Moving different: McHi hands out another beatdown in shutout W over PSJA
It’s been three years since McHi has gotten off to a 3-0 start, but the 2026 Bulldogs are moving a bit different.
McHi has been one of the most dominant teams across the state over the first three weeks of the Texas high school football regular season, outscoring opponents 136-0 following a 35-0 beatdown of the PSJA Bears on Thursday at PSJA Stadium.
While the numbers are nice, the Bulldogs have been anything but on the gridiron.
“We’re harping on, especially us captains, we’re harping on being the most physical team in the RGV,” senior linebacker Hayden Helgeson said. “That’s what we want to be. We want to be those guys and we want people to be afraid of us.”
Offensively, defensively, and of course on special teams, McHi has run into three non-district opponents and ran through all three.
In Week 1, it was a 41-0 shutout of a top 10-ranked team at the time in Edinburg Economedes. In Week 2, the Bulldogs handled business with a 60-0 shellacking of Edinburg North.
And on Thursday evening in Pharr, the Bulldogs proved to be the big dogs on the block, controlling a gritty game against the Bears from start to finish.
“Honestly, to start the season, it seemed like a foreign topic. Shutting out teams, that’s rare, especially these Slot-T games, these aggressive teams that come out and hit you in the mouth,” senior defensive back Riley Ousley said. “It’s kind of unheard of. We come out the first game against Econ, a team that’s supposed to be better than us, and we run through ‘em. And then Edinburg North, Edinburg North. And then we come out here against Bears, a scrappy team, and God-willing, we were able to put up 35 points to 0.”
McHI quarterback Luke Laurel was at it again in the Week 3 win, connecting with receiver Brodyn Santos on a 27-yard touchdown in the second quarter and 21-yard touchdown pass in the fourth, both over the middle of the PSJA defense.
Laurel has now thrown 12 touchdown passes in 12 quarters of play.
“Defense has been playing crazy. Shoutout to them,” Laurel said. “They’re doing their thing, getting us the ball, and when we get the ball, we just have to make plays and be explosive.
Offense has been coming together. I’ve been able to spread the ball out to everybody on the field, and that’s a big part of my game.”
McHi’s defense also came out and pitched a third straight shutout. Sophomore defensive back Diego De Lizardi intercepted a pass in the end zone to shut down PSJA’s most successful offensive drive of the night.
Special teams also set the tone Thursday, as back-to-back blocked punts by the Bulldogs led to one being pounced on by linebacker Jesus Rocha in the end zone for an easy touchdown.
“I think it’s the brotherhood,” Ousley said. “All of us have been playing together since middle school. We love each other, we play for each other, and I think that’s the biggest thing. Unity is the secret. We’re going to keep playing for each other, playing unselfish football, and that’s the key to victory.”
In order to stay perfect in Week 4, the Bulldogs will have their work cut out for them in the District 16-5A DI opener against their biggest rival, McAllen Memorial.
McHi will be gunning for a fourth straight shutout, and to do so, the Bulldogs must bottle up a McAllen Memorial rushing attack led by Braxton Speights and Oscar Jasso, who ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the Rio Grande Valley in rushing entering Week 3.
“I wanna see the exact same thing we’ve been doing,” Helgeson said. “We’re going to shut them out.”
Kickoff between McHi and Memorial is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start Friday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
“There’s a lot that we gotta work on, there’s a lot that we gotta clean up as we get ready to prepare for our first district game next Friday,” McHi head coach Patrick Shelby said. “McAllen Memorial, they’re a tough football team and that game, it doesn’t matter what anybody’s record is, it’s always going to be a great football game for the community of McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley to come out and watch that game.”
