BROWNSVILLE — With the Brownsville Pace Vikings threatening to score at the Donna High 6-yard line in the fourth quarter with six minutes left in the game, Redskins senior linebacker Brayan Castro busted through the Vikings’ offensive line and delivered a crushing sack to keep the score at 21-7, giving the ball to his team.
Donna High saw out the rest of the game, winning 28-7 on Friday night at Sams Memorial Stadium, jumping past Brownsville Pace in the District 16-5A DI standings into fourth place with only two games left in district.
Redskins head coach Mike Gonzales said his defense stepped in the win.
“Pace made some adjustments and started moving the ball on us,” Gonzales said. “We made some adjustments, and the defense came up big.”
Redskins defensive back David Sandoval’s interception and a 14-yard touchdown by Matthew Lopez put the game away late in the fourth.
“David Sandoval came up big with that late interception. Matt Lopez, I cannot say enough about him, he is all over the field, offense, defense and special teams. That kid is a dog. Kids like that who came in the program in 2022 deserve a win.”
Vikings defensive back Danny Delgado’s interception and return helped set up the chance for Brownsville Pace to cut into the lead before the big stop near the end zone by the Redskins.
Brownsville Pace’s late touchdown in the third quarter by quarterback Brandon Narvaez from 2 yards cut the Redskins’ lead to 21-7.
“We had our chances, we just could not put points on the board,” Brownsville Pace head coach Danny Pardo said. “You have to make plays, simple as that.”
The Redskins’ defense came up with an interception, fourth-down stops and hard hits early in the game, setting the tempo.
Donna High’s Geoffrey Lefevre found an open Marc Zamorano in the corner of the end zone to put the Redskins up 21-0 going into the half.
The 32-yard touchdown pass came after Donna High forced Brownsville Pace to punt with two minutes remaining in the half. Donna High’s two-minute offense cut through the Vikings’ defense for the score.
The Redskins forced the Vikings to turn over the ball on fourth down late in the first quarter. The resulting Donna High drive was capped off by a 3-yard touchdown run by Lopez, giving his team a 14-0 lead.
Donna High need only a minute to intercept a pass and score a touchdown. Lefevre found Zamorano for a touchdown after Redskins defensive back Victor Sandoval came down with the pick.
Donna High (6-2, 2-2) faces Donna North in Week 10 at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Benny LaPrade Stadium in Donna. Brownsville Pace (3-6, 2-3) takes on Weslaco East at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco.