By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer
With a bevy of young players on the roster, the Pace Vikings’ success this season was very much a team effort.
Among the youth and veterans sprinkled in was junior quarterback Jose Banda, who became the de facto leader of the team by season’s end and the player to whom the Vikings looked for big plays when they were needed most.
“I just look at all (the team’s) faces and know that they are my brothers and my teammates,” Banda said. “So I’m going to do everything I can to help my team succeed. All the coaches put a lot of trust into me, and I just wanted to show them that I am the one to call on.”
Banda delivered in big moments, and his strong play helped propel the team back into the playoffs for the third straight season. For his efforts, he has been named The Brownsville Herald’s 2019 All-Metro Football Most Valuable Player.
The junior quarterback threw for 1,656 yards with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions, and he rushed for 715 more yards and five scores.
While the numbers weren’t gaudy, Pace coach Danny Pardo said Banda, while still developing, possesses all the characteristics of a leader and playmaker in the clutch.
“He’s a confident kid, and we had all the confidence in the world in him,” Pardo said. “We have been able to open things up a little more because he’s more mature and does a great job with (quarterbacks coach) coach (Billy) Garza. It’s so easy with him. At any play and any time, it’s a big play. Anytime we needed that big play, we called his number. Our running back, Dylan Barron, was good and our backups were good, but if we were going to put our money on someone, it was going to be him.”
Admittedly, it took Banda some time to get settled early in the season, but when he did he made it his mission to prove he could lead the team.
“My coaches all helped me out and showed me where I went wrong,” Banda said. “Around midseason, it all just clicked in my head. I was the one they chose, and I wanted to give it my all and show them that they made the right choice.”
Pardo said he slowly saw flashes of his quarterback not only mastering the offense but coming out of his shell as a leader.
“He really got a hold of the offense by that time,” Pardo said. “At first he wasn’t a vocal person, he was quiet in the locker room. By Week 7 and Week 8, he began telling the team, ‘We have to do this,’ or, ‘We have to do that.’ We as coaches held back and just wanted to see where it went and see how he does. Little by little, he was becoming more of a leader. Before he was a leader by example, now (he’s vocal) and the kids are just, like, ‘OK, we’re going to do what you want.'”
The junior signal-caller showed that in two of the season’s biggest games.
During a big Week 9 win over Brownsville Veterans Memorial to clinch a playoff berth, Banda was 10 for 12 passing with 135 yards and one touchdown, and he rushed for 99 yards on the ground. He also rushed for key first downs late to secure a 26-21 victory.
Against Corpus Christi Miller in bi-district, Banda rushed for 169 yards and threw for 159 more yards to push the heavily favored, undefeated Buccaneers to the brink in a 28-21 loss.
Despite being the focal point and rising up in big moments, Banda said the best part of those memories will be watching his young team rally.
“Those moments really meant a lot,” Banda said. “I’m the set shot-caller, so just seeing everybody come together (meant a lot) because it was a team performance. it was the offense, the defense, and we all came together and set our eyes on the prize. We just went to go get it.”
Banda said this is just the beginning for this program filled with young talent, but 2019 was a big first step.
“Our team is coming along better, and we’re all growing,” Banda said. “We’re all getting used to playing together, but I’m confident that we’ll make it back to the playoffs again.”