Pace Vikings coach Danny Pardo wasn’t too thrilled with his defense giving up a season-high 32 points to PSJA Memorial as the team moved to 4-0 in District 16-5A Division I play Friday night.
The feeling didn’t last long, as the Pace offense had its best showing of the year with a 48-point, 446-yard night.
Sophomore quarterback Jose Banda led the way, throwing for 248 yards and four scores on 14 of 21 passing. He also rushed for 78 yards and two more scores.
“I’m glad (the offense) woke up, because we didn’t on defense,” Pardo said, jokingly. “But it’s great to see our sophomore quarterback break out and throw the ball pretty well. I’m very excited that the offense has gotten going now and the pressure isn’t so much on the defense.”
Pardo gave credit to the PSJA Memorial offense for making a few big plays and said it gave his secondary a welcomed challenge.
Still, the defense only gave up 250 yards of offense, including 72 on the ground.
The next step is consistently getting big performances from each side of the ball as the district race heats up with a big game against 3-1 La Joya Palmview this week.
“That’s the plan — trying to put it all together,” Pardo said. “Now we have Palmview with a really good running back. We’re going to have our hands full. Palmview is only a game behind the top teams in the district, so it’s not like we’re playing a team that’s not up there. I hope we can put a whole game together, go into the bye week, and try to slow down a little bit and go back to basics.”
ANOTHER TEST
The Raymondville Bearkats are ready for another Coastal Bend test this weekend.
After dismantling the Kingsville King Brahmas 45-10 in Week 5, the Bearkats (4-1) take on last year’s District 16-4A Division II opponent, Orange Grove. The Bulldogs come into the contest with a record of 2-2, defeating Mathis (34-14) and Grulla 36-21, and falling to George West (38-24) and Beeville Jones (48-24).
On offense, the Bearkats are led by quarterback Jacob Posas, who has passed for 653 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for another 521 yards and eight touchdowns. Posas had another big performance for the Bearkats against the Brahmas, scoring on a 47-yard touchdown and passing for 200 yards.
Defensively, Raymondville has been consistent this season, allowing an average of 165 yards per game. Against the Brahmas, the Bearkats’ defense allowed 134 total yards (95 rushing, 39 yards passing). After this Friday’s game, Raymondville has a bye week before heading into a district showdown with Rio Hondo on Oct. 19.
RESURGENT TARPONS OFFENSE
Bryan Medina’s 41-yard touchdown with 4:09 remaining in the first quarter was a good indication of what was in store for the Port Isabel Tarpons during their 37-0 win over the St. Joseph Bloodhounds in Week 5.
Offensively, Medina’s TD set off a scoring spree that included a safety, two touchdown runs from Cesar Aguilera (3-yard TD run, 1-yard TD run), and two touchdowns from Sebastian Martinez (27-yard TD reception, 10-yard reception). In total, the Tarpons finished the night with an impressive 379 total yards of offense.
Standout performances included those from Medina (rushing for 145 yards and one TD on 29 carries), Aguilera (11-21-0 passing, 172 yards, one touchdown) and Martinez (108 yards on eight receptions).
The Tarpons play host to Grulla this Friday.
