BY GREG SELBER

MCALLEN – It took all of 43 seconds for the explosion.

A stunned Saturday night crowd watched breathlessly as The Kid took it to the house. Graceful and quick with the natural runner’s lean and cut that cannot really be taught, Memorial freshman Trevor Speights took the first steps into our memory and perhaps the record books with a scintillating 73-yard touchdown scamper on the second play of 2012 for the Mustangs.

Later, the freshman sensation was to break off another TD Thriller, 49 yards in the second period, and his debut dynamics were enough to push his team past Edinburg, 24-10. The Bobcat defense held the Mustangs in check well enough except for two memorable snaps, but the home-run balls were the difference.

Now folks in McAllen have been murmuring excitedly about Speights for the past two years, as he toyed with hapless defenders on the lower levels. When they said that the lithe young back was going to be better than Bradley Stephens some day, the conservatives in the crowd would nod their heads and smile quietly. Sure, sure he will.

            Well…it’s quite early to say that No. 21 will at some point approach and/or eclipse the splendid exploits of the sublime No. 20. But after 156 yards on 10 carries, Speights showed that he has special ability, to be certain. Remember: Bradley, too, rocketed into prominence as a freshman with a couple of long ones in his first action. But he also went on to become the Valley’s all-time leading rusher by amassing 7,803 yards in four seasons.

Kid, the mountain is tall, but you have taken some impressive strides toward whatever summit awaits.

TWO QUALITY UNITS

The game between Memorial and EHS, aside from the two freshman A-Bombs, was more of an old-fashioned slobber-knocker from the start, with two of the area’s most successful teams of late seeking to find out what 2012 has in store for them.

The Bobcats were seldom able to pound out much room up front against a large and active Memorial D-line and compiled just 58 yards on the ground, 33 of that coming on a bolt from Victor Montemayor. One reason the rushing total was so low Saturday had to do with five sacks suffered by three passers against the Blue Crew. One came from Pablo Adame, battling back from a serious knee injury, and two from impressive Angel Garcia, a linemate in the trenches.

            Every time EHS tried to get going, the pocket collapsed and down went the passer. In all, the Bobcats punted nine times, got 168 total yards, and one TD. Luckily, Coach Joey Caceres’ D, a top stop troop the last three years, appears ready to go for Year Four. That unit limited Memorial to 239 yards total, or 117 minus the races to the downs by Speights. It was that type of game, lots of hard hits and second-effort plays.

It was also a Family Affair. The Mustangs have a bunch of guys who know what Memorial football is all about, because their older brothers have walked this walk before. Cody Stites, whose brother Bryant was a star last year, led the way with eight stops Saturday, and though he is not yet as big or physical as his sibling, he’s got a knack for getting there and making it count. Corner Paul Jimenez follows older bro Raul, even donning the same jersey number, 3. James Granchelli on the line is the third of that clan to wear the Baby Blue, and Nick Marriott also has bloodlines sunk into the program.

After one night, one can say that the Memorial D is strong in front, aggressive at linebacker, where Garrett Sharp debuted there with seven tackles, and fast in back. The Bobcats meanwhile got nice nights from massive tackle Isaiah Galvan, linebackers Armando Celedon (seven licks) and Armando Barraza (eight), and gutty little DB Ossie Silguero (eight). The leader in stops was a converted tackle, Librando “Liberty” Salinas, who collapsed from end to lasso 11 Mustangs.

            But the star of stars was the fellow Memorial Coach Bill Littleton called his Secret Weapon. Having rolled out the magic that was Bradley Stephens when No. 20 was not yet old enough to earn a learner’s permit to drive, Littleton unveiled his second savant Saturday.

How did it feel to know that he could call upon a back who threatens to go the distance every time he touches leather?

“Nice, real nice,” deadpanned the veteran mentor.

True that. Nice. Real Nice.

OOPS, OK

Memorial, high as a kite after The Kid left them grasping for air and excuses in the first minute of the first game of the year, promptly nearly gave it all back. Its punt return man appeared to muff a kick inside his 20 and without so much as a thank-you, Michael Moreno of EHS fielded the ball on a bounce and found the end zone. Hold on, just a sec.

The officials ruled that the punt had not touched the receiver’s hands, meaning it was now down where Moreno had grabbed it, Memorial ball. It seemed then and seems in hindsight to be a call somewhat shy of correct. Onward they went, nonetheless, at 8:52 of the first.

Alex Cantu, another senior like Adame returning from the injured list after missing the second half of 2011, started for the ‘Cats but was harried consistently by the home-standing marauders. The Mustangs got a taste of that too when EHS LB Vince de la Cruz ended a series by burying Memorial QB Diego Chrysler, a soph who managed the game well and later broke off a 20-yard run to boot.

It was like that for a while, licks, defense and punts, until 5:34 of the second. That’s when lightning tore out of its bottle once again.

Adame had registered one of five sacks the club gained in the first 24 minutes, and the ‘Stangs took over at the EHS 44 after the change of possession via punt. After a motion call (too many for Memorial, first-game jitters, one surmises), Speights took a pitch from Chrysler, glided past the first wave and just flat took off, outracing everyone by a mile, 49 yards for the score.

That Memorial line is one of the best in the Valley, and all the rooters on the sideline were saying they too might have had a chance to get six on the snap, so vast was the hole and so misaligned (as it turns out) was the Bobcat D. They can say that all they want, but superior talents like The Kid can make it LOOK easy out there. It ain’t.

Anyway, 17-0 Memorial and uh-oh for EHS.

Ramon Enriquez, the burly senior who took over in 2011 when Cantu went down, entered the fray and completed two sharp balls to drive the team into field-goal position. Or at least field-goal position for the ‘Cats, not for many other units. Because in Kristov Martinez, the junior soccer star, the club has one of the most dynamite legs in the business. He stepped up to the plate for a 50-yard field goal and delivered a searing blast that would have been successful from at least 60. His booming three got the ‘Cats on the board at 3:21, and it got better for EHS.

The pooch kick was botched by Memorial, with ‘Cat Michael Montalvo locating it at the Mustang 28. This was getting interesting.

However, Memorial was able to hold the line against the ‘Cats, who soon rotated in their third QB, Michael Harrison, he of the appendectomy and month away at the wrong time. Between them, Enriquez and Harrison could not take advantage of the break. Martinez banged in a 40-yard field goal but Edinburg chose to accept a penalty to get the ball at the Memorial 11. Taking points off the board is always a risk, and EHS died on the vine when twin sacks amid a no-timeout last half-minute sealed it.

NAILING IT DOWN

The Mustangs got down to business in the second half with its usual long-drive mentality, but missed a pair of field goals, after having nailed one from 41 in the first half, a series before Speights’ second sail. Ball control ate up much of the third period, with EHS still struggling to run and Memorial (283 yards on the ground) using its assortment of handy backs not named Speights. And there are several. Then they faltered versus a strong wind in the fourth period, and produced a dreadful 12-yard punt.

Now or never for the ‘Cats, and Harrison came through, rifling a 44-yard touchdown to Jesse Garcia. The tall and strong-armed junior baseball player waited until just the right moment to let it fly; he could have thrown earlier because the opening was there, but with the EHS line doing a super job, he had time to float to his left and allow Garcia to run clear, which he did at 11:34 of the game, narrowing the gap to seven.

In the past, the ‘Stangs have taken an opportunity in this situation to salt away the result with some hard running and steady progress downfield. Past was prologue Saturday, as after a 75-play march in seven snaps, it was 24-10, and over.

Fireplug Aaron Villarreal burst up the middle for a 32-yard TD at 7:01, after Aaron Garcia and Lucas Rios had softened up a tiring enemy D. Joel Alonzo (brother of ex Gabe, as that motif continues) also had some quality touches. This game was won at the line of scrimmage, where the Mustangs opened more holes than their foe. And of course, The Kid was there to take advantage of the O-line largesse. With a bullet.

Caceres knows the game would have been closer without the home runs, and Littleton does too. In fact, take away the breath-taking moments, and it was largely a draw.

“We have some young skill kids this year and they’re going to get better every week,” said the Memorial coach as his team readies now for a road game in Edinburg against Economedes next week. “I think Diego did well tonight, that last touchdown was a check-down, he saw it and called it. He is starting to know what we want him to do out there and that is encouraging.”

Caceres takes his group into battle next week against Mac High, a team not unlike Memorial in that it has a huge front line and some dangerous backs. The Bobcat leader was undaunted by the loss, saying that he and his staff have a good idea of what to work on during the run-up to the Bulldog clash.

Edinburg has a pleasant problem right now, with three quarterbacks who could be called the starter. The running game must improve, and if history is the muse it generally turns out to be, this will happen. District comes more quickly than ever for the 5As of the Valley, so next week is it, regarding tinkering, wondering, and the like.

And after one amazing night by the newest star in the stratosphere, The Observer is led to wonder, himself. What was he watching Saturday night in McAllen? Have the football gods been grand enough to bestow upon the humble Valley another brilliant comet like Bradley Stephens? Were the early soothsayers saying their sooth with truth, or vermouth?

Time, ever the master of all denouements, will adjudicate, game by game.