By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
When an offense is as flashy as Brownsville Pace’s is, sometimes the defense can be overlooked.
But the Vikings’ defense made sure to make its presence known early and often to lead Pace to a 27-13 win over the McAllen High Bulldogs on Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium. The come-from-behind victory clinched a fourth consecutive playoff appearance for the Vikings.
Pace earned the No. 3 seed in District 16-5A Division I and will face Corpus Christi Flour Bluff in the bi-district round next week.
“I can relax now,” Pace coach Danny Pardo said. “Everybody sees the offenses, so a lot of time (the defense) doesn’t get credit. This group of kids, man, they really put their hearts into it. They’re not the biggest kids, but they have a lot of heart. We hang our hat on running and pressuring and being relentless, and I think the defense really stepped up today.”
McAllen High was in control during the first half, moving the ball efficiently thanks to the play of junior quarterback Hunter Curl, who Pardo said “is one of the best (running) quarterbacks” Pace faced this season.
Curl connected with senior receiver Quin Canada, senior running back Daniel Cazares and senior tight end Noah Barboza consistently for big gains to open a 13-0 lead.
The Bulldogs’ defense kept the Vikings’ offense off-balance for most of the first half. Senior linebacker David Lozano and senior defensive lineman Cirr Arredondo led a defensive front that stymied Pace’s run game. The defensive back duo of juniors Weston Guzman and Thomas Alaniz covered Pace’s receivers well to leave the Vikings disgruntled on the sideline.
The Vikings’ defense did all it could to keep Pace in the game. It showed up in the trenches on two consecutive, promising Bulldogs drives to hold McAllen High to field goals despite getting inside the 10-yard-line. Bulldogs senior kicker Yael Valero made 26- and 23-yard field goals during the opening quarter.
Pace senior defensive back Abraham Rincon battled hard all night against Canada, and Pardo felt he “minimized his production” despite a significant size advantage for the receiver. Sophomore defensive back Andrew Gonzalez and junior linebacker Jonathan Lerma were among the defensive standouts for the Vikings.
“Tough game, but we still got the win,” Lerma said. “It feels great. I surprised myself tonight, honestly. Great game, and I enjoyed it.”
Despite solid play from Pace’s defense, McAllen High extended its lead on the first play of the second quarter as Curl hit Barboza for a 41-yard touchdown pass. The teams swapped turnovers on the next three drives — Guzman hauled in an interception for the Bulldogs, Lerma forced a fumble recovered by sophomore defensive lineman Kevin A. Garcia for Pace, and then Alaniz answered with another Bulldogs interception.
Gonzalez scooped up a muffed punt late in the second quarter to set up Pace’s first score. Senior quarterback Jose Banda broke off a 14-yard run, then found junior receiver Alexander Agado for a 25-yard touchdown pass. Ten seconds later, Pace had the ball again after Lerma recovered a fumbled kickoff return, but Guzman notched his second interception to keep McAllen High leading 13-7 at halftime.
“We kept each other up and didn’t let the score get us down. Just kept on moving,” Lerma said. “This is my first time being on varsity, so I’m just happy to get to keep playing with the boys.”
The cold and wet weather played a factor during the third quarter. The ball got loose four times, but it only resulted in a turnover once, in favor of McAllen High after Alaniz recovered.
After the shaky start, Pace’s offense started matching its defense’s effort. Pardo challenged the offensive line in the locker room, and the big guys responded. They created lanes for Banda and running backs Marc Garcia, a senior, and Ivan Gonzales, a sophomore, and that improved the offense as a whole.
“Our offense had never really played against someone playing straight-up man on us, so we couldn’t get loose,” Pardo said. “All we did at halftime was challenge the offensive lineman. We need to be able to run the ball, that was the message at halftime, we need to run the ball to open up everything else. Those linemen really did a good job of getting going.”
Garcia found the end zone on a 23-yard run midway through the third quarter, and again on a 4-yard carry in the fourth. Banda’s powerful running helped set up both scores, and Garcia showed his speed to keep the Vikings rolling.
Pace extended its lead to 27-13 with 2:18 remaining in the game as Banda connected with senior receiver Dominik Morales, who beat solid coverage, in the end zone. Sophomore kicker Emilio Cahuiche was 3-for-4 on PATs.
The Bulldogs played hard in the second half and continued to move the ball offensively, but Pace’s defense was better to keep them off the board. Vikings senior defensive back Zeke Garza broke up pass attempts and senior defensive lineman Andrew Banda contributed to a strong front that kept McAllen High’s runners contained.
Senior defensive lineman Ryan Reyes forced a fumble that was recovered by junior linebacker Jorge Rodriguez to make the final stop of the night and seal the win for Pace.
“I can’t be more proud of my guys,” Bulldogs coach Patrick Shelby said. “They came out here and did exactly what we asked them to do, which is play hard for four quarters. The seniors, they gave us everything they had, and they’re a big reason we are where we are this year. That leadership came out, and that’s why we had the opportunity at a playoff shot. It didn’t go our way tonight, but I can’t tell you how proud I am of those guys.”