McAllen Memorial’s Ethan Castillo and Marcos De La Cruz signed their national letters of intent Tuesday in a joint ceremony, the pair committing to continue their academic and athletic careers at Sul Ross State, a Division III college in Alpine that competes in the American Southwest Conference.
Castillo was one part of the Mustangs’ three-headed rushing attack as a senior, tallying 1,069 yards and 12 touchdowns on 141 carries en route to a District 16-5A DI first team offense selection.
His best performance came during the Mustangs’ Week 3 contest against La Joya Palmview, rushing for 214 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries.
De La Cruz began the year as a receiver for the Mustangs. Midway through the season, he was moved to running back, rushing for over 100 yards in six of McAllen Memorial’s final seven games.
Despite only seeing an increased role as a rusher halfway through the year, De La Cruz finished third on the team in rushing, racking up 1,034 yards and 15 touchdowns on 96 carries. He also served as the team’s kicker, going 32-of-34 on extra points.
De La Cruz was named District 16-5A DI’s Most Valuable Player, leading the Mustangs in scoring with 127 points.
