The Edcouch-Elsa Yellowjackets will head out on the road to take on the Pace Vikings at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Edcouch-Elsa took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. Everything went their way against Porter as they made off with a 28-7 victory. Considering the Yellowjackets have won three contests by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Ayden Mercado
| 10/17/25 vs Porter | 175 |
| 09/18/25 vs Edinburg | 95 |
| 09/26/25 vs Port Isabel | 82 |
| 09/12/25 @ McAllen | 60 |
| 10/10/25 @ Mercedes | 39 |
| + 2 more games |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Edcouch-Elsa to victory, but perhaps none more so than Ayden Mercado, who rushed for 175 yards and one TD while picking up 8.8 yards per carry. Mercado is becoming a predictor of the Yellowjackets' success: when he posts at least 80 rushing yards the team is 2-1 (and 1-3 when he doesn't). Aydan Garcia was in the mix too, providing Edcouch-Elsa with two scores.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Edcouch-Elsa was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 256 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2024.
Edcouch-Elsa didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Marcus Garcia and Brandon Ibarra. Ibarra is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in each of the last four games he's played. Edcouch-Elsa got some further help from Derek Cardenas: he picked up 3.5 sacks and made ten total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Pace never got on the board in their matchup last Friday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Southwest on Thursday. They took down the Javelinas 42-28. The matchup marked the Vikings' most dominant win of the season.
Pace's win came from a few key players Edcouch-Elsa will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Damian Majano, who rushed for 151 yards and a pair of touchdowns. David Melendez did his part for the team as well, scoring a TD off of 126 receiving yards.
Edcouch-Elsa's record is now 3-4. As for Pace, their victory ended a six-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-4.
Edcouch-Elsa came out on top in a nail-biter against Pace in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, sneaking past 28-26. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Vikings' Adrian Sauceda, who rushed for 194 yards and three TDs. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Yellowjackets to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
