McAllen Memorial has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against The Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North Raiders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. McAllen Memorial will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Texas Rankings (they are ranked 600th, while Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North is ranked 107th).
Last Thursday, McAllen Memorial was fully in charge, breezing past Juarez-Lincoln 49-21 at home. That's two games straight that McAllen Memorial has won by exactly 28 points.
McAllen Memorial's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Kane Coy, who threw for 170 yards and three touchdowns while completing 87.5% of his passes. Jayden Soliz and his 102 yards on the ground were also a key factor in McAllen Memorial's victory.
Meanwhile, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their undefeated season alive. They beat Rowe by the very same score they won with last week: 55-0. Fans of Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season ended as a blowout.
Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North found their leader in underclassman Ethan Guerra, who rushed for 166 yards and three touchdowns on only eight carries, and also picked up 59 receiving yards. Guerra was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 56 yards. Jason Montez also helped out as he racked up 146 rushing yards.
Their wins bumped McAllen Memorial to 5-2 and Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North to 7-0.
Friday's match will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Sebastian Aleman and Guerra. Aleman has put up some stellar numbers this year, and currently owns excellent season averages of 114.4 rushing yards per game this season. For his part, Guerra has averaged 103.7 rushing yards per game this season.
McAllen Memorial was taken down by Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North 48-3 when the teams last played back in October of 2022. Can McAllen Memorial avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
