs deep,” Memorial quarterback Kane Coy said. “For this game, you hate each other so much.”

The crosstown rival Mustangs and Bulldogs battled for 48 minutes Friday night, or what seemed like a 12-round fight, as McAllen Memorial ended the 16-5A DI bout with its hand raised after earning a 35-21 victory.

“It’s a rivalry game — it means the world,” Memorial senior running back Jayden Soliz said.

The Mustangs had the Bulldogs on the ropes for the first three quarters with a 21-0 lead heading into the final 12 minutes.

In the fourth, however, McHi began landing significant strikes and battled its way back to slice into Memorial’s lead.

In the end, a forced fumble by Memorial defensive back Nehemiah Adebowale and a 35-yard touchdown burst by running back Braxton Speights proved to be the knockout blows thrown and landed by the Mustangs.

“We were whooping them at first. They came back, they’re a resilient team,” Adebowale said. “We just had to put it away with a couple turnovers, a couple big touchdowns, and that was the game.”

Braxton Speights is the younger brother of former McAllen Memorial star running backs Trevor and Campbell Speights.

Now, it’s Braxton’s time.

His first touch of the game was a 61-yard touchdown run through the heart of the McHi defense.

His last touch of the game was a 35-yard touchdown run off left tackle that slammed the door shut on McHi’s late comeback attempt.

Speights put together his best performance of the season against the Bulldogs, finishing with over 250 rushing yards and three scores.

“Every game, they text me before, they text me after. I’m sure I’m going to go back and my phone is going to be blowing up,” Speights said about his older brothers. “I’m blessed. It’s amazing.”

Coy, Memorial’s signal-caller, finished with a 1-yard touchdown run, and fullback Jorge Munoz added another short yardage score for the Mustangs.

The Mustangs have now won three-straight against the Bulldogs — four-straight for Coy, who also counts a sub-varsity win his freshmen year.

“All four years, being able to get those wins, it just feels amazing. Braxton deserved it,” Coy said about Speights’ game-sealing touchdown. He’s been doing amazing this whole year and we just give thanks to the O-line.”

Despite falling in a 21-0 hole entering the fourth, McHi battled back with a 5-yard touchdown run by quarterback McCoy Wolthoff and a 21-yard touchdown pass by Wolthoff to tight end Eden Maldonado, making it a 21-14 game with 7:29 remaining in the fourth.

After Speights’ 60-yard touchdown run, which put Memorial up 28-14 with 1:47 remaining, McHi receiver Finn Henderson responded with a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to close the gap once again.

The Bulldogs attempted an onside kick, but the Mustangs were there for the recovery.

Memorial lined up to kneel the rest of the clock out, but a few McHi defenders made a push for the ball, diving over and through the Mustangs center and quarterback. After some pushing and jawing back-and-forth, the Mustangs put the ball back in Speights’ hands and he found daylight for the 35-yard score with 39 seconds remaining, giving him the hat trick for the game.

“O-line, they really opened it up, especially after they ran out quarterback over, so we had to get our get back,” Speights said.

The win sends Memorial to 4-2 on the year and 3-0 in district play, tied for first in 16-5A DI with Edinburg Vela (5-1, 3-0) and McAllen Rowe (4-2, 3-0).

The Mustangs will look to win their fourth-straight game in Week 8 on the road against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln. 

“We just have to carry on through the adversity,” Soliz said. “Everyone is doubting us, so we just have to keep putting in the work at practice and translate it into games.”

McHi (3-3, 1-2) moves on to face La Joya Palmview (5-1, 2-1) at home in Week 8.