By ANDREW CRUM | The Brownsville Herald
Pace says ‘We’re still here’
Pace has been on a roller coaster this season, and all season it has felt as though we’ve been waiting to see what it can really do. After back-to-back District 32-5A wins, including last week’s 34-17 upset of Edcouch-Elsa, the Vikings (4-4, 3-2 in District 32-5A) look like they’ve turned a corner. The Pace offense has generally carried the team and has been waiting for the defense to catch up. Against the Yellowjackets, the Viking defense forced four turnovers (three fumbles and an interception) which gave the offense a few difference-making opportunities on which it capitalized on on the scoreboard. The defense allowed just 17 points, including just eight points in the second half. That effort, along with the offense piling up 440 yards of offense, including 175 yards and three touchdowns on the ground by junior running back Brandon Zapata, equated to a complete team effort and one of the best games Pace has played this season. Now the Vikings need to get a win on the road at Donna High in Week 10 or at home against Lopez in the season finale to earn a postseason berth.
Hanna controls its own destiny
Hanna had trouble in Week 9 with one of the top teams in the Rio Grande Valley — San Benito — but so has everyone else. The Golden Eagles (6-2, 4-1 in District 32-6A) fell behind early to the Greyhounds and couldn’t catch up, ending their six-game winning streak in the process. The Hanna offense totaled 328 yards and 27 points, but it wasn’t enough in the end. The Eagles’ loss has a silver lining, as they sit in second place in 32-6A and still control their own destiny. With two pivotal games to go — at Harlingen High in Week 10 and home against Weslaco East in the season finale — a win gets Hanna into the postseason. If the Eagles lose their remaining games, they still have a chance to make the dance, but they’ll need some help down the stretch. After a 3-7 season in 2016, Hanna has to be happy with the progress it has made this season, but earning that playoff berth would be the icing on the cake.
Chargers fine-tune their offense
The Chargers continued to roll through District 32-5A with a decisive win over Porter in Week 9. The biggest part of their offensive output came from an attack BVM doesn’t utilize often: the passing game. The Chargers (7-1, 5-0 in District 32-5A) totaled 360 yards through the air with senior quarterback Gustavo Vasquez throwing for 166 yards and a touchdown and sophomore backup Liam Longoria adding 194 yards and a score as the two completed 28 of 34 passes (82.4 percent). With Brownsville Veterans headed for a playoff berth and possibly an outright district title (with two more wins), being able to pass the ball effectively is going to help in the postseason. If the Chargers are able to pass as well as they run the football, they could be looking at a playoff run that goes several rounds deep. With a defense that is playing just as well, BVM will be a tough out in the postseason.
The Bloodhounds got a monkey off their back
Over the past three seasons, Central Catholic (San Antonio) has had St. Joseph Academy’s number. In Week 9, in front of several alumni on homecoming night, the Bloodhounds (5-3, 1-0 in TAPPS Division I, District 2) got the proverbial monkey of their back with a 45-21 rout that meant even more for SJA in that it opened district play with a win. Senior quarterback Kai Money was a catalyst with 341 yards of total offense and four touchdowns — 174 yards and a touchdown on the ground and 167 yards and three touchdowns through the air — leading his team to its biggest win of the season. SJA has now won four straight games after a 1-3 start. The Bloodhounds have a non-district game on the road against a tough All Saints Academy (Fort Worth) team before finishing the season at Antonian (San Antonio) in its district (and season) finale with a chance to win the TAPPS Division I, District 2 title, which looked like a tall order earlier in the season.
Los Fresnos is experiencing a bit of late-season déjà vu
Last season, Los Fresnos won four of its last five games to earn a spot in the postseason before reaching the third round. This year, the Falcons (5-3, 3-2 in District 32-6A) would like to earn a return trip to the postseason, albeit with a little less stress along the way. Los Fresnos kept itself in the playoff mix with a huge 27-20 home win over Harlingen High after trailing 20-3 early before posting the go-ahead score with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter. The offense used a heavy ground game led by junior running back Albert Banuelos (118 yards and a touchdown) to make the difference. The Falcons’ defense allowed just 257 yards, shut out the Cardinals’ offense after halftime and sealed the win with a fumble recovery during Harlingen High’s final drive. Los Fresnos needs a least a win in its final two games to stay in the playoff mix, and victories in two road games — at Rivera in Week 10 and the visitor again at Weslaco High in Week 11 — would put it in the postseason once again. While the Falcons have had their ups and downs this season, you can never count them out when it comes to the playoff stretch.
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.