McALLEN — McAllen Memorial fullback Max Alaniz-Choy rushed for five touchdowns as the Mustangs steamrolled past the Victoria West Warriors 50-28 in a Class 5A-DI bi-district round on Thursday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
With that, the Mustangs advance to the Class 5A-DI area round, awaiting the winner between San Antonio Lanier and San Antonio Southside, with time, date and location of the contest to be determined.
“I think it all goes back to the type of practice we had this week,” McAllen Memorial head coach Moses Patterson said. “The kids were positive all week. They were upbeat. They were waiting to come out. They’re a good ball club at Victoria West. I can’t speak enough about them. They have some tremendous athletes over there. I think this just speaks to the tenacity of the kids we have here.
“All season long we’ve had a ‘956’ sticker on the back of our helmets. That’s kind of been our calling card so to speak. That’s been our goal all season long. Just more forward and represent the 956.”
The Warriors’ defense had no answer for the Mustangs’ explosive rushing attack against Victoria West, racking up 445 yards and seven touchdowns behind their massive O-line. Alaniz-Choy finished with a game-high 289 yards on 23 carries, while senior running back Marco De La Cruz added 120 yards and one touchdown on nine carries.
During the first half, Alaniz-Choy single-handedly outgained the Warriors’ offense, rushing for 163 yards and three touchdowns, while the Warriors gained only 154 total yards.
“I think all season long we’ve talked about how the offensive line is the catalyst for everything else going on in the backfield,” Patterson said. “We have some tremendous runners. Max did a heck of a job tonight. We got Marcos De La Cruz and Ethan Castillo back there. We just got a stable of running backs able to come in and do a bunch things for us. But it all starts up front and I can’t speak enough about them.”
With 2:40 left in regulation, the Warriors cut the Mustangs’ lead to eight on a touchdown pass from quarterback Braden Luedeker to Dion Green, their third connection of the night.
The Mustangs turned to their O-line and Alaniz-Choy on the ensuing possession, handing the ball off to their junior fullback six times during the eight play, 85-yard drive, capped off by a 40-yard touchdown burst down the middle by Alaniz-Choy to give his team a 43-28 advantage.
The Mustangs came away with the game’s lone turnover on the following drive, with senior defensive back Edgar Zamora coming up with a huge interception during the fourth, setting up the game-sealing 15-yard touchdown run by senior Ethan Castillo four plays later.
“Our big thing is just keep chipping away,” Patterson said. “We’re never going to play a perfect game. We always want to try and do that, but we’re never going to play a perfect game. We’re going to have missed blocks and tackles here. We just have to keep working. If we come together and play like a family, like we did all year, things just take care of themselves.”
