McALLEN — McAllen Rowe coach Gary Lauer knew it might turn ugly. And, sure enough, it did.

Los Fresnos senior quarterback Brandon Kretz threw for 326 yards and four touchdowns as the No. 2 Falcons cruised past the Warriors 44-3 on Friday night at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

"They’re a really good team," Lauer said. "What else can you say? They just took it to us out there tonight. They came in and executed, and the bottom line is that we didn’t. You can’t play like that and expect to win."

Los Fresnos (3-0) used three Kretz first-half touchdown passes — a 25-yarder to Esia Rivera, a 13-yarder to Chris Garza and a 6-yarder to Billy Walsdorf — to take a 21-3 advantage into the half. Rowe’s only points came on Cesar Dominguez’s 35-yard field goal.

But just like coach Scott Ford asked his team at halftime, it came out for the kill.

The Falcons scored two touchdowns with less than three minutes elapsed in the third quarter. The first came on a 39-yard strike from Kretz to Luis Campos, and the latter came on Campos’ 12-yard run up the middle to give Los Fresnos the 34-3 lead.

"When we went into the half, I told the guys that the first five minutes of the third quarter was the most important," Ford said. "We wanted to put them away. And, just like I had asked them, they came out with that killer instinct.

"I liked seeing that from my guys. That’s exactly what I wanted to see them do in that situation."Kretz finished the night completing 19-of-24 passes, including his final 11 attempts. The senior connected with four different receivers on his touchdowns, with Rivera hauling in seven receptions for 134 yards.

Rowe (1-3), on the other hand, struggled to move the football against the Falcons. The Warriors, who have played the last two games without starting QB Manny Gatling after he dislocated his left elbow against Mission High, were forced to go with sophomore quarterback Michael Enriquez and Gatling’s younger brother, sophomore running back Cameron Gatling.

Enriquez completed 10-of-30 attempts for 122 yards and two interceptions. Cameron Gatling rushed for 31 yards on nine attempts. Manny Gatling is likely sidelined until the district opener, Lauer said.

"You know, I think (Enriquez and Cameron Gatling) did basically what you expect them to do," Lauer said. "They’ve been pretty much thrown into the fire. They’re sophomores, they’re in the learning stage, and you have to remember that."

———