Vikings put on show for fans in home-opening win over Rattlers

Pace coach Rene Medrano and the Vikings didn’t want to disappoint their fans during their home opener.

In fact, they gave them a show.

Senior QB Rodrigo Tostado led the team with 213 yards and added two second-half touchdowns while the defense shut down Rio Grande City to give Pace a 35-14 win Friday night at Sams Stadium.

"We overcame a couple of things early and responded well," Pace coach Rene Medrano said. "I like the way they kids came out in the second half. In the first half we were sluggish but we overcame it, and the adjustments we made at halftime really worked well."

Down 21-14 just over seven minutes into the third quarter, RGC drove 62 yards on 16 plays to the Pace 1-yard line before disaster struck.

The Rattlers committed an illegal shift penalty then gained only one yard the next two plays before the team took a big blow. Running back Justin Ortega was carted off the field with a leg injury on third-and-goal.

RGC coach Jesus Lozano elected to kick a 23-yard field goal on fourth down, but Vikings linebacker deflected the attempt Mike Trejo just enough to where it hit the right upright to keep the Rattlers from cutting into the lead.

The Vikings made RGC pay, as Tostado busted an 85-yard touchdown run on a quarterback draw, giving Pace a 28-14 advantage with 7:51 left in the game.

Pace’s stingy defense held RGC to a three-and-out on its ensuing possession, and then the Vikings put the nail in the coffin. Ernest Nerio capped off a 10-play, 59-yard drive with a 5-yard run for a 35-14 Pace lead with 1:53 in the fourth quarter.

"We were right there with a chance to tie the game in the fourth," Lozano said. "Then we lose our running back Justin Ortega and don’t put in any points. We just fell apart after that."

Lozano still is confident about his team’s ability to earn a playoff berth in 2009 despite an 0-2 start to the season.

"We have a good football team," he said. "We’re going to bounce back, and we will be in the playoffs this year."

Ortega led his team in rushing with 82 yard and one score before leaving the field. Jaime Gonzalez contributed 51 yards on the ground and had one reception for a 93-yard touchdown that gave RGC its first and only lead of the game early in the second quarter.

Pace’s Ernest Trejo made four amazing catches, including one 27-yarder over a defender’s helmet to answer Gonzalez’s score that gave Pace the lead back. He finished the game with 97 yards receiving.

Louie Vera covers District 32-5A football for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via e-mail at lvera@themonitor.com.