By MARK MOLINA | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
The Porter Cowboys lit up the scoreboard in one of their best offensive outings of the season, but the Pace Viking offense and a 21-point deficit proved too much to overcome.
The Vikings scored eight touchdowns on nine offensive possessions to hold off the Cowboys for a 56-34 District 32-5A win Saturday night at Sams Stadium.
Pace built a 28-7 lead thanks to long runs and big pass plays downfield early in the first half and never looked back.
The Vikings (2-3, 1-1) came up empty on just one possession on the night, but due to a lackluster showing on defense, they would need every point to offset the Cowboys' long drives in the second half.
"The offense came out and played very well,"Pace head coach Danny Pardo said. "But on defense, we didn't do very well. It was a sloppy game with too many penalties. It's always good to get a win, but it's not who we are defensively. We need to clean it up and we'll be okay."
Pace running back Juan Jimenez, who had three rushing scores on the night, said the offense answered the bell when called upon.
"I think we had an amazing game and it was a great experience," Jimenez said. "Our defense didn't have a great game, but offensively, we did a great job backing our defense up. We're a team and a family. As long as we're all together, we can do it."
Porter (0-5, 0-2) trailed 28-17 at the half and put up points on three of four second-half possessions, which is a silver lining in the eyes of Porter head coach Carlos Uresti.
"I love what the kids showed," Uresti said. "They never gave up and fought to the very last second. The kids really fought and they're believing in what we're preaching and they showed it on the field."The Pace offense looked unstoppable in the first half, scoring on four of its five possessions.
The Vikings took just three plays to score their first touchdown, which came on a 1-yard run set up by back-to-back plays of 44 and 29 yards.
After a Porter fumble set Pace up on the Cowboy 45, quarterback Randy Aguilar found Gabriel Zapata for a 45-yard catch-and-run. The sequence started with a leaping grab by Zapata over a Porter defender and ended with a touchdown to make it 14-0 Pace midway through the first quarter.
Porter would score on the ensuing possession on a 1-yard quarterback keep by Ramiro Martinez, but Pace would build a 28-7 lead with another leaping touchdown grab from Zapata and a 62-yard run by Dylan Barron.
Aguilar finished with 190 yards and 2 touchdowns on an 8-for-11 passing night, while Vasquez hauled in 3 catches for 83 yards and two scores.
The Cowboys did manage to stay in the game after ending the half with a field goal and a 6-yard touchdown run by quarterback Kevin Garcia.
Pace opened the second half needing just three plays to go 67 yards, capped off by a 29-yard touchdown run by Jimenez -- his second score of the night. After a Porter field goal, Jimenez scored again on the ensuing possession, this time on a 27-yard scamper to make it 42-20.
Jimenez finished with 62 yards on four carries to go along with three scores. He was just one of three different Pace backs to run for at least 6o-plus yards and a touchdown in the game.
The Cowboys launched drives of 15 and eight plays on its next two possessions, finding the end zone both times -- once on a Martinez 1-yard run and then on a 10-yard fourth-and-goal pass from Garcia to Bladimir Acosta.
The Vikings would match both times on a combined nine plays to put the game on ice.
Porter's Garcia finished with 144 yards on 34 carries andna score. He also was 10 for 23 throw the air for 108 yards and another score.
Teammate Jose Villalon rushed for 103 yards on 11 carries.
