By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
It doesn’t get easier for Pace this week.
Already battling multiple injuries, the Vikings hit the road to face the top offensive team in the district, Donna High, in a District 32-5A game at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Bennie LaPrade Stadium in Donna.
Pace knows it is going to have to be sound on defense.
“We’re going to have to tackle well. They have a big back and their quarterback runs well,” Pace coach William Deen said. “We’ve got to keep them in check.”
The Redskins, led by Amonte Bowen and Edward Dougherty, have run for nearly 1,300 yards and 16 touchdowns this season.
“It’s no secret we run the ball a lot, so we try to open up the passing game to make us a little more two-dimensional instead of one-dimensional,” Donna High coach Ramiro Leal said.
The Vikings know they need to get their own offense going and limit the number of possessions Donna High gets. Pace has averaged just 167 yards and 11 points this season, the fewest in the district.
“Offensively, we have to move the football and not leave our defense on the field like last week,” Deen said. “We’ve made some adjustments that will hopefully put us in a good position.”
Although injuries have added to the Vikings’ struggles, Pace is confident.
“It’s been difficult, but we have to have these kids ready to step up and play,” Deen said. “It’s our job as coaches to get them ready, and I think our kids have done a good job. When kids accept those roles, they know it’s for the team, the betterment of the team. It’s not an individual effort, it’s a team effort.”
Despite the Vikings’ injuries, Leal expects Pace to be ready to play.
“I feel bad for Coach Deen, they’ve had a lot of injuries, I know they’ve been hit by the bug pretty well,” he said. “But I’m not taking them lightly. They’re a good team, they’re coached well, they have some good coaches but they’ve had some bad luck right now.
“I know they’re not just going to come over here and roll over, they’re going to give us all we can handle, we’re expecting a good battle.”
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.