McHi survives Edinburg upset bid

McALLEN – McAllen High had to cover 80 yards in 2:25 if it wanted to win Thursday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

One play is all the Bulldogs needed. Bulldogs quarterback Austin Griffith connected with wide receiver Nick Garza on a beautifully precise throw for an 80-yard touchdown and a dramatic 17-14 McHi non-district win over Edinburg High.

“Austin playing quarterback for us is playing in only his second game,” Bulldogs coach Tony Harris said. “You are only as good as your last pass, and right now he is a hell of a quarterback.”

Griffith was unsteady at times during the game. He was 10-for-21 with 163 yards and had only connected with McHi’s top wide receiver, Garza, four times for 37 yards before the game winning TD.

“I don’t want to say I got lucky, but it was a great pass from Austin,” Garza said. “We just connected. It was a great play.”

Before that play, it looked as if the Bobcats were going to steal a win.

The Bobcats scored on a 16-yard pass from backup QB Steven Guerrero to Steve Trevino with 4:05 left in the game and then forced the Bulldogs (1-1) to punt on the ensuing possession.

Edinburg, however, could not get a first down to run out the clock and was forced to punt, setting up Garza’s TD. Garza finished the game with five receptions for 117 yards and a TD.

“At times we looked like a championship football time and then at other times we just sputtered,” said Bobcats coach Joey Caceres, whose team starts the season 0-1 for the third consecutive season. “I think the difference at the end is when we had the opportunity to put the nail in the coffin and all we needed was to get a first down and we didn’t get it. …They were 80 yards back and all they needed was one play.”

At halftime the Bobcats switched QBs after Isaac Escobar with down with a contusion on his hip just before the intermission. Caceres said Escobar should be OK.

While the Bobcats are left to lick their wounds, the Bulldogs can feel good about bouncing back from a 59-20 loss to Harlingen High last week.

“It feels real relieving,” Garza said about the win. “I know there was a lot of talk that this was not going to be the same McHi team that we have always been. We struggled a lot against Harlingen but this win was really reliving for us. We wanted it. We needed it. We got it.”

Peter Rasmussen covers District 30-5A football for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4448 or via e-mail at prasmussen@themonitor.com.