Mustangs survive Halloween tripple overtime thriller to clinch district Championship

McAllen Memorial outlasted Nikki Rowe 33–31 in triple overtime on Halloween night at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, clinching the win on a sudden-death two-yard toss run by Braxton Speights after Rowe failed to convert.

Memorial opened fast behind a 50-yard first-quarter scoring run by Jayden Solis and a short Speights plunge, but Rowe answered with a balanced surge to lead 21–14 at halftime behind two touchdowns from Jose Jimenez and a 24-yard scoring strike to Landon Barrera. The third quarter was scoreless, and Memorial drew level 21–21 with 6:31 left after a turnover near midfield ignited a short march capped by another Speights run.

In the first overtime, both teams traded touchdowns—Rowe on Alex Lopez from the 1, Memorial on Speights from five—to make it 28–28. The second overtime ended level again after Memorial converted a 25-yard field goal and Rowe answered with a 21-yard kick following a goal-to-go stand by the Mustang defense.

Speights finished with three rushing touchdowns, including the winner, while Solis repeatedly flipped field position with chunk gains. Rowe’s Lopez, Jimenez and Barrera supplied the Warriors’ scoring, but Memorial’s late stops and special-teams edge decided a tense district clash.

Memorial will close its regular season on the road against Palmview, looking close out undefeated in District 16-5A DI. Rowe, now 4-5 overall and 3-3 in district play, faces crosstown rival McAllen High in a must-win finale that could determine the Warriors’ postseason fate.