Memorial senior Nick Hernandez is off to the races on a 77-yard TD run midway through the second quarter.
CARGILE, TWO MATES POST LONG-DISTANCE TD RUNS
Memorial's multi-pronged ground game restored a degree of normalcy to the fevered District 22-5A football race Thursday night with a rushing bonanza that flattened playoff hopeful Pasadena and provided the Mavericks with a solid claim on the district's No. 3 playoff spot.
Three different Memorial backs -- Chris Cargile, Nick Hernandez and Reggie Turner -- contributed touchdown runs of 74 yards or longer as the Mavs left the Eagles wind-burned in a 55-24 victory at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Memorial amassed an astonishing 615 yards of total offense, 558 of it coming on the ground.
Although just 3-6 overall, the Mavs won that all important second district game, normally all that's required to make the district's four-team playoff roster. Memorial can lock up a playoff spot next week with a victory over South Houston.
Pasadena, 5-4 overall and 1-3 in district, still has an opportunity to nail down a playoff spot next week. The key to a happy ending for the Eagles remains a victory over Sam Rayburn to end the regular season on Nov 5.
Cargile finished with 209 yards on 17 carries after scoring on runs of 36 and 85 yards.
Hernandez scored on runs of 77 and 36 yards en route to 159-yard rushing performance. He carried the ball only four times.
Turner cracked a 74-yard TD run just 20 seconds into the game. He finished with 123 yards on eight carries.
The Mavericks led 55-10 in the third quarter before the Eagles rebounded for the game's final two TDs -- a 70-yard run by Julian Nance and a 20-yard blast by Gabriel Hill.
Nance, who scored earlier on a 23-yard run, rambled through Memorial's defense for 184 yards on 25 carries.
Mavericks quarterback Greg Gallardo had a hand in two of his team's eight TDs. Gallardo threw a 14-yard pass to Dorian Johnson to end the scoring in the second quarter and found AhRmon Mcleod for a 30-yards strike for the first TD of the third quarter.
Mcleod earlier scored on an eight-yard run.
Memorial defensive back Adrian Boutte (9) jars the ball from the grasp of Pasadena's Christian Moreno (left) after a reception in the second quarter. (Right) With the ball on the ground, Mavericks linebacker Andrew Garza (32) dives into the fray and makes the recovery.
Memorial running back Ahrmon Mcleon (27) becomes the rope in a human tug o'war. As Pasadena's Albert Castro (10) tries to pull the ball out and other Eagles defenders try to pull Mcleod down, his teammate, lineman Anthony Garza (79) tries to push him forward another yard or two.
Eagles quarterback Nick Bernal fires a pass downfield in the first half.
One of the few that eluded the Mavericks: Memorial wide receiver Brandon Thomas can't quite catch up to deep pass from Greg Gallardo on the final play of the first half. The ball glanced off his fingertips.
Pasadena's Julian Nance follows the protection of linemen Armando Chavana (77) and Ozzy Martinez (59) as he breaks tackles and gains big yardage early in the second half.
GAME ALBUM
