McALLEN — McAllen Memorial running back JP Garza scored three touchdowns to lead the Mustangs to a 24-6 victory over Rio Grande City on Thursday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Memorial (6-3, 4-2) moves closer to locking up one of four playoff spots in District 15-5A DI. The third and fourth seeds will come down to the Mustangs and crosstown rivals McAllen High and McAllen Rowe. Rio Grande City (3-6, 2-4) is eliminated from playoff contention with the loss.
Garza and sophomore running back Jayden Soliz took over with leading rusher Sebastian Aleman sidelined. The pair stepped up in his absence, with Soliz doing most of his damage in between the 20s and Garza shining in the red zone. Garza scored touchdowns on runs of 7, 3 and 14 yards.
Rio Grande City’s defense came up with two takeaways against Memorial. Bruce Benavides forced a fumble on a quarterback run and Omar Alaniz scooped the ball off a bounce late in the first half. Early in the fourth, Benavides jumped on a loose ball after Fernando Vazquez stripped a Mustangs ball carrier.
The Rattlers then moved downfield for a 74-yard scoring drive that was capped by an 18-yard touchdown pass from Dante Flores to DeAndre Rodriguez with 1:24 remaining. Memorial’s Chris Luna blocked and returned the RGC extra-point attempt for two.
Next for the Mustangs is McAllen High (6-2, 3-2) at 7:30 p.m. next Friday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Rattlers wrap up the regular season against PSJA North (9-0, 6-0) at 7:30 p.m. next Friday at Joe R. Sanchez Stadium in Rio Grande City.
