QB Tostado, Brownsville Pace upset PSJA Memorial

PHARR — Rodrigo Tostado didn’t quite do everything right Friday night for Brownsville Pace.

With 2:02 remaining in the Vikings’ 34-13 win over PSJA Memorial, Tostado lined up from the Wolverines’ 40 for his third and final punt of the night. The kick was marked out of bounds at the Wolverines’ 37, generously giving the star quarterback/defensive back credit for a 3-yard punt.

“They told me to pooch-punt it and I tried,” Tostado said. “It came off a little wrong.”

That was about the only thing that went wrong for Tostado and the Vikings, who finished the non-district season 2-1. Tostado passed for 139 yards and two scores plus running for another 54 on the ground, helping the Vikings upset a Wolverines team that routed Mission High 24-6 last week.

The Wolverines committed three turnovers, and were flagged 13 times for 130 yards, helping Pace’s cause. That included having a 106-yard return by Mike Fonseca called back because of a penalty.

Tostado, though, helped the Vikings take advantage of the Wolverines’ woes. His finest moment was a 9-yard TD run with 10:50 remaining in the first half to give the Vikings a 16-0 lead. From about the 2-yard line, Tostado tried to hurdle two Wolverines defenders. Though he wasn’t quite able to make it into the end zone untouched, he did manage to fall forward over the goal line for the score.

“He’s not bad. He played well tonight. He threw the ball well for us,” Pace coach Rene Medrano said. “He made some plays.”

So, that punt probably won’t be held against him?

“Well, it was a pooch-punt,” Medrano said with a smile. “It was no big deal.”

Tostado and his teammates certainly didn’t think it was much to fret over. Because of his team’s lead, Tostado’s night as a QB had been done for a few minutes. And when he returned to the sidelines after the punt, he resumed joking around with his friends and teammates.

“That’s the best feeling in the world,” Tostado said. “When you look at the scoreboard up two, three touchdowns, you can just have fun with your friends and cheer on your other friends on the field and just enjoy the game on the sidelines.”

At that time, PSJA Memorial coach Gus Cavazos certainly wasn’t laughing it up the way Tostado was. His team struggled with penalties and dropped passes to fall in its last game before district begins.

“We did some things tonight that we hadn’t been doing this season,” Cavazos said. “And when you do that against a good team, you get your helmets handed to you.”

Brian Sandalow covers sports for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4436.