Mustangs get revenge against SaberCats in matchup of 16-5A DI titans

McALLEN — In Week 9 of the 2024 season, Edinburg Vela cruised to a dominant 56-0 blowout win over McAllen Memorial as the SaberCats went on to capture the District 16-5A DI championship.

McAllen Memorial has had revenge on its mind ever since.

In this year’s meeting, the Mustangs avenged last year’s loss and grinded out a hard-fought 31-28 victory over the SaberCats with first-place in 16-5A DI on the line Thursday night at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen.

“I think revenge has been on our mind for quite a while,” Mustangs head coach Moses Patterson said. “It’s one of those things where we always talk about getting better and not looking forward. It was really important that we came out and did the best we can. We knew we weren’t going to be perfect. I never ask them to be perfect, I just ask them to go out there and compete and do the best job they can. They battle for each other and I’m just really happy with the overall effort.”

McAllen Memorial (6-2, 5-0) snapped a four-game losing streak against Edinburg Vela (6-2, 4-1) and now sits alone atop the 16-5A DI standings with two games left to play. Memorial is one win away from clinching at least a share of the district title and two wins away from clinching it outright. It would be the program’s first district title since 2021.

While the Mustangs finished on top, they had to battle the SaberCats for all 48 minutes as the 16-5A DI titans went toe-to-toe for four quarters with one big play after another.

In the end, however, the game came down to special teams. After Memorial running back Braxton Speights gave the Mustangs a 31-28 lead with 2:50 remaining in the fourth, Vela marched its way into the red zone on a Tyler Ruiz deep ball to Caidyn Hoover.

Facing a 4th-and-7 at the Memorial 22-yard line, Vela went for the game-tying 35-yard field goal attempt with 1:46 left, but the kick doinked off the left goal post as Memorial held on for the 31-28 victory.

“It was surreal. I was on my knees and I see it doink off the post and I couldn’t have been happier,” Mustangs quarterback Kane Coy said. “You wish for games like this when you’re little and you wish for thrillers, and this was as much a thriller as you can get.”

Memorial running back Jayden Soliz was electric with the rock in his hands against Vela, slicing through the heart of the defense for a 63-yard touchdown in the first quarter and a 52-yard score in the second.

He said last year’s loss against Vela lit a fire in the 2025 Mustangs.

“It really motivated us. This is our senior year, so we didn’t want to go out like that,” Soliz said.

After missing time earlier this season due to injury, Soliz’s return and presence on the field gives the Mustangs another playmaker that must be accounted for at all times. With Braxton Speights and Jorge Munoz in the backfield, Michael Alaniz out wide and Coy playing point guard, Memorial is a problem for opposing defenses.

In last year’s meeting between the Mustangs and SaberCats, Memorial quarterback Coy didn’t finish the game after an injury knocked him out for the remainder of the 2024 regular season.

“Man, I hated getting injured that game. I knew this was the game for me,” Coy said. “I circled it on my calendar. I knew this was the one I wanted the most, and to go out there and show out and perform and win, it’s one of the biggest accomplishments for me. They talk trash, but we just stuck to our game plan and get it done.”

Vela was led by its dynamic receiver duo of George Fauls and Caidyn Hoover, who normally starts on defense in the SaberCats secondary.

SaberCats quarterbacks Ruiz and Gavin Castillo consistently peppered Fauls and Hoover with targets in the passing game and let the playmakers go to work. Fauls hauled in a 46-yard touchdown pass from Ruiz and Hoover finished with a 56-yard touchdown catch, a 19-yard touchdown grab, and almost housed a punt return for a special teams score. Running back Christopher Caballero added a 1-yard touchdown plunge after Hoover’s punt return.

Edinburg Vela, the defending 16-5A DI champion, will be looking to rebound in Week 10 with a matchup against La Joya Palmview at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

McAllen Memorial, meanwhile, will be out to stay unbeaten in district play as the Mustangs prepare to face crosstown rival McAllen Rowe at 7:30 p.m. Friday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen.