By ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald
DONNA — Another visit to Bennie LaPrade Stadium, another fantastic finish for the Pace Vikings.
The Vikings clinched a spot in the playoffs with Friday’s come-from-behind 35-31 District 32-5A road victory over the Donna High Redskins, who were celebrating homecoming.
Pace (5-4 overall, 4-2 district), which trailed 21-6 midway through the second quarter, went ahead for the first time with only 1:35 remaining when quarterback Randy Aguilar bulled his way up the middle from 1 yard out and made it across the goal line with a little help from his friends in the offensive line, putting the Vikings in front to stay 34-31.
Jonathan Mendoza added the extra point to provide the Vikings with a four-point advantage, 35-31.
Donna High (4-5, 2-4) returned the ensuing kickoff to the Pace 38-yard line with 1:24 to go. But the Redskins’ offense stalled after three incomplete passes thrown deep from the 33 and Donna High had to surrender the ball to Pace, which ran out the final 48 seconds to claim the playoff-clinching victory.
“It was going through my head the whole game (that we were going to come back and win),” said Aguilar, who threw for a touchdown and rushed for another score. “I have these guys’ backs and they have my back, and we were going to fight through it (and prevail).
“Making it to the playoffs is great,” Aguilar added. “It’s exciting for everybody.”
Two weeks ago, Pace played Donna North in a 32-5A game at Bennie LaPrade Stadium and didn’t lead until 10 seconds remained when the Vikings pulled out a 34-27 triumph. Friday’s game followed the same type of scenario for the Vikings.
“I’d rather come over here and win like this than lose at home,” Pace coach Danny Pardo said. “This was a great, great win.
“Our guys work very hard, and maybe somebody upstairs is helping us (pull out these wins),” the Pace coach added. “We just kept on playing and didn’t ever quit. Donna High is a great running team and they gave us trouble from the start. We had some defensive issues, but I think we came up with some stops at crucial times (near the end).”
The Redskins led 14-6 after one quarter and 24-21 at halftime. Donna High took a 31-28 advantage into the final period.
It became 14-0 for Donna High thanks to first-quarter scoring runs of 4 and 1 yards by QB Alex Sanchez. Pace’s Dylan Barron broke loose on a 40-yard scoring run on the final play of the opening period to make it 14-6 as the extra point was blocked.
In the second quarter, a 5-yard run by Eliseo Alvarado gave Donna High a 21-6 advantage.
A 5-yard run by Pace’s Brandon Zapata plus a two-point conversion run by Aguilar pulled the Vikings to within 21-14 with 2:43 left before intermission. After that, Geronimo Fragoso’s 44-yard field goal aided by a strong wind boosted Donna High’s lead to 24-14 with 1:07 left before the break.
But the first-half scoring was not over. A 4-yard swing pass to the left side from Aguilar to Barron with just seven seconds remaining in the half allowed the Vikings to again stay close at 24-21.
Alvarado, who led all rushers in the game with 198 yards on 28 carries, scored his second TD on the night with 1:47 left in the third quarter to give the Redskins a 31-21 edge. It came on a 13-yard run.
Then with 24 seconds to go in the third period, Zapata tallied his second TD on an 8-yard scamper making it 31-28 and setting the stage for another fantastic finish by Pace.
It didn’t immediately appear that Pace would come back again as the Vikings ran out of downs and had to give up possession with 4:30 to go at the Donna High 26. But the Redskins fumbled the ball away on the next play — their only turnover of the night — and the Vikings took over to drive 36 yards in eight plays for their game-winning score.
Before Pace’s go-ahead scoring drive, Vikings standout receiver Gabriel Zapata was injured early in the fourth quarter, was carted off the field and did not return. His condition was not immediately known.
Pardo said he is glad to see his team going to the postseason.
“It feels great to be in the playoffs,” Pardo said. “I’ve been there, and a lot of our coaches have been in the playoffs. I now feel even better because our players get to experience it. I’m proud and happy for them. They’re in the (postseason) dance now.”