DONNA — The Donna High Redskins picked up an exciting District 16-5A Division I victory over Brownsville Pace on Thursday.
Donna High (2-5, 2-5) used a hat trick of interceptions during the fourth quarter to cruise to a 21-9 win over the visiting Vikings (2-6, 2-5) at Bennie La Prade Stadium.
“It feels great. Always, getting a win is great,” Donna High coach Mike Gonzales said. “We came out a little flat in the first quarter, and we came out to play the second half. We got to fix some things, but I’m proud for these guys and I’m proud for the community of Donna for sticking with us the whole season.”
It was a frustrating night for Brownsville Pace, which struggled from start to finish to get anything going offensively. The Vikings started their first possession on Donna High’s 30-yard line following a turnover on downs. Junior defensive lineman Julian Vasquez had a tackle for loss, and then senior linebacker Jorge Rodriguez busted through the line for a fourth-down stop. Pace failed to capitalize, turning the ball over on downs.
After quickly forcing a punt, senior receiver Alexander Agado used a good return to again give Pace prime field position, starting on Donna High’s 24. Junior quarterback Brandon Narvaez capped the short drive with a 3-yard rushing touchdown, but the PAT was missed.
Both offenses had issues with consistency as the first half rolled on, but they put together nice scoring drives just before halftime.
Late in the second quarter, Donna High took the lead thanks to its quarterback duo of junior Jake Garcia and freshman Geoffrey Lefevre. Lefevre, the big passing QB, hit senior receiver Armando Rangel for a 48-yard gain into first-and-goal. Garcia, the powerful running QB, trucked his way to the goal line and scored on a 1-yard keeper. Francisco Belmares’ PAT made it 7-6 with 1:43 on the clock.
“Using both of them gives us a different dynamic, and it’s hard for teams to game plan around that,” Gonzales said. “They’re not selfish, they share the limelight, they’re leaders. They’re each other’s biggest cheerleaders, and I’m so proud of those two guys.”
The Vikings went up-tempo and used two clutch fourth-down conversions to jump back on top. Narvaez rushed for one, then found senior tight end Chase Morales for the second. Narvaez hit junior receiver Nathan Herrera to get to the 10, and then junior kicker/defensive back Emilio Cahuiche made a 21-yard field goal as time expired, making it 9-7 Vikings.
The Redskins controlled the second half, turning to Lefevre to direct the passing game and move the ball consistently. Garcia capitalized on his touches as the duo cashed in on defensive stops.
Lefevre directed a 91-yard scoring drive that ate a lot of clock to retake the lead early in the fourth quarter. He connected with junior receiver Luis Silva several times and junior Marc Zamorano once to get rolling. Once in the red zone, Garcia used three consecutive runs to make it 14-9 on a 3-yard, direct snap carry.
“(Lefevre) gives us the long ball, passing ability,” Gonzales said. “(Garcia) came to me on the sideline and said, ‘Coach, give me the ball.’ I was proud of him for stepping in and pounding the rock. He’s a big boy, he’s hard to take down, reminds me of a Derrick Henry type. He does a great job.”
Donna High recorded interceptions on Pace’s next three drives. Senior do-it-all playmaker Francisco Contreras snagged the first, then junior defensive back Brian Juarez got the next. Junior defensive back Victor Sandoval hauled in the third interception and ran it approximately 25 yards for a pick-six, putting the game out of reach with three minutes remaining.
“It was big time to come up with those big plays,” Gonzales said. “(Pace) had some athletes out there, and game-planning for those guys was real tough. We thought they were going to have to come out throwing the ball to score, so those guys did a great job in the secondary.”
Pace’s defense forced a punt late, giving the Vikings chances to cut into the deficit. But with top running back Ivan Gonzalez sidelined by an injury sustained early in the third quarter and the Redskins’ defense fired up, Pace couldn’t get across the 50.
Vasquez and senior linebacker Jonathan Lerma played well to lead Pace’s defense. The Vikings completed a fake punt as Cahuiche passed to Agado for first down, but nothing came from the play.
“We had our chances, we just couldn’t convert. We had a lot of penalties, missed blocking, things like that,” Pace coach Danny Pardo said. “We’re trying to come out with something to get it going. But when we start getting a roll, something happens and stops us, somebody goes down. The defense is only going to hold so long, and eventually we’re going to give up a score. That’s just the way it goes.”
