By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
When Porter and Pace clash this week, it’s more than just another game.
Aside from being crosstown rivals in District 32-5A, the Cowboys and Vikings are looking to keep momentum going for different reasons when the teams meet at 7:30 p.m. Friday night at Sams Memorial Stadium.
Porter is seeking its third win in district play, one that should help secure a playoff spot for the Cowboys. Pace, fresh off its first win of the season, looks to continue its solid play and finish the season strong after injuries have nearly derailed it.
“It’s kind of cliché, but anytime you play a Brownsville school, it’s an emotional game, too, and rivalry stuff comes into play,” Porter coach Tom Campos said regarding the coaches and players familiarity with each other. “Our senior group hasn’t had much luck against Pace, so there’s a little motivation there. We need to play knowing what a win would do for this program at this point.”
Pace defeated PSJA High last week to put a ‘W’ in the win column, and now the Vikings want to continue that momentum.
“Anything can happen, its Brownsville vs. Brownsville,” Pace coach William Deen said. “Our kids get up and ready to play those games and they get excited. Their kids are going to be excited. We tend to play harder against each other. It’s an intercity rival, and the kids will play hard on both sides.
“They want a victory as much as we do.”
Not too long ago, this game was one of the last games played during the season and it was generally about the teams seeking their first win, but not anymore.
“We get that third win in district and it changes a lot of things,” Campos said. “We give up that win, then there’s a logjam for that fourth playoff spot. If we play with that in mind, that’s quite a bit of motivation for the kids.”
Offensively, the Vikings started off the season throwing the ball more often but have relied more on their rushing attack as of late.
“They kind of did a 360 offensively,” Campos said. “Now they’ve honed their run game with a couple guys in the backfield so it kept our coaches busy this weekend and early this week going through scripts, so they are doing a good job not being predictable.”
The Cowboys’ rushing attack is one of the best in the district, and Deen has prepared his defense for a physically demanding game all week.
“We have to slow down their offense. We have to put them in third-and-long, second-and-long situations whenever we can,” he said. “They like to grind it out, moving the ball down the field. We’ve prepared to try to get that done.
“It’s going to be a physical game, so we have to be physical, too.”
It could come down to the defense that makes something happen, or whichever side can limit the big play. But there’s no script needed when these two teams face one another.
For the Cowboys, it doesn’t matter who is across the line of scrimmage. They seek a win to give themselves an opportunity to play in the postseason. It just happens to be Pace this week.
“It doesn’t matter who we’re playing this week. We know who we’re playing, but it’s another district game,” Campos said. “A win would help lock us in to a playoff spot. It would be the third time in 40 years that Porter has made the playoffs. I think it would be tremendous for the program. There is definitely some huge motivation this week.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.