By Adam Kujawski, Staff Writer
On a damp night, the Pace Vikings claimed their first win of the season 53-22 over the Lobos on Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium.
It only took a few minutes for this game to get out of hand. Pace (1-2) received the opening kickoff and scored three plays later on an 11-yard touchdown run by Lee Cortez.
On the ensuing possession, the Vikings recovered a fumble deep in Lopez territory. Jose Velez scooped up the football and scampered into the end zone to give Pace a 13-0 lead with 11:24 remaining in the quarter.
Jumping ahead early and applying steady pressure were things that Pace coach William Deen was pleased with heading into district competition in two weeks.
“It’s real important (to have a quick start),” he said. “We jumped out on Edinburg Vela like that, and we weren’t able to continue. We were able to tonight and that was nice.
“We got momentum and didn’t let up, and that’s something we haven’t been able to do. It’s good for us getting better going into district play.”
The onslaught continued throughout the first quarter as the Vikings piled on two more touchdowns. Christian Resendez ran it in from 33 yards out and Alex Cisneros found Luis Rodriguez from 18 yards away in the corner of the end zone. At the end of the first quarter, Pace led 26-0.
Falling behind early threw a wrench into the game plan of Lopez coach Jason Starkey.
“We wanted to establish the run,” he said. “But when you find yourself down by that much that quick, it affects your offensive play calling.”
The second quarter was indistinguishable from the first. Cortez led off the scoring, this time on a 22-yard carry. That was followed by a 16-yard run by Ram Coronado and a 25-yard interception return by defensive lineman Omar Rodriguez. By the time the half was over, Pace was ahead 46-0.
After a rain-soaked halftime that kept the marching band off the field and sent several fans streaming for the exits, Pace kept the pedal down and promptly added seven more points on a 23-yard run by Gerardo Segura.
Undeterred, the Lobos (0-3) continued to grind and quarterback Ivan Olivo sprinted for two long scores — one from 55 yards during the third quarter and another from 61 yards in the fourth quarter.
Although it was a little too late, Starkey was proud of his team for hanging tough in the face of adversity.
“I’m darn proud of my team,” he said. “I told them (during halftime) they have an excellent opportunity to come out in the second half and show them what the Lobo way is.
“Playing the game the way it was meant to be played was important to me and important to them.”
Olivo passed the ball to Cristo Garcia with seconds remaining in the game and took the ball himself for the two-point conversion to cap a 22-point stretch by Lopez.
Both teams have a bye week next week and begin district play at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26. Pace will play host to Mercedes in District 32-5A action, and Lopez travels to Los Fresnos in a District 32-6A showdown.
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.