By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
When Brownsville schools meet, records usually don’t matter much. Pace and Porter are both still looking for their first win of the season, so what would be better than getting that over a longtime rival?
Either the Vikings or Cowboys will achieve that when they battle in The Brownsville Herald’s Game of the Week at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night at Sams Memorial Stadium.
Pace had won three straight before Porter took last year’s game, 28-21, that earned the Cowboys a playoff berth in District 32-5A.
“It’s a district game, so it’s a big game,” Pace coach Bill Deen said. “It’s a rivalry game, so we have to be prepared and ready to go.”
Not only would a win be the first of the season for both squads, but the first district win as well.
“We’re both looking to get that first W. It’s still early in the district season, so that one win could be vital for either team,” Porter coach Tom Campos said. “It’s going to be a cutthroat battle. We know how important this game is so I wouldn’t expect anything different than the last three or four years.”
Both teams are similar offensively and defensively. Porter averages 272 yards and almost 12 points per game compared to Pace, who averages 260 yards and 14 points. On defense, the Cowboys are allowing 365 yards and 34 points; the Vikings give up 424 yards and 36 points. Stats don’t tell the entire tale, however, as both teams haven’t caught a few breaks that could have led to a win in the early part of the season.
Each team knows it needs to put points on the board to give itself a chance. Porter is usually run-heavy and tries to burn through the clock to limit opponent’s possessions. Johnathan Gonzalez leads the Cowboys’ ground attack with 503 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns.
“We haven’t scored over 14 points in a game yet,” Campos said. “I don’t care how good our defense plays, if we can’t crack 21 points, we aren’t going to give ourselves a shot.”
Pace has struggled with opportunities deep in opponents’ territory. Quarterback Randy Aguilar has carried the Vikings’ passing game with 623 yards and three touchdowns on the season, but the run game is starting to pick up.
“Offensively, we have to score when we get in the red zone,” Deen said. “We can’t turn the ball over. A three-and-out is considered a turnover against Porter.”
The game might be decided by which defense gives the offense more opportunities. Both teams have the offensive firepower, but turnovers and miscues have been the detriment at times.
For Deen and Pace, sharpness in all phases of its games will likely be needed to produce a win.
“We have to play a complete game; we haven’t played a complete game all together,” he said. “The kids know what they have to do to win, now they just have to go out and execute.”
For Campos and Porter, breaking into the win column would bring some relief to a trying season.
“It would be huge,” Campos said. “It would be a big catapult for this team; an adrenaline boost. These kids have been busting their tails since the spring and they need some gratification.”
This game never follows a script and never plays out how it seems like should on paper. Both teams are similar on offense and defense, but will need to take advantage of scoring opportunities, especially after a turnover or mistake by the opponent. That will probably be the biggest X factor and will likely decide the winner. PREDICTION: Pace 24, Porter 23
Thursday’s Games
District 32-5A
MERCEDES AT BROWNSVILLE VETERANS MEMORIAL
WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday
WHERE: Sams Memorial Stadium
RECORDS: Mercedes (1-3, 1-0); Brownsville Veterans Memorial (3-1, 1-0)
GAME NOTES: Mercedes shutout Donna High 31-0 in the District 32-5A opener for both teams in Week 5. … The Tigers’ offense averages 258 yards and 16 points per game. Mercedes prefers its passing game and is led by quarterback Marc Ledesma, who has throw for 542 yards and six touchdowns while completing nearly 70 percent of his passes. … The Mercedes defense allows 278 yards and 16 points per game. … Brownsville Veterans opened District 32-5A with a win over Pace 42-14 in Week 5. … The Chargers’ offense is led by Gustavo Vasquez, the top rusher in the district. The junior has amassed 609 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground this season. The unit averages 368 yards and 26 points per game. … The defense has also been pretty stout, allowing 271 yards and less than 20 points per game. … The Chargers should be able to run on Mercedes and get opportunities to score. The Tigers have the offense to keep up, but the Brownsville Veterans defense has looked pretty good too.
PREDICTION: Brownsville Veterans 28, Mercedes 17
— Andrew Crum
District 32-5A
LOPEZ AT DONNA NORTH
WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Bennie La Prade Stadium, Donna
RECORDS: Lopez (3-1, 1-0); Donna North (1-3, 0-1)
GAME NOTES: Lopez has been the surprise of District 32-5A. The Lobos have won 3 of 4 games this season and are coming off a 39-10 win over Porter. … Lopez averages 29.3 points on 307.8 yards per game. But it has been stronger defensively, allowing just 10 points on a district-best 234.3 yards per game. … Ivan Olivo is Lopez’s workhorse. He has rushed for 363 yards and four touchdowns and averages 6.8 yards per carry. … Donna North is coming off a 45-12 loss to Edcouch-Elsa in its district opener. … The Chiefs’ I-formation offense is led by RB Dominic Ochoa (507 yards, 8 TDs) and RB Mark Gutierrez (191 yards). … Donna North is no threat to pass. The Chiefs have only completed 28.1 percent of their passes for 122 passing yards. More than 90 percent of their offense comes on the ground. … The good news for Donna is it has the best player in the game in Ochoa, who averages 10.1 yards per carry.
PREDICTION: Donna North 28, Lopez 21
— Dennis Silva II
Friday’s Games
District 32-6A
LOS FRESNOS AT HARLINGEN SOUTH
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Boggus Stadium, Harlingen
RECORDS: Los Fresnos (2-2, 0-1); Harlingen South (3-1, 0-1)
GAME NOTES: Los Fresnos lost to San Benito 34-26 in their District 32-6A opener in Week 5. … The Falcons have the second best offense in district at 354 yards and nearly 36 points per game. Quarterback Mark Mata is a duel threat, he’s rushed for 642 yards and five touchdowns and thrown for 403 yards and seven scores on the season. … The defense has struggled at times and allows 348 yards and 30 points per game, but the unit has faced four playoff teams from last season already. … Harlingen South lost to Harlingen High 23-16 in their annual Bird Bowl and the District 32-6A opener for both teams. … The Hawks lost for the first time this season after a perfect showing in their non-district schedule. … Brandon Villarreal is also a duel-threat quarterback with 288 yards rushing and three touchdowns and 321 yards passing and a touchdown on the season. … The Hawks’ defense is the top unit in the district, allowing 258 yards and less than 20 points per game. … Neither team wants to start district 0-2, especially in District 32-6A this year which is loaded top to bottom. It should be a good battle between a top-rated offense (Los Fresnos) and a top defense (Harlingen South).
PREDICTION: Los Fresnos 28, Harlingen South 27
— Andrew Crum
District 32-6A
HANNA AT WESLACO HIGH
WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Bobby Lackey Stadium, Weslaco
RECORDS: Hanna (2-2, 1-0); Weslaco High (2-2, 0-1)
GAME NOTES: Two of the oldest schools in the Valley, Hanna and Weslaco High will be meeting for the 64th time. Weslaco holds a 34-29 lead in the all-time series, having won five of the past six meetings. … Both teams will try to establish their running games. For the season, Weslaco High has gained 813 yards rushing and 188 yards passing, while Hanna picked up 743 yards on the ground and 73 yards through the air through its first three games. … Hanna opened District 32-6A play with a win on Saturday, beating Brownsville Rivera 26-12. The Golden Eagles did all of their scoring in the second half. … Weslaco High is still searching for its first district win after losing its opener 24-7 to Weslaco East last week. The Panthers will be looking for a rebound in the run game, having amassed just 64 yards on 28 carries. … Seven Weslaco High players have carried the ball at least 10 times, and three have 24 or more carries. Richard Olszak, Izaiah Ramos and Alex Lara have all rushed for at least 145 yards. … Weslaco High showed signs of a passing game on its final drive against Weslaco East, driving 99 yards for a touchdown. QB A.J. Gonzalez finished the game 11 of 17 for 97 yards and a touchdown.
PREDICTION: Weslaco High 39, Hanna 12
— Greg Luca
Non-District
HIDALGO AT ST. JOSEPH ACADEMY
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Canales Field
RECORDS: Hidalgo (1-4); SJA (4-1)
GAME NOTES: While this game would appear to match two teams with different football fortunes thus far on the season, the Bloodhounds and Pirates do have at least one thing in common — both are coming off a loss at home. SJA was defeated 33-27 last week by 5-0 Port Isabel and Hidalgo suffered a 59-0 setback against 4-1 Rockport-Fulton … The two teams last played in 2007 when Hidalgo defeated SJA 49-6 in Hidalgo. There was a 54-12 loss to Hidalgo in Brownsville in 2006, and SJA’s last victory in the series came in 2005 when a halftime speech by RB Coco Martinez inspired the Bloodhounds to rally for a 35-32 win in Hidalgo … QB Kai Money continues to spark the SJA offense, rushing for 710 yards and eight TDs while passing for 677 yards and seven scores. RB Mario Garcia leads the team in rushing with 726 yards and has scored nine TDs. The top receiver for SJA is Bernie de la Garza with 22 catches for 216 yards and three TDs. The Bloodhounds’ top tacklers are Ricky Miner (39 total tackles), Emilio de la Garza (37) and Bernie de la Garza (32) … After Friday, SJA will have an open date next week before playing its final non-district game Oct. 14 at Marine Military Academy in Harlingen. Hidalgo opens District 16-4A Division I competition Oct. 7 at Kingsville King.
PREDICTION: SJA 42, Hidalgo 14
— Roy Hess
Saturday’s Game
District 32-6A
HARLINGEN HIGH AT RIVERA
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Sams Memorial Stadium
RECORDS: Harlingen High (2-2, 1-0); Rivera (1-3, 0-1)
GAME NOTES: Harlingen High defeated Harlingen South 23-16 in their annual Bird Bowl in Week 5. … The Cardinals’ offense is led by quarterback Jesse Castro, who has 635 yards passing and four touchdowns. The unit averages 292 yards and nearly 22 points per game. … The defense allows 314 yards and 25 points per game. … Rivera lost to Hanna 26-12 in Week 5. … The Raiders’ defense forced three turnovers in the first half against the Golden Eagles. … The unit allows 320 yards and 31 points per game. … The Raiders’ offense is led by running back Jesus Muniz (232 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground) and quarterback Oscar Gonzalez (261 yards passing and two scores). The unit averages 269 yards and nearly 17 points per game. … These teams are fairly even on paper, but the Cardinals have had the Raiders number as of late.
PREDICTION: Harlingen High 35, Rivera 21
— Andrew Crum