Pace had a tough loss in Week 1 and bounced back after a slow first-half start in Week 2, but the Vikings have not lost their will to win as the season goes forward.
Pace defeated Porter 34-14 last week and was led by Brandon Zapata, who was filling in for quarterback Jose Banda.
Zapata rushed for two touchdowns and passed for a pair of scores during the Vikings’ victory against the Cowboys in their district opener last week.
“It’s always good to win your district opener,” Pace coach Danny Pardo said. “(Zapata) is a multiple-position player. If we want to do certain things, we do them with (Zapata). There are certain game plans for him. We also have different plans for our regular starter, (Banda).”
Banda, Pace’s usual starting quarterback, was held out for precautionary, injury-related reasons. He will be back in action this week when the Vikings take on the Donna High Redskins at 7 p.m. Thursday at Sams Memorial Stadium.
Pardo said the Vikings have two quarterbacks at their disposal to execute different offensive strategies against any team they face.
“Right now, Zapata can go in there and run the ball like we did this past week,” the Pace coach said. “Of course, our starter is also a running quarterback, but he’s a better passer. We have him in that position so we can free up Zapata to go play wherever we need to play him at. We don’t lose much when we change quarterbacks. They both have different qualities that we need.”
District rival Donna High is coming off a 30-14 win against PSJA Southwest.
“Donna is very impressive,” Pardo said. “Last year, they were mainly run-oriented. They did a great job at running, but the quarterback was a really young quarterback last year. Now, he already has a year under his belt and he’s throwing the ball pretty well. We have our work cut out for us. They’re pretty good offensively and defensively.”
CORRECTING MISTAKES
The Lopez Lobos suffered a 32-12 loss against city-rival Brownsville Veterans Memorial in Week 2 but are focused on improving their game.
Lopez coach Armando Gutierrez said the team has done a good job in shaking off the loss to the Chargers and is getting ready for its next bout.
“We knew this week, coming in, was going to be a tough week for our kids,” Gutierrez said. “The kids bounced back on the bus. They were telling us, ‘Coach, we’re getting ready for the next one.’ Their mentality started changing, but, you know, (we’re) making sure our kids are moving forward this week.”
The Lopez coach said despite the loss in Week 2, the Lobos will not let it bring them down as their quest for a postseason showing continues.
“That game is just one game of many that we got,” Gutierrez said. “We also have to remember that as big as that game was for us, yes, it was the start of district play, but it was also just Week 2 of the season. We’re kind focus on getting into the postseason. The kids bounced back pretty quick, and this week has just been about positives going forward and correcting the mistakes.”
Lopez will continue to showcase its physicality for the remainder of the season, Gutierrez said. The Lobos coach said the team will rely on its fundamentals to improve overall going forward.
“We felt like we were just as physical as Veterans and any other team, and that’s where we get our energy from,” he said. “Not just our defense’s physicality, but our whole team’s physicality. It’s just like I told the kids. Everyone might outnumber us by 30 to 40 kids, but at the same time, they have 11 on the field just like we do and I think our 11, roundabout, are just more physical.”
Lopez will face off against Rio Grande City at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Sams Memorial Stadium in Week 3.
Gutierrez said the team is in a good place and state of mind, and will be ready for the Rattlers come Thursday.
“We’re getting a few guys back from injuries and, like I said, the kids are ready to go, the coaches are ready to go, and we’re ready to bounce back from last week,” he said. “The effort we’re going to get this week is going to be phenomenal just from what we’ve seen in practice.”
DOWN, NOT OUT
After snapping a 22-game losing streak in Week 1 against Port Isabel, the Porter Cowboys lost 34-14 to the Pace Vikings last Thursday.
Despite the loss, the Cowboys took the fight to the Vikings early on and didn’t let up throughout the match.
It was a back-and-forth first half, but Pace outplayed Porter during the final two quarters.
“I think the kids know when everything is going right and, obviously, when we play carefree and turnover-free football, we’re a pretty good team,” Porter coach Carlos Uresti said. “We just have to manage our turnovers. Last week, we had a turnover that turned into a touchdown. Then again, you also saw us fight back and take the lead at the end of the first half. Down 13-0, in the past, we’ve had a hard time coming back, but now the kids are believing in the system, they believe in each other.”
In the first quarter, Pace took the 13-0 lead against the Cowboys.
Porter answered during the second quarter, with running back Ulises Guzman rushing for 32 yards to find the end zone and Cowboys quarterback Kevin Garcia delivering a 29-yard keeper to give the Cowboys their second touchdown.
At halftime, the Cowboys had a 14-13 lead.
“We’re just taking it one game at a time,” Uresti said. “Going up against Palmview, that’s a very tough opponent. They used to be a 6A team playing in the McAllen district. They’re very well-coached. We saw them put up a lot of points last week and we had played a tough game, but at the same time we were telling the kids it’s a winnable game. Every game is a winnable game when you play carefree and turnover-free football.”
The Cowboys will look to get back on the winning side when they travel to La Joya Palmview to take on the Lobos at 7:30 p.m. Friday.