The McAllen Memorial Mustangs will face off against the Vela Sabercats at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with McAllen Memorial sitting on four straight victories and Vela on five.
On Thursday, everything came up roses for McAllen Memorial against Juarez-Lincoln as the squad secured a 42-14 win. The result was nothing new for the Mustangs, who have now won four matchups by 23 points or more so far this season.
McAllen Memorial's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Braxton Speights led the charge by rushing for 234 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 13.8 yards per carry. Speights is crushing it when it comes to rushing yards: he's rushed for at least 103 every time he's taken the field this season. Jayden Soliz was another key back, gaining 97 total yards and three touchdowns.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: McAllen Memorial was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 365 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 219 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Javier Aaron Izaguirre
| 09/11/25 @ Johnson | 2 |
| 08/29/25 vs Hanna | 4 |
| 09/05/25 @ Weslaco | 6 |
| 09/26/25 @ Mission | 6 |
| 09/19/25 vs Rio Grande City | 7 |
Another reason for the win was McAllen Memorial's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for 3.5 sacks. Leading the way was Javier Aaron Izaguirre with 2.5. He also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with 11. McAllen Memorial got some further help from Dalton Keller: he made 15 total tackles (1.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Vela got themselves on the board against Rowe on Friday, but Rowe never followed suit. They took down the Warriors 16-0.
McAllen Memorial better keep an eye on Christopher Caballero. He was instrumental in Vela's win, rushing for 131 yards and one score while picking up 8.2 yards per carry.
McAllen Memorial's victory bumped their record up to 5-2. As for Vela, their win bumped their record up to 6-1.
Thursday's contest might be decided on the ground. McAllen Memorial has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 339.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Vela struggles in that department as they've been averaging 148 rushing yards. There's a good chance Thursday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
McAllen Memorial was taken down by Vela 56-0 when the teams last played back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Mustangs, Jonathan Flores (who rushed for 197 yards and four TDs on only 11 carries, and also picked up 101 receiving yards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
