Painting McAllen Purple: McHi takes down Rowe to win city championship

McALLEN — The McHi Bulldogs found themselves in an unfamiliar spot for the first time this season — behind on the scoreboard — during the first quarter of their District 16-5A DI rivalry game against Nikki Rowe.

The deficit would last just one snap and 22 seconds, however, as McHi running back Cole Morley proceeded to rip off a 66-yard touchdown run on the very next play, re-taking the lead before leaving Rowe in the dust for a 33-7 rivalry win Friday night at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

After delivering a 34-14 beat down of one of their crosstown rivals McAllen Memorial a week ago, the Bulldogs took care of business against the Warriors to claim their first city championship in four years.

“Since Memorial we’ve been talking about Nikki Rowe — if we win this game we’re city champs,” receiver Joaquin Alvarez said. “We wanted it bad and this game showed who wanted it more, so just very excited to come out with the W.”

McHi now stands 5-0 overall, its best start since the 2013 season.

“It’s a great feeling — 5-0 and city champs for the first time since 2022, so it’s a really good feeling to be a McHi Bulldog right now,” linebacker Hayden Helgeson said.

After giving up just their third touchdown of the year on a 94-yard touchdown pass over the middle by Rowe quarterback Alex Leon to receiver Jakob Faz late in the first quarter, McHi proceeded to score 30 unanswered points to secure the 33-7 rivalry victory.

Quarterback Luke Laurel got into a groove in the second half and connected with Alvarez for a pair of touchdowns, the first on a nine route for a 66-yard score, and the second on a 7-yard out route with 1:54 remaining in the ball game.

McHi’s offensive line went to work in the trenches, creating space for running back Cole Morley to pick up tough yardage on the ground. While Morley had to work for every yard earned against a solid Rowe defense, he showed off his big play ability by scoring on a 64-yard touchdown run down the right sideline late in the first.

While the McHi offense found the end zone three times, kicker Iker Pimentel delivered his best game as Bulldog by nailing four field goals in the win, including one from 42 yards out and another from 38 yards away.

Defensively, McHi has been the stingiest unit in the Rio Grande Valley in 2026, surrendering just 14 points across 16 quarters prior to Friday night’s rivalry game. Against Rowe, the Bulldogs gave up the early touchdown before locking the Warriors down over the final three quarters.

McHi has now outscored opponents 203-21 through five weeks.

The Bulldogs remain perfect but they’re not getting ahead of themselves. The goal is to take a 1-0 mentality into each week to finish the regular season undefeated.

“Nothing is ever guaranteed, still five games to go, but it’s good to get these two hardest games out of the way to complete that city championship,” safety Riley Ousley said.

In addition to securing the city championship Friday night, the Bulldogs also received their Team of the Week award from Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, recognizing McHi for its sensational start to the 2026 season.

“That’s awesome, not just for us as a team, but for McAllen High School to know that people are paying attention to you,” McHi head coach Patrick Shelby said. “That’s what we tell the kids, through your hard work and preparation throughout the week and what you come out here and do on game day, you’re catching the eyes of a lot of people across the state. To be the team of the week, it’s amazing. It’s an honor for us as a team, and we’re really excited to be in this position.”

McHi and Rowe now both enter their bye week in Week 6. They’ll return to district competition in Week 7, as the Bulldogs (5-0, 2-0) visit the Rio Grande City Rattlers (1-4, 1-1) on Thursday, Oct. 8 in Rio Grande City, and the Warriors (2-3, 1-1) play host to the La Joya Palmview Lobos (3-2, 2-0) on Friday, Oct. 9 in McAllen.

“We’ve been underdogs through everything, always,” Ousley said. “Last year, this year, nobody ever thinks the Bulldogs are going to win, but it’s awesome to get some statewide recognition.”

upgraded

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, and to usher in Year 50, McAllen ISD and the City of McAllen partnered up to give the track and field a $2 million facelift.

Prior to kicking off Friday’s game, McAllen ISD and the City of McAllen held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the upgrades to the track & field at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium — home of the Bulldogs, Mustangs and Warriors — which was last replaced 20 years ago.